Page 34 of Staying for Her

“It seems you had someone in your corner the whole time.” He smiles, handing me the envelope and leaning back against the front of his desk.

“Open it,” Billie whispers beside me, making me jump as I rip it open and unfold the piece of Collins’ family letterhead. “Who is it from?” Billie asks, her voice hushed.

My eyes cast down to the bottom of the page and I smile, seeing my grandmother’s name.

“My grandmother,” I whisper, disbelief washing over me. My eyes glance at Harry who has a knowing smirk on his face and nods for me to read it. So I do.

My dearest Lucas,

I honestly don’t know where to start. Ever since you were a small boy, you and I have shared a special bond. Unlike your sister, you love with everything in you, you share your passion with those that you love and I will always be grateful that you shared your passions with me. I am so proud of you, dear boy. You turned out to be a sweet and gentle soul, and I wish I could have protected you more from the life your parents have pushed on you.

I know it doesn’t seem like it, but in their own way, they love you. Maybe not as much as you would want, but it’s there, it’s just hidden under all that nastiness they love to portray to the world. Don’t get me wrong, I love my son, and he and your mother gave me two beautiful grandchildren, but when you told me about what they were doing to you, giving you that ultimatum in hopes you’d cave under their pressure, I knew I couldn’t sit back and watch.

This is not how I intended to tell you, and to be honest, I wish I never had to do this in the first place but you don’t deserve what they’re doing to you, and so enclosed in this envelope is the information pertaining to a trust fund for you and you alone. There are no stipulations, no ultimatums that go with it, it is just for you and I hope you live the life you always wanted.

You deserve happiness, my sweet boy, and I hope this gives you some peace.

Love,

Grandma Carol

My mouth drops open, my eyes watering as I look in the envelope but see no additional papers. I glance at Harry who hands me a folded piece of paper. The second I unfold it, my eyes seeing the number at the bottom, I sit back in my chair, shocked.

“Does that say four million dollars?” Billie breathes, all the air leaving the room as I sit there in shock.

“The account is under your name, available to you at any time,” Harry says, taking the papers from me and walking around his desk, sitting down and crossing his arms over his chest.

“Why did it take so long to find this? She’s been dead for years.”

Harry nods, my eyes flicking over to Billie who looks just as shocked as I feel.

“It seems your grandmother was very good at hiding things. It wasn’t until her lawyers were going through her files that they found this letter. Apparently, she didn’t want it to get in the wrong hands.”

He means my parents. We all know that’s who he means.

“So what now?” I whisper, wondering what my life would have looked like had I known about this years ago. I probably never would have fallen in love with Billie and for that alone, I’m grateful it took so long to be found.

“We found the new copy of the most up-to-date will, stating the changes made to your inheritance and so everything has been dealt with on that end. If everything goes smoothly, you should see the money within a few months.”

“Do my parents know?” I ask, wondering how this affects them, or even if it does.

“I notified them yesterday. To say they were not pleased is an understatement. But they have no legal say here and so there’s nothing to worry about.”

“Holy shit,” Billie mutters, a small smile crossing my lips.

“I’ll leave you two be for a bit, discuss it and come see me in the lobby once you’re done.”

I nod, shaking Harry’s hand as he leaves, shutting the door behind him. Billie and I are left in blissful silence as I take a moment to gather my thoughts.

“That’s a lot of money,” Billie whispers, her fingers playing with the edge of her skirt, her eyes darting past me as the uncertainty washes off her in waves.

I take her hand, pulling her from her chair onto my lap, kissing up the side of her neck.

“None of this changes us, okay?” I whisper against her skin, her fingers digging into my arms. “I love you, no matter if I have money or not. Got it?”

She nods, pulling back until her eyes connect with mine.

“I love you,” she says with her full chest, resting her forehead against mine before taking my lips in a sweet kiss.

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