“Does that mean Denny Prescott has no idea I’m his daughter?”
The man had the right to know he had a child.
“Prescott is dead.” He blurted out the news. “Car accident. It happened before you were ever born.”
And the hits just keep coming.
“If Denny died before I was born, how can you be so sure he was my biological father?”
“There’s something else in that folder. A photograph in the very back.”
Evie’s hands trembled as she reached inside the folder. As promised, she found a picture. And when she studied the frozenimage, any doubt that Phillip was telling her the truth vanished in an instant.
The photo showed a woman and a man. They were standing on the beach. Smiling at the camera as they held each other close.
“This is Mom,” she whispered softly.
“And that’s Denny Prescott.”
The deep rumble held what she guessed was years of pent-up resentment and jealousy.
“He looks like?—”
“You.” Phillip nodded. “Or rather, you look just like him.”
Evie studied the deep caverns Denny Prescott’s smile had created. Twin dimples that looked just like…
Mine.
“Your mother didn’t even bother denying the affair,” he continued. “And the test results are irrefutable, so even if she had…”
His voice trailed off, and Evie understood why. There wasn’t much more to be said on the matter. The proof of what he’d said was printed in black and white.
“I always felt like you resented me,” she finally spoke up again. “I just never understood why.”
“I loved your mother,” Phillip announced as a matter of fact. “I would have done anything for her.”
“And I was a constant reminder that she didn’t love you back.”
When he didn’t argue the fact, Evie knew she’d finally gotten the answer she’d been searching for. And as much as it shredded her to know she’d spent her entire life desperately seeking her father’s approval and love, there was a part of her that felt almost…relieved.
Phillip Mitchell’s disdain for her wasn’t a result of anything she had or hadn’t done. It stemmed from a deep-seated pain that her mother had caused.
If his claims were to be believed, then he’d truly loved her mom. But it was becoming clear that, despite his feelings, her mother’s heart had belonged to another.
Evie had been lucky enough to get out of her relationship with Preston despite massive pressure from both their families to solidify their coupling through marriage. Looking back now, she couldn’t help but wonder if her mother hadn’t felt the same sort of pressure. And maybe that’s why she chose to marry Phillip rather than the man she’d truly loved.
Oh, Mom.
“I’d like to keep this if you don’t mind.” She held up the photo in her hand.
The man standing before her nodded but said nothing.
Evie slipped the picture into her purse and then faced the man she’d called her father for what she assumed would be the very last time. Tears filled her eyes, but she ignored them and forged on. There was one more thing she needed to make crystal clear.
“I’m not going to blackmail you or use the truth about us or your refusal to help me and those girls to try to ruin your reputation.” Her solemn gaze returned to his.
He blinked, almost as if this caught him by surprise. “Then what is it you want?”