CHAPTER 70
As I open my mouth to speak again there is a knock on my door.
"Hang on a moment Gideon" I say and I look towards the door. "Come in" I call and I wait. A moment later Taylor pokes his head around the door.
"Excuse me Sir, Welch is here. He apologises for not informing you of the unscheduled visit but he has uncovered some rather interesting information and he says it's not something that he feels can be discussed on the phone, so he has come in person to speak to you".
I freeze wondering what on earth he could've found. I nod in agreement, "Show him in" I say simply and with that Taylor disappears and I return my attention back to my telephone conversation with Gideon.
"Gideon, Welch is here, he has found out some more information and he believes it is something which needs to be discussed in person, do you want to jump into a Skype call so that you can hear it as soon as I do?"
"Yes I do" Gideon says immediately. With that I quickly access Skype and a moment later Gideon appears on the screen. At about the same time there is a knock on the door and Welch appears, he is gripping a manilla file in his hand and he looks incredibly nervous.
"Come in Welch and take a seat, your timing is perfect. I am just talking with Gideon so he has joined us via Skype" I say.
Welch sits down and I take a look at him, he really does look nervous, even more so now he is aware of Gideon's presence. I wonder what on earth he has found to cause such a reaction. My curiosity and concern peaks when he glances at Gideon waiting patiently and I see his eyes soften in almost a look of pity and a look of compassion appears on his face.
"Hello Mr Cross are you alone or do you have someone with you?" he asks carefully and I frown at that unusual question.
"I'm alone, but Eva is here though she is somewhere in the apartment and I believe she is calling Ana" he replies with a careless wave of his hand.
Welch nods and looks at me, "It is my opinion that Mrs Cross and Mrs Grey should also be present for this discussion".
Gideon looks at me in surprise but he quickly recovers and immediately he stands and leaves the room. I pick up my phone and send Ana a quick text. A few moments later Gideon returns with Eva at his side and I see she is still holding her phone and talking. My attention moves to the door as it opens and Ana appears and she is also still talking on her phone. The ladies simultaneously hang up and I roll back in my seat so Ana can join me. I wordlessly pat my thighs and she doesn't hesitate. She sits down on my lap, throws her phone on to my desk and wraps her arm around me, I respond and my arms automatically encircle her. I smile as I see Eva and Gideon in a similar embrace, with Eva tucked into Gideons lap.
Ana grins at Eva and gives her a little wave which Eva quickly returns.
"Hi Christian" Eva calls and I smile at her.
"Hello Eva" I reply.
"So, what's going on?" Ana asks and Welch moves forward and clears his throat.
"Well… this is quite sensitive information and of a personal nature. I just want to say I never actually expected to find what I have found and to be honest with you it wasn't that well-hidden, so I am also wondering if Ryan Landon is aware of this information and if he is, whether it is this that has coloured his view of you all these years and he uses your father's fraud as a cover for his animosity".
I see Gideon lean forward, "What information?" he asks slightly impatiently.
Welch opens the file he is clutching and he pulls out what appears to be a copy of a birth certificate, he looks down at it nervously and licks his lips.
"Well… according to this, it appears that Ryan Landon's mother is not the woman who he assumes it is" Welch says carefully.
Ana, Eva and I look at Gideon as he is the only person who could possibly offer some background to this. Gideon's eyebrows rise, "Landon's mother divorced Eric Landon when Ryan was a baby, she left him and disappeared. As far as I know, Landon was raised by a nanny and his father. When he first came on the scene and caused waves I looked into his background and that is what I found. He is four years older than me; he was nine when it all came out about my father's fraud. I was affected by it and I was only five but he clearly had a greater understanding of what was going on. But as we have now discovered Eric Landon wasn't as innocent as he made out either".
We all nod in agreement with that assessment and I look towards Welch who is listening carefully.
He also nods at what Gideon has just said. "Well sir" he begins and then pauses, "According to this birth certificate, it appears that Ryan Landon's mother is a woman called Elizabeth Yarwood".
I look at Gideon and watch the colour drain from his face.
"What?" he gasps and I see him grip Eva even tighter and she responds by whispering in his ear, asking him what is wrong.
"Gideon?" I ask carefully.
He looks up at me, and I can see that he is clearly distressed by this information. "Yarwood was my mother's maiden name" he says hoarsely.
There is a collective gasp from myself, Ana and Eva. I turn my attention to Welch, "You are certain this is genuine?" I ask and Welch nods.
"I am, I thoroughly checked it out before coming to you with my findings as I realise this could have major repercussions, and I have further corroborating evidence" he says as he gestures towards the folder.
I nod satisfied that Welch has done all he can and I return my attention back to Gideon, who looks completely lost.
"This is going to sound a silly question but did you have any idea about this at all?" I ask.
Gideon shakes his head but doesn't say a word.
I clear my throat, "What corroborating information do you have?" I ask Welch who is watching Gideon closely.
He turns and looks at me before pulling another document out of the folder. "A contract of sorts, signed by Elizabeth Yarwood, where she signs away her parental rights to Eric Landon. It appears to be more than a basic parental waver though. She has handed over complete autonomy to Landon regarding Ryan, with the assurance that it never becomes public that she is his biological mother. She essentially washed her hands of him and pretended he never existed".
Gideon snorts bitterly, "Why doesn't that surprise me" he mutters coldly.
I quickly make a number of decisions and I look at Ana, "Baby, I think we need to return to New York" I say and Ana nods in agreement. She lifts herself off my knee and looks at the screen of my laptop.
"Gideon" she says quietly and Gideon seems to come to with a jolt and he looks at us.
"Yes" he replies and I can tell this has totally rocked him.
"We are coming to New York to support you; this is massive and we will do everything we can to help" she says. She pauses and turns to me, "I think we should leave as soon as possible. I'll go and pack us a bag" she says to me and I nod pulling out my phone to make the necessary arrangements.
Meanwhile in New York…
(EVA)
"Are you ok?" I ask gently as the Skype link to Seattle is terminated.
I am still holding my phone although the call to Ana is long forgotten and at this moment, I am focussed on my husband who looks absolutely shattered. But who wouldn't? He has just learnt that the man who has been a thorn in his side for years and been a total dick to him could actually be his brother.
At least Ana and Christian are returning to New York and bringing Welch with them and he is going to show Gideon everything that he has uncovered to this point. I don't know how that man does it. Christian has always kept very tight lipped about who he is and what his background is but I heard Angus say once that he believed he was ex-CIA.
"I'm ok… I think" Gideon says quietly but I know that is a complete lie just by the fact the way he is gripping me so tightly it almost hurts. He seems to realise this and relaxes slightly and I sigh in relief.
"I'm sorry angel did I hurt you?" he asks immediately concerned and I shake my head.
"I'm good" I reply simply.
We sit in silence for a few moments until I venture to speak again.
"So… are you going to go and speak to Ryan and find out if he is aware of this connection?" I ask and Gideon nods his head.
"Yes, I will have to… I think I will also have to go and visit my mother because if she is Ryan's mother as well, she will clearly have information which she can provide and I'm going to get it even if she doesn't want to tell me".
I let out a little snort, "Considering how delusional that woman is she will probably deny it" I say bluntly and Gideon nods.
"You are probably right but I have to try" he says sadly.
oooOOOooo
The next day…
We are all crowded around the dining table. Ana and Christian literally dropped everything and flew out last night. Welch is here as is Angus along with a tall smartly dressed female who is sitting silently observing us and making notes.
I was surprised when the GEH plane landed last night that a woman who I had not seen before appeared from the plane. Gideon had instantly recognised her and she was quickly introduced to me as Caroline Maguire, Christian and Gideon's therapist. I was shocked but also grateful to Christian that he had asked her to join us as this situation has completely blown Gideon's mind.
I am pulled from my thoughts by Gideon who is speaking, "Did you know anything about this?" Gideon asks Angus and he shakes his head sadly.
"No lad, and I wouldnay have kept something like that from you, if I knew about it" he says, his Scottish accent more pronounced with his obvious concern for Gideon.
Gideon nods accepting his words without question.
"When your mother took up with Chris, I did a basic background check into her considering everything that surrounded her at that time and found nothing amiss. I knew her maiden name was Yarwood and she'd had a number of short-term relationships with various men before she settled down and married your father but there were no red flags, nothing which raised any suspicion".
I see Gideon thinking, "Do you know when she married my father? I have no idea of the details of their relationship at all as my father was a closed subject and all I know is my dad died when I was five. I have no knowledge of the timeline of their relationship and until now have had no desire to find out".
Angus smiles compassionately at Gideon. "Aye lad, I know. It seems she first met your father in college and they were aware of each other and acquaintances rather than friends – they ran in the same circles as it were, but then later everything seemed to happen quite quickly, they got together romantically and a month later they were married".
I feel Gideon stiffen and I realise he is comparing his parents' relationship with our own whirlwind romance.
"You are nothing like your dad" I whisper and I squeeze his hand reassuringly.
Gideon leans down and presses a small grateful kiss to my head. He looks up at Angus again, "And where do I fit in? Was she pregnant with me? Is that why they married so quickly?" he asks.
Angus shakes his head, "No lad, but you arrived fairly quickly. You were born a year later".
Gideon nods and I feel him relax slightly after hearing this.
"If I may interject here". Caroline Maguire speaks carefully and all eyes fly towards her.
"Gideon, how does that make you feel?" she asks simply.
"Relieved" he replies.
"Because?" she pushes.
I watch as he frowns, eventually he lifts his head, "Because she made it very clear when she got with Chris and had Christopher and Ireland that they were her new family and I was just an inconvenience remaining from her old life that she couldn't erase… so I wondered… considering what she did with Landon, disposing of him and washing her hands of him… I just wondered if I was a similar mistake but my father forced her to face up to it by marrying her… that's all" he says as he lowers his head again.
"And now you know that doesn't appear to be the case?" she pushes and I feel myself getting agitated wondering why she is doing this now.
"Can't you just leave him alone" I blurt out and she turns her icy gaze to me.
"Eva, it's fine" Gideon whispers but I shake my head.
"No it's not, it is obvious that this has blown your mind and yet she is sitting there wanting you to open up and talk in front of everyone… it's not right" I say.
"Angel I asked Caroline to be present, she offered to talk afterwards with me… alone… I asked her to do it this way" Gideon replies looking at me meaningfully and immediately I want to bite my tongue off.
He has always had video and telephone therapy sessions because this therapist is based in Seattle and he is comfortable with that… because of what happened to him.
"Baby… I'm sorry" I mutter but Gideon runs his fingers down my cheek and cups my chin urging my head up and he kisses me sweetly.
"Don't, it's fine" he replies simply.
I look up once again, "Sorry" I say and Caroline nods and gives me a sympathetic smile.
"It's absolutely fine, I agree this is a little unorthodox but I'm now used to the unusual with Mr Cross" she says wryly.