by K E Osborn
I shake my head at him in disagreement. He winces and stands up to walk next over to Mom, he takes her hand in his and they entwine their fingers.
“One question – why?” I say, louder than I was trying for.
Chapter Fourteen
Mom gestures outside, I nod and we walk to the deck to sit down at the table.
“I’m assuming you mean, why did it take so long for us to tell you?” Mom asks and I nod.
“It was my fault Aiden,” Mom admits.
“Callie—”
“No, Mike, it was. Surely, it was all my fault. I was stubborn and married your fath… Alistair, even though, I loved Mike more than anything in the world. I was so stubborn. I had to stick with my morals and I agreed to marry Alistair, and so I had to follow through with it. Even though I had cheated on him with Mike a couple of weeks before the wedding. With hindsight, I wish I wasn’t so stubborn, and that I went with my heart, instead of my head. Things would’ve been so different, but then again, I wouldn’t have your brother and sister so…” she fades out.
“Callie told me she was pregnant and that you were mine. I tried to get her to run away with me, but she wouldn’t. Alistair knew she was pregnant, but he had no idea that you weren’t his. We both agreed that if we told Alistair that I was your father, then he’d make sure that he and Callie could never divorce. He would’ve fired me so I wouldn’t be able to see you. I couldn’t risk it Aiden. I had to be with you and your mother. I was Alistair’s employee and so I was driving him to work and then spending my days with Callie, taking her to all her appointments, while she was pregnant. I didn’t miss anything. When you were born, it was the hardest day of my life. I had to wait outside while Alistair got to see you, my son, being born.” Mike’s eyes fill with tears as Mom wipes them from his cheeks. I struggle listening to all of this. It’s so hard hearing what they went through. All because of that fucking tyrant, I called my father… Alistair.
“Callie consulted me about your name. She wanted me to pick your Christian name and then Alistair could pick the rest. Aiden was my grandfather’s name. Luckily, Alistair liked it, but he never knew why Callie picked it.”
I’m named after my great grandfather and then the rest of my name is after a family I don’t even belong to. I don’t know how I feel about that. “So, let me get this straight. You never told me, because Mom you were too stubborn to break up your marriage?” I ask, somewhat heatedly.
She shakes her head. “No, honey, I was stubborn, yes. I should’ve called off the wedding with Alistair. So, you’re right, I was stubborn about that. But, as for not telling you Mike is your father, we did that so Mike could have a life with you. Yes, albeit not a Father/Son relationship, but he would still be around you every chance he could. He watched you grow into the amazing man you are. He watched you marry the love of your life. He was able to be there for you when Brody and the girls were born. He’s been here, every step of the way, for every aspect of your life, Aiden. If we told Alistair that you weren’t his, Mike, would never have been allowed to be there for everything. He would’ve made sure of it,” Mom says, reaching her hand across the table for me to hold. I don’t hold it, I’m still too darn angry or stubborn, I don’t know. I guess I can see where they’re coming from, but to wait to tell me, even after he died five years ago. That I don’t understand.
Mom sniffs and takes her hand back and Mike wraps his arm around her shoulders.
“So, why after he died did you keep lying to me? You had nothing to lose by telling me, or even when I was eighteen? I was legally an adult. I could make my own mind up on who I wanted in my life then. I don’t understand. So please, please enlighten me,” I plead with my mom as she wipes away more tears.
“I honestly don’t know Aiden. We should have told you. But not when you were eighteen, you looked up to Alistair so much then. But when he died, we should have told you then. We talked about it and decided we’d never tell you. That you’d been through enough heartache for one lifetime and that Mike was in your life like a father now anyway, so it didn’t matter. I guess we were so used to the lie that it was easier than facing the truth. We didn’t want to hurt you,” Mom declares. I tighten my hand on Jeni’s.
“There’s no excuse for us not telling you after Alistair died. I’m sorry, Aiden, we should’ve told you,” Mike confirms. I nod as I sit here trying to take in all this new information.
“Wait, were you guys having an affair throughout your entire marriage to fath… Alistair?” I ask, suddenly feeling infuriated.
“No, definitely not. I cheated on Alistair, once, with Mike. That was when we made you. After I was married, we never went there again. Not that we didn’t want to, but it just wouldn’t have been right,” Mom says.
“I knew how Callie felt about cheaters and I certainly did not want to make her into one, especially while she was married. So, I remained her friend, even though it was one of the hardest things I’d ever done. I never stopped loving her, though, not ever.”
She smiles and caresses his face. “I never stopped loving you either, Mike,” Mom says.
“So, what happens now?” I ask and everyone looks at me.
“What do you mean?” Mike asks, with a confused look on his face.
“Well, do you expect me to call you, Dad?” I ask, sounding more than a little pissed off.
“No, Aiden, not unless you want to call me Dad?”
I shake my head.
“Well, then, Mike is fine,” he says, smiling.
I can’t smile back. I just don’t have the strength.
“I’ll get Jenson Monroe, to go over the legalities of it all. I’m sure that Fath… fuck… Alistair’s Will, will be null and void. So, I need to go over the legalities of where I stand with the business,” I announce.
Mom looks horrified. “Aiden, Alistair would’ve wanted you to have everything. Even though he was, well not the greatest person or father – he still loved you,” Mom confides, as a tear rolls down my cheek.
“It’s not Alistair I’m worried about, it's Blair, and Brielle. They deserve more than what they got. They should contest it and get what they deserve. I’m sure they’ll want it when they hear about this,” I say harshly.
“Aiden O’Connell, you listen to me right now. Stop with the pity party and listen to yourself. Your brother and sister love you. There’s no way they will want to take anything from you. I raised them better than that. And you know they wouldn’t disown you for being Mike’s son. They will love you just as much being a half-brother, than if you were their full brother,” Mom berates.
I know she’s right… I know Blair and Bree won’t contest anything, but I should give them the chance if they want it. I guess I’m also scared of how differently they will treat me, knowing that I’m not a full blood relative.
Then it dawns on me. “Holy shit,” I say out loud, and everyone looks straight at me again.
“You okay? Jeni asks, looking at me intently.
“Nana,” I mumble, “I’m not even related to her,” I say, as another tear falls down my face. I look over at Mom with a fresh set of anger in my eyes and she frowns at me.
“She definitely won’t want anything to do with me. She is so old. What if this news kills her? I’m going to be responsible for her death,” I exclaim.
“Aiden, don’t think like that. She will love you the same way she always has. You’re not going to kill her,” she says and I suddenly feel overwhelmed.
I start to hyperventilate. I rest the back of my head against the chair, trying to fight off more tears that are threatening to flow. “Fuuuuuck!” I yell out and run my hands through my hair.
Jeni pulls my hands from my head. “Aiden, look at me,” she says.
I can hear one of the twins crying.
Great, I woke her up!
“Aiden!” she yells, snapping me out of it. I look at her through tear soaked eyes and she just looks into my eyes with so much love, giving me the strength I need to calm down.
Mom gets up and walks inside, I’m assuming to the twins.
Mike clears his throat. “I’m so sorry Aiden, I know how hard this must be—”
“Do you?” I snap, as I look at him and frown.
He exhales and stands up. “Look, I’m going to give you some time, hopefully we can get back to some semblance of normal before the wedding, for your mother's sake,” he says and then walks away.
Our baby stops crying. My eyes remain focused on Jeni. I can’t help, but literally thank God, for the first time in my life that I have her by my side.
“Are you okay?”
I close my eyes and exhale shaking my head. “I don’t know what I am. How the hell am I going to face Brielle tomorrow at work?” I ask.
“Have tomorrow off. Stay home with me and the kids. We can have a family day just us, no parents, no friends. Just us?”
I exhale and shake my head. “I can’t, the Johnson’s are coming back in with a new account tomorrow. I have to be there, but I will email you all day. I really need you with me, Jeni,” I say.
“Okay, how about this. I’ll come in with you tomorrow—”
“You can’t - the girls?” I interrupt.
She shakes her head. “I’ll get Callie and Mike to watch them. We can drive ourselves to work for once. And anyway, I have the report I still need to finish for the Jones’ account, remember? I didn’t get it done before the girls came along. And before you ask, I will express some milk for them. They will be fine. Let me come to work with you tomorrow. We can call Blair in, and we can tell him and Brielle together. Two birds with one stone, yeah?”
Every time I think I love her the most I possibly can, she surprises me again by pushing my love for her even further.
“You amaze me,” I say.
“I know.” She smirks. “Do you want to come with me to tell your parents they’re babysitting tomorrow, or do you want me to do it?” she asks.
I reflect on her use of the words “my parents”. I shake my head and she nods in understanding.
“Okay, I’ll be right back. I love you,” she says, leaning in and kissing me softly.
“I love you too, baby, so much. Thank you.”
She stands up and walks inside to find Mom and Mike. I lean back in my chair and shake my head. I know I’ve said a number of irrational things, but I can’t help but wonder if they will become the truth. I’m mostly concerned about Nana and how she’ll take the news. I’ll have to go and visit her. But I think I’ll leave telling her up to Mom and Mike. I think they should be the ones to disappoint her.
Charlie, our American Long Haired Akita, comes over and rests his head on my lap.
“Hey, boy, you never disappoint me, do you buddy?” I whisper to him as I pat his head. He yawns and lies down on the deck next to my chair.
I look out over the night sky and up at the stars, the stars that I grew to love because of my father, well my pretend father, Alistair. I look up at them and wonder if he’s looking down on this whole situation and ready to throw a fist at Mike. He might even come back and start haunting him now. For a second, just a brief second, I laugh at the imagery of Alistair’s ghost getting all worked up.
“It’s good to hear you laugh,” Mom says, catching my attention. I look over at her and she smiles at me and I exhale.
“I love you, Aiden,” Mom says.
I break out of my mood to show her that I still care. “I know, I love you too, Mom, and I’m sorry. It’s just a shock you know?”
“I know. We’ll be back over in the morning before you guys head off to work. Can you remind Bree and Blair that I love them and that I’m sorry, when you tell them?”
I nod and she half smiles. She goes to walk off and I grab her attention once more.
“Mom.”
“Yes, darling?”
“Are you sure Mike wasn’t ashamed of me and that’s why you didn’t tell anyone? Because I was a dirty little secret?”
She walks over and sits down next to me, taking my hands in hers.
“Oh, sweetheart, never, ever think that… ever! Mike wanted the world to know about you. He loves you so much, Aiden, and he’s never been ashamed of anything you’ve done. Just remember he loves you like a father, not like a close friend. Everything he did was to protect you, and to keep you near him. He would never be ashamed of you, honey. He loves you too much,” she says as a few tears fall down my cheek.
I guess I believe her, but I really need to hear that from Mike.
“Thanks, Mom.”
She leans in and hugs me. My body is stiff and I can’t bring myself to hug her back, just yet. Let me get used to the fact that she lied to me for my entire life and then maybe I can hug her back.
“I’ll be just across the yard if you need to talk. I don’t care if it’s three in the morning. If you need to talk, call me and we’ll be right over. Okay?”
I nod. She squeezes my hand and walks off. I start to wonder if DNA really changes everything, if not having any part of Alistair in me makes me an even better person than I thought I was. All that fuss about Jeni thinking I was going to turn out like Alistair was for nothing, because it’s genetically impossible for me to turn out like him. It’s no wonder I was fighting so hard not be like him. It’s just not in me to be like him. This is doing my head in! I start to wonder where my beautiful wife is.
“C’mon Charlie, let’s go inside,” I command and Charlie jumps up with a smile on his face. I know dogs can’t actually smile, but he certainly looks like he is. We walk inside and I close the concertina doors that open out to the deck. What a long day, not to mention I’ve done all of this tonight with a hangover. Needless to say, I’m exhausted. I turn off the lights and head upstairs. I go to Brody’s room first, crack open the door and look in on him fast asleep with Mr. Snuggles. Something about looking at that bear always makes me smile. I close the door and walk into the nursery to see Jeni feeding one of the girls.
“Hey,” she whispers and I smile at her.
“Hey, which one?” I ask and she pulls back the blanket and looks below the left ear.
“Kassie,” she says and I walk in and sit on the floor next to her rocking chair. Charlie walks in and rests his head on my lap again and I sit with my girls and our dog, until Kassie starts to drift off.
“I think she’s asleep,” Jeni whispers.
I look up at Kassie and she looks so peaceful all wrapped up. I stand and take her from Jeni and just hold her for a moment. Jeni watches as a realization comes to me. I couldn’t imagine not being at the birth of my children, and I know that I would do anything to be in their lives, absolutely anything. Even, if it meant lying about something important. A sense of calm washes over me. I think I understand why Mom and Mike did what they did. Why they kept it from me. Doesn’t make me any less upset, but at least now I understand why. I may not like it, but I get it.
Chapter Fifteen
Jeni is madly rushing around the house getting all the kids things ready for Mom and Mike. We haven’t even gotten to work and she seems stressed.
“Baby, seriously if you want to stay home, I’ll be fine at work on my own. Maybe we can get Bree and Blair over for dinner and I can tell them then?” I ask and she looks up at me and shakes her head.
“No, Aiden you need to tell them today. You know how you felt being kept in the dark. The longer you leave it the more annoyed they’ll be that you didn’t tell them. You know I’m right. Anyway, I just have to sterilize the bottles and we’re ready to go,” she announces as she walks over to me in the kitchen and plants a chaste kiss on my cheek.
“Don’t worry about the bottles, let Marissa do it. She’ll be here soon. So, why don’t you sit down with me and have a coffee?”
She nods. “Yeah of course, I keep forgetting that Marissa is back today.”
We walk to the sofa and have a seat. Brody comes running up to us showing me his wooden truck that Mike made him and the thought comes to mind that Brody is Mike’s Gran
dson. When I look back at it now Mike has been there for everything my entire life. He’s been more of a father than Alistair ever was. Yes, without Alistair I’d never have been as successful as I am, but I could have been anything, absolutely anything, in the world. But then again, if I wasn’t working in finance and had my Aston Martin, then I may not have crashed into Jeni and I wouldn’t have the best family a guy could ask for. So, perhaps that’s a good thing to come out of all of this. I take a sip of my coffee as I see Mom and Mike walking through our back doors.
“Morning,” Mom announces cheerily. She looks happy.
“Nana… Nana, look at my twuck,” Brody calls out, as he runs up to her. She picks him up and rests him on her hip.
“Well, I think that as the best present Mike could’ve given you, don’t you think, Brody?” Mom says and he smiles at her.
“Morning guys. Marissa should be here soon to do the sterilizing and whatever else you need. The girls have had their morning feeds and Brody’s had his breakfast. It should be smooth sailing from here,” Jeni says, then drinks the last of her coffee.
“No worries, we got this,” Mike says, making us laugh.
“What? Isn’t that what all the kids say these days?” He looks at me and smiles a big bright smile. He looks like a weight has been lifted. The problem is, all that weight is now firmly set on my shoulders. I drink the last of my coffee and pick up Jeni’s mug and make my way to the sink, placing them in. Jeni walks over to the vibrating seats the girls are swinging in. They love those things. She kisses each one on their head.
“C’mon babe, we better go,” Jeni says.
“Yep,” I say and walk over to my beautiful girls. I give them each a kiss and then over to Brody. As I lean down to kiss Brody’s head, Mom reaches out and touches my arm. I look at her and she smiles. I’m still upset with her, in fact, I’m damn mad at her, and Mike, but somehow I manage to smile back.
“Have a good day buddy. Don’t drive Nana too crazy,” I say to Brody and he completely ignores me, as usual, when his nana is around.
