Page 59 of The Curveball
“Your mom doesn’t live with Cleo anymore?”
“No,” Wren says. “Cleo got serious with a guy about five years ago, so my mom decided to give them space and move out. Not far. They’re still neighbors, but my mom’s a paralegal and has been working a case in California. She should be done in the next few weeks. Now our family has grown to Mateo, Cleo’s boyfriend, Emma, Trevor, and Sawyer, Darren’s family.”
Unconventional, but their family sounds awesome. I don’t want to ask about her dad, but it’s necessary since he’s the one who started all this. To me, it doesn’t seem like he was winning father of the year which sucks for him. He missed out on Wren.
“So, your dad?”
She rolls her eyes. “He’s something else. Missed our first years of life because he lived in Paris. He was a dad through child support. When he came home, he had stepmom number one with him. She didn’t like us and was the one whoencouragedour mothers to make sure we didn’t have his last name.”
“And he didn’t fight that?”
“Nope,” Wren says with a sigh. “We’d visit every three months. My dad would give us anything we asked for except him.”
I frown. “What does he do for a living?”
“What doesn’t he do? He was born into money. The Pierson Corporation has their hands in dozens of pots, but the biggest enterprise is owning all the Gold Casinos in Nevada and California.”
“Gold?” That’s at least three major casinos in Vegas alone.
“Yeah.”
Wren wrings her hands like she’s nervous again, but I cover them with mine. “No judgment, Birdie.”
“I’m not embarrassed about this, but they get uncomfortable when people look down on them. Which is ridiculous because they’re amazing. My mom and Cleo worked as servers and dancers in the casinos. That’s how they met my dad.”
It’s too bad the women who raised her still feel uncomfortable about the past, but I get it. People can judge harshly. “The way I see it, they’re rockstar ladies for raising three kids who turned out like you guys.”
Wren nudges my ribs, a shy grin on her face. “You say good things, Marks.”
“I do. Why do you always sound surprised?”
Wren snickers and I hold my breath when her head drops to my shoulder. “Anyway, Dad was married for a few years, then got divorced. Then, married another woman named Rose. She had a son from a previous marriage too, and he sort of became my dad’s pride and joy because he had the cutthroat business tycoon mentality, I guess. During that marriage, we came around at Christmas, then communicated through a few texts or calls the rest of the year.
“When Rose left, my ex-stepbrother still stuck around. Clay runs entire departments in the Pierson empire. Dad has the perfect son, but still wants my brothers to come around because appearances, Griffin.”
She says it in a contrived tone, trying to keep it light, but the hurt is there.
“He’s married for the third time now. I don’t mind Ruby’s mom, but if this one falls apart, I’m keeping Ruby the same way Dad kept Clay.”
I grin. “I like that. I bet she loves having an older sister.”
Wren gives me a cute little shrug. “I like having a little sister, and she’s a sweet girl. I don’t want her to ever feel the tension, and I think my dad knows that, so whether he realizes it or not, he uses her to manipulate us into being his well-behaved adult mistakes.”
“Wren. You really think he sees you as a mistake?”
“Maybe that’s harsh, but I think he hasn’t figured out how his investment in the three of us has paid off yet. We don’t work the businesses and are basically failures in his eyes. My brother is trying to make it in the stunt world, I have no amusement park built after my book, and Darren’s business is struggling because Clay invested with him, then took back his entire investment in the shop. Darren is still trying to make up the difference.
“My dad helped him get the building, but now that it hasn’t franchised yet, he views the whole shop as a poor business model and degrades Darren instead of seeing Clay as shady.” She shudders. “Nothing Clay could ever do would change my dad’s opinion.”
Her voice is icy, and it lifts the hair on my arms. I don’t know why, but there is something she’s holding back.
“Pierson Co. owns the apartment building I live in. I couldn’t afford anywhere else on my royalties, and he lowered my rent. He also called in a publishing connection when I was beginning to query agents for my book. I didn’t know at first, but after I signed with my agent and publisher, my dad informed me of the strings he pulled. Felt like I cheated.”
“You wrote the book, Birdie,” I say softly. “He might’ve kicked open the door, but your words are what sell it.”
“Thank you.” She scoots closer and hugs my arm. “Naturally, he holds the apartment and book stuff over my head, and makes me feel guilty if I don’t go to these family gatherings like a good daughter.”
“You’ve got a place here, Birdie,” I whisper. “No conditions.”