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“Well, each year I pay a significant amount to all my children. From now on, Brent’s portion will be split among his children.
“You never paid me anything,” I said, confused.
“Because you’re not my biological son. I believe your mom has been generous toward you, though.”
“Yes.” My mom had always helped me out, even when I told her I could take care of myself.
“Brent’s million will be split in four, meaning that each year Cia will get a quarter of a million.”
I gaped. “You gave Brent a million dollars a year?”
“Yes, it’s better that way. What is it worth leaving millions behind when I die? I’d rather spread my riches while I’m alive.”
“But a million?” And to think I had felt bad about my mom filling my fridge or buying me my first car. A freaking million a year… for how many years?
“We’ll need to get the paperwork done of course, but my lawyers will set it up. I trust you can help Cia feel good about the whole thing.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“She might not want to accept the money.”
I looked over to see her and it made me smile. She looked so happy sitting at the table and talking about our wedding.
“And of course, your mom and I will be happy to sponsor the wedding.”
“Thank you… really, we just want a small ceremony.”
Steve chuckled. “I’ll remind your mother when she goes overboard… but you are her only son, so I can’t make any guarantees.”
?∞?
Cia
If I thought being homeless and penniless was stressful it was only because I’d never tried pulling of a wedding in two weeks.
Never did I imagine how much was involved. The benefit of it all was that I got to spend a lot of time with my family. Melody, Brittany, and Katie were taking me under their wing and pampering me. I know that from their perspective the wedding was tiny in scale, but to me it was grand.
There were times when I had to put my foot down and say no. Like the time Katie insisted I should spend the night before the wedding at their house because it was bad luck to see the groom before the wedding.
First of all, I’m not superstitious.
Second of all I would have seen him if we had just gone to the city hall like I originally suggested.
Third… well, I don’t think I need more reasons to decide where I sleep.
Gabriel said I could do as I pleased. He would never refuse me access to his bed, and a night with me was always welcome in his world.
Still, in the end Violet asked to have a girl’s night, and I figured it wasn’t such a bad idea to stay at her house the night before the wedding. Violet is a good cook; she made her homemade lasagna and freshly baked bread that is to die for. When she offered a tarot reading I politely declined, and instead we ended up talking all night about life.
Violet is funny that way. She believes in all sorts of different things that will make you see ordinary things in a new perspective. Some of it is far out, like part of the human race descending from other planets, but other things sound pretty believable, and now she even has me wondering if the human race is older than archeologists claim.
Either way, talking with Violet is different than talking with anyone else, and she challenges my view of the world and myself. She got quiet when I tried to find out more about her past, and like she so often does when she wants to avoid a subject, she distracted me with a pop quiz on songs from our past.
I never did have many friends to begin with and Violet was my first and only girlfriend, which meant that my night at Violet’s house was the closest thing I’d get to a bachelorette party. Gabriel had been out last weekend with a whole bunch of his pals, but this was fine with me because a loyal and fearless friend like Violet counts for ten normal friends, in my opinion.
The next day Violet took me to Steve and Katie’s place, where I was met by a stylist who did my hair, nails, and makeup. Christ, I never knew how many hours go into a makeover like that.
My dress was simple but gorgeous and I had picked it out myself. Of course Katie had suggested making a rush order with a well-known designer who could custom-make a dress just for me, but I had preferred to walk into a normal bridal store with a large selection and make my choice.
