Thankfully, she didn’t have much of his physical traits, save for the angularity of her jaw, and perhaps the same stubbornness of will.
“It’s true that there was a woman in my life before you, Gwen. Her name was Georgia, but I had no idea Georgia was pregnant when we broke up.”
And in the years since, she had not once contacted him. He’d had no way of knowing that he had another child out there.
“You’re lying!” Samara raged, so loudly that feedback from the microphone rang throughout the room.
“How can I be lying about something I had no knowledge about?” he shouted back. “She never said one word to me.”
“And if she had? What would you have done?”
Steven looked around and saw the eyes of his friends, neighbors and business associates staring back at him. Every one of them looked absolutely stunned at what they were hearing. At that moment, he felt so much pressure and so much defeat that all he wanted to do was shrink back into his seat.
“Truthfully?” Steven responded, with much less fervor. “I don’t know.”
He did know one thing. His parents would have been supremely disappointed in him. He turned to his father, lowered his voice and whispered, “Dad? What should I do?”
“This all sounds like a bunch of Hollywood mumbo-jumbo to me,” Grandpa Charles snarled, loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. “She’s trying to make us Browards look like a bunch of country hicks in front of all these cameras.”
“I’m telling the truth,” Samara insisted, although her voice had lost a little of its urgency.
Gwen picked up on her change in tone, and she suddenly stood and locked arms in solidarity with her husband. “Prove it.”
“How dare you challenge me?” Samara raged.
She glared at the woman who had stolen her mother’s only true love. Her mother had never really admitted it, but she knew that when Steven had left her brokenhearted, weary and pregnant, that she had never really recovered.
Samara held back tears. The Browards were her enemies. No way was she going to admit defeat by crying. “My mother was so beautiful and so graceful in her youth, and you both stole it from her!” In a strange way, it pleased Samara that Gwen wasn’t particularly good-looking, but she did have a regal way about her, as if she knew more than her face held. It hardly mattered; where Gwen failed in the looks department, she still had her wealth, power and status in the Granger community.
But not for long, Samara vowed to herself.
Jameson spoke up in defense of his father. “Nothing you’ve said here tonight makes one bit of sense.”
Samara put one hand on her hip and lasered a gaze at the man who was her main competition for the Palmer Ranch. “Isn’t that just like a Broward? Always trying to make believe that only their opinions count, that their word is god, and unless you can prove you’re worth something to them, you’re branded a nobody,” she sneered. “That’s what Steven and his parents thought about my mother. They thought she was a nobody and that’s why he broke her heart!”
Steven hung his head, knowing that her words were true.
“Why doesn’t someone just pull the plug on that microphone so she’ll shut up?” suggested Jameson in a low voice.
“Hush,” Brooke said, jabbing him in the side with her elbow.
“No. Let her speak,” Gwen urged. “We’re still waiting to hear what proof she has that she is Steven’s daughter.”
“My mother told me that my father was dead,” Samara began.
“There! You see!” Jameson exclaimed, pointing a finger at her. “That proves that she is the one who is lying.”
“It proves nothing,” Samara retorted, “except for the fact that my mother didn’t want me to know what kind of a father I had. She didn’t want me to know that he’d abandoned her and ultimately, abandoned me.
“I grew up with nothing,” Samara continued in dramatic fashion, unshed tears welling up in her eyes. “We lived on food stamps while my mother worked menial jobs. She could never afford to go to college. She worked two jobs most years, and tried to be with me as much as she could. But I was often alone while she was working, trying to provide for us. Not once did she go on a date or entertain a man,” Samara cried out. “She took care of me. She loved me.”
“Why didn’t Georgia ever contact me?” Steven asked.
“Did you ever try to get in touch with her?” Samara fired back.
“No, but that was because I was already involved with Gwen. We were going to be married. It wouldn’t have been right.”
Samara shook her head, and her tone was vicious. “I’m tired of hearing your lame excuses. My mother is dead.” She watched without pity as Steven shook his head in disbelief. “She passed away when I was a teenager, having worked herself into an early grave. While you and your wife had everything. We had nothing. No support at all.”
Samara made her way down the stage and walked over to the table.
“You say you want proof. I have it right here.”
She unclasped a necklace that was hidden behind the giant diamond one around her neck, and held it before Steven, dangling it like a hypnotist.
“This is the first and only gift you gave to my mother. It was the only thing she ever had that had any value.”
Steven thrust out his hand. “Let me see that,” he barked.
Samara placed it gingerly into his cupped palm, without touching him.
Steven’s eyes widened at the sight of the tiny pair of solid twenty-four-karat gold ballet slippers. He remembered the night he’d given it to Georgia, in recognition of her dream to be a dancer and in celebration of his love for her. It was that night that Samara must have been conceived.
At the look on Steven’s face, Samara said, “You remember, don’t you?”
No one spoke and the cameras continued to roll as the Broward family and everyone in the room waited for Steven’s response.
“Did you give that necklace to Georgia?” Gwen asked quietly.
“Y-yes,” he stammered, closing his fist around the jewelry that held so many memories for him. “Yes, I did.” His eyes slid shut for a moment.
What have I done?
Gwen slowly sank back into her seat. “So it is true,” she muttered in disbelief.
Her husband had a child with another woman.
A woman he had wooed and bedded and loved far earlier than he’d known Gwen.
She thought her marriage was strong, but was it strong enough to withstand this?
Wes spoke up. “How do you know it’s the same necklace? It could be a fake.”
Steven shook his head. “It’s not. There’s not another one in the world like this one. I had it custom-made in Bozeman for Georgia. See, her initials are there. One letter is engraved on each shoe.”
“Let me see the necklace, son,” said Grandpa Charles.
He handed it to his father, who examined it closely. Then he handed it back. “And you’d told me you spent your entire allowance savings on fishing tackle.”
One more secret was out and Steven hung his head in shame. “I’m sorry, Dad.”
He handed the necklace back to Samara, being careful not to make physical contact with her.
Samara took it and reclasped it around her neck, and dropped the diamond one over it. “I’m the one you should be apologizing to. I’m the one you left with nothing. I’m the one who grew up without a father!”
But Steven could not respond. His reputation and everything he’d staked his life on was in danger of being destroyed because of a secret, and now that it was out, he didn’t know what do next. He threw his arm across his eyes and slunk even farther down into his seat as Wes, Jameson and Laney stared in wonder at a possible half sister.
Chapter 15
Nob
ody moved. The ballroom was hot-wired with tension as the partygoers waited to see what would happen next. Even the waiters, who had begun to serve the meal, were now leaning against the walls, holding trays of food in front of them.
No one could have foretold this unexpected turn of events, and the auction for a one-night “date” with Samara seemed long forgotten.
Rooted to her seat in disbelief, Laney felt as if she was floating in a bubble of suspended animation or that the Browards were the punchline of somebody’s idea of a very sick joke. Her family seemed frozen in an awful nightmare and nobody knew how to end it, least of all her parents.
The entire reputation of the Broward family, and possibly their livelihood, was at risk, and at the moment, she could see that Gwen and Steven were too shocked to even fight back.
Samara’s necklace was like an invisible noose of truth. Sure, it wasn’t accurate or scientific like a paternity test, yet it was cloaked in emotion. For what it represented was love and passion and hope. And what is a truer end result of all that than a child?
The gold necklace was a gift given in secret, much like the child that was conceived. Both were subsequently hidden for years.
But why tell us this news now? Laney thought.
She had watched Samara closely throughout the entire ordeal, on the hunt for any signs of Hollywood phoniness in her speech and demeanor. And despite her less than positive feelings about the A-list movie star, she had also tried to listen to her tirade with open ears.
Now Samara was standing before the Broward family table. But, amazingly, for the first time that evening, she’d turned away from the cameras.
Shoulders hunched over, head bowed, crying, the sound on the cusp of a howl. Samara was no longer a movie star preening for a ten-second sound bite, she was a secret daughter mourning the loss of a father she never knew.
Laney’s heart suddenly seized in her chest. That’s when she knew that this was no act. Samara’s pain was real, and if what she’d said about her father was true, so terribly unnecessary.
She wasn’t about to allow another secret to destroy her family. Laney took a deep breath and scooted her chair back. Austin caught her lightly by the wrist.
“Where are you going?” he asked.
“I’m going to hug my half sister.”
She shook away from his well-meaning grasp and stood. It seemed as if a thousand eyes were pressed into her back as she made her way around the table.
A murmur went through the crowd. Those that hadn’t already been live-Tweeting the event started anew, however most just inched forward in their seats and craned their necks to get a better view.
Cameramen rechecked their equipment to ensure there would be no technical glitches in their continued coverage of this unusual event. But if you asked them privately or brought them a beer or two, they’d tell you that they thought Samara was on the kooky side of Sane Street. Their advice? Always cross to the other side of the road.
Gwen and Steven looked at one another and back at their only daughter, round with their first grandchild. Laney was so beautiful and usually so predictable. Her decisions were meted out with much thought and precision. But now she moved hastily toward Samara, as if her entire life depended upon it.
Laney put a hand on Samara’s shoulder and didn’t feel the least bit offended when the woman shrank away. She simply waited until the actress turned around to face her.
Samara’s makeup was smeared and she looked a mess, and Laney felt a surge of pity.
“No child should grow up without a father,” Laney said. “I’m so sorry you didn’t get a chance to know our dad because if you had, you would know he’s a good man. He would never knowingly walk away and abandon one of his own. Not ever.”
Samara swiped at one eye. “You’re just saying that because you’re his daughter,” she sniffled.
“No, I’m saying that because it’s true and because you’re his daughter, too.”
She turned to Steven and she saw that his eyes had filled with tears. “And no father should be denied a relationship with his child.”
Laney reached for Samara’s hand, and she was surprised when the star took it tentatively, before grasping it tightly.
“Several weeks ago, my family and I made a pact. We vowed to never let secrets destroy our special bond, a love that has carried forth throughout generations, and we won’t let it happen today. Especially since it appears we now have a new Broward in the family and soon—” Laney patted her tummy “—another one on the way.”
She turned, gazed at Austin and continued. “I am blessed to have Austin Johns, the father of my baby, in my life. Although I am sorry to say that it took me a while to realize what a lucky woman I am. I’ll never again take him for granted, nor the love of each member of my family.”
Finally, she addressed the audience. “Let’s all remember the root of who we are is our relationship with our loved ones. Our mothers and our fathers, sisters and brothers, grandparents, aunts and uncles and cousins. We must all be willing to restore the broken hearts and forgive the broken promises. So that the love that links us all will be forever strengthened for generations to come.”
The stunned silence that had filled the room was now replaced with a burst of applause.
Laney didn’t know if the cameras were still rolling or not and she didn’t care. She was just glad that the truth was out and in a way she was grateful for Samara’s outburst, because it made her realize how close she’d come to losing Austin and breaking her own child’s heart.
When Laney dropped Samara’s hand and hugged her, she did not return the heartfelt gesture. Instead she stiffened in her arms, unable to feel joy, unable to feel anything but confusion at Laney’s empathy.
The applause continued. For once, Samara didn’t care if it wasn’t meant for her. All she wanted to do was feel something in her heart besides rage and hurt. Was that even possible anymore?
“It’s okay now,” Laney said, her face close to Samara’s cheek. “We believe you.”
Samara didn’t respond, for what could she say? Laney’s voice was clear, unlike Samara’s conscience. When she’d made the decision to move to Granger, she never could have imagined things would turn out this way.
Steven watched Laney embrace Samara, and his heart tightened in his chest. He’d never been so proud of his daughter than he was right now. While he’d sat there in a state of shock, she’d taken the lead in trying to salvage a disgraceful situation and turn it into the beginning of a new relationship.
His chin dropped and he shook his head slowly, afraid to look at Gwen. Did she believe him when he’d told Samara, told the whole world in front of those godforsaken cameras, that he hadn’t known Georgia was pregnant?
He felt her hand clasp his and his head snapped up, although he was afraid to see her soft brown eyes.
At one time, they’d been the eyes of a stranger. A woman he’d practically been forced to marry for the sake of good breeding and maintaining the wealth of their respective families. But now, after thirty-four years of marriage and three children, Steven could honestly say Gwen was his best friend. All he wanted now was her forgiveness.
“I’m sorry,” he mouthed, knowing full well she deserved much more than two simple words. She deserved an explanation, but he had none to give.
Gwen squeezed his hand. “Go to her. We’ll talk later.”
Tears smarting his eyes, Steven swallowed hard and then half stumbled out of his chair.
Laney released Samara from her embrace, while Steven stood there, unsure what to do next. He stuck both hands in his tuxedo pockets, and just as quickly took them out again. He ran his thumb along the inside of his left hand, over the round edge of his wedding ring, taking strength in the fact that it was still on his finger.
Steven was a man known for the brevity of h
is words. Folks who knew him best would say that he liked to graze upon his thoughts before sharing them. He was never in a hurry. Yet right now, he had a ton of things he wanted to say, but he knew that no words could describe the jumble of emotions he was feeling, nor would they bring back all the lost years.
“If I’d known about you, I—I would have welcomed you with open arms,” he stammered awkwardly.
He started to put his hands in his pockets again. Seconds later, he changed his mind and reached for his newfound daughter. But her shoulders folded inward and she shied away from him, pulling his heart away with her.
Up close now, Steven could see even more the resemblance to her mother, Georgia. Samara was as beautiful as she had once been. He could see her thin arms trembling and her eyes shifting toward him warily, as if she wasn’t sure whether he was going to attack her or hug her. This saddened him, almost as much as not knowing she had existed.
Samara fought back more tears as she took another step away from her father, ignoring the need to dive right into his arms.
She’d waited so long for this moment. For years, she’d practiced all the words she would say if she ever met her father. She’d never quite believed her mother when she’d told her he was dead. He was alive in her imagination every day...and now, he was close enough to hug.
Still, it felt strange to be standing here in front of the man who’d unwittingly caused her and her mother so much pain.
Her mind flashed back to the night of her eighteenth birthday, when she’d come home from a date and found her mother dead. At first, she’d thought she was only sleeping, the chamomile tea she drank to calm her nerves was nearly empty. But when she wouldn’t wake up, Samara screamed and screamed until her next door neighbor called the police. From that day forward, Samara was alone.
But not for long.
She wasn’t stupid. She’d figured out fairly young that her body and her beauty could be used to fill the gaps in her heart with adoration from men, money and Hollywood.
She was a star! Her glamorous life was coveted by millions worldwide, fans longed to be in her presence, while her own father had abandoned her without looking back.
Loving Laney Page 17
