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“Now.” Ron cleared his throat again. “This next section is… somewhat sensitive. I know it’s hard to hear how a family member has decided to divide up an inheritance, but please, let’s all stay calm.”
I frowned, furrowing my brow, and scrubbed a hand over my face. I couldn’t imagine what Ron meant.
“To my daughter and her husband, I leave an inheritance in the amount of two million dollars,” Ron read.
My stomach dropped to my feet, my blood ran cold, and Mom let out an audible gasp. “Two million?”
Ron held up a hand. “Please, Mrs. Hayes. I know the amount is probably not what you were expecting, but I do need to finish.”
“Not what I was expecting? I thought he had maybe a few thousand saved up. He had millions?”
Ron put the document down and looked at Mom for a moment. “Your father was a very wealthy man, Mrs. Hayes.”
“Just… how wealthy?”
He grimaced and went back to the page. “To my granddaughter Amelia Eaton, along with her husband and two children, I leave an inheritance in the amount of seven million dollars. One million of this will be available immediately and one million of this will be available after her first wedding anniversary or upon the date of my death, whichever is later. The remaining five million will be placed in a trust to be distributed upon the eighteenth birthday of the youngest child of Amelia and Todd Eaton.”
My mind raced. What on Earth was he going to have left me? What was I going to do with a million dollars or more?
“To my grandson Levi Hayes, I leave an inheritance of seven million dollars, one million to be available immediately and the remainder to be placed in a trust to be distributed on his first wedding anniversary.” As he finished the sentence, I choked on my own saliva, sputtering and coughing in shock. Ron waited patiently for me to get myself together before continuing. “If either grandchild is not married upon the date of my death, the wedding must be witnessed by a minimum of five people. Any remaining funds in my estate after these inheritances are distributed shall be donated to a charity of Levi’s choice.”
Ron placed the document gently down on his desk and waited. “I assume you have questions.”
“Where in God’s name did Dad get all that money?” Mom asked.
Ron gave her a small smile. “He invested well. And I can say on a personal note, aside from the antique cars and his golf habit, he lived very frugally, considering his net worth.”
Married? I had zero intention of ever getting married. It sounded like one of the worst ideas on the planet. Amelia and Todd barely even liked each other, and they’d been married for five years. What reason did I have to get married? “What if I don’t want to get married?” I blurted.
“Well, in that case, the funds stay in a trust until you pass away, and are donated to the university your grandfather attended upon your death.”
“And then the university gets the six million?”
Ron nodded. “Plus interest.”
I swallowed hard. That sounded like a terrible choice—marriage or death—but I wasn’t about to say that out loud.
“Any other questions?”
We all shook our head. My dad had been silent through the whole reading, and he stood and shook Ron’s hand. “Thank you for your time and help today. We do appreciate it.”
“Certainly. Please, reach out if you have any questions going forward. I am your main point of contact as executor of his will.”
Once we were out on the sidewalk, I took several deep breaths and loosened my tie. Amelia put her hand on my shoulder.
“Are you okay?”
“Ames… it’s a lot of money.”
She nodded. “It’s definitely a good nest egg for you and your future spouse. Six million plus interest.”
I exhaled slowly. “You’re not kidding.”
She squeezed my shoulder before releasing me. “I’m sure eventually you’ll find the right guy and you’ll both be so glad to have that money. Just… don’t tell him you’re going to inherit six million dollars on your first anniversary. Otherwise he’ll just want you for your money.” She winked and grinned before walking away.
In a daze, I headed back to Jock Strap where, true to Parker’s word, the guys were still there.
“You look like you saw a ghost or something,” Parker said. “Tell us what happened.”
