A frustrated sound came through the speaker. “Linc! You don’t need to protect me! I’m a grown woman. I’m getting married soon, remember?”
He winced. He didn’t need the reminder of her engagement to the asshole she’d been dating. There was something he disliked about the man. Everything, really. Not to mention, a guy who couldn’t give another male a strong handshake was weak, and his sister deserved better.
At thirty-two, Linc was the oldest of the siblings. Then came Xander at twenty-nine, Dash at twenty-seven, and Chloe, the youngest, was twenty-five. Despite his parents’ fractured marriage and his father’s behavior, clearly they’d had no problem in one area of their lives. Something Linc did not want to think about.
But because of Kenneth’s disinterest in the children he’d sired, Linc had always felt like it was his job to look after his siblings.
He shifted his attention back to his sister. “You were upset about the news, and I didn’t think you needed to see Mom’s reaction. Are we still on for tonight?” he asked, changing the subject.
“Yes. I’ll see you at eight,” she said.
He’d asked Chloe, Dash, and Xander to meet him at his apartment to discuss Aurora and her place in the family. Dash would go along with whatever they wanted. Their rock star brother was always chill, and Linc didn’t sense he’d get an argument from Xander. Chloe definitely wouldn’t mind making sure their new sister was provided for.
His phone beeped, indicating another call was on the line. “Gotta take this, Chloe. See you later.” He disconnected and switched over, talking to a business associate for the rest of the ride to his mother’s.
He had a huge deal pending to buy property on Central Park South and develop an exclusive collection of tower condominium residences he hoped would be one of the most exclusive in the city. The project was Linc’s pride and joy, and nothing would stand in the way.
The accountants were going over the properties his father had been involved with, and Linc expected a summary soon. His old man had always been a wild card, doing his own thing and not giving Linc a heads-up on his plans. As a result, the man’s death had left Linc with a lot of unknowns and dangling projects he needed to consolidate. His plan was to place Kenneth’s deals under Linc’s umbrella. Once he had a grasp on everything, then he could assign deals to their managing directors.
He pulled up to the house and stopped the car in front of the gate, punching the code into the keypad. The large metal enclosure opened slowly, an annoyance, as always. But with his mother alone in the house but for the help, Linc appreciated the security the gate provided.
He pulled around the circular drive, parking in front. Then, steeling himself, he climbed out of the SUV and strode to the front door.
To his surprise, his mother answered in person instead of her latest housekeeper. Her dark hair pulled back with a clip on one side, her face made up as always, she looked well. Although she was mourning her husband’s death, they hadn’t been close nor had they slept in the same bedroom for years. Linc doubted she was truly devastated over his sudden death.
“Linc!” She pulled him into a hug, the scent of her familiar perfume washing over him.
“Hi, Mom.” He stepped back and walked inside.
She shut the door behind him and, once in the marble-floored entryway, waited for her to direct him to whichever room she wanted to go.
“Let’s sit in the study,” she said. “Come.” She led him to the room comprised of floor-to-ceiling dark wood bookshelves, a ladder against one wall for show, although he supposed the housekeeper did have to climb it in order to dust the volumes of books.
His mother sat on the delicate sofa with a dark floral pattern, and he settled in beside her.
“So what brings you by? I love to see you, but I could tell from your tone of voice you have something on your mind.”
He groaned and ran a hand through his hair. “I do. But before I forget to tell you, I’m going out of town tomorrow. If you need anything, Xander and Chloe are here.”
“Oh? Business?” she asked.
“No. It’s personal.” Dammit, this was hard. Harder than he’d thought it would be. He decided to lay things out the way he’d discovered them.
“I was going through Dad’s papers and found checks he’d written monthly for the last nineteen years.”
Her gaze flew to his. “Go on.”
There was no good way to say it. “Dad had a child with a woman named Tiffany Michaels.”
She gasped and raised her hands to cover her open mouth. “She was his secretary,” his mother said at last, lowering her hand. “Okay, okay. I can handle this. I shouldn’t be surprised, after all. I knew he was having affairs.” She pulled in a deep breath and let it out slowly.
“There’s more,” Linc said. “So I’m just going to tell you. Dad sent money to Tiffany, but a few years after she had the baby, she gave the child to her mother to raise. Unfortunately, her mother passed away, and the little girl ended up in foster care.”
Silence followed his pronouncement, so he continued. “She’s in Florida. Miami Beach, to be exact, and I’m going to meet her.”
His mother twisted her hands in her lap. “Foster care. Did your father know?”
“According to the private investigator who tracked down her mother, he did.” As always, nausea filled him at the thought.
“And they both left her there?” she asked, horrified.
He nodded, glad his mother was upset on Aurora’s behalf.
She pressed her hands on her thighs and rose to her feet. “That’s awful. Is she okay? The girl?”
“Her name is Aurora,” he said. “And I don’t know. I instructed the PI not to talk to her directly. I needed to think about how to handle things before doing something rash.”
“Like going to meet her?” His mother, who’d been pacing, turned to face him. “You’re planning on meeting with a young girl you know nothing about. What if she finds out she’s from a wealthy family and decides she wants something from you?”
Linc stood to face his mother. “Well, I already considered the possibility, and I plan to preempt her asking by giving her what she deserves.”
She gasped. “You can’t! You don’t know this girl!”
“I know she’s my half-sister. I know because Dad would never have paid monthly to keep her a secret if otherwise. I also know she grew up in a completely tragic way considering her father had enough money to take care of her. And even when he discovered she’d never seen a dime and had been in the system, he didn’t give a damn. Someone in this family has to make up for what Dad did, and I intend to be the person who helps her.”
His mother folded her arms across her chest and sighed. “You’re right. I just…” She shook her head. “I know he was your father, but I hate that bastard.”
Stepping close, he wrapped an arm around her and hugged her against him. “I know. And for good reason. But are you going to punish a young girl for his transgressions?”
He knew his mother better than she knew herself. Her initial response had been in frustrated anger at her late husband. Not Aurora.
“So you’re okay with all this? Because I’m talking to Xander, Dash, and Chloe tonight and leaving first thing in the morning.”