Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 113270 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 566(@200wpm)___ 453(@250wpm)___ 378(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 113270 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 566(@200wpm)___ 453(@250wpm)___ 378(@300wpm)
“Retiring? Who the hell’s gonna run the paper, then?” Tad interjects.
“Her niece, I guess,” Randy answers with a shrug. “That’s supposedly why she’s here in the first place. Eileen said she would have been done a while ago, but she liked having lunch with you every week.”
Tad’s response makes my heart squeeze. “We can still have lunch every week. Tell her that, okay?”
I get unexpectedly teary, and Tad pulls me into a hug that buries my face in his chest. From behind me, I can hear Bennett taking charge.
“Okay, guys, let’s get out of their hair for now. Breeze, Tad, if you need anything, you call. We’ll check back on you tomorrow.”
Pulling it together quickly, I turn and waggle my hands to get hugs from Autumn and Norah and Bennett and Logan and even Randy again. Tad waves them off once more, which results in a trail of laughter as they leave the room.
His look is sly as he cups my face in his hand. “For clarification, babe…the naked thing? Not an issue when it comes to you.”
Oh yeah. I’m in love. I’m in love in a big, big way.
50
Breezy
Wednesday, April 14th
The lid of my to-go cup clicks under my fingernail as I sit in the little park at the center of town, the smell of espresso and fresh-cut grass tangling in the air. Across the table, a second cup sits waiting for a meeting that’s long overdue.
My phone buzzes beside it.
Tad: Love you. Don’t forget to eat something with that coffee.
Me: Bossy.
Tad: Damn straight. Farm Daddy takes your and our baby’s health very seriously.
The corners of my mouth curve up before I even realize it.
It’s officially been a week since the fire, six days since our release from the hospital, and every moment has been a whirlwind. I’m still finding my footing, but it feels good—this life fits.
Of course, Tad’s been hesitant to let me out of his sight, but I haven’t minded at all. Even now, I miss him.
Logan’s silver rental car pulls into a spot in the parking lot and shuts off, and I take a final deep breath to prepare myself to say all the things I want to say. The hard things, the good things, the things that can’t help but feel like a little bit of both—I’ve loved Logan since the moment he was born and every moment in between, even when I hated him. With family, it’s not always logic that wins; sometimes it’s love.
His smile is warm and gentle as he arrives, leaning forward to place a kiss on my cheek before taking the seat across from me. “Thanks for the coffee.”
“You’re welcome. Thanks for…everything you’ve done in the last week.”
Logan shrugs, minimizing his efforts in a way that’s unbecoming of a supposedly snobby, cocky Hollywood big shot and much more telling of who he really is.
“No, Logan. It’s a big deal. Randy said you had a crew there working the next day on our house, and I don’t know how you pulled it off, but I appreciate it. I went by there this morning, and they’ve already got a new basement dug, the foundation poured, and the walls studded out.” I shake my head. “At this rate, we could be back in there in a month, and with the baby on the way, I… Well, it means a lot.”
“I know it might not seem like it sometimes, but I’d do anything for you, sis. You practically raised us. You…” He swallows, looking down for a long moment before meeting my eyes again. “You’re the reason I’m anything at all.”
“Logan.”
“Breezy, you are. That’s why I’ve been hanging out here, waiting. I knew I couldn’t leave until I made it right. And believe me, I tried to fix the gallery mess. My lawyer and accountant looked for every loophole they could find to transfer them back to you, but apparently, the tax implications are a nightmare. You’d have lost all your net worth on fucking taxes just trying to take full ownership of them.” He exhales a deep breath. “And the last thing I wanted to do was make shit worse for you.”
I shake my head, completely at a loss for words. “I didn’t realize you were doing all that.”
“They were yours, Breeze. I never wanted to stand in the way of that.” He reaches out to gently hold my hand. “And I…I set up trusts, for you and for Bennett. I don’t know if that’s what you would’ve done, but when you said you didn’t want the money, I did my best to figure out the best thing to do.”
“Trusts? What are you talking about?”
“Breeze, just because you and Bennett didn’t want Dad’s money doesn’t mean it disappears. He left it for you. Unless you designate it to some other purpose, it has to go to you. So, I put it in trusts for you both. Bennett’s money is in Autumn’s name. Yours is currently in your name, but we can change that if you want, after you have the baby, or whatever you want.”