“I do want to hear it, but if we’re going to swap shitty stories, I’m going to need a drink,” I said and held up a bottle of vodka. “I’m having Sprite Zero and vodka. Do you want one?”
He grinned. “Sure, I’ll take one.”
I quickly made our drinks and joined him on the couch to hear the rest of his story.
“I told you I was adopted and later reconnected with my biological family. What I didn’t tell you was that I was taken from my biological mother, Annabelle, at birth and given to my adoptive family without her consent. My mother was being kept on a farm against her will. She was pregnant when she was taken, but she didn’t know she was carrying twins. When she gave birth, she was told my twin died and had no idea I existed. My biological father, Phoenix, thought my mom was dead and didn’t know she was pregnant when she disappeared, so he didn’t know about us either.”
I listened intently while he told me the whole story. “So your adoptive parents didn’t know?”
“No, they were completely innocent in all of it.”
“But your name,” I started, unsure of how to ask without sounding like I was making an accusation.
“Obviously, the man behind everything was insane. He told my adoptive parents that my mother died shortly after delivering me and asked them to keep the name she had given me. When in all actuality, he was the one who named me. It was another one of his sick games, naming me accordingly and having me right there in front of my biological mother. I even have my biological father’s middle name.”
“And the crazy guy was your uncle?” I asked for clarification.
“Technically, yes. He was my biological father’s half brother.”
“Wow, that’s…I don’t even know what to say.”
He nodded in agreement. “There’s nothing to say. It is what it is,” he said and paused. “You haven’t said anything about your father. Is he in the picture?”
I shook my head. “No, he isn’t and never was. He was the CEO of a company my mother worked for. He was married and having an affair with her. When he found out she was pregnant, he wanted nothing to do with her or me. She threatened to tell his wife, so he offered to pay her to keep her quiet. For years, he sent her several thousand dollars every month, until his wife discovered he was having an affair with her sister and killed him.”
“Damn. We both have fucked up stories.”
“I don’t know whose is worse, yours or mine,” I said and slapped my hand over my mouth. “I’m sorry. That sounded rude.”
Coal laughed. “Maybe to someone else, but I know what you mean. I definitely wouldn’t have told you about my family if I didn’t know about yours. Well, not this soon anyway.”
“I’m glad you did. After I left you and Luke, I spent the rest of the day worried about what you thought of me.”
“How drunk are you?” he asked, catching me off guard.
“I’m not. I’ve got a little buzz, but it won’t last much longer without another drink. Why?”
He leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine, gently at first, but things quickly escalated until we were practically devouring each other.
Suddenly, he broke the kiss. “Does that answer your question?”
“What question?”
“What I think about you.”
“Yes, I suppose it does,” I said, still trying to get my bearings.
“I’ve been wanting to do that since you touched my scars in the hotel room,” he confessed.
“Well, it sure took you long enough. I thought I’d been friend-zoned.”
He laughed. “No fucking way. I’ve been struggling to keep my hands to myself.”
“Why did you?” I asked, genuinely curious.
“You had a lot going on. I didn’t want to push too hard too soon. And I didn’t want you to think I expected anything from you in exchange for helping you.”
“I didn’t get that vibe from you at all. If anything, I thought you were tolerating me because you felt sorry for me.”