Gifts

Chapter 15 – A Pawn in their Game–1

Alden narrows his eyes at me and looks back at Kent. I’m a little shocked, I admit, that he hasn’t addressed me yet. I stand awkwardly in front of him and Daniel quietly takes my hand, giving it a squeeze of support.

“Is this for real, Lippert?” Alden asks, a threat behind his glare.

Kent nods slowly. “We did a test. It’s a 99% genetic match for paternity. I can show you the paperwork upstairs, and you can have it verified by your own doctors. But, with that kind of proof at hand, Alden.” He spread his hands out, hoping Alden takes him at his word. “Why would I lie?”

Alden nods and returns his gaze to me, staring for a moment. Then, he shocks me again by breathing out a huge breath of air and rubbing a hand down his face. “Damnit, but you look like your mother,” he mutters.

eyes.

My mouth falls open when I see the glimmer of tears in his My heart goes out to him, then. He’s a solid rock of a man, but I can see that deep feelings run beneath.

“Where is she?” he demands.

Surprised, I blurt out the first thing that comes to mind. “She died,” I say, grimacing inwardly at my bluntness. Alden’s face falls minutely. Surely, after all these years, he knew it would be unlikely that she would be alive, but still – he’s upset by the

“When?” he asks.

“Years ago,” I whisper, sorry to be the one to tell him. “I was young – I had just turned six.”

I feel horrible – I had no idea that he cared for her as much as he clearly does. I had assumed she was

what had Fiona called

herself? a goomah. His mistress, or his girlfriend, not someone he really I cared about.

asks, crossing his arms over his barrel

more than a whisper now. “They

himself together. “And where has she

the churchyard. I can take

of a switch. He turns his burning eyes to me. “In a churchyard?” He shakes his head. “He didn’t respect her, then, the man she left me for,” he growls. “To bury her in

to anger. How dare he suggest

my hand tighter, in a warning that comes too late

was nothing,”

“He raised me

KEPT you from me,” the words

back, my eyes going wide. Alden takes a heavy step

“Did he know about your parentage? Did he know where she

it, I stay silent, keeping my

narrowing his eyes at me. “He kept you from

imagine the kind of things my mother must have gone through. She must have experienced moods that made her decide to pack up and leave him, to give up everything

B

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Gifts

15 – A

Game–2

I let myself get so wrapped up in this world? I

out behind me, cool

to him but

making clear that his pleasure is only a formality. He nods pointedly at the ring on my hand, “that our agreement, years ago, to unite our families through marriage is holding strong. Your daughter is engaged to my son. I anticipate that

a trick,” he says. “How can

some miracle,” he says, giving

fact that

He and his father carefully planned this meeting, this conversation. In one swoop, they gave Alden back his daughter and claimed me

or not I want to marry Daniel. Because Daniel, too, is a player

to protest, but

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