Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 87005 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 435(@200wpm)___ 348(@250wpm)___ 290(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87005 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 435(@200wpm)___ 348(@250wpm)___ 290(@300wpm)
“What? Like reach a certain age?” Emerson asks.
“No. Like get married.”
“Seriously? What the fuck?” Lachlan blurts. “Can they do that?”
“The letter was accompanied by legal documents from their attorney, so yeah, she can do that.” Leaning my head back on the couch, I close my eyes. How is this my life?
“How much money are we talking about, Legend?” Forrest asks.
“Enough that we can buy the plot a few times over and still have money to build a state-of-the-art facility.” I pause, letting that sink in. “Five million dollars.” My voice is gruff, and it feels like gravel coats my throat as I tell them the amount.
A chorus of colorful words and disbelief fill the room.
Reaching into my back pocket, I pull out the crumpled letter, holding it up. “It says it all right here in black and white. If I marry and remain married for twelve months, I’m to meet with their attorney on the date of my one-year wedding anniversary, and I will receive a cool five mil.”
“Damn,” Lachlan mutters. “That’s some heavy shit.”
“What are you thinking?” Maddox asks.
“Five million?” Forrest repeats.
“You’re not even dating anyone,” Roman adds.
“I’m thinking this is her final fuck you from the grave. They made my mother choose between my dad and her family. Not once in my life did they try to reach out to my parents or to me. They obviously knew about me. They’re trying to control me, just as they did her.”
“What does the letter say?” Emerson asks.
I hold it up, and she stands from Roman’s lap and walks toward me. When she’s close enough to grab the letter, she does, but she also keeps walking until she’s close enough to pull me into a tight hug. On instinct, my arms wrap around her and return her embrace.
When she stands and makes her way back to Roman, he welcomes her, wrapping his arms around her, his hand resting over her belly where their child is growing. My best friend is one lucky bastard.
“Read it,” I tell Emerson. It was inevitable that I tell them the details. They might as well hear it word for word. I hang my head, my elbows resting on my knees, and keep my eyes on the floor as Emerson reads the letter out loud.
I feel a hand on my back, and I know it’s Monroe trying to offer me comfort. I don’t know why I can’t get past this. I didn’t know them. Now, from the grave, they’re trying to control me just as they did my mother. I think that’s the crux of all of this. They hurt my mother, disowned her, and made her choose the love of her life, her soul mate, over her family. She should have been able to love whoever she chose and have the support of her family behind her.
She didn’t.
Now, from the grave, my grandmother wants to make it up to her by putting stipulations on me for marriage to gain access to my inheritance. It’s all fucked up, and I hate them for putting me in this position and for what they did to my parents.
There is so much I could do with that money. My parents could retire. I could secure the land and the facility for the new Everlasting Ink location here in Ashby. Hell, the list goes on and on, but damn, I can’t just marry someone for money. I don’t even like anyone enough to let them in on this and to stay married to them for a full 365 days.
I’m fucked.
Just like my mother was all those years ago. That’s where my anger is coming from.
“What are you going to do?” Forrest asks once Emerson has finished reading the letter.
“What can I do? I’m not dating anyone. I won’t marry a complete stranger just to gain access to the money, no matter how many people’s lives I can make better with it.”
“Legend, bro, that’s five million dollars. That’s a lot of thousands and more than any of us will make in our lifetimes,” Maddox says.
“I know, but fuck. I can’t just walk up to some woman and say hey, let’s get married for a year, and I’ll give you a million dollars for your trouble. That has complicated and disaster written all over it.”
“There has to be someone,” Lachlan adds. “Did you go through your phone?”
“No.” I grind out the word. “I didn’t go through my phone. Do you hear yourselves? It’s wrong. Right? Tell me I’m not alone in this.” I scan the room, making eye contact with everyone. My eyes land on Monroe, who has been quiet, other than her hand that still sits softly on my back. My eyes land on Forrest. “Right?”
He shrugs. “It’s a lot of money, Legend. I know the shop does well, and we’re all financially stable, but this—it’s fuck-you money.”