Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 132332 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 662(@200wpm)___ 529(@250wpm)___ 441(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 132332 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 662(@200wpm)___ 529(@250wpm)___ 441(@300wpm)
Rock’s solemn gray eyes widen and fill with shock. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I was embarrassed.”
“You have nothing to be embarrassed about with me, Marcel.”
The shame that clings to me from my past never ends. “I always suspected Heidi and I didn’t have the same father. Figured that was why my dad took off after she was born…But maybe he realized I wasn’t his. My grandmother always implied I was a bastard. That’s supposedly why she hated me so damn much.” I stop my random word vomit and jam my fingers through my hair. This is fucking unreal. All this time…I’ve known Rock for so long. We’ve done…shit. “I have to get out of here.” I stand, careful not to knock into the wall again.
“Rock,” Hope pleads.
Fuck, what if they tell Heidi? Try to break the news to her gently before I have a chance to wrap my brain around this first? She craves family so much. It would break her heart to find out we’re half-siblings. Not to mention, she thinks of Rock as a father figure. “Please, don’t say anything to anyone. Especially not Heidi.”
“Of course not,” Hope says, hurrying to my side. She throws a scowl at Rock as she passes him. “But where are you going? Please don’t go off when you’re this upset.”
“I just need to go for a walk in the woods, Hope. That’s all.” I’m not sure that’s where I’m headed, but I need to tell her something so she doesn’t worry.
In a daze, I step into the living room.
“Everything all right, welterweight?” Wrath rumbles from his usual spot on the couch.
He’s so solemn, concerned, even. It’s not like Wrath. He loves busting my nuts way too much. Does he know?
“I’m fine.” I hurry outside to get away from him.
Rambunctious voices spill out of the garage. Fuck. I can’t reach the trail to the woods without someone seeing me. Frozen in place, I stare into the wide-open overhead doors. My gaze lands on Murphy in the back corner, talking to Dex.
What am I going to say?
I retreat into the relative safety of the clubhouse. Ignoring Wrath, I return to the war room and knock on the door, then open it. Rock and Hope seem tangled in an uncomfortable conversation. Might as well make it full-throttle awkward. “Hey, can we talk for a second?”
Rock waves me in without answering. Hope pushes herself out of her chair. “I’ll leave you two—”
“You don’t have to go, Hope.” I’m torn between wanting her to stay and act as a buffer and not wanting her to hear any more gory details about my sordid beginnings.
“No, I think you two should talk alone. If you need me, I’ll be right out there.”
Somehow, I find that comforting. On impulse, I grab her as she reaches for the door. She leans into me, curling her arms around my waist and hugging me again. Why couldn’t I have had someone more like her for a mother?
Ooof, if I said that out loud, she’d probably kill me.
“He already loves you so much, Teller. This doesn’t change anything,” she whispers against my ear.
Sweet Hope with a comforting lie. “Thank you, Hope.”
The door closes behind her with a soft click.
“Come here, knucklehead.” Rock opens his arms wide.
I snort at the nickname, then stare at him, unsure I want any physical contact at the moment. My hesitation doesn’t deter Rock. He pulls me in close. It’s awkward as fuck. The urge to shove him away burns through my arms.
“What do we do?” I mumble.
Instead of answering, he pushes me toward one of the chairs, then pulls his closer to me. “What do you want to do?”
What do I want to do? I’m a grown-ass man who just had his entire history rearranged. “Fuck, I don’t know.” I scrub my hands over my face, searching for an answer that will make sense. “Can we take the test again? I want to… I want to be sure before…” The lab fucked up once already. What if this is all a big mistake? There has to be something I can do to regain control of my life.
Rock opens his mouth like he wants to say no, but then nods. “I’ll ask Hope if she can schedule it for us.”
Poor Hope. I’ve been kind of shitty to her in the past—thank you, mother issues—but I’ve grown to love and respect her a lot. And now, she’ll probably resent the fuck out of me.
“Christ, we’ve joked about you being Dad for years.” And don’t all those jokes Murphy and I made sound a lot different now.
“Well, I knew who Murphy’s mother was, so I’m definitely not his father too.”
Murphy’s the one who deserves to have Rock as his father. Not me.
I push the thought away. “You think Carla knew and that’s why she was always such a bitch to us?”