Her mom’s hand flew over her heart. “Thank you, Jo. And don’t give a second thought to the money you need. I set up a trust for you and Greg with the money I inherited from my parents. Greg used hundreds of thousands of it to become a doctor. Much more than your degree cost, so your equal share is just sitting in the bank. Earning interest. You can have it anytime you’d like.”
Jo shook her head in frustration. “Now I get why Dad forbade me to ask you for a co-signature.”
“Probably because he knew I’d tell you it’d be silly to take out a loan when you have plenty to draw from. I’m going to make his life a bit of a hell for it after hearing that earlier!”
“Not necessary, Mom.” Jo waved the thought aside. “Maybe now that I know what his fears are, I can reassure him a little more. And I’m glad you finally told me the truth.” There was a sense of closure finally knowing who both her parents were. Even if she had no desire to find her birth mother when she had the best mom anyone could ask for right in front of her.
Mom’s eyes teared up again. “I’ve wanted to tell you for a long time, but honestly, because you’ve never shown much interest in knowing your birth mother, I wasn’t sure if it was worth upsetting you. It was the part in your story earlier when you asked dad to cosign, and how you thought Dad felt about you, that made me see it was time you knew. And because after so many years have passed, Juliette has started asking about you for the first time.”
“She asked about me?” It still felt so weird to know the truth, but at the same time, nothing had really changed. Her real mother was the one sitting next to her.
Mom nodded slowly. “You’re her only child, and I think she’s feeling remorse about giving you up as she’s gotten older. She was in town visiting her parents and was actually in your café last week. She said she just wanted to see how you turned out.”
That freaked her out a little. “I’m not sure I’m ready to meet her quite yet. But maybe one day?”
Mom patted Jo’s hand. “I’ll tell her that.”
Jo still had a hard time thinking about her father and his part in the affair. And how he’d hurt her mom. “What convinced you to stay with Dad after all that? He still works too much, and no offense, but he doesn’t seem to put you first in his life still.”
“Well, mostly because I love him.” Her mom shrugged. “I know he’ll never cheat again, and while I wish he’d work less, I know he loves me as much as he’s capable.”
“Capable?” Jo finished off her wine too, and set the glass aside. “What do you mean?”
“I finally figured out that not everyone shows love the same way I do. Your dad shows his by making sure his family is well provided for. His humble beginnings drive him to be sure we never have to go back to that lifestyle. He has always striven to take care of his family in the same lifestyle I was brought up, because to him, that’s the best way he can show he loves us. And when it’s just him and me on our fabulous vacations that he plans each year, and when we get to spend the occasional weekend alone together, I’m his number one priority. I cherish those rare times, and now they’re enough for me to know I’m loved.”
“As long as you’re happy, Mom.”
“I am. Now what are you going to do about Shelby?”
Jo moaned and laid her head on her mom’s shoulder. “I can’t think about one more problem tonight, or my head will blow up. I’ll deal with that in the morning. I’m going to bed.” She felt like she’d been hit by a train. It was only nine, but she’d had all she could take for the day.
Her mom kissed the top of her head. “You’ll work it out. You and Shelby have a bond that’s tougher than this. And I’ll bet your dad would love it if you made him eggs Benedict in the morning. It’s his new favorite, and I can’t possibly begin to do that.”
Jo was still trying to forgive her father for cheating. But if he’d been faithful, she wouldn’t be in existence. It was an odd dichotomy. “I can do that. Love you, Mom. Good night.”
“Love you more, honey. Sweet dreams.”
Jo climbed the stairs to her old bedroom that her mother hadn’t changed a bit since her summers home from college, and got ready for bed. She crawled under the covers and picked up her phone. Everyone she loved had lied to her today except for her brother.
She really wanted to tell Chad the weird news about her father. She started to tap out the message, but then stopped. She’d told him what she wanted from him. It was up to him to move forward with their relationship if he wanted to.