So, pulling into my driveway dog-tired and facing the prospect of cocktails with the girls, I completely missed the Harley in the driveway across from mine. Maybe I didn’t miss it; maybe I saw it and assumed it was one of my hallucinations. Whatever the reason, it didn’t register. I busied myself trying to position my bag and all the stupid office paperwork I had to take home while getting out of the car. Once I got to our doorstep, I stopped. Then everything—the events of today, the lack of sleep, the loneliness—everything hit me. I dropped everything at my feet and sank down onto the doorstep, replaying the meeting I had today. The one that may have just changed my life.
“Left it all to me?” I repeated, dumbstruck.
Heidi, the lawyer, glanced at her papers and shuffled through them. “Well, not technically all,” she clarified. “There are payments needed for the funeral, a couple of debts, and contributions to some charities, but after that, they’ve left it all to you,” she told me. “Their properties, both the one in DC and the one in Malibu, and the hotels, of course.”
I opened my mouth then closed it again, unsure of what to say. Steve and Ava had left me everything. I knew they didn’t have any children, only Alice, and since she died there was only me. And they didn’t have any other family apart from me and Lexie. I should have naturally come to this conclusion, but one doesn’t really think about this stuff when overcome by grief. Well, not me anyway. I was too busy wishing someone would invent a time machine so I could go back and save the two people I loved.
“And there’s an amount put away for an Alexis Spencer, in a trust for when she turns twenty-one.” She glanced at some papers. “Although there is an exception saying you can use the funds for college tuition before then.” She looked at me. “Though the amount they left to you alone could cover that anyway.”
“The amount?” I repeated, obviously unable to speak unless I was parroting everything this lawyer said.
She gave me a soft look of understanding before getting back to business. “Yes, you’ll be receiving roughly one point two million dollars.”
I almost choked on my tongue. “Million?” I gasped.
I knew Ava and Steve were wealthy. Their house was beautiful, in an upscale area and they had an equally amazing condo in Malibu. Steve owned four boutique hotels all over and they all did extremely well. They did well because he worked hard, came from nothing and put his blood, sweat, and tears into them. So even though I knew they had money, it was never something I thought too hard about. They didn’t act like rich people, and I sure as hell did not take a dime from them, even in my hardest times when I struggled to find a dollar to give Lexie to buy a candy bar. I was proud. Didn’t want charity. I knew it hurt them, which was why we got outrageous gifts every birthday and Christmas. I knew from the gifts, and from the fact that he ran all of those successful hotels they were comfortable, but a million dollars? Not counting everything else? Fuck.
“I, um…” I stuttered, unsure of what to say.
Heidi smiled at me. “I understand this is a shock. Nothing needs to happen straight away. We will need you to sign some things—transfer of ownership, things like that. Then we can organize the possible sale of the houses if you like. And you can also decide what you would like to do with the hotels. They’re running fine at the moment.” She glanced around. “As I’m sure you well know, Steve hires excellent managers. But you will need to give this some thought.”
She slid a piece of cardstock across the table to me. “My card,” she explained. “When you’re ready.”
And like that, it seemed Lexie and I had become millionaires. And I had become the owner of a small hotel empire. I contemplated it all while sitting on that step, my head in my hands. Ever since I escaped that day I worked hard. I wasn’t born into privilege; I was born into poverty. A lot of Lexie’s early life was spent near poverty, not that Steve and Ava would ever let it get that far, but I was stubborn. When I could afford to get a place for us both I did. I worked like a dog to make a home, however shabby it was. Studied hard while still working. And when I finally was qualified, it was still a struggle. Even prior to this day money issues were always at the back of my mind. Now, it was something I’d never have to worry about. Not about unexpected bills, mortgage payments, college for Lexie, nothing. And in an instant I’d give every cent of it back, welcome every one of those worries, if I could have Steve and Ava back.
But I couldn’t. Something clicked in me. Lucy was right. I could protect Lexie from every single thing I thought had the possibility of hurting her. I could do that out of love. But by doing that, I’d just hurt us both, taken away an entire family that Lexie already loved. Taken away a man that already was part of our family. That was my soul. My head snapped up. My heart dropped at the Harley in the driveway. I blinked. I wasn’t hallucinating. It was there. I didn’t think. I just ran. Ran over to the door and pounded on it hysterically.
Finally, the door opened and I lost my breath. He was there, beautiful as ever. I drank him in. His huge body taking up the entire doorframe. The splashes of color peeking out from the arms of his black Henley. The two-day stubble shadowing his face. The hair that was growing, shiny and black and almost long enough to grab. His eyes. The dark eyes focused on me and they flared slightly before turning hard. His whole face was blank while he seemed to be running his eyes over every inch of me.