is it....LOVE!?

Forty

Jake.

What I couldn't get was what my dad was doing in the hospital, in Mrs Montero's wardroom, looking all bothered.

"Jake, you're here..."
Mrs Montero's faint voice reached NY ears, stopping me from drilling my dad with questions.

"Yes. I got a call from one Ms Elizabeth."
Dad took Scott from me and started making funny faces at him.

"What happened to you?"
I asked.
She smiled softly, reaching out to touch Carter's cheek as Rosalind sat beside her on the bed.

"Don't worry about it, my head got tired of worrying and needed a break."
She addressed me like a little child, as always.

"Her blood pressure has skyrocketed."
Dad explained.

"Wait. You guys know each other?"
Dad shut up immediately and sobered up quickly.

"Jacob we need to tell you something."
Dad muttered after a long stretched silence, motioning for me to sit down as Rosalind Rose, taking Carter with her.
"Uhhmm...excuse me."
She mumbled and left the room.
I perched on the same spot she just left.

If Dad knew Mrs Montero, what's the big deal?
As dad opened his mouth, Scott yanked his hair.
"Ow! Watch it young man."
Scott giggled at the look on his face. I would've laughed too but the situation seemed serious.

"Scott, that's not nice."
I reprimanded, urging dad to continue.

"Jake, I don't have much time left, six months at most."
Mrs Montero deviated my attention from dad, I waited for her to say something more but she looked away from me.

Wait. Was she that sick?
What the fuck is going on here?
"Son, Janet is not your real mother."

I looked between dad and Mrs Montero.
"Yeah? And Mrs Montero is my mother. Huh?"

They both looked flabbergasted.
Like I just pulled off my head and placed it in my lap.

"H_how did you know?"
Dad recovered quickly and asked.
I just shrugged.

"It's obvious. You wouldn't be here with her and I already know that Janet isn't my birth mother."
I said casually.

I just couldn't figure out who my birth mother was.
I'd researched dad's past a thousand times over but I didn't find anything and I couldn't ask his lawyer because I knew he wouldn't tell me.

"What? You guys look like you just saw someone dive in and then out of the Bermuda triangle."
I chuckled.

Honestly, I had no idea why I was taking things so lightly.
I couldn't understand the turmoil of emotions running through me.

My mother, according to my father, has been slaving in my house for over six years, has been at the receiving end of my bad days, has sometimes been cleaning up after I take one nighters to my house, has been on my payroll, receiving....what?
She fucking practically grovel at my presence, she bloody calls me sir.
And I'm calm about it?
I shook my head and bounced to my feet.

"I want proof."
I demanded, suddenly tired of seeing the both of them.

"We were young and in love, we were practically inseparable. That day she told me we were having you, I was ecstatic, I was going to marry her and she agreed, we couldn't be happier.
After some weeks, we decided to take it to our parents, thinking they'd be happy for us."
Dad sighed deeply, adjusted Scott on his lap and restarted whatever app on his phone he was using to distract Scott.

"Our parents were livid, hers accused me of taking advantage of her, mine called her a whore, there was chaos. They made us choose between you and being together, we couldn't do it but at one point I was seriously considering it our parents knew we wouldn't want to loose you and by then, Janet was in the picture, my parents wanted us married and would've killed for it because the union would merge two of the largest enterprises."

Dad cussed under his breath and handed Scott to Mrs Montero.

"I was looking for a way around it, I wanted to work out our financial problems which was why I had to marry Janet but then Flora called me one day, telling me how her family was putting her and you through hell and how she couldn't handle all that and was no longer going to contact me from then on. I didn't take it lightly, I shut down completely."

"Few months later, her father's PA brought you to me...with a message from flora to never let you feel her absence. Then I had a reason to start over, I had someone looking up to me, you made it all better because I saw her in you. I finally moved on, with one goal in mind, raising you the way your mother would."

Mrs Montero sniffed and smiled down at Scott as he tried to wipe her eyes with his tinny hand.

"Letting you go was the hardest thing I had to do but I had to, your father was in a better position to provide for you, to give you love and security and I know it was the best decision I ever made. I knew I had to be with you somehow and I started keeping tabs on you, looking for a way to get into your life, the opportunity came and I grabbed it."

I felt my head swelling, all that information was too much to handle, I shook my head.

"Did any of you consider how this child would feel, or you thought I didn't deserve to know any of this?"
I boomed, startling Scott.

"You're one to talk when you paid that girl to give you a child and leave."
Dad struck the wrong nerve with those words.
I snatched my son from a stunned Mrs Montero and walked out of the wardroom without looking back.

I found Rosalind in the central reception on my way out and I got madder.
She had to go out on a date with another guy, didn't she?

"Let's go."
I snapped.
She rose with Scott in her arms and was practically running to catch up with me.

I pulled out my phone and texted Connor.
Bring the car around.
I couldn't talk right now without snapping.

I couldn't fucking understand why dad would keep such a thing from me, letting her fucking work for me all this years.
Immediately we settled in the car, Scott scrambled to his mother's side, she picked him up and settled him on her other lap, kissing his head.

I never got any female attention, growing up, I was daddy's boy which explains why I followed his business footsteps.

There was this day I would never forget in a hurry, Rob and I sneaked out of the house to some friend's party. I was only sixteen and rob had recently turned fifteen. We were caught on our way back.
Mom was furious and I tried to explain that it was all my fault and I was the one who talked Rob into sneaking out. Janet just stared at me for a brief moment and mumbled...
Of course, no son of mine would sneak out of the house at night
Then she took Rob sway to go do whatever.
Then anytime she wanted to tell dad something about me, she'd be like.. Your son..
Nothing I did ever pleased her, she was always picking up on the negative aspects of any decisions I made.

I raked my fingers through my hair.

Then my mother was actually working for me as what... One of the maids?
Fucking bullshit!

"Jake, language."
Rosalind's shaky voice reached my ears, I turned to glare at her making her flinch and look away.

Carter was tucked comfortably beside her, playing with the tips of her hair while she was making funny faces at Scott.

It'd be wickedness to take this moment away from them, to take their mother from them.
Dammit!
I didn't plan to grow a conscience along the line.