Page 13 of A Daddy of the Heart
“Good.” Lillian sounded pleased. “I’ll have my banker contact them and get everything set up. Not that I can’t afford to support my grandchildren.”
Jonathan frowned. “We haven’t gotten to that part of the Will yet, Mrs. Atheron, so please hold your comments until we’re finished.”
“Of course.” She nodded.
“Thank you.” Jonathan continued to read. “Aside from the trust for his children, Mr. Atheron has set aside a yearly stipend of five thousand dollars to go to Atheron Trust, the charity for underprivileged children run by Mr. and Mrs. Atheron.”
“That’s wonderful,” Eli murmured. The family trust had always been a source of pride for the entire family. He wasn’t surprised in the least bit that his brother had made sure that he could continue to contribute, even from the grave.
“Yes, it’s a nice token,” his mother agreed. “Reed did love the work that foundation has performed.”
“Moving along…” Jonathan tapped the papers in front of him. “…the home he shared with his current wife, will be held in trust for his kids, since the gap insurance that Reed had will pay off the mortgage. The children’s guardian can choose to move into it or remain in their own home.”
“We’ll be bringing the children back to Texas, Mr. Grantstaff.” Lillian pursed her lips. “Our main source of income is in the Houston area as well as most of the children’s remaining family.”
“Again, Mrs. Atheron, we’ll cover that shortly,” Jonathan spoke evenly, but Eli could see the ire in the man’s gaze.
“Of course.” Lillian nodded. “Please continue.”
“Gladly.” Jonathan outlined a few more stipends, before moving on to the part that Eli had been the most nervous about. The guardianship of Raelynn and Jeremy. God, he hoped he got to keep the kids with him.
“In regard to my children, Raelynn Marie and Jeremy Issac Atheron, I am granting temporary physical custody of them to Elias Atheron for the duration of six months – in which time the situation will be revisited.”
Eli’s mouth dropped open as relief hit him hard. He barely heard his mother’s indignant screech.
“I forbid it!” Lillian shrieked. “Tell them, Andrew! The children will be better taken care of with us.”
“Lil…” His father’s warning was lost on his mother. “If these are Reed’s wishes, we have to abide by them.”
“Never!” Her dark green eyes turned toward Eli. “You will not keep my grandchildren. I refuse to allow them to be subject to that filth you indulge in with that, that…man!”
“Enough!” Willem cut off her tirade. “Please send over whatever papers we need to file with the court, Jonathan.”
His Daddy barely waited for Jonathan’s nod of confirmation before snapping the laptop shut. Together they sat there for a minute, then two. Finally, after five, Eli couldn’t stand the silence. “Do I need to apologize, Willem?”
“For what?” Willem seemed honestly surprised. “You have no control over the sewage that came out of her mouth.”
“I know. But still, this isn’t what you signed on for when we started dating.” He rubbed the edge of Petey. “None of this is.” He chewed on his lower lip, a nagging thought surfacing. Willem had signed up to behisdaddy, not a daddy to his orphaned niece and nephew. “I can move into town with the kids if that’s what you’d like. But we can still date, right?”
“Excuse me?” Willem frowned, then crossed his arms over his chest. “Did you just infer that I would abandon you, just because things aren’t easy anymore?”
“Ummmmm, no.” Eli’s ears burned. “I just want you to know that even though Reed left me the kids, that they don’t have to be your responsibility, if that’s not what you want.”
If steam could’ve come out of Willem’s ears, it probably would’ve. “Upstairs, boy.”
Eli’s heart jumped. “Daddy?”
“I expect to find you with your nose in the corner, and your big boy pants and drawers at your ankles. Got me?”
“Yes, Sir.” He scrambled away from the table, then ran up the stairs.
* * *
Willem waited until he heard the door of their bedroom open and shut before he slammed his fist down on the countertop. He needed a few minutes to get himself under control. His temper, normally well-controlled, was tugging hard at the reins of his control. First off, that damned bitch of a mother had been not only rude but downright condescending, which in turn had his boy withdrawing.Something I’ll never tolerate.Second, her husband had just watched the interchange with nary a word of protest. How could Eli’s father just let his wife abuse their son in such a manner? And the icing on the cake? Eli’s offer to move back into town. Sometimes he wondered what it was going to take to get it through his stubborn boy’s head that Willem wasn’t going anywhere - nor was he.We’ll get there, even if I have to blister his ass black and blue.
He let out another sigh. This one a bit steadier than the last one. His plan to take Eli up for some well-deserved Little time while the kids were gone, had been replaced with a round of punishment – and that didn’t make Willem happy. He missed seeing his boy play. It was one thing to watch Eli play with Raelynn and Jeremy, but it wasn’t the same as watching Little Eli come out and play with his trains, or even sit in his art corner to create another masterpiece for Willem. He really needed a new drawing for the fridge.
He missed the small gifts Little Eli gave him. He missed seeing the carefree look on his boy’s face as adult Eli gave way to the Little. The boy had been so shy at first but had begun to blossom under Willem’s care, which is why his heart ached when Eli tried to smother his Little to be a responsible adult for Raelynn and Jeremy. Eli didn’t seem to realize that he could still have both, so it was up to his daddy to remind him.Even if I have to call in another favor, I will make time for my boy to be Little.
The sound of his cell ringing jerked him out of his thoughts. He picked it up. It was Derek.
“Hey. You heading back?” He glanced at the clock on the wall. It would be cutting it close but he’d have enough time to get the punishment out of the way and do a bit of aftercare.
“Not yet. Sadie has convinced me that we ought to feed these little heathens before bringing them back to you.” Derek’s voice became muffled as if he were saying something to Sadie. Or perhaps the kids. Then he was back. “In fact, they’re all begging to be taken to the pizzeria over on Main Street for pizza and ice cream. Which means we’re gonna be a bit later than expected.”
“Not a problem. This actually works out pretty good for me. The reading was a hell of lot rougher than I originally thought it would be. I need to take care of…”
“…of your boy.” Derek agreed. “So, we’ll see you in two hours.”
“Thanks, Derek.” He ended the call, then stood. It was time to go deal with his boy. Lord, give him the patience to get through to a certain red-head that nothing was going to scare his daddy away.
