Dressed in his Class A uniform, Daire sat on the front row, listening as the mayor presented several awards to city employees who’d gone above and beyond—as the mayor put it—their normal call of duty. Several police officers were honored, as well as city hall employees.
And then it was Silvia’s turn.
Daire and all the firefighters who could be there, from Talkeetna to Anchorage, clapped and hooted as Silvia took the stage.
Instead of appearing live on stage, images of the boy Silvia had saved flashed on a giant screen, showing Silvia next to the boy at the hospital. Even at fourteen, the boy was taller than Silvia. He looked embarrassed in the photo, but most people would assume it was because he was a young teenage boy standing next to a beautiful woman. Daire knew the truth, though. Even with his learning disability, the boy realized after the fact that he’d done wrong. Although Daire had heard talks that child services planned to have a sit-down with the mother, he’d also heard that the mayor had nixed that.
No bad press, Daire thought.
“And lastly…” The mayor peered at the front row, shielding his eyes from the bright afternoon sun. “Daire Belgarde, a rookie firefighter and the youngest member of the Midnight Sons, I’m told, is here with us today.”
Daire made his way to the stage.
Cheers from his firefighter family, as well as his actual relatives, carried him to the platform. Some hoots seemed out of place, though. Even though his firefighter brethren were a rowdy crowd, they usually knew their place. Besides, no one had sounded that obnoxious when Silvia had taken the stage, and she was the real hero. If Silvia hadn’t spotted the subtle movement of the curtain, today would not be a happy occasion. Just the opposite, in fact. The city wouldn’t sit well with a child dying because he was left inside a burning building. Regardless of who had been at fault, some fire department heads would have rolled.
“Woot! Woot!” This time, Daire spotted the woman who’d made the gratuitous shouts in the back row!
Maybe one of the bartenders from Grizz’s? The owners and workers at Grizz’s were always super positive whenever the Midnight Sons or any rescue workers received commendations. Any cause to celebrate, Daire thought.
Daire tried to make out the woman’s face through the blazing sun in his eyes but then realized he needed to focus on where he was going so he didn’t trip onto the stage. That wouldn’t look very hero-like.
Making his way up the steps, he took position next to Silvia.
“Daire Belgarde,” announced the mayor, “without regard to his own safety, followed his superior into a burning building to rescue a child.” The mayor extended a hand to Daire. “Only twenty-three, and this young man disregarded his own life to save others.” The mayor waved to the firefighters, who mostly stood around the assembly instead of sitting in the metal chairs. “Ladies and gentlemen, a big round of applause for all of our first responders.”
“Woot! Woot!” shouted the lady in the back again. “That’s my boy! Way to go, Daire!”
Daire squinted, trying to bring the dark silhouette into focus. Then he saw Sam get up from his spot on the third row.
Everything the mayor said sounded muted as blood pumped in Daire’s ears. That’s my boy?
Daire followed Sam’s path as he made his way to the woman. Seeing Sam’s approach, the woman stepped to the side as if afraid.
Beneath an arbor now, Daire recognized the woman. The skank who’d come to their house.
“Daire!” shouted the woman, but Sam took her by the arm, escorting her out of hearing range.
“What the hell?” Daire looked to Silvia, then to the audience, who’d also recognized the commotion.
The mayor clapped, getting the crowd’s attention back on him. “Thank you all for coming and honoring our outstanding city employees this afternoon.” The mayor offered a few more handshakes, then hustled off the stage.
“Excuse me,” Daire said to Silvia, then made his way off the stage.
His mother and Nora sprinted toward him as he hopped off the last step.
“Oh, Daire,” cooed his mother. “I’m so proud of you.”
Nora stepped up beside him, wrapping her arm around his waist and giving him a good squeeze. “And look how handsome he is in his dress uniform.”
Remembering the way his mother had hustled the skank into their house, Daire forced a smile. “Thank you.” He waved toward the parking area, where Sam was arguing with the woman. “Who is she, Mom?”
His mother released a breath. “Sam has been trying to talk to you, Daire, but you refuse to make time for him.”
“Wh-what does that have to do with—” Blood pounded in his temples again. He stared at his mother. “Who is she, Mom?”
“Come with me, Daire.” His mother hooked her arm through his, not giving him a choice. “Nora, would you stay with Silvia, please?”
Daire inhaled and exhaled through his nose, trying to lower his blood pressure. Not once had he ever lost his temper around his mother—he rarely lost his temper—but she knew what was going on, and it was scaring the hell out of him.
He stopped walking. “Mom, please talk to me.”
“Honey, we’ll go over there and talk to Ava, okay?”
Ava… He’d heard Sam and his mother call the woman by that name, so they obviously knew her.
Why the big production?
That’s my boy.
It couldn’t be.
He shook his head of the crazy thoughts that were going through it. The woman’s confused.
But even Nora hadn’t been shocked when the woman showed up at their house…or when his mother asked her to stay with Silvia.
Daire turned and stared at his brothers, who hadn’t moved from the area. Alex and Erik were standing, but Vince had a hand on each of their arms, holding them back. Generally, if there were a ruckus of any kind, Vince would be front and center.
Fire burned in Daire’s eyes. He didn’t want to be blindsided any more than he already was. “What’s going on, Mom?” he demanded again.
Sam finally had the woman sitting in his truck, and he was making his way back to them.
Daire watched Sam’s face as he approached. Sam never looked sad. Angry, quite often. Condescending, more often. Worried, sometimes. But Sam never looked as if he would break down and cry.
Without warning, Daire’s eyes welled up. He didn’t want to know anymore, but he had to ask. “What’s going on, Sam?”
“I’m so sorry, Daire,” Sam said as he stepped in front of him. “I really didn’t want to do this here. I had no idea she would show up.”
Daire pulled his arm free from his mother and swiped at his eyes. “What the hell? Just tell me what’s going on already!” He waved his hands and started walking backward. He really didn’t want to know, though. Not today of all days. “I don’t…” He didn’t even know how to finish his thoughts. Somehow, he knew that life as he knew it would suddenly change. He stared up at his mother again. The woman’s words rang through his head again: That’s my boy. “Mom,” Daire pleaded. “Please. Tell me it’s not true.”
His mother’s eyes were red. “I’m sorry, Daire. We always had your best interests at heart. We love you. We—”
Feeling as if he might get sick, Daire dropped to his knees.
Sam stepped closer. “I’m sorry, Daire.”
Daire stood and shoved him off. “She’s… That woman’s…? She’s…my…mom? Dad…had an affair—?” Daire shook his head when he saw the confused look on Sam’s face. “Oh, my God. Not Dad. You, Sam?” Daire lifted his hands again. “Oh, God. I think I’m going to be sick. I can’t think about this right now.”
The truck door opened, and Daire flashed a gaze to the woman dressed in faded jeans and a long-sleeve T-shirt. She looked as unhealthy as any person he’d ever rescued. Her long ashy hair fell limply around her shoulders; her pale skin was almost yellow. Even her hazel eyes paled next to the surrounding yellowed sclera. He’d seen this before; the woman was a total druggie.
“Daire.” Sam cleared his throat. “This is Ava. I won’t say that she is your mother because she’s not.”
“Hey!” the woman screeched. “He is my boy. You can’t hide the truth anymore, Sam!”
The woman approached, and Daire lifted his hands in front of himself again. “I…I can’t talk to any of you right now.”
He turned and bolted back to the platform.
Silvia stood next to Nora, looking as confused as he felt. “Are you ready to go, Silvia?”
She simply nodded.
Nora touched his arm. “I’m sorry, Daire.”
He wanted to scream at Nora. How could she know this secret about his life, yet he didn’t? But it wasn’t Nora’s fault.
“I can’t think right now, Nora. Tell my mother—tell Claire I’ll call her later.”
He took Silvia’s arm and led her to his truck as quickly as possible without scaring her.
At his pickup now, he took one last look at the man he thought was his brother and the woman he thought was his mother. Once again, Sam had secured the skank—Ava—from following him.
Daire hopped up, started the truck, and peeled off down the road.
Yesterday, he had a wonderful, loving family.
Now he knew that they—all of them—had done nothing but lie to him.
Daire had seen his share of revelations with his family, thinking it was just a fluke how many secrets could exist within one household. With all the skeletons that had already escaped their closets, he would have thought that his family would be an open book.
Nope! His very identity was the best-kept mystery of all.
~ Silvia~
“What’s going on, Daire?”
Daire sighed and smacked the steering wheel. “I don’t know.”
“If you don’t know, then why are you running?”
Daire whipped his head in her direction and glared at her. “I’m not running. I’m taking you home.”
“Eyes on the road, mister! I don’t need to be in another accident.” Fighting anger with anger was the one thing she’d always known. She hadn’t missed the implication that he wasn’t the one running, even though he was. He was always running from Sam.
She and Daire had a great couple of days together. He hadn’t pressed her for anything more about her past. But what was all this about? Had he staged this?
“If you need to figure out what’s going on, Daire, I certainly don’t need you to take me home. I manage quite well on my own.”
He reached over and touched her knee. “I’m sorry. I really don’t know what’s happening. Well, I do, but I don’t understand why.” He shook his head. “Why would they lie to me?”
“Who was that woman?”
Daire looked everywhere but the road or her. “I think…” he groaned. “I think she’s my birth mother.”
“And Claire is…?”
“My grandmother, I guess.” He blew out a breath. “I didn’t wait around long enough to find out. I don’t know. My first thought was that my father had an affair, but then I saw the look on Sam’s face—” He smacked the steering wheel again. “I’m such an idiot. It is Sam. Sam’s my father. It makes so much sense now. He’s seventeen years older than I am. He treats me differently.” He whipped his head back and forth. “My mother is my grandmother. Oh, my God. I feel like I just woke up in a damn soap opera.”
Silvia couldn’t help the puff of laughter that popped out. “It does sound like a daytime drama. My abuela loved telenovelas. Now all you need is an evil twin.”
Daire huffed. “You’re not helping, Silvia.”
“I guess,” she said. “I just don’t understand why you’re so angry.”
Even though he’d had plenty of time, Daire made an abrupt stop at a yellow light, causing the truck to jerk back and forth.
“How can you not understand, Silvia? They’ve lied to me my entire life. And apparently, Nora and maybe even my other brother—scratch that—all my brothers must have known.”
“I’m sure there was a good reason.”
Instead of commenting, Daire sped up and didn’t speak the entire ride to her house.
When he pulled up, he just sat there, vehicle running.
“Do you want to come in?” she asked.
“Yes. I certainly don’t want to go home, and the way I feel right now, I probably shouldn’t be driving.”
“Well, come in, then.” She hopped down and didn’t bother to look back as she crossed the shale path to the entry. At the door, she unlocked the doorknob and went in. No way would she wait around outside, coaxing him. Yeah, this information sucked. She couldn’t imagine finding out her mother wasn’t her mother. Then again, with a mother like Claire, she’d be thankful that the woman had been willing to raise her. After all, her mother had adopted her sister because a woman didn’t want a child with down syndrome.
Instead of walking in, Daire knocked.
“Come in, silly.”
He stepped inside, plopping himself onto the sofa. As beaten as he looked, he glanced up, forcing a smile. “Congratulations, Silvia. I’m sorry my family ruined this day for you.”
She walked toward the sofa, then slid down beside him, lifting her legs over his lap. “I was ready to go anyway. I didn’t want to go in the first place, remember? I hate that stuff. I was doing my job.”
He slipped an arm around her and pulled her closer. “I’m still sorry. But for the record, you did go above and beyond. That boy would have died if it weren’t for you looking to help someone. You didn’t just stand around; you searched for someone to help, and you found him.”
“And then you saved both of us. I wouldn’t have been able to receive an award if it weren’t for you, so I can very well be a little upset about drama—”
Gravel crunched on the driveway. Harvey barreled onto the couch beside Daire, shoving his gargantuan head through the blinds.
Silvia stared up at Daire. “I’m not expecting anyone.”
Daire lifted her off him, setting her down beside him. He turned and peeked through the blinds next to Harvey. “It’s Sam. Dammit. Tell him I’m not here, please.”
Silvia laughed. “Uh…your truck’s outside.”
“Tell him I took off running into the woods. It wouldn’t be the first time I ran away from him.”
“Daire,” Silvia pleaded. “Talk to him. I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation.”
He closed his eyes and dropped his head.
“Daire,” she said again, lifting his head. “I don’t want to drop the kid word you hate, but you’re acting like one right now. If you can’t talk out issues, how am I supposed to think you can manage other adult responsibilities?”
He peeked up at her. “You don’t understand, Silvia. It’s not like they just lied to me today. This is twenty-three years of lies.”
She shook her head. Everything within her wanted to scream at him. She was living a lie. A big lie. If Daire couldn’t handle this minor issue compared to her life, how would they ever go further? The last couple of days he’d come over had been wonderful. They worked out together. Cooked together. Watched TV—well, made out on the couch until he insisted it was past her bedtime. Tonight was going to be the night, she’d decided. After the ceremony and celebration dinner, she would seduce Daire since he hadn’t lived up to his playboy reputation.
Sam knocked on the door, and Harvey jumped off the couch, barking, then he bolted toward his doggy door. His barks echoed beneath the trailer as he made his way to the front door.
Silvia placed her hands on either side of Daire’s face. “Please, Daire. Sometimes people lie for good reasons. Please give Sam a chance to explain.”
Daire pressed his lips into a straight line, then dropped his head against her forehead. “Okay, Silvia. For you.” He pressed his lips against hers for a quick kiss, then pulled back.
“Daire?” Sam called from the front steps. “Is Harvey going to eat me?”
Daire stood and made his way to the door, opening it. “No, like Strider and Arwen, he’s all bark. What do you want, Sam? Don’t you think I’ve had enough revelations today?”
Harvey sniffed Sam up and down, so Sam bent down and patted him on his jowls. “Can we talk, Daire? I know it’s beyond too late, but I’d like to explain my actions.”
Daire looked to Silvia. “Do you mind if we talk here, Silvia?”
“Of course not. I’ll go in my bedroom and read.”
“I’d rather you stay,” Daire said. “That way, I won’t have to repeat anything.”
Sam shrugged, seeming not to care either way.
Silvia stared back and forth between the two of them. “I don’t know how I feel listening to your personal—”
“Please.” Daire stepped back in front of her. He lowered his head to her ear, even though there was no way Sam wouldn’t be able to hear anything that he whispered. “I need you beside me, Silvia. My entire family has deceived me for twenty-three years. I really need you. Besides, like I said, you’ll want to know everything anyway, so you might as well stay.”
She nodded, then took his hand, leading him to the table. “Sit. I’ll make a pot of coffee.” She glanced in Sam’s direction. “You like coffee, Sam?”
“Is there a first responder who doesn’t live off coffee?” Sam smiled, and Silvia felt a twinge in her gut. Man, not only did the two of them have the same looks, but they also had the same characteristics.
Sam pulled the door behind him, and Harvey charged toward his basket of toys, coming back with half of a stuffed bear. Well, the carcass of the stuffed animal; he’d long since removed all the stuffing.
Sam played tug of war with Harvey while Daire tapped his fingers on the Formica tabletop.
Ignoring Daire’s sour mood, Silvia set the coffee pot to brew, then pulled out the cream and sugar and three mugs.
“Do you need help?” Daire stood back up and made his way to her. She’d directed him to sit, but he’d been so helpful the last couple of days that she was surprised he hadn’t offered sooner.
She turned in his arms, gave his strong chin a quick peck, then sat down. “You know how we all like our coffees, so how ’bout you finish?”
Silvia sat at the end of the table, forcing Sam and Daire to sit across from each other.
Sam looked up from his game of tug of war and smiled when Daire’s back was turned.
Silvia didn’t have to ask. She knew what Sam was thinking…that she’d already whipped Daire into submission. But that wasn’t it at all. She just believed that they should be on equal ground.
After all, she’d personally experienced what happened when a relationship wasn’t built on a solid, balanced surface. She would never go through that again.