“She paid for them on a credit card to get back at her husband. But she did say how much she liked them.”
He pulls me onto his lap. “Of course she liked them. They’re amazing. How about we go out this week and celebrate? I’ll even let you buy me dinner since you’re the money bucks.”
“Says the millionaire.” I tease him, but I haven’t done so bad myself. Some of my investments have really paid off over the years. I even bought my house outright.
“Eh. A little higher than that.”
I slow blink at him, which drives him nuts. That, and my golf clap. “Multimillionaire?” I should have started here since I already knew the basics. He’s Haywood legacy, after all.
“A little more than that.”
“Jesus, Cooper, if you say billionaire . . .”
“I didn’t have to. You did.”
“Billionaire?” I can’t process having that amount of money. My clients can, and some do, but it’s like Monopoly money to them. Me? Yeah . . . I’m blank about what someone does with that much to spend frivolously. “Don’t you think a wife should know these things? Especially when your wife is a financial analyst.” I might give him a hard time, but out of all the investments I’ve made, he’s the one who’s worth the most to me.
“You said you didn’t want to talk about money before the wedding.”
“Because I thought, as I stated then, you were crazy for not wanting a prenuptial agreement.”
He kisses my shoulder. “If I can trust you with my life, Story, I can trust you with my money. Anyway, that’s why I’m telling you.”
“You’re lucky I married you for your big . . . heart, ya charmer.” We finally settle in to watch the movie, one we saw years ago in a theater together before we knew each other, and with our son sleeping upstairs. “I love you, Cooper.”
“I love you, Story.”
Epilogue
Cooper
Four Months Later . . .
* * *
Money couldn’t fill the void my family left behind. The lawsuit couldn’t heal the damage done.
Putting a ring on the love of my life came close. Finding out I have a son and getting to be in his life is right up there as well. Sitting on a bench in Central Park watching Patrice spend time with them both? Sounds cliché, but it’s priceless.
Story runs back and plops down on the bench next to me. “I’m too tired to run today.”
“You’ve been putting in too many hours.” I hate sounding like that guy, but she’s been running herself into the ground for the past four months.
“Between trying to figure out my next collection to taking over clients for a co-worker who left last week without warning, Reed’s new tuba ambitions, and being a doctor’s wife, I’m wiped.”
I wrap my arms around her shoulders and let her rest against me. “Not to add to your load, but I’ve been thinking about our wedding.”
“What about it?” she asks, turning to face me.
“It was just down at the courthouse, which is great with me, but I don’t want you to have any regrets. Do you want something bigger?”
“I didn’t marry you for anyone else. I married you because I love you. Anyway, we had everyone we loved there. It was a small group, but a mighty supportive one.” Lila and Lou, Patrice, Jake, and my best man, Reed. It’s a tight-knit group. “But because we got married so fast, we never did get a honeymoon. I wouldn’t mind a fancy trip.” She slides over and plants herself on my lap. “What do you think about that?”
I still feel bad I couldn’t take one after the vows, but I couldn’t get the time off. Now, I’ll do anything, including quit if I’m forced to, to give her this trip. Rubbing her hip, I ask, “Where do you want to go?”
“Wherever you are.”
“Charmer. I’m right here with you. I always will be.”
She smiles, tipping her head back in the sunshine.
I’ve fucked up more times than I can keep track of and set my world on fire just to watch it burn. But it was Story, this magnificent woman, who showed me how beautiful life can be, and always believed in me, even when times were tough.
What a wonderful life she’s given me.
“What about the Maldives?”
Her hazel eyes with bright gold centers find mine. “Too long of a flight.”
“The Bahamas?”
Tightening her arms around my neck, she says, “Oooh, I can get on board with that.”
“I’ll make the arrangements. You don’t have to do a thing.”
She waggles her eyebrows. “Now you’re talking my language.”
“We need to talk,” we both say at the same time, our heads jerking back in response. Once the shock wears off, we laugh. She says, “You go first.”
Shit. I’ve been nervous about this for a long time, not sure how she’s going to take the news. It’s probably best if I just rip the bandage right off. “My parents added an amendment into the settlement.”
Her body tenses. It always does if either of those subjects comes up. She sighs with a roll of her eyes. “Can you tell me?”
“I’ll tell you anything. Nothing will ever keep me from sharing with you.” I gulp despite that being absolutely true. “But you might want to brace yourself.”
“Oh, good grief.” Her hands fist behind my neck, the tension from anticipation straining her expression. “I’m not prepared, so just say it, Cooper.”
Rip the bandage off. “I was granted my trust funds and a large portion of the Haywood wealth that would have come to me eventually.” She nods. Swallowing becomes harder for me. I hope she doesn’t freak out and sees it as a good thing. “But the rest remained under their names. It’s substantial.”
“Okay.”
“When they pass, it won’t come to me.”
I see the moment it dawns on her, reaching her eyes as they widen. “Don’t say it.”
“Do you really not want me to say it, or do you want me to say it slowly and let it ease into the atmosphere?”
A heavy sigh is released, and so am I when her hands return to her lap. “Does it have to do with Reed?”
I nod. “He’ll inherit everything else.”
“Which is?” she asks.
“The penthouse in the city, Haywood House in the town of Haywood, two generations of collected wealth in various properties and assets as well as whatever they have left in their bank accounts.”
“Jesus, Cooper.” She rubs her forehead. “No one needs that kind of wealth, much less a kid. Look what it did to you.”
I reposition her on my lap. “Look, Story. Money isn’t evil. It’s just . . . money. Some people are bad. You know that firsthand. Some are awful. I know that well. But we can continue teaching him the values you’ve already instilled, and we have the opportunity to take our money and do good in the world.”
The tightness in her lips eases, and a smile, although small, appears. “Valid point. We could do a lot of good with our money collectively.”
“See? All good things.”
She digs in her pocket before wrapping her arms around me again. “Question. They don’t know about Reed, do they?”
“No. The amendment states any of my offspring.”
She grins mischievously. “Well, that leads me to what I wanted to talk to you about.”
“Do I need to brace myself?” I joke, holding her by the hips.
“I don’t think so, but we do need to think about a larger house. Close your eyes and open your hand.”
The stress of moving seems like the last thing she’d want to add to her plate. I close my eyes, then open my hand. Something is placed on my hand before she closes my fingers around it. “You can look now.”
When I unwrap my fingers, a little car with a family of four pegs sits in the palm of my hand. I look into her eyes, not wanting to jump to conclusions, though I already am in the best of ways. Please let this be true.
She says, “Don’t get too excited. It’s not triplets.”
“You’re pregnant?” I ask, a smile cracking my cheeks wide open.
“I am.” She caresses my face. “Are you ready to be a daddy again?”