Page 120 of Logan

But looking into my father’s face, I find I can’t lie. Not to him, not to myself. Not anymore.

“Yeah,” I rasp out, the admission scraping my throat raw. “Yeah, I think maybe I do.”

Dad closes his eyes, a long, slow breath shuddering out of him. When he opens them again, I’m shocked to see a sheen of moisture, a welling of some long-buried grief. “Then you have to fight for her.”

I blink, sure I’ve misheard. “What?”

“If you love this woman, truly love her, then to hell with the Board.” Dad’s voice is rough, gravelly with emotion. “I’vemade a lot of mistakes in my life, Son. Too many to count. The one I regret most? Losing your mother.”

I’m floored, shaken to my core. In all my life, I’ve never heard my father speak like this, never seen him so beaten, so vulnerable. He’s always been an indomitable force, an immovable object. To hear him speak of regret, of loss...

“Don’t make the same mistakes, Son.” Dad’s gaze snaps back to mine, fierce and urgent. “If you’ve found something real, something worth having...fight for it. Fight like hell. Because I promise you, there will come a day when all the money and power in the world won’t fill the hole in your chest. When you’ll give anything, everything, just for one more day with her.”

I’m stunned, humbled by the naked pain in his voice. I’ve never felt closer to my father than at this moment, never understood him more clearly.

“I chose you to be the CEO, but I never meant it to become your entire life.”

“We both know why you chose me as CEO, Dad.”

“Why do you think I chose you?”

“Because you wanted to prove you don’t think less of me than my brothers.”

He rubs his face. “I don’t think less of you than any of them. I’ve never thought of you differently from them, and I never will. And the fact that you even bring it up hurts me. I chose you because you’re the most suitable for the job. You have the drive and the skills.”

I swallow hard.

“Do you really think you’re less worthy than your brothers?” he asks in a low voice. “After all this time, you still think that because you’re not my biological son, you’redifferent from them? If so, I’ve failed you as a parent.” He sinks into the chair and closes his eyes.

Fuck. No. “No, you never made me feel different from them, and I appreciate that.”

“Then let it be clear to you that I would never entrust the company to someone I think unworthy. I wouldn’t let everything I’ve built in my lifetime go to ruin just to prove something to someone. Not even to you.” Dad’s features soften.

I place my hands on my knees and hang my head. “I don’t know what to do, Dad. The last thing I want is to disappoint you.”

“You won’t disappoint me.”

“Even if I decide to leave the company?”

“Even if you decide to leave. Although I really hope that’s not the path you choose.”

Dad places a hand on my shoulder. “You’re my son, and I will always love you. Why would you think you’re disappointing me? You’re my son, and my children have always come first to me.”

“Why didn’t you tell anyone about the adoption?”

“What?”

“Because you didn’t want them to find out you couldn’t have kids?”

Dad sighs and gets to his feet, then pulls up a chair next to me and sits down across from me. “Is that what you thought? That we were hiding something?”

I nod.

“We didn’t say anything because we didn’t want anyone to think they had the right to treat you differently. You’re equal in my eyes to your brothers. Does it bother you that people don’t know?”

I don’t know how to answer that question. I’ve gotten used to hiding. I thought I was protecting my parents, but I never thought about how I felt about this concealment.

“Maybe we made a mistake in not telling everyone.” Dad sighs again. “You never know what’s the right thing to do as a parent. We thought we couldn’t have children, but shortly after we brought you home, your mother got pregnant. And suddenly, we were parents to two. She didn’t want anyone to look at you differently. She was afraid someone would say something out of line, so we decided to keep it to ourselves. We thought it would be better if no one knew and didn’t think you were different from Lucas. You’re my son, just like him and your other siblings. If anything, we chose you. You’re my child by choice, and I hope I did a good job with you.”