Page 124 of Taming Grumpy Dr. Beast

Laid out in black and white were two potential half-sibling matches listed on my maternal side that were already in the DNA database. This meant they had been tested at some point as well. Just below that were instructions on how I could send them a message requesting contact through the company’s website.

My mother had walked away from me to start another family.

“Her failings have no reflection on you.” Jaxon wiped my tears away with his thumbs. “Look at me, Lily,” he demanded. “I want to hear you say it back to me, okay?”

I nodded.

“Her failings have no reflection on you.”

I sniffed and let out a shaky breath. “Her failings have no reflection on me.”

“You are perfect just the way you are and your mother can go fuck herself if she ever thought otherwise.”

I gave him a watery smile. My big protector. “How do I tell Dad?”

As if my word conjured him up from thin air, Dad walked into the office. “Tell Dad what?”

“How do you do that?” I asked, sniffing back my tears. “We only have to think about you and you’re there.”

He chuckled. “A man never reveals all his secrets, Lilybelle.”

“Ha ha,” I answered, my humor falling short. I don’t hide my sorrow well. My gut twisted.How was I supposed to tell him what I’d found?After Mom left, we never talked about her, even as I got older. It hurt too much.

Dad walked closer. Even with my sorrow weighing down my heart, I could see how good he looked. I leaned against Jaxon, grateful for the millionth time, for the strings he pulled getting Dad into that experimental Alzheimer’s trial. Dad’s clear hazel eyes, steady gait, and broad smile told me he was having a good day, that the medication was still working wonders for him. It wasn’t a cure, but it was buying him more time.

“You’re looking good today, Dad,” I said, not sure I was ready to reveal my secret to him.

“I’ve been living like a king with the two of you this past year and a half. How could I look anything else?” He winked at me.

Dad had moved in with us six months into his participation in the medical study. He’d been doing so well the doctor had suggested that if we were planning a move, Dad could handle it.

We loved having him live with us.

“You know we just keep you around for the free book labor, Dad,” Jaxon joked, his rough voice rumbling against me.

“You’re terrible,” I said, my somber mood lifting a bit.

Jaxon and Dad spent hours together. They both had similar interests, and I loved seeing their relationship grow. Jaxon deserved to have a positive male figure in his life again.

We hadn’t seen Jaxon’s father since the charity event two years ago, and I was grateful for it. There was nothing good about that man, and I didn’t like the person Jaxon became when either of his parents were around. They had no place in our life.

Dad leaned his hip against the desk. “Want to tell me what’s going on?”

My gaze instinctively shifted to that damn envelope on the desk.

I wasn’t as discreet as I’d thought I was being when Dad reached over and picked it up. “Did you find out something you didn’t like?”

I sighed and pushed myself to sit up straighter in Jaxon’s lap. “I wanted to know more about my medical history. And without her around, I didn’t know who to ask.” I didn’t need to explain who I meant.

Dad’s fingertip traced over the light blue company logo. He didn’t make a move to grab the report that had been sitting right next to it. “So it’s about your mother.”

I nodded. “Sort of.”

His eyes glittered with sadness. “I’m sorry I couldn’t have made her stay, sweet girl.”

I jumped up from Jaxon’s lap and rushed around the corner of the desk to stand before him. “No, Dad. There wasn’t anything you could’ve done. She didn’t want me. It had nothing to do with you.”

I hated that I’d caused him so much pain. First driving my mother away and now this. I never should have done the test without telling him first.