Page 100 of Living on the Edge

I look up. “Of course. I want to be here for you—I’m just not sure what you need from me. I can go home to my place if it’s easier for you.”

“Not at all. I want you with me, and knowing I have someone in my corner means the world to me. As I’ve mentioned, my family isn’t easy. Most of them aren’t nice. My father will be condescending. My mother will get drunk and probably say something inappropriate. My sister will look down her nose at you. My brother Abe and his wife are okay—they’ll be polite. Alden is a good kid who gets pulled in a lot of different directions. And my Uncle Alex is decent. My father’s brother.”

“Don’t worry about me. I can hold my own.”

He chuckles. “You have no idea the kind of viper pit I’m pulling you into. But I’ll run interference if necessary. Don’t worry about that.”

“I’m not worried—I trust you.”

And I do.

Of course, that just makes the conversation we need to have that much more difficult. But it’s not going to be now. He has to see his family and get through the funeral. Once we’re back on the tour I’ll talk to him. It seems like he needs me now, and I don’t want to let him down at a time like this.

There’s plenty of time for me to disappoint him once we’re back on the road.

It’s not a long flight to Minneapolis and we’re pulling up to a huge, gated estate by noon.

“Jesus,” I breathe, staring out the window of the limousine that picked us up at the airport. “Is this where you grew up?”

He nods. “Yup.”

“How big is it?”

He pauses. “Thirty-two thousand square feet.”

“Oh my gosh.” I stare at him. “Go on—tell me the rest.”

“Eleven bedrooms, twenty bathrooms, two full indoor kitchens plus an outdoor kitchen, seven fireplaces, and an Olympic-size swimming pool.”

“Elevator?”

“Yup. Butler’s pantry, two hidden pantries, and every bedroom has a walk-in closet. There’s also a wine cellar, fitness center, a screening room, and a panic room.”

I stare as we drive past multiple fountains, gardens, and foliage. It’s breathtaking if not a tiny bit ostentatious.

“Do you hate me yet?” he asks.

I shake my head. “Of course not. Don’t be ridiculous. I’m just a little in awe.”

“Well, you’ll be less awed once you meet my family.”

As he’d predicted, his father is rude, his mother is drunk, and his sister seems put out by the fact that she has to be here. Abe, his wife, and Alden aren’t here yet, but his Uncle Alex is, and he’s the only one who actually smiles at me.

Angus and I settle into the guest room and it’s… almost as big as my entire two-bedroom condo.

“Do you want to take a nap?” he asks. “We don’t have anywhere to be until dinner.”

“Where are you going to be?” I ask.

“I’ve been summoned to my father’s office.”

My brows lift of their own volition. “What does that mean?”

“He probably wants to tell me that I’m not in the will or something.” He shrugs.

“I’ll come with you if you want. Or I could take a nap.”

“You may as well nap. Money doesn’t matter to me, so I might as well get whatever this is over with. You don’t need to witness my father berating me.”

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