The Billionaire Playboy's Regret (Lark and Max) novel Chapter 48

Lark felt like a deflated balloon as Doug was escorted out of the building. It was over. Everything was signed, she already initiated the transfer of ten thousand dollars to his bank account, which stung if she were being truthful, but at least he was gone.

She looked up with tears coating her lashes as she felt her father’s arm wrap around her shoulder. “I’m fine Dad.” “You’re better than fine.” He kissed her temple and hugged her tight. “I’m proud of you for sticking to your guns.” Sawyer came back in the room and looked directly at them while sitting back down.

“I’m sorry.”

Grady pulled his head back, shocked by the apology. “What?”

“I’ve been trying to get an angle to reach out to you and I knew unless it was in a professional setting you wouldn’t give me the time of day. I was out to dinner with a friend recently and she mentioned the loser who tried to f**k over Grady Hoffman’s eldest daughter, and I knew I found my way in.” He looked to Max, “you should have simply offered half of what you did. I would have convinced him to sign.”

“I’m not following,” Grady’s nostrils flared. “All of this s**t was to make me come here to you?”

“Yes. I am sorry for putting you through this Lark, but I needed it to be believable to Doug, so I don’t lose my license. All of it though was nothing more than a ruse on my end to get you here.”

“Why?” Grady’s fists were clenched on the tabletop.

“What Charlotte and I did, was a mistake. We got caught up in something we shouldn’t have, and, in the moment, it was wild and forbidden. I knew what I was doing but I was arrogant and stupid. I am sorry for what I did back then Grady. When she got pregnant, I knew I’d f****d up but then there was a kid involved and I wasn’t near as guilty as I should have been. I wanted the child.”

Lark put her hand on her father’s wrist when she knew he was ready to get up and walk.

“She miscarried.”

“She did. I was there when she lost the baby. There was blood everywhere.” Sawyer agreed. “What we didn’t know at the time was she was carrying twins and she lost one but not the other. I found out when I got called to the hospital because she was put on bed rest because there was a risk of losing the other one. I told Charlotte I wanted DNA run, and we did, and baby came back as mine.”

The quartet all held their breaths confused because this was not what they were expecting. If the DNA said the child was his what was Sawyer’s angle?

“Charlotte’s eyes are blue. My mother’s eyes are blue. It’s not a stretch from a genetic perspective for my kid to have blue eyes. I knew from Charlotte how much you said over and over you weren’t ready for a kid and were meticulous with your condoms. Gracie was blonde until she was about seven or eight when her hair started getting darker. I always thought her blonde hair was the only thing of mine she possessed but even it was gone by the time she was ten but I the DNA proved she was mine. I never gave it another thought.”

He inhaled noisily.

“Gracie is my world. Everything I have built I did for her. We struggled. Trying to get off the ground when my reputation was screwed like it was, was hard.”

“Are you expecting a pity party for you?”

“No. Not at all. I’m nervous,” Sawyer gave a chuckle. “Gracie said earlier I raised her alone and I did. Charlotte was caught in another situation worse than what we did to you which made her a laughingstock. Her response was to double down on how horrible she was. I caught her hitting Gracie and filed for divorce. Her father moved her away from us for Gracie’s safety. She got into drugs bad, Grady. She’s been in and out of more rehab facilities than anyone I know. Many paragraphs are missing. Read the complete book on Jo b ni b.c o m. She’s back on the drugs again. Six months ago, she called me for money, as she does when she’s using, and I declined. In a fit of rage, she confessed she got her father to screw with the DNA test. She took immense pleasure in telling me I raised someone else’s kid for over thirty-two years.” He blinked tears shaking his head. “I have no regrets, so we’re clear. I would do it all again without a second thought because despite DNA she is my daughter and I love her.”

Lark felt her father’s breathing as erratic as her own.

“No.” Grady pushed back from the table and walked to the window overlooking the parking lot. His breathing erratic.

Lark observed as Bobbie immediately followed him, rubbing his back softly.