Rennen’s mind was a blur as he got in his car and jabbed the key into the ignition. His phone buzzed. It was Monroe. He was tempted to let it go to voicemail but knew Monroe would keep calling until he answered. “Hello,” he barked.

“Hey, man. Where’d you go?”

“Out!” The poisonous fog infesting his brain made it hard to form a clear thought. Ariana accused him of holding his anger like a prize, waiting for everyone to fail him. Was that what he was doing? He replayed the wounded look in her eyes when he told her she was too good to be true. It was a stupid thing to say. He gripped the steering wheel. When he saw Ariana at her door, Paul kissing her, he’d lost all reason. And then she told him she couldn’t be in a relationship with someone who kept expecting her to fail. A trickle of fear ran down his spine. Surely she wasn’t saying it was over between them. They’d had one lousy fight, that was all. Maybe he should go back in right now, apologize. He’d obviously misread the situation between Ariana and Paul.

But this thing with his mother … he didn’t know how in the heck to come to terms with it. It was so incredible … ridiculous that his mother was a billionaire heiress. She’d had the audacity to sit beside him at dinner while he spilled his guts about his past. What possible excuse could Delphine have for abandoning him? The old familiar hurt slithered around his chest like an anaconda, cutting off his breath. No one understood the depth of the pain he’d endured.

“Rennen, are you there?”

He realized Monroe was still on the phone. “Uh, yeah,” he croaked. He needed to get a grip. He gulped in a breath. In through the mouth … out through the nose. He had to be strong, couldn’t let this get to him.

“You need to get back here to the DaVinici Firm ASAP.”

He rubbed a hand across his forehead. “I know we planned on going to dinner tonight, but under the circumstance, maybe we should cancel.” His voice dribbled off.

“This isn’t about dinner. This is about Delphine Degarmo. More information has surfaced. Things you’ll be interested to hear.”

A scorching anger seared through him, clouding out all reason. “I don’t want to hear anything else about that woman,” he yelled. His wretched mother had already caused him enough pain to last a lifetime. He just wanted it to stop.

Monroe’s voice rose to match his volume. “Trust me. You’ll wanna hear this, man. You need to get back here. Right now!”

He blew out a long breath. “Fine,” he grumbled. “But there’s something I need to take care of first.” He was going back this instant to resolve things with Ariana. He couldn’t stand the thought of her being mad at him, and he couldn’t stand the thought of her being in her apartment alone with Paul. They’d both said things … stupid things they couldn’t leave dangling.

“Rennen, I can’t think of anything in this world that’s more important to you than getting your butt back over here on the double. This can’t wait. I’m begging you, man. You need to come now!”

The urgency in Monroe’s voice pricked him, cutting through the fog for an instant. He had to face this thing with his mother. That was the only way he’d be free of it. Rennen glanced at Ariana’s apartment complex. “All right,” he finally said, starting his engine. “I’m on my way.”

* * *

“You’d better have a good explanation for dragging me back over here,” Rennen said as he stormed into the conference room, then stopped dead in his tracks when he saw who was sitting at the table with Monroe and Lainey. His eyes narrowed as he looked at Delphine. “What’re you doing here?” Fury zigzagged through him like a thousand knives gutting his insides as he held up his hands. “I’m not doing this.”

Monroe jumped to his feet. “You need to hear her out.”

Rennen’s pulse roared like a jet engine through his ears as he shook his head. “No!” He shot Monroe a venomous look. “I told you I didn’t want to talk to her. Not now or ever!”

Monroe shook his head, a frustrated laugh gurgling in his throat. “It’s not what you think, man. If you’ll just sit down and listen—”

Delphine stood. “Rennen, sit down.” Her voice was surprisingly calm, but it pierced Rennen to the core. Her eyes locked with his. “If you don’t like what I have to say, then you never have to see me again. But at least you’ll hear the truth from me, not from those dastardly reporters who make their livings off the misery of others.”

The air seemed to hold its breath as Rennen contemplated what he would do. Finally, he strode over to a chair and sat down. The feeling of despondency that settled over Rennen was so strong he could taste it. It oozed from the walls and dripped down the floors, pouring around his feet where it pumped poison into his veins. Nothing this woman could say would change anything, but he’d at least hear her out.

Delphine and Monroe took their seats. Delphine adjusted her blouse, then touched her glasses, clearing her throat. She took in a deep breath, offering Rennen a faint smile. “This is harder than I thought it would be.”

Rennen just sat there, stone-faced. It was still hard to believe his flesh and blood mother was sitting across the table. Looking at her now he could see the resemblance. Similar hair color, similar bone structure. He’d often pictured how his mother would look. Deep down, he’d always figured his mother was probably an unwed teenager or druggie who couldn’t handle the responsibility of having a child. Never, in a million years, would he have imagined his mother being a wealthy French heiress.

“I’m not sure what you’ve heard from the news,” Delphine said.

“Only that DNA tests confirm that you’re my biological mother.” Rennen didn’t try to hide the resentment in his voice.

Delphine wet her lips, nodding. “I’ll just tell you everything, from the beginning. That way, you’ll get the whole picture. As you know, my real name is Delphine Degarmo. My father’s name was Renatus.” A faint smile touched her lips as she looked at Rennen. “You were named after my father.”

Rennen sat rigged, clutching his hands. He felt like all of this was happening to someone else.

“My mother died when I was born, and I was raised by my father who had no idea how to take care of a daughter, other than to send me off to a boarding school.” She laughed regretfully. “As you can imagine, I was spoiled and impetuous. My father tried to groom me to take over his inheritance, but I was determined to live my life on my own terms, by my own rules. When I was in my early twenties, I had an affair with a married man and got pregnant with you.”

Rennen let out a harsh laugh. “So I was an embarrassment that you wanted to get rid of? Is that why you abandoned me?”

“No, you were never an embarrassment to me.” Tears gathered in her eyes. “I loved you with all my heart.” Her voice caught as she touched her neck and cleared her throat. She gave him a strained smile. “You were a blessing straight from heaven.”

Confusion swirled in Rennen. “Then why?” The words got lodged in his throat as he tried again. “Why did you abandon me?”

Delphine looked him in the eye. “I didn’t abandon you.”

Rennen’s heart skipped a beat. “What? I don’t understand.”

She chuckled, remembering. “When I had you, I knew I had to change. I had to become better … become the mother you deserved.” She lifted her chin. “So I did. I put aside my reckless ways.” She paused, pain coloring her features. “I remember the day like it was yesterday.” Her voice grew strangled. “October 28, 1992, a beautiful, crisp, fall day. You were eighteen months old. I took you to Central Park. You were playing on the playground, and I was watching you from a nearby bench. It was crowded with other children and families.” Her voice took on an odd note. “I was distracted. I had just learned a few hours earlier that I had stage-three breast cancer.” Her lower lip trembled. “I took my eyes off you for one minute, and you were gone. Just like that.” Tears rolled down Delphine’s cheeks. She lifted her glasses and wiped at them. Lainey handed her a tissue.

Rennen grunted in surprise. A buzz ran through his head as he knotted his fists. “You’re telling me I was kidnapped?”

“Yes. I searched the park from top to bottom, going out of my mind. The police were called, people at the park questioned. But no one saw anything suspicious.” Her voice broke. “I hold myself responsible. I should’ve never taken you to the park, not in that frame of mind.”

Rennen tried to sift through what he was hearing. “But money was no object for you. How could you not find me?”

“Things were different in 1992. The Internet wasn’t mainstream. Legal agencies didn’t report to each other the way they do now. No Amber Alerts.” Her voice sounded old and haggard. “When the police didn’t turn up any leads, I hired a team of investigators.” She squared her jaw. “I was determined to do everything in my power to find you.”

He’d not been abandoned, but kidnapped? He looked across the table at Delphine. He’d had a mother who loved him, had mourned his absence. All his life he’d gotten it totally wrong, been seeing the world through a defective pair of lenses. A gush of emotion rose in his throat, sending tears to his eyes. The foundation of everything he’d ever believed was crumbling before his very eyes, and he wasn’t sure what to feel. Anger? Sorrow? It was all mixed in a bundle of fire that felt like lead in the center of his chest. “How did I end up in Texas?”

Delphine shrugged. “I don’t know.” Her face hardened. “I assume someone kidnapped you with the intent to sell you. But who knows?”

A furrow appeared between Rennen’s brows. “If news of my kidnapping was so far spread, you’d think someone would’ve recognized me.”

Monroe tilted his head, looking thoughtful. “Not necessarily. You said the first memory you have is of being in a group home, right?”

Rennen nodded.

“And before that, you were in another foster home. But were taken away because it was suspected that you were being abused.”

“That’s right.” Rennen wasn’t making the connection.

Monroe looked at him. “How long were you in that first foster situation?”

“About a year, from what I was told. Although I don’t have any memory of it.”

“So your first real memory was when you were what? Six or seven?”

Rennen thought back. “Yes.”

“You were kidnapped when you were eighteen months old,” Monroe continued, “which leaves a gap of roughly three and a half years. Someone could’ve kept you hidden for that amount of time and then dumped you at the bus station.”

“Yeah, I guess anything’s possible.” Rennen felt the all-too-familiar frustration bubble inside him. It was so dang infuriating not to have any knowledge of what happened to him.

Anger flashed in Delphine’s eyes. “I have another theory.”

All eyes turned to her.

“I was fighting for my life, going through chemotherapy and radiation—so weak I could barely lift my head.” Her voice shook. “I had no other choice but to let my father spearhead the search for you.” Her mouth twisted. “I fought cancer for three long years, thinking everything possible was being done to find you. The first few hours are critical in a kidnapping case, and then come the first few days, months, and years. As more time passes, the trail goes cold. I didn’t find out until ten years later that my father hadn’t done everything in his power to find you. It wasn’t until my father was on his deathbed that he told me the truth. He was relieved you were taken. Relieved that I wouldn’t be burdened with raising a child on my own, like he’d been. Relieved that the family name wouldn’t be tainted any longer by an illegitimate child.” A sob wrenched her throat. She put a hand to her mouth, her shoulders shaking. She took in a ragged breath, trying to gain control of her emotions.

Delphine removed her glasses, placing them on the table, then looked at Rennen with pleading eyes. “A part of me died the day I lost you. For years, I prayed every day that I would find you. As time went on, I began to lose hope. My prayers changed. I prayed that if the Lord wouldn’t allow me to find you, that He’d lead you to a good family.” She smiled through her tears. “That portion of my prayer was answered. He sent the Boyds to you. I will forever be grateful to them.”

Rennen gulped, trying to cough back the emotion, but it came shooting up like a geyser as a groan escaped his throat. He gulped, tears rolling down his cheeks.

“You need to know that I’ve never stopped trying to find you. I hired investigator after investigator.” She let out a harsh laugh. “Of course I never dreamt that you were in Texas. I had no idea where you were, or even if you were still alive. But still I clung to the hope that I would someday see you again.” A weak smile touched her lips. “You can imagine my surprise when Thomas, my long-time chauffeur and friend, showed me your interview with Katie Moss. I sat there, unable to believe my eyes.” She laughed to herself. “All these years of searching, and there you were—plain as day.”

Rennen wiped at his tears with the palms of his hands. “How did you know it was me?”

“Because you look so much like my father.” She looked at Lainey who slid a picture across the table to Rennen. He gasped when he saw it. Same hair, same eyes, same determined set of the chin. Resentment surged through his veins. His grandfather hadn’t wanted him, had considered him an embarrassment. If he’d really searched for him, then all of this could’ve been avoided. He realized Delphine was speaking.

“Like I said, you were named after my father Renatus. I called you René.” Her eyes cut into his. “But as a child, you couldn’t pronounce it.”

His eyes bulged as he connected the dots. “It sounded like Rennen,” he gurgled. He shook his head. “I always thought I was given that name by a social worker.” His head was spiraling like a renegade football. “Why didn’t you tell me this when you saw me at the inn?”

“I didn’t know for sure. I didn’t want to tell you and be wrong. I had to collect DNA evidence. Your toothbrush and hair.”

He balled his fists to stay the trembling in his hands. His throat grew thick as he swallowed, looking across the table at his mother. He’d longed for this day, prayed for it continually in his youth. And then his heart had turned to stone as he picked himself up and got on with his life.

She smiled through her tears. “You and I are more alike than you realize. When I overcame the cancer, I put my energy into searching for you. I was like some demented fool, determined to find you.” Her voice sounded heavy and labored. “But by that time, too many years had passed. I reached a point, where I knew if I didn’t channel my energy elsewhere, I’d go crazy. I kept a team of investigators on retainer, then turned my sights to building my cosmetic business.” She smiled thinly. “My work became my obsession.”

“Just as football became mine,” Rennen added quietly.

Delphine eyed Rennen with such intensity that he felt like she was seeing into his soul. “Finding you has been a dream come true.” Her voice quivered. “I want to be part of your life. But when I realized how angry and bitter you were …” She paused. “I panicked and called Ariana, hoping she could talk to you first … to pave the way for me. Then the story broke sooner than I expected.” She shrugged, giving him a tiny smile. “Now you know the full story. What you choose to do with it is up to you.” Her voice quivered. “Hate me if you must. But know this. I love you, son. I’ve always loved you and will never stop.”

Tears filled Rennen’s eyes as a dam broke loose inside him. He laughed through the tears. Something Ariana said came rushing back. All the happiness in the world was at his feet, if only he wasn’t too stupid to take hold of it. Before he realized what he was doing, he was on his feet and rushing around the table. Delphine got to her feet as he crushed her in a hug.

He buried his face in Delphine’s hair, inhaling her scent. A sense of something long-ago forgotten and tenuously familiar washed over him as a single word wrenched his throat. “Mom.”

“I’m so glad I found you,” she breathed. “You’re a ghost no longer.”