The Right Bride

Chapter Thirty-Five


THEY RETURNED TO George’s study and Cameron sat next to Shelly again. Marti walked to the front where the lawyer waited. Walter and several other family members made comments about making them all wait. She wanted to tell them all to go to hell, then she could go upstairs and sleep.

She addressed the lawyer, “I’ve done what George requested. You don’t need me any longer. I’ll let you speak with the family alone.” She turned to leave, but the lawyer stopped her.

“Marti, George has asked you stay until the end. The will contains items which pertain to you specifically.”

She nodded and sat back and crossed her arms over her stomach. The nausea was back. She hoped she wouldn’t have to dash out of the room to throw up.

The lawyer went over the provisions in the will. He read the items and cash amounts allocated to the house staff and all of the distant relatives. Once complete, he asked everyone but the immediate family and Marti remain.

Marti didn’t pay close attention. She lost herself in the pouring rain outside the window. Emma came over and sat on her lap. She rested her head against Marti’s shoulder and watched the rain with her. It was so nice to hold the little girl in her arms. She imagined someday this would be her child with Cameron.

“I love you, Sugar Bug,” she whispered into her ear.

“I love you too.”

“Marti, did you hear me?” the lawyer asked.

“What? No. What did you say?”

“I’m going to read what has been left to everyone in this room. I will end with you and Cameron.”

“Okay. Fine,” she said distracted. She didn’t really care. She was holding the most important thing. She had Emma in her arms and a baby in her belly.

“I leave to my daughter, Claire,” the lawyer began, “the sum of ten million dollars and twenty-five percent of my shares in Knight Enterprises. To my son, Walter . . .”

Walter shifted to the edge of his seat, ecstatic. If his sister only got ten million and twenty-five percent of the shares, he got the rest. He was richer than rich. He sat back smiling, smug with the knowledge he’d gotten the bulk of the estate and his sister had been screwed. He always knew he was the favorite son.

“I leave the sum of ten million dollars and twenty-five percent of my shares in Knight Enterprises.”

“This can’t be right. What about the rest? Millions, the house and furnishings, the jewelry, and the other fifty percent of the company shares? He better not have left it to that whore.” Walter screamed the words, stood, and pointed a finger at Marti.

Marti covered Emma’s ears so she couldn’t hear Walter shouting and calling her names, but it was too late. Emma curled up in her arms.

Cameron didn’t care where the rest went. He had more than he could ever spend on his own. He hoped maybe Knight left something special for Emma.

“Walter, I assure you the will is sound. If you’ll give me the chance, I’ll finish and you’ll know who George allocated the rest to.”

“By all means, let’s see what my crazy father did with the rest.”

“To my son, Cameron, I leave fifty percent of my shares in Knight Enterprises.”

“Wait a minute. Cameron is not his son.” Walter stood and braced his hands on the back of the chair in front of him.

Marti didn’t give Cameron a chance to answer. “Yes, he is.”

“I am, Walter. Knight was my father. Knight asked Marti to tell me outside. He kept the secret all these years.”

“It’s not true. He was married to my mother for forty years.”

“Knight was Daddy’s dad?” Emma looked up at Marty.

“Yes, Sugar Bug. Knight was your grandpa.”

Tears rolled down Emma’s round cheeks.

Cameron watched his daughter in Marti’s arms. He wanted to go to her, but knew she was where she wanted to be.

“He was separated from her for a short time and had a brief affair with my mother. They agreed not to tell me who my father was, so long as he could be in my life. Your mother agreed and welcomed me here. I didn’t know Knight was my father until tonight.”

“I want a DNA test. This can’t be true.”

The lawyer took out a folder with some lab reports. “Your father thought you might feel that way and had the tests run. Cameron is his son and Emma is his granddaughter.”

Cameron looked surprised. “How did he run the tests?”

“He took a swab from Emma and stole your hairbrush on one of your overnight visits.”

“Knight had a man use a funny swab to tickle the inside of my cheek. It was a secret, but I guess everyone knows now,” she said to Marti.

“I guess they do,” she replied.

“Let’s continue. Let’s see, fifty percent to Cameron, oh yes, here we are. Cameron, you will also receive the sum of fifty million dollars.”

Shelly gasped and covered her mouth.

Stunned, Cameron tried to wrap his head around everything. “Why would he do this?” He’d left Cameron more than he’d left his other two children. Why?

“The money is in other stocks, bonds, cash, and assets. In addition, you are to receive one half interest in this home and property. I’m told George already spoke to you of the promise you were to make about the house.”

Cameron nodded his agreement.

“Good. Miss Emma Shaw, you are to receive a share in the sum of fifty million dollars. Upon your eighteenth and twenty-first birthdays, you will receive portions of your share. The number of children Cameron produces will determine the shares. I understand there is one child on the way. At this time, Emma would receive half. If Cameron fathers another child, the shares will be split three ways, and so on.” He glanced at Marti, though she kept her face blank.

“This can’t be. The bulk of the estate goes to Cameron and his children.” Walter’s face turned red with outrage.

Claire remained silent, a soft content smile on her face. Cameron hadn’t spent a lot of time with her growing up, but he assumed the ten million plus what the shares were worth would last her through her lifetime and then some. She seemed happy to take what George left her and let Walter rant about the rest. Cameron remembered this same dynamic from when they were kids playing together. Walter always had to have his way and Claire let him.

Cameron was floored. He’d left it all to him and his children.

“Marti, you made a promise to George,” the attorney continued.

“Yes. Well, one promise and I told him I’d try on several other things.”

The lawyer smiled. “You don’t make promises lightly.”

“Nope,” she answered, ready to get this whole thing over and done.

“George left the contents of the house to you. You may wish to designate items to whomever you choose, such as Walter and Claire, if there are items of sentimental value to them. George indicated they took most of what they wanted when they moved out years ago. He told me to remind you the contents of the safe belong to you. Since you changed the combination with him, you are the only one who has access to the contents.”

Marti sat stunned. The safe. George had her change the combination and memorize it because his mind was failing him and he didn’t want to have the safe destroyed after his death in order to get it open. She hadn’t bought the story, not really. All he had to do was provide the safe combo to his lawyer. Now she knew. He wanted her to have what was in the safe. He knew she’d do the right thing. She thought of a particular story George had told her. She set Emma on her feet and stood.

“If you’ll all excuse me a moment. George would like something from the safe given now.” Marti left and overheard Walter protesting and calling her names. Cameron warned him in no uncertain terms to watch his mouth; there was a child in the room. Shelly told Cameron she couldn’t believe they’d gotten fifty million dollars.

She came back into the room several minutes later carrying a large velvet box. Emma sat on Cameron’s lap holding onto his arm. She kneeled in front of the little girl and showed her the box.

“When George asked me to do your room upstairs, he told me it was my job to remind you every chance I can that you are his princess. You will always be his princess. I know now he didn’t want me to just remind you with the room, but to make sure you always feel like a princess. What’s in this box holds a very special memory for you and I. I cherish this memory we share. I will take it with me wherever I go.”

“I don’t want you to go.”

“I know you don’t, Sugar Bug.” She leaned up and kissed the girl. Unshed tears shimmered in her eyes. Leaving this child would be the hardest thing she ever did.

“Knight gave this to his wife on their twentieth wedding anniversary with a note telling her he wished for twenty more. He and his wife were married for forty years. He got his wish. He told me he believes this is special. I think he would have wanted you to have it. You, his one and only granddaughter, his princess.” She opened the box and showed Emma the diamond and ruby necklace Marti had crowned her with for their milkshake tea party.

Shelly gasped when she saw the necklace. The rubies were the size of grapes and clusters of diamonds surrounded them. It was a necklace fit for a queen, and probably cost a king’s ransom.

“It’s gorgeous,” Shelly said and leaned forward to get a better look.

“This is yours, Emma. Every time you wear it, I want you to remember you are a princess and your grandfather was a Knight.”

“You can’t just give away my mother’s jewelry. It belongs to me and Claire.”

“Walter, your father left the contents of the house and safe to her. She can do with them as she pleases. Your father had faith in her to do the right thing. If there’s something you want, ask her.”

“I want the contents of the safe,” he demanded.

Marti closed the box and kissed Emma. She took the box and held it to her chest.

“Can we have another tea party?”

“Soon, I promise,” Marti said and stood.

“You mean it when you promise, so I know we’ll have our tea party.”

Marti smiled at the little girl. “You know me so well.”

She turned on Walter. “As for you, Walter, you don’t know me at all. I’ll forget the name-calling and the outbursts, but don’t push me. I’d just as soon burn the contents of this house than hand them over to you just because your last name is Knight and you think you’re entitled. Your father spent weeks telling me stories about everything in this house, particularly the contents of the safe. At the time, I thought it was just a dying man reliving his life by telling stories to a friend who would listen. They were wonderful stories, and I will remember them always. I will remember your father and his wishes. If you want something from the house, let me know, and I’ll decide if it’s what George would have wanted.”

“You’ll decide. You. Who the hell are you?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know? You’d be surprised. For the purposes of George’s estate, I’m the person he trusted to see to his last wishes. I’m the person he trusted to keep their word. I told him I’d try. Don’t push me. I don’t like to go back on my word. If you make me, I’ll be really angry.”

“Let’s finish the will,” the lawyer interrupted before Walter continued with his tirade. He removed two envelopes from his briefcase.

“George knew you very well, Marti. He left these for you. He said one would make you laugh and the other will make you angry. He said to tell you not to be angry, he wanted you to have it, so take it and deal with it.” He smiled at her. “Those were his words,” he laughed. “He knew you wanted your privacy, so the contents are for you only.”

He handed the envelopes over and she opened the first, immediately angered by the contents. She read the note inside and said, “Dammit, George. I love you too.” She closed the envelope containing a check for twenty million dollars.

She opened the other envelope and looked inside. Several bills and two quarters were tucked inside. She pulled out the money, crushed it in her hand, and held it to her chest while she laughed and cried.

“What the hell did he leave you?” Shelly asked, her eyes locked on the bills crushed in her hand. Let her think it was all George left her. While Marti was thrilled with her winnings, Shelly was salivating, could barely sit still in her chair since she’d learned of Cameron’s inheritance.

“It’s not your business, but fifty-seven dollars and fifty cents,” she said and continued laughing.

“Why are you laughing? Surprised he didn’t leave you millions?” Walter looked smug.

“It’s the money your father owed me from our poker game.”

She wiped her eyes and stood to leave. She assumed they were done. The lawyer asked her to sit again.

“There’s something else, Marti. You made a promise to George.”

“The thing he doesn’t want me to sell? I won’t sell the contents of the house.”

“That wasn’t what he didn’t want you to sell.”

Cameron looked at the lawyer. “He didn’t.”

The lawyer smiled. He’d expected this. “He did. Marti, your promise was the same as Cameron’s. You own one half ownership in the house and property. Neither of you can sell your half to anyone else, or to each other. Your half will be passed down to your firstborn child and to his. Emma, in his case.”

“No,” she said, disbelieving. “He never said it was the house. I can’t own the house with Cameron.”

“You do. As of today, you two own this house together and will leave it to Emma and your child upon your death.”

“George, no. You can’t do this to me.”

“He told me to tell you, it is his last request. Your grandmother gave you the world. He’s giving you a home.”

“No.” She stood and ran out the French door and out into the garden. The rain poured down and covered the tears running down her face.