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“I do. My father set one up for both of us when we were infants. My grandparents added to it through the years, and when they died, we inherited their assets since my mother was already gone. Rather, I inherited their assets because Barrett had left.”
“Chase, I don’t mean to pry, but is that how you can afford your apartment?”
“Yes. I also own my grandparent’s home in Cape Cod, but I rarely go there.”
“Where in Cape Cod?”
“Hyannis. I want to take you and CJ there one of these days; the place could use some good memories to chase away the bad ones.”
I give him a sympathetic look. “Summer is almost over.”
“I know, but even in September the weather is still nice.”
“Maybe we should go then.”
“We could for a weekend. I can switch shifts with another doctor.”
I scoff. “And after what Naomi told me, I might not have a job come Monday.”
“Megan, you did nothing wrong. Plus, I told you that I could support you and CJ.”
“I still don’t want that. My parents brought me up to be independent.”
“So you’re never going to let me support you? Even if we’re married? Suppose we have another child? Lexi can’t watch them all.”
“We have a long way to go before we have another child. I mean, I’m still learning things about you. I didn’t even know you had a brother.”
“I basically don’t. He might be dead.”
His blunt words make me pause. “There is always hope. Don’t you want to see him?”
“I do. For years I wondered about what happened to him. After med school, I even had a private investigator look for him. The trail was too old, and he just fell off the map. No work records, nothing. The PI couldn’t even track his social security, which tells me that he died.”
“I can’t imagine what you went through. I don’t know what it’s like not to have a family.”
“It’s lonely. Once I found out that you had CJ, I had to know if he was mine. He’s my family now. He and you.”
“Is that why you left Amberlynn?”
“Amberlynn wasn’t my future. Once I saw her attitude towards children. I wasn’t going to deny my son.”
“I know Amberlynn didn’t want a family, but I can’t help thinking I was your second choice because of CJ.”
“You were always my first choice. I was just too stupid to realize it. I wanted you more than I even wanted anything. The fact that you had my son just made you all the more appealing.”
“Do you have any pictures of your family?” I ask, switching topics.
Having been in his home office before, I recall how he has nothing but photos of CJ and me. And nothing from his past life.
“I have some in my office closet. I can show them to you tomorrow.”
My hands are shaking, and my heart is pounding as Chase’s words echo in my head. How horrible it must have been for him to have had to deal with the tragic loss of his parents at a young age. Chase had no one to love or support him emotionally. Then to have a wife like Carrie, who didn’t love him after he was injured, things were starting to fall into place. He had to deal with so much loss.
“Megan?”
I don’t realize that I zoned out until he calls to me.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for what you’ve been through.”
