Page 35 of The Addendum

She met my eyes, her blue gaze cloudy with emotion. “What about Ashley, Richard?”

I scrubbed my face. “I’ll get a DNA test done. Halton will arrange it.” I looked over the water, the breeze kicking up the waves. “Then I’ll meet with her.”

It was silent for a moment. “Reid did some digging. He found pictures of Juliet and me together.”

“Do you remember her now?” she asked quietly.

“Vaguely.” I turned to her, bravely taking her hands in mine. They were cold, and I chafed them gently. “Katy, no one registered with me for long. You know that. She was just another woman I slept with and moved on from. Ashley is under the impression that I knew her mother was pregnant and I abandoned them. But I didn’t know. I swear to God, I didn’t know.”

“I know.”

“I barely remember her, even with pictures. It was so long ago and—” I swallowed, the truth hard to admit “—she didn’t mean anything to me.”

“She was beautiful. Very glamorous,” Katy mused. “Tall and graceful. More intelligent than some of the women you dated.”

I frowned. “You remember her?”

“I spoke with her a few times. She came to the office to meet you once, and you were late. She was friendlier than most of your, ah, women.”

“I didn’t exactly date them for their personalities.”

She pursed her lips. “No, you didn’t.”

“That was the man I used to be, Katy. I’m not proud of it. But I changed.”

“What would you have done if she’d told you, Richard? Would you have cared?”

“I don’t know,” I said honestly. “The man I was back then? I don’t know. I was selfish.”

“I didn’t think so,” Katy said. She sighed and looked at the water for a moment. When she spoke again, her voice was so low, I almost didn’t catch it. It was as if she’d inadvertently spoken her thoughts out loud.

“I told her to get on with her own life. Not to waste time hoping for something that would never happen.”

Something in her tone made me frown.

“What do you mean, ‘you told her’?”

She hesitated.

“What aren’t you telling me?” I stood as a sudden thought occurred to me, and I stared at her in shock. “Jesus, Katy. Did you know? Have you known about this all these years and never told me?” I was aghast simply thinking she would have done that.

She ran a hand over her head, pushing her heavy hair back from her face. “No. Nothing concrete.”

Something akin to anger bubbled in my chest. “Nothing concrete,” I repeated slowly. “What does that mean exactly?”

“You had left for your conference, and she showed up at the office. She said she had to see you. I did my usual spiel of comforting her and assuring her it was you and not her.” Katy rolled her eyes. “I had a whole speech down pat for them.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Did she tell you that she was pregnant?”

“No. But she was upset. More so than the usual ex. She said she really cared for you and she had to talk to you. What she had to say was important. I told her it wouldn’t happen. That you never went backward—only ahead. I said she needed to move on with her life. She said something about this being different, but they always did. Everyone thought they were special and what you needed. I asked her if she really wanted to be involved with someone who only cared about themselves and would never be a partner or a friend. She was quiet for a long time, and then she stood and said I was right.”

“And?” I demanded.

Katy frowned. “Nothing. At least, not at that moment. She left, then returned a short time later with a sealed envelope addressed to you. She asked me to give it to you, but then the next day, I walked into the office after dropping something off at payroll and she was back. She was searching my desk, almost frantic, asking about the letter. I had put it in your office, and the door was locked the way you liked when you were out. I opened the door and gave it to her.”

I frowned.

“She was so fidgety and upset. I offered her a beverage and to let her sit. I asked her if I could do anything to help, but she said no.”