Chapter 38

Kali

Wade Collins revealed as mystery donor who gifted local children's hospice center $500,000

It's been just over a week since we visited Caulder Creek and with each passing day, I'm falling faster and harder for the man who said he wants to give me everything I ever wanted.

When all I want is him.

The man who gave Lola Amelia's engagement ring to sell for him, then offered to buy her a new car for work to save her using her own with the money. He's generous and kind. And busy. The busiest we've been since we started our PR campaign.

Last week began with a hockey game, then another which we flew to, then Wade moved into his new house, and then another game, and now fresh into a new week, I'm packing my suitcase, getting ready to fly to Los Angeles with Wade for his test shoot with Calvin Klein.

The day after that he's a guest on Play On, the sports trivia show which they film at the studios not far from the hotel we are staying at.

I sit on my suitcase to try and zip it up. "I need a bigger case." And a vacation.

Huffing and puffing, I admit defeat. "I'm taking a bigger one." I move over to my neatly stacked Louis Vuitton luggage and grab the next size up. I knew I was being optimistic.

"Can I help?" Lola strolls into my walk-in wardrobe. "You could take fewer clothes."

"Don't ever let me hear you make crazy suggestions like that ever again," I say, making Lola giggle, which she does a lot. Laying my suitcase down on the floor, I begin moving my clothes into the bigger one as Lola helps me.

Lola and I have been working from my house together today, which made sense rather than meeting at the office like we planned.

It's handy having Wade across the road from me.

Several times, I've wondered if we were to move in together, which house would we live in. It would be a difficult choice. Mine is big, his is bigger. Mine overlooks the ravine, while Wade's has a movie theater. I have a hot tub out on the deck while he has an indoor pool. It would be a tough choice, but anyway, I'm jumping ahead of myself.

We've only been dating a few weeks.

Feels like so much longer.

And we aren't dating, dating, we're secretly dating.

For now.

I've yet to tell Ellis and Joy, which I will. Soon.

Lola is the only one who knows because she caught us kissing in Wade's kitchen on moving day.

The way she laughed and told us she had already worked it out, then congratulated us, stating she thought we'd have beautiful babies, made us all laugh.

When Wade didn't freak out, it reassured me he's serious about us, bolstering his previous words from the weekend at Caulder Creek.

"Kali, you know that thing I said I needed to speak to you about?"

"Yes." I push my toiletry bag inside my suitcase between my clothes and shoes.

"I'm ready now."

I stop packing and give her my undivided attention. "You don't seem much like yourself today, Lola. What's up?"

"I…" She begins. "It's maybe better if I show you." Pulling her phone out of the kangaroo pocket of her hoodie, she unlocks it and taps against the screen a couple of times before finding what she's looking for and handing it to me.

Confused by what I'm reading, I move the phone closer to get a better look.

Sliding my eyes left to right and reading the letter I am looking at, I then run my gaze up and down the numbers on the document.

"Oh my God, Lola. This is huge."

"I know."

"You're his…"

"Yes."

I look at the three names along the top of the document on the screen. I can't believe what I am reading. "Which makes him…"

"Yes."

My chest fills with emotion as I realize the gravity of what I'm reading.

She's Wade's sister.

I feel like crying for her "Oh, Lola." I pull her into my arms. "Is Miranda your mother?" I hold her in my arms, not wanting to let her go.

"Yes."

Neither Wade nor Lola are anything like Miranda. They're both beautiful people with hearts of gold. I see it now. How similar they are.

I pull out of our embrace and stare back down at the phone. "But why is Zane on here?"

"Marcus is Wade's father and Zane's."

I gasp in shock, "What? Wait, but your results don't match Zane's." I'm so confused.

"Marcus and Nicki are Zane's parents. Miranda and my father, Ritchie, are mine. Miranda was married to my father a very long time ago until they divorced." She stalls for a second. "Marcus and Miranda are Wade's parents. They had an affair behind my father's back."

Making Lola Wade's half-sister and Zane his half-brother.

Mind blown, I almost drop the phone.

"How long have you known?"

"I got the results back yesterday. I knew already, but it was the confirmation I needed to prove to him I am his sister. I needed to make him believe me. Which I'm certain he would because he's such a nice guy, Kali. I'm so happy he's my brother." A small smile curves her mouth.

I wish I could say Wade will say the same when finds out who his half-brother is.

"Tell me what you know, Lola. I need to know everything."

She inhales a deep breath as if trying to summon all of her strength, then begins. "My dad, Ritchie Ramsay, was married to Miranda. They had two children together, well, so my dad thought. But Wade wasn't his. Miranda had an affair with Marcus throughout their marriage."

How the hell am I going to break this news to Wade? This will break him. He already hates his mother. He'll hate her even more now for keeping such a big secret from him.

Lola continues, her eyes glistening with tears. "My dad and Marcus were business partners. When they left college they bought a chain of restaurants together and some smaller coffeehouse franchises." She blows out her cheeks. "This is harder than I thought."

I lay my hand over hers. "Take your time." Wade and I have a flight to catch but this is far more important. I'm going to have to push it back by a few hours.

"My dad overheard Marcus and Miranda talking in the kitchen of one of their restaurants. Miranda was worried my dad would figure out Marcus was his dad because they have such a distinctive eye color."

Which means I was right about Marcus wearing contact lenses. He must be wearing colored ones.

How sneaky of him.

Lola arches her head back as if trying to stop the tears, but it doesn't work. They flow down her face with her next words. "My dad did something really terrible." She bows her head, wiping her nose with the back of her hand. "He went home, packed her belongings and Wade's and when she arrived back at the house, he didn't let her in. He said he carried Wade out of the house and left them both out front. He said it was the worst thing he's ever done and asked for my forgiveness. He was so sorry for what he did. He had so many regrets." She grabs my hand. "Please know my dad was a good man. He provided for me, loved me."

"I thought your dad died, Lola?"

"He did." Shaking her head, "He told me a week before he passed that I had a brother."

I don't ask what he died of. It's none of my business, but if Lola wants to tell me, I will be here for her.

She continues, "The guilt he felt for ripping me apart from Wade devastated him. He really loved Miranda. I hate her."

"She's your mom, Lola," I say softly.

Lola shakes her head. "She's not my mom. She did nothing to fight for me because I wasn't important to her." Lola's jaw tenses. "I don't see her as my mother. Have you seen her on that stupid reality television show? She's an embarrassment."

Poor Lola.Although having heard from Wade what he went through as a child, he may have been better off without Miranda too.

"But you see Wade as your brother?" I ask hopefully.

"I do and wish I could tell him how proud I am of him. He's incredibly talented. He was born to be a hockey player."

He really was.

Still kneeling on the floor, I reach up and grab a tissue from the box on my dressing table and hand her it.

Lola rakes her fingers through her hair and then blows her nose before she says, "My dad wanted me to reconnect with Wade, and apologize to him for what he did. He made me promise not to ruin or jeopardize his career and to pick my timing. He suggested after the season would be better. My dad didn't want to cause any further upset in Wade's life, Kali because he'd caused enough heartbreak already." Using another tissue I pass her to dry her cheeks, she dries her eyes and then smiles.

"My dad didn't want me to be alone in the world. He wanted me to know I wasn't, and that I had a half-brother. I was so desperate to get close to him I saw an advert on the Eagles website for an admin assistant, which I got, then was asked if I would become Wade's assistant. It was fate, Kali. All I wanted was to get close to him; see him for myself. Know he was real. Working for the Eagles made me feel closer to him, even if he didn't know I existed. I would sometimes watch him practice during my lunch breaks, and just doing that was enough for me. I was doing what my dad asked. I was waiting, Kali."

"You're so strong, keeping this all to yourself." I pat her hand.

"Graham knows. A problem shared, you know?" She lifts her shoulder in a half shrug. "They all signed a non-disclosure agreement to make sure their secret never got out, Kali because Marcus came from a high-profile family. Marcus' father owned the Eagles at the time and when this all happened, Marcus gave my father all the businesses as some sort of pay off, then he started running the team with his father, and Nicki's father, before he inherited it fully. I don't think a secret love child would be the type of publicity he would want." Lola rubs her temples. "What a bunch of idiots."

Secret love children are exactly that. Secret.

"Do you think Wade will believe me?" Lola's question shoots me through the heart as her vulnerability shines through.

"Oh, Lola, you know Wade already sees you as a friend, don't you? So if you are worried about him not accepting you, you have nothing to worry about." I reassure her. "He thinks you're amazing."

"Are you sure?" She picks the skin around her nails nervously.

"Absolutely. I know him. So do you."

"I do." A broad smile stretches across her lips before her face falls. "You can't tell him during game season. He's making incredible progress. I don't want to mess his life up. There is so much to take in, Kali."

"We'll wait." I agree, knowing it's for the best.

We'll protect him together.

But first I need to speak to the man who caused this mess in the first place.