Page 5 of Jasper

My throat tightens, and I can't tell her what this means to me, because I'm afraid I'll release the pent-up emotions in a way that will show her just how much she means to me. I can't have her know yet, so I swoop in, kissing her again.

She squeals, holding on tight.

When I pull back, I finish sending the picture.

Checkmate, old man. Checkmate.

A text comes through.

Him: I’ll expect to see you soon, Jasper. Don’t disappoint me.

J: Wouldn’t dream of it.

CHAPTER FOUR

Jasper

Looking down at the black circle around my finger is a mind fuck, but it's my life, and going forward this is precisely what all of it is about. If I want to keep the memory of my parents alive, this is a stipulation, one I don’t love, but sometimes life is about doing what we have to do in order to survive.

I learned that very early in life. As a six-year-old who had so many questions, and zero answers.

"Your grandfather will be here in a few minutes. You'll be living with him." The woman I had never seen before I woke up in the hospital tells me. I still don't necessarily understand it. They told me that I'll never be able to see my parents again. That they went to sleep and they're never going to wake up.

"Are you sure my parents are never going to wake up?" I question, trying to stand, but having problems because of the thing on my leg. It's a cast, and I have to wear it for most of the summer, at least that’s what the doctor told me before I left the hospital. All I wanted was to go swimming, and now they're saying I won't be able to swim, won't be able to see my parents, and I just don't know what's happening.

"I'm sure. I'm sorry, honey. They'll always be right here." She points to my chest, where my heart is pounding.

I don't know what this means, just like I don't know what anything else means. "Okay," I answer, because I don't know what else to say. My head and leg hurt. I just want to go home and play with my toys, get my mom to make me my favorite cereal. "Can I have some frosted flakes?" I whisper.

"No, your grandfather just got here. You're going to go with him. Remember us talking about that?"

I do, but we're not close. I don't want to go home with him. "Can't I go to Barrett’s or Abel's?"

"I don't know who that is, honey, but you've got to go with your grandfather. You're going to be fine."

A darkness comes over me. When I look up, I see my grandfather. "Grandpa..." I get up and hobble over, putting my arms around his knees. Digging my head there, I hold on tight. "I want my mom and dad," I cry, my bottom lip trembling, tears leaking from my eyes. "Please take me to them."

He reaches down, tilting my chin up. "You're a Hamilton, and Hamiltons don't cry, Jasper. They firm up that bottom lip and make the world their bitch. We don't show emotion, and I won't tolerate it from this moment going forward. Stop crying, now. You're stronger than that."

Little did I know how strong I'd have to be in that house and under his thumb.

"I'm glad you see things my way." My grandfather smiles around the cigar filling his mouth. He's got it pinched between his teeth. It's his favorite way to smoke. There have been a million times where I've wanted to shove that cigar down his throat, but never as much as I want to right this minute.

"I don't have any other choice, Tom, and you know it. So I'm gonna play by the rules, but it doesn't mean I have to like it. You could’ve easily decided to let it go. You didn’t have to execute anything other than what would make me happy from the will my parent’s left. I doubt they ever thought they’d die when I was a child. I repeat I don’t have to like it."

He smirks, the way his lips curl so smug. "Should've had your parents make that a stipulation in their will. Wish I'd have thought about it."

I tilt my head to the side, looking down on him. I'm taller, and I know it pisses him off that I don't have to look up to him. "You didn't. Is there anything else you need from me? I have to get to work." I nod toward the marriage license I've pushed across his desk. "I expect everything will remain status quo for The Hamilton Foundation?"

"It will," he confirms. "As soon as I authenticate this marriage license. At that time, you have two years to get her pregnant. Better hope you can get it up for her, Jasper. There will be a few appearances I'll need you to make, but for the most part, you're on your own, kid."

I ignore him as best I can. I have work to do, and I don't want to go in with a bad mood weighing me down. "What I do with my wife doesn't concern you, and let's face it - I've always been on my own."

"It does until you give me an heir that will keep the family name going. Whether you want that to be true or not, Jasper, it is."

God, his smug smile is enough to make me want to knock him the fuck out. However, I realize that doing that will not help my situation at all. Giving him a wave, I turn on my heel and head toward the front door. I'm imagining my boots leaving a trail of rocks and dust behind me as I walk over the pristine floor. Fuck it, I hope it gets scratched.

When I leave, I don’t look back, but only down. To see if you can see where I've walked. You can, and fuck if I'm not living for it. Might make me petty, but he's the one who threw this curveball, and I'll play by the rules, bending them as much as I can. Striding out to my truck, I hop in. For a moment, I sat there in the driver's seat, wondering how different my life would be right now if my parents hadn't died, or if I had. If I'd feel more loved, more content, and less like I'm a stranger living in my own home.

---