Daddy Dearest: A Christmas Story

by Rachel Burns

  She was being so quiet. But she didn’t need to talk. He’d pieced together what had happened already.

  Sawyer only asked her one question. He asked her how old she was when she met him.

  “I was six when we first met.” She turned her head away from him and looked out of the window. She was gone, off to the place where she used to go to when she was remembering something terrible.

  Her deep thought gave Sawyer a chance to think about what he had just learned. That rich guy had bought her at the age of six. It was disgusting. If the guy weren’t dying, Sawyer would call the cops on him. But chances were that a guy like Mr. Swift would have politicians and policemen in his pocket.

  They drove for hours. But when they passed Nashville, Sawyer decided to call it a night. He checked them into a motel.

  Morgan went right to bed. She laid with her back to him and in the fetal position. He hated that she was suffering like this.

  He wished that he could talk her out of this.

  Why did she feel she had to go?

  Chapter 26

  Morgan repeatedly gave Sawyer the wrong directions. She had never driven to her Dad’s house before. She was forced to give him directions to the fencing club when she recognized a road. From there, she was able to direct him to the house.

  It was early evening when they arrived, and Morgan could see that the house wasn’t what Sawyer expected. His jaw dropped even before the gates opened. But when they did, he was reluctant to drive through.

  When he finally did, he looked as if he feared he might break something. He inched forward to where Morgan told him to park.

  When they got out, the gardener stopped raking leaves and approached them and told them that the servants’ entrance was around the back.

  “I used to live here. I’m Morgan,” she told him.

  “Oh, I’m sorry, Miss Swift. Should I have your truck moved to one of the garages?” he offered. It was clear that he still wanted to keep his job after her father died.

  Morgan looked at Sawyer, who shook his head. He appeared to be very mad.

  Morgan knew that she should have talked to him on the trip, but she was busy sorting through her emotions. It wasn’t easy for her to come here, but she had decided that it would be best to go so she wouldn’t have to feel guilty about not going for the rest of her life.

  Besides, this was her last chance to find out where her mother was buried.

  While she was in college, Morgan had gone online and tried to find her mother, but she couldn’t find her. She needed to talk to someone who had first-hand knowledge, and the one person with that knowledge was supposedly slipping away.

  She hoped that this wasn’t some trick. As she walked up the steps to the front door, she braced herself, hoping that her father hadn’t lied to her. She pictured him telling Sawyer that she was a terrible disappointment to him so much that he had cut her off, and that her own boyfriend had only been using her to get to her father. She didn’t think that her life would make her attractive to Sawyer. If he did continue to like her, it would be in spite of her past.

  The housekeeper opened the door and smiled at her. “You’ve grown up, Miss Swift.”

  “I guess so,” she replied.

  “Your father isn’t having a good day. He’s in bed. Most days he’s up more often, but he wanted to make sure the house was ready for your visit, and he overdid it a little. I’ll bring you up to your room so you can freshen up. Will your guest be needing his own room, or will you be sharing?” the housekeeper asked her.

  “We’ll be sharing.” Morgan glanced at Sawyer to see if that was okay with him. He looked a little shocked. In fact, he looked gob smacked.

  “My father isn’t in a position to judge me about something like that. He always had different women here. We’re in a steady relationship. We have nothing to be ashamed of.” Morgan assured him.

  The housekeeper had their bags brought in and brought them up to Morgan’s room.

  At first, Morgan didn’t think anything of it, but then she noticed that a new doll was on her bed. She looked exactly like the one she had as a kid. As far back as she could remember, her doll was faded and missing hair. This must be what her doll had looked like when she was new. Why would her father replace her doll?

  Chances were that someone else had done it, probably some secretary.

  “What’s all this?” Sawyer asked her.

  Morgan turned around, tearing her eyes away from her doll and looking at him. “Those are my trophies.”

  “How many do you have?” he asked her.

  “Never enough,” she whispered under her breath. No number would have satisfied her father.

  The housekeeper was unpacking both of their things. Morgan was used to her doing that, but Sawyer wasn’t.

  “Thank you, Mrs. Lincoln. I’ll finish up,” Morgan told her.

  The housekeeper nodded at her and left immediately.

  Morgan quickly unpacked their things. As his slave, it was her job to take care of his things the way he taught her to do it.

  “Would you like a tour?” she asked him, hoping that it sounded as if she felt familiar with the place. This wasn’t her childhood home. If he wanted to see that, she’d have to take him to her boarding school. But she wanted to hide that truth from him.

  He followed her through the house and gardens. He seldom talked, but Morgan chatted nervously and answered his rare questions. Mostly, he made it clear that he thought that it was decadent to have a pool in the house as well as one outside.

  “We can’t swim outside in winter here,” she told him, trying to explain it.

  Morgan forced herself to look natural as she went from room to room. Rooms she had never herself seen before because she hadn’t been allowed into them. But now she’d rather die than tell Sawyer that. She hoped that she was impressing him.

  When they returned through the front entryway, Morgan informed Sawyer that the upstairs wing to the left was her father’s, and that she didn’t want to show him that because they might disturb him.

  “When I asked you when you met Mr. Swift, you told me you were six.” Sawyer took hold of her by her arm and turned her so she was facing him.

  “I was.”

  “How can a person first meet their father at the age of six?” Sawyer questioned her.

  “Because that was the first time I met him. I lived with my mother until then.”

  Sawyer released her arm. “Where is your mother now?”

  “I don’t know,” she confessed.

  “Excuse me, Miss Swift. Your father is awake. He’d like to see you now.”

  “I’ll be right there.” She turned back to Sawyer. Reaching out, she took hold of his arm. “I’ll explain everything after I talk to him. Just make yourself at home.”

  Chapter 27

  Make myself at home? Sawyer thought to himself. This was grand, but it sure wasn’t homey.

  He looked around, trying to think what he should do, but there was really only one thing for him to do. He couldn’t believe that his Morgan was really Morgan Swift, daughter of Martin Swift the multibillionaire.

  This place was fancier than any museum he’d ever been in, and Morgan had grown up here. He wasn’t in her league. Why was she even with him when she could have been here, laying by one of the two pools that were here and having someone in the large staff here bring her something to drink.

  Or she could sword play in the garden. That seemed to be something that she liked to do. He went up to her room and looked at her trophies. His eyes moved from one golden figure to the next. She excelled in horseback riding, golfing, tennis, fencing and swimming.

  She was a rich person who never had to work a day in her life. People like her didn’t have to work, they had hobbies instead.

  It was time for him to face the facts. Deep down he had known it all along. Her past had the power to rip them apart. He knew if he stayed, she would end up dumping him for one of the elite men whose circles she moved
in.

  It would be better for him to leave now. He slowly packed his things, telling himself not to make a rash decision. He loved her, and he was often certain that she loved him too. But often he was filled with doubts. Very often.

  With resolve, he finished packing and went down to the hallway to wait for Morgan.

  He wasn’t going to leave without saying goodbye to her.

  A gentleman would never do that.

  Chapter 28

  Morgan knocked on the door and waited.

  “Come in, Morgan,” her father called out to her.

  Her hand shook slightly as she reached for the knob. Her father was moving on the bed, trying to sit up. “You really came.” He was smiling at her.

  “Hello, sir,” Morgan greeted him.

  “Come in and sit down.” He looked at a chair that was placed beside the bed, ready for her sit on.

  Morgan glanced around the room. She’d been in here once before, but she hadn’t been feeling well that night.

  She still always felt awful and sick to her stomach before she got her period. Sawyer was always especially nice to her then. He insisted that she eat soup with crackers. He believed that soup and crackers could heal most everything.

  Morgan sat down and looked at her father.

  “Thank you for coming.” He was thrilled that she was here. Morgan saw herself as weak for coming.

  She gave him a nod, not knowing what to say to this stranger.

  “How long can you stay?” he asked her full of hope.

  Morgan thought about what she should answer. She bit into her lower lip and turned slightly towards the door. “I’m here with Sawyer. He won’t be able to stay that long. He’ll need to get back to the truck stop. He’s also the mayor of the town. So he has responsibilities.”

  “Of course. I understand that. It was nice that you came at all. It’s more than I deserve.”

  Morgan fought not to nod in agreement, but he was dead right. He didn’t deserve to have her here.

  “Can I get you anything?” she offered him, wanting to break the silence and looking for a chance to leave again.

  “No, we have people for that. I just wanted to talk to you.”

  “About what?” she asked him unable to hide the fact that she was truly surprised.

  “About your inheritance. You get everything. When I’m feeling better, I’ll take you to work with me. You can look at the place and decide what you want to do with it. The company has been in our family for generations. It’s my life’s work, but suddenly, I don’t care about it. It will be yours to do with as you wish. I’ve also found you an accountant who will make sure that you aren’t paying more in taxes than necessary. My lawyer will also be at your disposal. You get everything.”

  “I didn’t want anything,” she stated coldly as she thought about the things that she had hoped to get from him over the years: love, support, and acceptance to name a few. “There is one thing that I do want from you.”

  “Whatever it is, I’ll see that you get it.” Martin promised her.

  “I want to know where my mother is buried so I can go visit her. I’d also like a picture of her if you have one.”

  His jaw tightened, but he nodded at her.

  Morgan rose to her feet. This short talk with her father was already proving to be too much. They had never had long encounters. “I’ll visit you again later. Goodbye, sir.”

  “Goodbye, Morgan.”

  Morgan paused for a moment surprised that he had answered her. He usually didn’t. He only required her to be polite, but he had never been polite to her.

  She went to the door and quickly left. As soon as the door closed, she gasped for air. It was so difficult to talk to him. She leaned against the wall, wanting to collect herself before she saw Sawyer.

  She had to keep up the air of having a normal family. It would kill her if he knew that she had been an abused child and a badly used girlfriend. He’d feel that it was wrong to continue their relationship as if was, and she knew how much it meant to him.

  ~

  Morgan spotted Sawyer in the entryway. She forced a smile on her face and headed down to him.

  He rose to his feet as she approached. “Morgan, I’m going to head back home. If you ever need anything, feel free to call me.”

  Morgan’s jaw dropped as she noted that he already had his bag in his hand. She tried to understand what he was saying. He was making it sound as if this was goodbye forever. “But we just got here. The plan was to stay a couple of days. Did something happen?”

  “Yes, something happened. I saw where you come from. This wasn’t what I thought your life was like. I thought that I was saving you from extreme poverty and an abusive master. But he wasn’t your master. He’s your father. You never told me that. I thought that you came from a very bad place. But this place is …” He let his voice trail off.

  “This place means nothing to me, and you did save me. You know that.” She reached out and tried to grab onto him, but he backed away.

  Morgan felt as if her heart were being torn out. The one good thing in her life didn’t want to be a part of her life anymore. “Please stay,” she begged him in a soft voice.

  “I can’t. We’re from two different worlds. If this were the Titanic, you’d be on the upper deck, and I’d be down below. People like us don’t mix well together. It would never work.” He shook his head, trying to picture it. Morgan could see that he couldn’t.

  He was going to walk out of her life and leave her standing here alone. She should have seen it coming. Nothing that was good stayed in her life. Master Sawyer wouldn’t be any different.

  She gulped and nodded at him. “So this is goodbye forever?”

  “Morgan, you know how I feel about you, but I could never fit into this world. I don’t belong here.”

  She nodded at him again. “I felt the same way. That’s why I ran away.”

  “You’re an amazing woman. I know that you’ll find someone amazing, someone like you.”

  “I tried that. He only wanted me because of my father’s money. When my father made it clear that he would disown me if I stayed with him, Robert showed me how disappointed he was. I never meant anything to him.” She felt that she had never meant anything to anyone. Not even to Sawyer.

  Sawyer leaned down and gave her a sweet kiss on the cheek. There was no passion and no emotion. He turned away from her and went to the front door. He left and didn’t look back.

  Morgan raced to the door and looked out of the window. She watched Sawyer get into his truck and drive away.

  The corners of her mouth were so heavy. She wouldn’t have been able to smile to save her life. Her legs began to shake, and she could no longer stay on her feet. She dropped to the floor and cried, knowing that her life was over. And once again, it was her father’s fault. He had selfishly wanted her to come here so he wouldn’t have to die alone.

  But when she had needed him, he had threatened her. And she would have jumped to her death alone without her father to hold her hand. He wouldn’t have come if she had called him. Why was she here?

  She should have let Sawyer think that her father was her previous master. She never should have brought him here. It was clear that he would think that she was a rich spoiled girl.

  But that wasn’t who she was. She thought that Sawyer knew her, but she was wrong. No one knew her, and no one cared about her.

  She stayed on the floor for an hour before she forced herself to stop crying and go up to her room.

  She would talk to her father tomorrow again. For now, he had to wait.

  Chapter 29

  Martin had decided that he needed to get up and find the information that Morgan wanted immediately. He needed to show goodwill.

  Besides, it had given him an idea where he should be buried. If he laid beside Stephanie, then Morgan would be forced to visit his grave when she visited her mother’s.

  He called his secretary and gave her the instructions to find th
e plot where Stephanie had been buried. He assumed that his lawyer would be able to find out where she was. If he couldn’t, Martin would hire someone to do it.

  But the pictures of Stephanie were something else. They were here in a file. It was a file that he wanted to look at again before he died.

  When he reached the hallway, he saw Morgan and Sawyer talking. Immediately, he understood what was happening.

  Oh damn, he thought. He needed Sawyer to take care of Morgan after he was gone. She wasn’t capable of doing it herself. She’d make another bad choice in the hope that some loser might love her, but he’d only want her money.

  Then Sawyer left, closing the door in Morgan’s face. Martin saw Morgan fall to the floor. Her whole world was crumbling around her. She was devastated, and it hurt him to watch her suffer.

  Once again, it was because of him. He had never brought her any luck.

  Why hadn’t he realized what a bad father he was before now. The first time he worried about her was when he heard that she was missing. Otherwise, he had been glad not to hear about her.

  The plan had been to get close to her and to spend time with her later. That’s what he told himself his entire life. Tomorrow he’d be a better father. Tomorrow he’d talk to her and get to know her. Tomorrow he wouldn’t be annoyed by her.

  Now it was clear that tomorrow had come and gone. He had missed the chance to get to know her and to be a better father.

  Martin hid in the shadows when she finally came up the stairs and put herself to bed. He had never done it for her. Never, not even once had he brought her to bed.

  Feeling uncertain, he went to her door and knocked softly.

  “One moment, please,” she called out, trying to hide that she was in pain.

  “It’s just me. I thought I might tuck you in,” he said to the door, feeling stupid.

  “I’m already in bed,” she answered him.

  “Good, then I can come in.” He slowly opened the door in time to see his daughter charge out of the bathroom and jump into bed.