She has a new family. They both look somewhere between sixteen and eighteen so that means she started over not too long after leaving me behind. I have a brother and a sister. And a stepdad. My heart is pounding. I wonder if they know I exist. If I were to walk up to them right now would I be blowing their lives up? I’ve never seen my mom look this happy before. She’s never looked at me the way she looks at those kids, and she’s definitely never looked at my dad the way she looks at the man on her arm.

I look over at the young replica of myself and wonder what kind of relationship she has with my…with our…mom. Does she feel supported and loved or stifled and hated? Does she dance? Is she following the former Beverly Harding’s legacy or was she allowed to forge a different path?

I can’t do this. I can’t force my way into her life when the woman who gave birth to me clearly doesn’t want me there. For twenty years, my dad has been chasing a ghost that isn’t even haunting him. I refuse to do the same.

“Let’s go home, Kai.”

He gives me a sad smile and grabs my wrist. “Are you sure?”

I look back at Jennifer Watkins and her family. “I’m sure.”

Chapter Twenty-Six

Kai

Jason Harding is a fucking pest. In the month since we’ve been back home from New York, I’ve lost a few more clients. Not enough to really affect my business but enough that I’m irritated. When I try to ask them what’s driving their decision, they’re cagey about it, all but confirming for me that this is in fact the work of that fucker.

I call my friend that is looking into Jason’s dealings, and he lets me know that he has a lead he’s following but he’s not clueing me in until he has something concrete, so I leave him to do what he does best.