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 chest.

than a whisper now. “They said…they

together. “And where has she been

I can

a churchyard?” He shakes his head. “He didn’t

own emotions turning, then, from pity to anger. How dare he suggest that David was anything but an angel in

take a step forward. Daniel holds my hand tighter, in a warning that comes too late

was nothing,”

“He raised me

you from me,” the words

a heavy step towards me, intimidation in every

about your

I stay

“He kept you

kind of things my mother must have gone through. She

B

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Gifts

A Pawn

Game–2

left. Why did I let myself get so wrapped up in this world? I cower away from

behind me,

angry eyes to him but Kent

pointedly at the ring on my hand, “that our agreement, years ago, to unite our families through marriage is

low in his throat. “This is a trick,” he says. “How can they be engaged, when you just found her

some miracle,” he says, giving

the fact

then over at mine, and suddenly realize that Daniel is in on this. He and his father carefully planned this meeting, this conversation. In one swoop, they gave Alden back his daughter and claimed me as their

I want at all, whether or not I want to marry Daniel. Because Daniel, too, is a player in this game, moving me around like the

mouth to protest,

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