Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 77120 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77120 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
“Have you thought about what that will do to Mom?”
I nod. “It’s all I think about. I don’t want her to think that I’m looking for someone to take her place, because that’s not what this is about.”
“I’m sure she’d understand that. But you might want to tell her before you go off on some wild goose chase. Because if she found out you did it behind her back…”
“It’s not a wild goose chase. I’ve already found her online. Or someone who I think is probably her.”
“Does she still live in Las Vegas?”
I shake my head. “Palm Springs.”
“Well, if you’re serious about actually meeting her, you should probably tell Mom. Let her know in your terms why you’re looking for her. But if you’re just in the researching phase, there’s no need to bother her with that.”
I nod. “You’re probably right.”
He pauses. “If it’s any consolation, I get it.”
I turn my head to him. “How the hell could you possibly get it?”
“I get that your priorities change. After a traumatizing event. And if you need help with Mom, I can help you there. If anyone knows about talking to our parents about difficult subjects, it’s me.”
“You mean quitting your job as Dad’s right-hand man and going to work with Uncle Talon?”
“Yeah. That’s exactly it. Dad had groomed me from the beginning to take his place, especially after you told him you had no interest in doing it.”
“I hate numbers,” I say. “Brad does all the numbers crap at the foundation.”
“Yeah, and I thought I liked numbers. Turns out I don’t. I like trees.”
“Are you happy now?”
He grins. “More than I ever thought possible. Working with Uncle Talon in the orchards, learning all about soil and that whole part of the ranching life has been exhilarating. And then of course being married to Maddie… I certainly wasn’t looking for anything, but there she was. I mean, she’s been there almost my whole life, hanging out with the girls. But in Paris, something snapped. I had to have her. And that was another thing. I wasn’t sure I was ready to settle down, but then the accident…”
“Shifted your perspective,” I finish for him.
“Yep. It did exactly that. I wasn’t going to let Maddie go. I had feelings that I was afraid to express. But then I realized I was doing exactly what everybody else in our family does. I was falling in love quick and fast.”
Fuck. Why do those words ring so true to me right now?
Except I don’t actually have any blood from the Steels…
I don’t say the words.
It doesn’t matter anyway. My cousins Dale and Donny don’t share any actual Steel blood, but they still both fell hard and fast too.
Seems to be the thing in our family.
The way we were raised seems to trump our genetics.
Huh. There’s a point to Jason’s theory about my grandparents’ mental illness not making its way to me.
“I’m glad you’re happy, man,” I say to Dave.
“I am. And you will be too. This isn’t going to taint your life forever, Henry.”
I sigh. “Yeah, I know that.”
“If you really want to find your birth mother, do it. But don’t expect that to magically put everything into place.”
I lift my hands. “I don’t have any expectations, man. I just want to lay eyes on the woman who brought me into the world. Maybe get to know her a little. Learn about her history. Maybe find out why she accepted a hundred grand to give away her kid.”
He narrows his eyes. “Her giving you to Dad was probably the best thing that ever happened to you. You know that, right?”
I nod. He’s not wrong. Much of my childhood was idyllic. Sure, Mom and Dad and I had our ups and downs, just like they did with all the other kids. But I never doubted for one minute that I was loved, and I never thought at any point that my mother loved her own biological children more than she loved me. She loves all four of us equally, and with a vengeance. Plus, when she adopted me, I got a Steel trust fund. That doesn’t exactly suck.
What if I had been stuck in Las Vegas with a showgirl for a mother? A showgirl who didn’t respect her marriage vows and slept with the first pizza guy who came knocking on the door?
Yeah, life would sure be different.
Finally I reply to Dave. “I don’t doubt that you’re right.”
“Sometimes it’s easy to take for granted everything that we have,” he says. “That’s something I’ve learned from Maddie. Her family hasn’t had it easy, yet still she’s found a way to be grateful for everything. It’s what makes her a good coach. She has a capacity for gratitude and empathy that is beyond my comprehension sometimes.”
“Well, all the Pikes are family now. Not just Maddie. Every one of the Pike kids married Steels.” I sigh. “Too bad there isn’t one left for me.”