Chapter 24

            Regina rocked back as her breath left her. It couldn’t be true. Clay looked just like Scott and his father. He was going to grow up to be a handsome looking devil just like his dad. “Scott,” she breathed.

            “Let me explain. After I busted Marlena with John Luke — and after she hit me — she stated that she wanted to take Clay and be with John Luke. I told her that she wasn’t taking Clay even over my dead body. That’s when she stated Clay wasn’t even mine. She didn’t mean to say it. She had clasped her hand over her mouth as soon as the words left her lips,” he said in a low tone.

            Regina continued to listen in stunned silence.

            “I was anguished. I . . . for a minute there, I almost believed it. Then I realized how ridiculous it was. Clay has a birthmark on the back of his ankle. Birthmarks run on my mother’s side of the family. It skipped me, but Clay had gotten one. I told Marlena I didn’t believe it. Dad didn’t believe it either when I told him what she had said. His exact words were, ‘Bullshit, of course he’s yours. He has the Kelly nose’,” Scott said with a small smirk.

            “What happened then?”

            “During the trial, oh, since she wanted more than I was willing to give her, there was a short divorce trial. Anyway, during the trial, we had a paternity test done. Marlena and I were in a room with our attorneys when the results were revealed. Marlena looked like she was going to faint. She truly believed that Clay was John Luke’s. She accused me of having the test fixed. I couldn’t do that even if I wanted to. That particular medical lab was the best in the country. They had so many controls and procedures in that place that the president of the United States couldn’t get lab results doctored. The next day, she came by the office. She said that she told John Luke the news herself since she didn’t want him to find out in the gossip rags. John Luke rebuffed her. He said that he wasn’t going to be saddled with a woman who had a small child that wasn’t even his. That’s when he admitted to Marlena that he was seeing an older woman who was a lonely spinster. His hope was that she only had a few years left to live and he would get her money. Long story short, he left Marlena in the dust to be with the cougar.”

            “I think they’re called sugar mommas, but I guess that’s not really the point,” Regina said with a half-smile.

            He returned the facial gesture. “Marlena wanted to make a deal. If I paid her a hundred million in cash, she would sign the divorce papers, let me have Clay, and disappear.”

            “She . . . sold her son?” Regina asked, awestruck.

            “He’s my son too. And I didn’t see it that way. I saw it as a mother abandoning her child. She actually came out and said that since Clay wasn’t John Luke’s, she had no use for him. He came from her body, and she just saw him as a means to an end to get what she wanted. Clay didn’t need a mother like that. I had just hit the billion-dollar mark in my net worth when all this happened, but it didn’t matter. I would have given all that I had to protect Clay and to ensure he had a good future. So, I called my attorney, made arrangements to have the money transferred to her account, had her sign a contract to the terms of our agreement, and she signed away her parental rights, and voilà, she was gone. Clay only knows that his mother didn’t want him and decided to walk away. I never told him about the money I paid her for her to stay away, and I’m not sure if I ever will. I’m not sure how he would take that as a child or as an adult.”

Regina nodded as she processed everything Scott had told her. She sympathized with him since she knew what it felt like to be cheated on. She also felt sorry for Clay because his mother bartered him away for money. She couldn’t imagine why Marlena would give up such a sweet kid. She didn’t understand why any woman would willingly give up her child. Regina would have done anything to carry a baby to term and to be able to raise it. “Okay, was it because of what Marlena put you through that you lied to me about who you really were?”

“Partly,” he admitted as he looked down at his clasped hands. “The divorce was a spectacle for online blogs, gossip rags, and TV shows. I was exposed. No one really cared who I was until I married Marlena. She was a semi-famous model who married a rich guy. We were photographed entering celebrity parties, award ceremonies, and other events. I didn’t mind it until the divorce. It was insane. A reporter actually sneaked into the LA building dressed as a security guard trying to get a picture of me at home. Another reporter in Orlando snuck into Kelscot dressed as a janitor to get inside information. He even tried getting into my office. Luckily, my security in Orlando is top-notch. That’s when I realized Clay could be endangered, and my life had turned into complete chaos. I had to do something. The short version: I set up a dummy corporation, setup Jenkins Construction as a sub-company, took on the persona of Scott Jenkins, and I bought our little home in Orlando under the dummy company.”

Regina thought for a moment. “Considering what happened, I understand why you went through such lengths to protect yours and Clay’s privacy, but why did you continue to lie to me about it? Did you think I would expose you?”

“No, but . . . since Marlena married me for my money . . . I didn’t want to make that mistake again. Hell, I didn’t even have the guts to date anyone for seven years until I met you. I—I kept the truth from you until I was sure that you weren’t . . .”

“A fortune hunter,” she completed for him. “Is that the impression you got from me when you first met me?”

“No, but I didn’t get that impression from Marlena either.”

“Scott, I understand you being cautious after what happened, but I won’t be punished for something that another woman did to you,” she said stoically.

“It wasn’t punishment. I was going to tell you before the news broke. I even mentioned it to my father. He agreed it was time since it seemed like we were getting serious. I just didn’t get the chance to figure out how to tell you.”

They were quiet for a moment before Scott spoke again. “Everything else I told you was true. I’m serious about you. I want to build a life and a family with you. I . . . love you. That’s why I’m here. I came here to lay all my cards on the table. I’m sorry about lying to you about who I really was.”

She heard what he said, but one word kept ringing in her ears. Family. “You want to build a family with me?”

He smiled. “Clay is getting older. Before I know it, he’ll be in high school. I always wanted more children. I believe you’re the woman to do that with. You’re wonderful with Clay. He’s crazy about you.”

“How is he handling all this?”

“Like the trooper that he is. Clay even handled the situation with the photographer at the school like a pro-celeb who had been famous all his life.”

“There was a photographer at his school?” she asked incredulously.

“Yeah, he was trying to take pictures of Clay through the fence during recess, but don’t worry. I got the memory card, and that photographer won’t be taking pictures of anyone for a very long time to come.”

“Dare I ask what you did to him?”

“I just made a few phone calls. He’s blacklisted from every magazine and newspaper in Florida.”

“I can’t say I blame you. The paparazzi are scum,” she said as she stood. She slowly started pacing the room. She had to tell Scott the truth. It was time. If he truly loved her and wanted a child with her, then he had a right to know.

“Please forgive me, Regina,” he said with worry in his tone.

She stopped pacing and looked at him. “Oh, I forgive you,” she said sincerely. How could she not? She loved him.

“Then why do you still look pained?”

“Because you’re not the only one who has hidden a secret in this room. When we first met, I didn’t know you that well, and I’ve had years of practice avoiding the subject. It was too painful to keep rehashing to people about why I don’t have children.” She looked down at the floor. She didn’t want to see his face when she exposed her secret. “Scott, I can’t carry a baby to full term.”

Regina could hear a pin drop in the room. She still wouldn’t look at him. However, she knew when he stood.

Scott slowly made his way toward her. “How do you know that?” he asked in a low tone.

“Ten years ago, I had gotten pregnant. Sidney and I were having dinner at a restaurant. I had just gone to the OBGYN that morning for my sixth-month check-up. We found out we were having a boy. We were celebrating,” she whispered. “The waiter had just brought a special dessert that Sidney had ordered in advance for me when the pains started. Sidney rushed me to the hospital.” A tear fell from her eye at the memory. “There was nothing they could do. I was barely six months pregnant. Our son just . . . slipped away like he wasn’t there to begin with. It was and still is the lowest point of my life; even lower than when my father killed my mother. Losing a parent is hard, but losing your own child is horrific,” she choked out.

He’ll have no choice but to walk away from me now. What man wouldn’t knowing the information up front? “It was hard on Sidney too. I fell into a deep depression. I wouldn’t even go to the psychiatrist appointments. I was in so much pain that I completely ignored Sidney and how he was dealing with the situation. That’s when he cheated on me the first time. He found comfort in another woman’s arms because I was too broken down to comfort him myself. The reason I forgave him and went to counseling afterward was because it was partly my fault that he was unfaithful.”

Scott’s hand reached under her chin. He tilted her face up, making her look at him. “That wasn’t your fault. Sidney was selfish. He should have been by your side. You two should have been grieving together. Instead, he chose to relieve himself and let you float along on your own. It wasn’t your fault, Regina,” he said in a deep tone.

“I can only be so mad at you for lying. I . . . I should have told you about my . . . problem sooner – before—”

“That was ten years ago,” he said soothingly as his finger caressed the skin between her chin and neck. “They’ve made leaps and bounds concerning corrective surgery for women who have trouble conceiving and carrying. I’m sure something can be done about your condition. But even if nothing can be done, I don’t care. I meant what I said. I love you, Regina. And nothing is going to change how I feel about you.”

The tears that had been welling in her eyes started to fall. “Oh, Scott,” she sobbed. “I love you, too. I have missed you, but I thought . . . considering what happened, I thought you were some billionaire jerk who got his rocks off by tricking women to sleep with you.”

“I’m not.”

“I know,” she cried.

Scott used the pads of his thumbs to wipe away her tears. “Stop crying, sweetheart. It’s going to be all right.”

They embraced.

“We’re together again now and nothing is going to change that,” Scott said.

Regina pulled back slightly and looked up at him. Scott’s eyes were soft and full of affection. Their lips came together, kissing each other like they had been apart for a year.

The End