Missing Me Read Online Free PDF Page B

his forehead
creased with a frown.
    ‘Why are you saying I’m your father?’ he said. ‘I’ve never seen you before.’
    My mouth was dry and my legs were trembling and my heart was hammering against my ribs. My whole focus was on Allan Faraday. I stared at him, forgetting Jerry and the other guard standing beside
us. The distant traffic noises and the cool night air faded to nothing. This was my one chance.
    I had to get it right.
    ‘Mr Faraday, you . . . you . . .’ I lowered my voice; this was
beyond
embarrassing, ‘. . . you donated sperm that was used by a clinic in Evanport, Connecticut. It was
my mother who used it and . . . and . . .
that’s
how you are my father.’

7
The Invite
    Faraday’s mouth gaped and his eyes widened as he took in what I’d said. I was aware of Jerry, the guard, hovering nearby, watching us intently. I couldn’t
believe I’d just blurted out the facts like that. And what if I’d got something so personal all wrong? What if this wasn’t the same Allan Faraday? What if he denied ever donating
sperm? Except . . . I looked at his mouth again. His lips definitely curved in the same ‘bow’ shape as Lauren’s.
    Faraday stared at me. ‘Sperm donation is anonymous,’ he said slowly. ‘At least it was back then, when I did it.’
    My heart leaped. That meant he was admitting being involved, didn’t it?
    ‘How old are you, Madison?’ he went on. ‘Where are you from?’
    ‘I’m fifteen,’ I said. ‘My family was originally from Evanport in, er, in the States, but we live here now. That is, me and my mum live here – we moved here after
my . . . my dad – the man who brought me up – after he died.’
    I glanced at Jerry, the guard, wishing he wasn’t watching me. Faraday followed my gaze. He cleared his throat, then leaned over and whispered something in Jerry’s ear.
    ‘All right, then, Miss Purditt,’ Jerry said. ‘You can go. But next time be more careful.’
    Faraday indicated the path leading back to the street. ‘Come on, then,’ he said. ‘Let’s get to the bottom of this.’
    My chest tightened as he led me towards the pavement. Had he believed me? What was he thinking? What was he going to say? He strode on, away from the building. I had to walk fast to keep up with
him. As we reached the main road, he glanced down at me and stopped.
    ‘So,’ he said. ‘You’re looking for your birth father?’
    I nodded.
    ‘Well, you’ve successfully got me out of what was admittedly a rather boring drinks reception, so go on, tell me why you think it’s me,’ Faraday said. There was a hint of
impatience in his voice, but his eyes were warm, almost twinkling, as if he were more amused by the situation than anything.
    I took the sperm donor report Annie had given me out of my pocket.
    ‘Here,’ I said. ‘This is you, isn’t it?’
    Faraday stared at the report. He let out a low whistle, then looked up at me. His expression was guarded. I got the distinct impression he was weighing up the situation, trying to decide if he
was being conned . . . if I was about to make demands on him . . .
    ‘I don’t want anything from you,’ I said quickly. ‘I just wanted to meet you.’
    The suspicious look faded slightly from Faraday’s eyes. He smiled at me and, again, I was reminded of Lauren.
    ‘I bet none of this is how you imagined,’ he said with a chuckle. He held out his hand. ‘Shall we start again? I’m Allan.’
    I shook his hand. ‘Madison.’
    ‘It must have taken a lot of guts to find me . . .’ Allan pointed to a café just along the road. ‘Would you like to get a coffee?’
    I nodded. ‘OK.’ I still wasn’t sure what he was going to do or say, but at least he seemed to believe that I’d genuinely been looking for him.
    The café was virtually empty. Allan bought a double espresso for himself and a hot chocolate for me. We sat down in the corner and Allan placed his hands flat on the table in front of
him.
    ‘How on earth did you