Page 65 of Revealing Mark

I closed the book and handed it back to Maggie. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” She returned it to the table. “Do you have any questions?”

“What was he like?” I asked.

I had asked Sebastian the same question. I wanted to hear about him so I could figure out what I had inherited from him, hoping it would make me feel closer to him in some way. He wasn’t here to talk to or get to know, so the only way was for me to ask the people who knew and loved him.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

I spent most of the afternoon with my half-brothers and Maggie. Toward the end of my visit, Gabriel arrived with some paperwork for my inheritance. He went through the fine print and explained everything but my mind wasn’t on that. It was still reeling from all the information I had discovered about my father, but I still struggled to find something about him that joined us together other than our DNA.

Back at the hotel, in the quiet, I sat down. I was tired and emotionally wrung out. The meeting had gone better than I could have hoped but I was still wrestling with my next step. I had to tell Mark but I wondered whether it would be better to deal with my parents first.

What should I say? I doubted there was a way to do this without emotions running high. I was still angry but I wanted to give them a chance to explain.

My phone pinged with a message.

My place tomorrow morning. No excuses.

It was from Mark. My time was nearly up.

Deciding it was probably best to deal with him first, before I went to see my parents, I opened my laptop and rearranged myappointments for the next week. It was time to put my life back together.

I received a couple of emails reminding me I was late with some payments. With everything going on, I had forgotten to pay some accounts. I felt a little frustrated that no matter how much I tried, I didn’t seem to be able to get the better of my forgetfulness. I spent the rest of the evening sorting them out and, once I was done, I felt a little more in charge.

It was late so I got ready for bed but lay awake for a while, trying to figure out how to tell Mark. He would discover the truth about Sebastian. That gave me some comfort, and I managed to fall asleep.

I was feeling more hopeful when I arrived at Mark’s apartment. I could now tell him everything and there would no longer be any secrets between us. For the first time in what felt like ages, I had a secret smile when I entered the elevator.

He had been jealous of Sebastian. I didn’t know exactly what that meant, as Mark wasn’t like most guys, but I felt some hope that it might mean something between us.

When he opened the door, my smile waned slightly. The closed-off expression on his face dimmed the hope I had been experiencing.

“So, you’re here to explain?” he asked, allowing me inside his place. I was pretty sure there was a sardonic touch to his tone but I couldn’t be sure.

“Yeah.” I felt nervous and I didn’t know why.

“Can we have this talk in my study?” He looked back over his shoulder for confirmation. I nodded, shoving my hands into my pockets.

This wasn’t the Mark I was used to. He seemed cold and Ihad no idea why, but I followed him anyway. After everything, he deserved to know what had been going on.

Once he entered his study, he motioned me to take a seat. I sat down, feeling like I was in trouble somehow, the whole scenario reminding me of the one time I had been called to the principal’s office.

“Is something wrong?” I decided to go for the direct approach.

He sat down behind his desk and then I noticed a folder I hadn’t noticed before. His eyes were fixed on it.

“I wanted to trust you.” He began rolling his shoulders back slightly. “But I have trust issues.”

“You don’t trust me,” I echoed. He wouldn’t even look me in the eye.

“What, Mark?” I insisted, needing to know what the hell was bugging him. There was something going on. Had he discovered the truth about the secret I had been hiding?

“The night I discovered you in the hotel with that stranger, I was worried, really worried that you had gotten yourself in a situation you couldn’t get yourself out of.”

I crossed my arms, waiting for him to get to the point, and I knew this wasn’t going to go well. His expression was somber. Whatever I had hoped would happen between us vanished.

“What did you do, Mark?” I prompted.