Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 90019 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 450(@200wpm)___ 360(@250wpm)___ 300(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90019 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 450(@200wpm)___ 360(@250wpm)___ 300(@300wpm)
I inhaled sharply.
The thought of Henry’s daughter never knowing her dad made me want to break down and weep. She’d never learn his sense of humor or get picked up in the middle of the school day because he felt like going for ice cream. He’d never teach her how to ride a bike or surf. He’d walked away from all that, and now there was no way for him to change his mind. What the fuck had been going on in his head?
I’d never do that to Arielle.
The thought made my breath catch in my throat. Jesus. I wanted to drive back to my parents’ house that second so I could hold her. I couldn’t imagine never seeing her grow up. Never hearing Ani read her bedtime stories or pull her hair back in little pigtails.
“I need to tell my parents,” Trevor said, running his hands over his face. “I should probably go over today while Aunt Liz and Uncle Mike are there.”
“You want us there?” Alex asked, rubbing his hands over his thighs like he didn’t know what to do with them.
“Nah, it’s probably better if you’re not,” Trev said tiredly. “Bram, can you go take Ani home? Let her know what’s going on?”
“Sure,” I said, getting to my feet.
“I’ll drive you over and then make myself scarce,” Alex said to Trevor. “But first you need to shower and shave that shit off your face.”
“Uncle Mike and Dad won’t be home for at least another half an hour,” I reminded my brother.
“Yeah, that works.” Alex sighed and got to his feet. “Come on, man, you can’t go to your parents’ house looking like shit.”
I left the two of them shuffling toward Trevor’s bedroom and climbed back in my truck, dropping my head to the steering wheel.
I understood Trev’s devastation. We were all mourning Henry. I’d give anything to have him back, to hear his voice or see his face.
But now I was so furious at the idiot that I wanted to hit something.
* * *
“Is there a reason you shuffled me out of the house like it was on fire?” Ani asked in annoyance as we drove away from my aunt and uncle’s place.
“Yes,” I grumbled, my hands fisting on the steering wheel.
Trevor had given me the green light to tell Ani about Henry’s daughter, but I had no idea how to even open the conversation. Hey, did you know Henry had a kid that he had nothing to do with? Yeah, that would go over well.
“Well? What’s going on?” Ani asked impatiently, setting her purse on the seat between us.
“Trev got Henry’s will from the lawyer,” I began, only to have Ani cut me off.
“Wait, why? Why didn’t it go to Ellie and Mike?”
“Because he wanted it to go to Trevor,” I answered.
“Okay, and?”
“He had a kid, Ani,” I said quietly, glancing over at her.
“What? No he didn’t,” she scoffed.
“He left Trevor a letter, and he left the girl’s mom all of his death benefits and the money in his accounts.”
The truck was silent for a long moment.
“What?” Ani finally said, turning her head to stare at me. “What the fuck?”
“I don’t know. That’s all Trevor told me.”
“How old is the girl?”
“He didn’t say.”
“Well where is she?”
“Trev didn’t tell me that either.”
“Well, is there anything you do fucking know?” she sniped at me.
I inhaled long and deep through my nose, trying not to snap back at her. I’d felt blindsided, too—I knew she was reeling.
“The mom’s name is Morgan. Henry didn’t have anything to do with Morgan or the girl as far as I know. That’s all Trevor told me,” I finally said, my voice as calm as I could make it.
“Well maybe he tried,” Ani murmured as we pulled into her driveway. “I mean, we don’t know what happened. Maybe she—”
“He abandoned his kid, Ani,” I shot back incredulously.
“You don’t know that!” She hopped out of the truck as soon as I’d shut it off, and climbed into the backseat to get Arielle. “Maybe he was trying—”
“No,” I cut her off, taking Arielle’s heavy car seat from her hands. “He left them.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” she hissed, stomping toward the house. “You have no idea if he tried to see her or not.”
I followed her into the house and sat Arielle’s car seat on the floor in the living room, checking to make sure she was still sleeping before I followed Ani into the kitchen.
“He never once mentioned a kid to any of us,” I said as I reached her. “Why would he never say anything if he was planning on being Father of the Year?”
“Well, he’s not here to defend himself so I don’t fucking know!” she yelled, her hands fisted at her sides.
“He left his kid!” I yelled back, throwing up my hands. “He never planned on telling us shit!”