Page 16 of Winter Frost
I haven’t slept in days. The only time I crashed was when my body finally shut down. Even then, the max it could handle before the nightmares woke me up was three hours. My soul had left the day Jacqueline did. Why hadn’t I fought to keep her here? Hell she cut me off when I was about to tell her that I’d been trying to breed her pussy, so I could keep her in my life. It was wrong, but everything else was working against me, so an obsessed man had to find a way.
Damn it, was she so opposed to a future with me?
It took me three days to break down and call her, but the number didn’t work anymore. I wonder if she blocked me. I tried it several days in a row, but nothing happened and then when I tried it again this morning, it said, “The number you dialed can’t be completed as dialed.”
“Damn it. She changed her number,” I grumbled. Shaking my head, I sigh. It took me all morning to climb out of bed. I walk into my living room and see my two daughters and Owen and his Uncle Nick.
“Whoa, what’s going on?”
“It’s an intervention, Dad,” Noelle says. Everyone has their arms crossed.
“Yeah, your beard has grown out like you’re trying to give a lumberjack a run for his money.”
“Come on, I haven’t shaved in what?”
“It’s been two weeks,” Autumn says. My chest aches and I’m doing my best to breathe. According to John, my heart is just fine, but I swear the motherfucker is broken. She didn’t wantan old man who was already married. I knew that. Still, what I wouldn’t give if she changed her mind, but what can I offer her that some man her age couldn’t?
“I haven’t forgotten,” I confess, knowing it was Thanksgiving Day when I tried to look my best for her. If Noelle hadn’t put up the Christmas tree, I would have skipped it completely. None of that shit mattered to me anymore.
I drop down on the sofa, and stick out my hands. “Girls, please come sit down. We need to talk. Is this about the DNA report?”
My head twists to the side. “What about the DNA report?”
“Uncle John says you know, Dad or do you want us to still call you that?” Noelle asked, her voice cracking with tears in her eyes.
“He told you?” I was going to punch him in the face during our next bowling game.
“No. The DNA company sent the results, and it had our names on it.”
I take each of their hands in mine. “Noelle, Autumn, my sweet loves. I will always want you to call me your dad. I may not be the one who contributed to making you, but I’m the one who raised you.”
“We’re sorry, dad. Is that what made you sick?”
“The second time. I was quite devastated, but it doesn’t change anything other than I have another reason to despise your mother.”
“Well, except we don’t know who our fathers are and that means we could be dating our brothers.” I pale because that’s another hard conversation.
“Oh my God. Not Owen. It can’t be. His parents are devoted to each other.”
“No, Autumn, your father is Manfred Gray.” Her eyes widened and then her tongue had gone slack.
“You mean crazy Caroline’s father?” Autumn gasps. It explains why she has spent the last couple of years trying to get at Autumn. She picked on her at every damn turn.
“Exactly. I wonder if she learned of the affair and has hated you since,” Noelle says.
“It’s possible,” I said with my face muffled by hand..
“I’m sorry this is so hard for you, Daddy.”
“That’s not it, sweetie. There’s more.”
“What is it?”
“This might even be worse. Noelle, you are Carter’s sister.”
“What?” Both girls jump off the sofa and pace.
“Are you…serious?” Autumn chokes.