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I didn’t bother hiding a smile. “It’s okay, Tina. My father, Connor Maximus, is married to his fifth wife. He’s had many affairs—I’m the product of one of them.”
Her gaze fell away.
I took her hand, lifted it to my lips.
Her eyes slowly returned to mine. “Do you…are you two close?”
“No.” I lowered her hand but didn’t let go. “My mom was a waitress. She met Connor, and they had an affair, but it ended long before she knew she was pregnant. Money was tight for mom. She worked two jobs most of the time I was growing up. I knew nothing about my dad—she never told me. Then she was diagnosed with cancer—it had already progressed pretty far, and she passed away within a month. A social worker pulled my birth certificate, found the father listed, and contacted him. Connor, who was out of the country, dropped everything when he heard about me.” I glanced toward the terrace where my father sat listening to Rosie and felt reluctant respect for him. “He remembered my mother, but knew nothing about me because she never contacted him. Fortunately, he found me before I could spend a single day in the system.”
“James, I am so sorry.”
Looking up, I found Tina watching with shimmering eyes, tears that she blinked back the moment our gazes locked. “Hey…”
She turned her head and brushed her fingers across her eyes. “Ignore me. I’m fine.”
Instead, I pulled her onto my lap.
She squeaked and shoved at my shoulders. “James! People are going to see us!”
“And if they do?” I slid my arms around her waist and rested my head against the back of the chair. Nobody had asked questions about Tina. If they did, I would not tell them anything. Our relationship—and it felt like a relationship—was nobody’s business.
Tina huffed out a breath but settled against me.
“You’re angry with him.”
I didn’t ask who she meant. I didn’t have to.
As I glanced at my father again, I gave a one-sided shrug. “Not so much now, but yeah. I couldn’t even look at him at first. All my life, I had resented my father for leaving my mother and me to fend for ourselves. But…” Sighing, I closed my eyes, head once more falling against the padded cushions covering the Adirondack chair.
“You said he didn’t even know about you. That makes me think your mom never told him.”
I opened my eyes and met her. “She didn’t.”
“So, it wasn’t exactly his fault. I mean, yeah, he could have followed up, but…your mom could have told him. It’s obvious how much he loves all of you.” Tina’s lips pursed as she took everything in and added, “Although I’m not sure how he can keep everybody straight.”
I laughed and tugged her close. Just as I went to kiss her, though, a voice called out.
“I’ll be damned. James brought a woman to a family event.”
Sighing, I looked over and saw yet another sibling—a step-sibling, to be exact, then squeezed Tina’s thigh. “Ready to meet another one?”
Her lips curved. “Absolutely.”
She went to stand, but I held on to her waist just as Damen Workman dropped into the chair Tina had left empty. “Damen, this is Tina. Tina, this is Damen, one of my step-brothers.”
“Hi, Damen.”
He nodded at her. “Hello.”
As he turned curious eyes to me, I held up a hand. “I’ve already dealt with the inquisition from others. Don’t be nosy.”
“Don’t be nosy,” Damen said, almost as if to himself. “My brother brings a woman to a family event—for the first time, but I can’t be nosy.”
I rolled my eyes. “Did Laz come?”
“Hell, no.” He huffed out a breath and stretched his legs in front of him as he settled more comfortably into the chair, resting the beer he had in his hand on the broad wooden arm. “You know that guy. He can’t pull himself out of his work long enough to shower more than three or four times a week. He sure as hell will not do it long enough to hop on a plane and go visit family.”
“Sounds like Laz.”