“And everyone knows I’m Gemma’s father.”
Gemma had gone quiet beside me, and that mattered more than the argument.
Spencer saw it, too.
He sat back down, but not because Gloria told him to.
He put his hand over Gemma’s.
“You don’t have to defend yourself,” he said.
Then he looked at his mother.
“But I’m going to defend her.”
Gloria leaned back as though Spencer were the one being unreasonable.
“If there’s nothing to hide, I don’t understand why anyone is making this difficult.”
I was ready to answer.
Then I saw Gemma looking down at her hands.
10 minutes earlier, she had been talking about college and laughing over Skye’s imaginary car.
Now she looked like she wanted to disappear from the table.
So I stopped talking.
Spencer didn’t.
“That sentence is exactly the problem,” he said. “She shouldn’t have to prove something because you decided to insult her mother.”
Gloria’s voice cooled.
“Refusing the test may have consequences.”
Bruce looked uncomfortable but didn’t contradict her.
I asked, “What consequences?”
Gloria glanced toward the folder.
“If Gemma cannot establish eligibility under Russell’s instructions, her portion can’t simply be handed to her.”
Jeremy frowned.
“Where would it go?”
Bruce answered this time.
“The great grandchildren’s fund is divided among qualifying biological descendants.”
Nobody needed him to finish the math.
If Gemma were excluded, the entire $200,000 would go to Sky.
Sky stared at her grandmother.
“I don’t want Gemma’s money.”
Gloria told her that wasn’t the point.
Gemma finally looked up.
“No,” she said quietly. “Apparently, I’m the point.”
Spencer pushed his chair back again.
“We’re done.”
Gloria started to protest.
He picked up Gemma’s coat.
“You wanted a consequence. Here’s the first one. We’re leaving.”
I walked out without giving Gloria another argument.
Spencer took Gemma’s hand as we crossed the driveway, and none of us spoke until we were several blocks away.
Gemma sat behind me in the car, staring out the window.
I kept watching her in the rear view mirror.
Finally, she said, “Does Grandma actually think Dad might not be my dad?”
Spencer answered before I could.
“What Grandma thinks doesn’t change who you are.”
Gemma rubbed her sleeve between her fingers.
“That isn’t what I asked.”
Spencer looked back at her when we stopped at a light.
“I don’t know what she thinks. I know I’m your father. I know your mother has never given me a reason to question that. And I know you are not taking a test just because Grandma decided to humiliate you.”
Gemma nodded once, but she didn’t look relieved.
“What about the money?” I asked.
“Forget it,” she said. “I don’t want it.”
Spencer faced forward again, his jaw tightened.
“No. Russell left something to you. Mom doesn’t get to erase you from his family because she has spent 20 years inventing reasons not to trust your mother.”
I looked at him.
He wasn’t arguing anymore.
He was deciding.
Gloria wanted Gemma to prove she belonged.
That was the moment Spencer decided nobody would be allowed to use that standard only against her.
Ah.
On the drive home, watching Gemma disappear into silence pulled me back to the first dinner I ever had with Spencer’s parents.
Spencer and I were still in college.
I worked while taking classes and had enough student debt that I avoided opening the balance unless I had to.
Gloria asked where my parents lived, what they did for work, whether they helped with tuition, whether I planned to keep working after graduation.