Family Secrets

By

Kasey Millstead

All rights reserved.  This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only.  This eBook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased or publicly performed or used in any form without prior written permission of the publisher.

Thank you for respecting the work of this Author.

Family Secrets is a work of fiction.  All names, characters, places and events portrayed in this book are either from the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, with exception to Artists named, and their song lyrics, and direct quotes from movies whose titles have been named.  Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, or events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

Copyright © 2015, Kasey Millstead

Cover design © Louisa Maggio of LM Creations –
http://lmbookcreations.wix.com/lm-creations

Editing by CJ Pinard – www.cpinard.com

To Jovi

You taught me the hard way that life is too short.

Five and a half years with you wasn’t long enough; but for a parent, forever isn’t long enough.  I love you with my whole heart.  I miss you even more. xx

“You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you.”

Ray Bradbury

Steele Investigations

Sapphire

Emerald

Down Under Cowboy Series

Cowboy Town (Eden & Jackson)

Sky Cowboy (Ava & Jeremy)

Cowboy Dreams (Jules & Clay)

Cowboy Christmas (A Henley Christmas Novella)

Tatted Cowboy (Laura & Luke)

Rogue Cowboy (Sienna & Zeke)

Cowboy Struggles (Ava & Jeremy, a novella)

Stand Alone Novels

Fighting to Stay

Illicit Desire

Vengeance is Mine

Dancing with Desire

Fighting for Switch

Undercover

Family Secrets

COMING SOON

Cowboy Redemption (Kennedy & Kye)

Cowboy Endings

INFERNO

First and foremost, as always, to my husband: Thank you! I love you.  You’re my soul mate.

To my four beautiful children – I love you beyond measure.  Thank you for being so understanding. You’re all my favourites.

To Mel and Wurry, my soul friends - I think “
I II III IV III II
” says it all. Mwah.

Thanks to Meri for being my sounding board, for listening to me waffle on, and for giving great advice.  You’re one of the best!

To my mum and dad – thanks for having such an awesome child.  I bet you’re proud of yourselves! ;)  And an extra special thanks to my mum who implanted a deep love of reading in me at a young age by reading The Adventures of Blinky Bill & Nutsy to me every night when I was a little girl. 

“If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.”

Stephen King

Kylie at Give Me Books blog – thank you for all you do for me.  I’m lucky to not only have you as my promotions extraordinaire, but also as a friend.

Kell – thank you being you. I’m so lucky to have such a beautiful friend in you.

Annie, thanks for being you.  I love that you love my characters almost as much as me!

Thank you to the super talented Louisa at LM Creations for creating such a beautiful cover.  I absolutely love working with you.  You always do a beautiful job for me.

To my editor CJ – you’re too awesome for words. Thank you so much for taking my WIP and making it amazing.  I love working with you and I look forward to do it many more times in the future!

To my Vixens – You’re all awesome and I love each and every one of you!  You brighten my days and always give me a laugh.

To each and every blogger that participates in my cover reveals, blog tours and book blitzes – THANK YOU!!!  I wish I could list you all individually, but that would be a novel on its own!  Thank you for everything you do.  Your hard work never goes unnoticed and it’s appreciated from the bottom of my heart.

To the girls in 101 – Wow! You ladies are such knowledgeable, friendly, helpful people.  I’ve learned so much since I found y’all, and I’m so very grateful. <3

Lastly, thank you to each and every one of you that reads this book.  You are making my dreams come true.

www.kaseymillstead.com

www.facebook.com/authorkaseymillstead

www.twitter.com/kaseymillstead

Goodreads.com – Kasey Millstead

If you liked Family Secrets, please consider leaving a review on Amazon and Goodreads

FAMILY SECRETS

Secrets.  Every family has them

The unseen. The unheard. The things that would tear a family apart if discovered.
Cassidy Delaney has a secret. One she wished she didn’t have to keep.
Brock Mason thought the secret was safe.
He had no idea 
their
 secret wasn’t the only one Cassidy was hiding.

NOW

It is not my day!

Glaring at the tire, I give it a kick, ignore the shooting pain up my ankle, and grunt.

“See, it wasn’t meant to be,” I proclaim to no one, throwing my hands up in the air.  Snatching my phone from the console of my car, I angrily stab the screen.  I find the number for an on-call mechanic, dial him up, and request his assistance.  Of course, as my luck would have it, he’s busy and won’t be able to come out for around thirty minutes.

I was already running late.  Now, I’d be even
more
late.

I tell myself I don’t care.

I tell myself I don’t mind.

But, the truth is, even I can’t ignore the small voice coming from the base of my skull, telling me I do.

*~*

Thirty-seven minutes later, the mechanic shows.  He changes my tire swiftly and I’m back on the road within fifteen minutes.  One hour later, I pull my car into the parking lot.  I take a deep breath and look down at my watch.  I’m officially twenty minutes late.  Maybe they’ve started without me?

I push open the tinted glass door and give a small smile to the receptionist who glances up as I enter.

“Good afternoon, can I help you?” she asks politely.

I open my mouth to answer just as a man comes barging in through another entrance.  He waves his hands around in a flurry, the papers he’s holding waving through the air, making a whooshing sound.  He’s cute, in that nerdy kind of way.  His dark wash jeans fit him well and lead down to Converse covered feet.  His white shirt is collared and open buttoned, displaying the dove grey tee underneath.

His eyes find me and he looks slightly relieved, a little bit hopeful, but a whole lot flustered.  “Are you Cassi?”

“Yes,” I reply.  “Sorry I’m la-,”

“Hallelujah!” He throws his hands in the air.  “No time for apologies.”  He grabs my arm above the elbow.  “Let’s go.”  I follow him as we swiftly walk down the way he came.  All the while he speaks a mile a minute and I do my best to catch up.

“Thankfully you arrived when you did. I was sure the producer was about to fire me!  Goodness me, girl, you were cutting it close.  Oh! I didn’t even think to introduce myself.  I’m Lodan.”  He gives me a quick, firm handshake and a tight, but still friendly smile as we continue walking.

He stops abruptly and takes a deep breath.  “Okay,” he whispers to himself.  “Here we go.”

He pushes open the doors.  I follow him across the room until he comes to a standstill in front of an angry looking man.

“Found her.  Cassi Delaney meet Henry Chapman, the Producer.”

“Cassi, nice of you to join us,
finally
.”

“Sorry I was late, Mr. Chapman. I had some car issues,” I offer softly.

“Yes, well, you’re here now.  Let’s not have any more delays.  Lodan, please take Miss Delaney over to Francesca.  We need to get started immediately.”

“Don’t let him get to you,” Lodan whispers in my ear as we move through the room.

This was a bad idea.

Lodan’s hands go to my shoulders.  “Franny, this is Cassi.  Work your magic.”  Francesca pats the seat in front of her and I sit.  Lodan disappears and I give a small smile to Francesca.

“Hi.  Nice to meet you, Francesca.”

“Please, call me Franny.  Only Mr. Chapman calls me Francesca because he’s an uptight ass.”  She giggles, I do the same, and my tension ebbs away.

Thirty minutes later, my makeup is done – natural, highlights around my eyes.  My hair has also been styled but in a way it doesn’t look styled at all. 

“Like you just got out of bed looking like this, girlfriend.  That’s the look we’re going for,” Franny told me as I gave wide eyes to the mirror.  I look beautiful.  It’s been a long time since I’ve had my hair and makeup done, and it looks amazing.

Franny pulled my hair back in a soft bun at the nape of my neck, leaving a few wispy tendrils loose to frame my face.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.” She waves me away.  “It’s my job.  Now, you better get a move on.  Chapman will be on your ass if you don’t hurry.”

“You’re right.”  I stand from my seat and turn to leave.

“Knock ‘em dead, Cassi.”

“Thanks, Franny.”

“Now, go on,” she says gently.  “Good luck.”

“Oh good. You finally look decent enough for the camera,” Chapman says, disdain dripping from his tone when he spots me as I walk into the Green room.

I don’t respond, just wait with an expectant look on my face.  He finally gets the hint.  “Georgina is waiting for you.  Don’t take too long.  We’re already behind schedule,” he snaps.

“Fuck off,” I mutter under my breath when I’m out of earshot.  I see Georgina ahead.  The door is open to her office and she’s sitting behind a large black, wood desk, flicking through papers while crunching on an apple.

She looks up just as I reach the door.  Standing, she beckons me into the room.  “Hi, you must be Cassi.  I’m Georgina.  Take a seat, and let’s run through some things that will be happening today.  I’m sure it’s all been very overwhelming for you.”  She shakes my hand and we both sit.

“It has been a hell of a day, and it’s far from over,” I agree.

“Well, let’s do our best to make sure today turns into one of the best days.”  She smiles kindly and passes over a stack of papers. 

“You’ll probably recognize this questionnaire, since you filled it out when you applied, but I just wanted to double check the answers and get some additional information from you.”

“Um, sorry, can I see those, please?”

“Sure.” She shrugs, handing the piece of paper to me.  I quickly scan through the document, gritting my teeth.

Damn Renee.

“Is everything okay, Cassi?”

“Of course.” I smile tightly.

Renee had answered the questions as if she were me.  The most irritating thing of all is she answered exactly how I would have.  She didn’t lie or exaggerate.  She just wrote me in a nutshell.

“Let’s get started then, shall we?”

I nod. “Sounds good.”

“Basically all I wanted to do was go through your answers and double check the information is correct.  Also, I may have some other questions for you, and there are some places I’d like you to elaborate for me.”

“No problem.”

For the next five or ten minutes, Georgina runs through the questions regarding my name, age, relationship status and so on.  She moves on to the next lot of questions and things start to get a little nerve-wracking for me.

“You have a daughter?” she asks, glancing up at me from the paper held in front of her.

“I do,” I confirm.  “Her name is Elody.”

“She’s five, is that correct?”

“Almost.”

“I know this question can be a little sensitive, is her father in the picture, and if so, how would he feel about you coming on the show?”

“He’s not in the picture, so the second part to your question is irrelevant,” I answer resolutely.

“Right.  Could you tell me a little more about Elody?  Are you open to the idea of providing a photograph of her that would be used on the show?”

“I’m happy to tell you about her, however, I’d prefer to leave images of her away from the spotlight.”

“Absolutely.”  She smiles kindly.

“As I said, Elody is almost five.  She’s the sweetest, kindest little girl.  She’s all blonde hair and big aquamarine-colored eyes.  Just stunning,” I gush, as mothers do.

“What does she think about her mom coming on a television show?”

“Well, she doesn’t know about it, actually.  She’s currently spending the weekend with her best friend Darla because it’s Darla’s birthday.  They’re having a sleepover.”

“That’s really sweet,” Georgina replies.

“Darla is the daughter of my friend, Renee, who very
kindly
filled in and submitted my application form.  Without my knowledge,” I divulge with a raised brow.

“Oh,” Georgina mouths, trying to hide a grin.  “Sounds like a good friend – she’s looking out for you.” 

We both laugh and continue on with the questions until she tells me it’s time for me to move on to the next part.

“What comes next?”

“Filming.  You’ll go in through that door over there and meet the crew.  They’ll let you know how things will work, but basically, you’ll sit behind a screen until you go through the process.  At the end, the grand reveal will happen and your match will appear from behind the curtain.  The two of you will then have the opportunity to go on a date together tonight, and following that, we’ll film confessions from you both.  Then, you get to go home tomorrow,” Georgina explains.

My nerves kick in and my palms begin to sweat.

“You’ll do fine, Cassi,” she placates, sensing my anxiety.

  Taking a deep breath, I let it out slowly and my feet take me across the room.  I tap softly on the door, part of me praying they won’t hear me and I’ll get to go home.

You can do this, Cassidy.  It’s been five long-ass years since you’ve been with anyone.  It’s time.

Suddenly, the door swings open and I don’t have a choice anymore.  “Cassi, come in, come in.  I’m Asher.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“Now, doll, follow me.  You’ll be sitting right here in this chair.  Concentrate on this camera.”  He waves his hands around, pointing out instructions.  A flurry of energy surrounds him and I can’t help but feel overwhelmed.

“Ready?” He finally asks, an expectant look on his face.

“I guess.”  My head moves in a mixture of a nod and a shake, and my eyes are wide.  He chuckles and pats me on the shoulder.

“You’ll be fine, doll.  Now, take your seat, look into the camera, and just relax.  Be yourself.”

I woodenly walk over to the tall-backed, black, elaborate looking, office chair that is waiting for me.  To one side of me is a thick drape of black velvet.  Behind me and to the other side of me is a green wall.  Directly in front of me is a giant, technical looking camera, and behind that is a man wearing earphones.  Beside that is a prompt screen, but at the moment it’s blank.  Just above me is a fluffy camera microphone. 

“Hi, Cassi.  I’m Bianca.  I’m going to be interviewing you today.”  Bianca sits down in front of me, off to the side slightly, and out of view of the camera.

“Hi,” I reply, giving her an awkward smile.

“Relax.  You’ll be fine.”

So everyone keeps saying.  But, they’re not the ones filming a television show about dating!

Asher reappears, gives me the thumbs-up sign and then holds a sign in front of the camera.  He opens it up and snaps it open before moving off to the side.

“Cassi, can you state your name and age, please.  Look directly at the camera, not me,” Bianca instructs.

“I’m Cassi, I’m twenty-three years old.”

“Excellent.  Now, why don’t you tell us a bit about yourself?”

“Umm, well…” I completely blank out.  I can’t think of anything
at all
to say.

“Maybe start with where you’re from, what you do for work.  That type of thing,” Bianca prompts.

“Okay.  I live in Montley, but I grew up about four hours north from there.  I’m a midwife, and I really enjoy it.”  I tuck my hair behind my ears and suck my lips in nervously.

“When was the last time you dated?”

My heart stutters.

“I haven’t…uh…I haven’t dated in more than five years.  I have a five-year-old daughter, so it was when I became pregnant with her,” I admit.

“How do you feel about stepping back out into the dating world?”

“Nervous,” I offer with an uneasy laugh.  “I think I’m ready, though.  It’s time,” I add resolutely.

“How would you describe your ideal man?”

I think for a moment before answering.  “Well, first and foremost, he would have to be okay with me having a child.  My daughter and I come as a package deal that’s not negotiable.  Further on that, he’d have to be patient and understanding.  Willing to let me lead when it comes to my daughter and introducing the two of them, as well as how much time he could spend with her, and how to initiate that.  I’m not really fussy about looks, but my ideal guy would have a great personality, make me laugh, and have a kind heart.  Smart guys are also a plus, and since my daughter and I love the outdoors, it would be great to have a partner that did too.”

“Those are wonderful traits, Cassi.  Are you looking for something long term, or short term?”

“I’m happy to just see where things go.  I don’t have any big aspirations.  Of course, I would love to find someone to spend the rest of my life with, but I’m not putting all my eggs in the one basket, so to speak.”

“Of course.  Okay, I think we’ve got all we need for right now.  Let’s move on.”