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The breath he's taking is hitched, his shoulders are set to immovable. "He sat me down the other day and told me I'm not in the will. Which okay, that's fine, I don't want his fuckin' money. What hurt is that he didn't put Mom and Dad's charity in the will either, and you know how much that means to me."
It's the last thing he has of his parents. The one thing he's been able to see that carries on the memory of the two most important people to him. "He's rich, Jasper. He wants to cut you out and your parents. That's some bullshit considering your mom was his daughter."
"It's how he gets to me. He knows what to do. I'll work for the road department with no issue for the rest of my life. I don't need money. What I want is their memory to live on the way they intended for it to, and he knows that without his support, it never will."
I hate this for him. Reaching over, I grab my cell phone and fire off a quick text to Kara.
A: Hey, Jasper is going through it right now. Do you care if we change our date to tomorrow?
K: Sure! Is he okay?
A: Not sure, I'll let you know as soon as I can.
K: Okay, if he needs anything, please let me know.
"There, my date with Kara is postponed, and she says if you need anything, she's willing to help. These are the people you have in your life if you're just willing to lean on us, J. Now tell me what the fuck is going on and stop trying to hold it in."
I've seen Jasper emotional before, but never like this. "So, he told me if I want to stay in the will, I have to prove that I'm willing to do things for the family. The foundation wants to see that I'm not leaning into the blue-collar lifestyle that I love. They want me to show them that I'm growing up."
"What the fuck does that even mean?"
He leans forward, elbows on his knees. His forehead goes in his hands, and he blows out a breath. It's like the weight of the world is on his shoulders. "The stipulations say I have to be married for two years, and within a year, barring any medical issues, there needs to be an heir. The marriage must be initiated before I turn twenty-six."
"Holy fucking shit." I sit back, taking this all in. It's hard. No one in my family would play with my emotions like that, and knowing someone in Jasper's family would? It hurts. He's one of the best people I know, and to be negated down to a set of stipulations in order to receive appreciation and love from someone who should be giving you that anyway— it's got to be a blow. "What are you going to do?"
"I'd like to tell him to fuck himself, but I've seen the good the foundation does. It was my parents' life work, Abel. I can't just let it go. It's the only thing I have left of them, the pride I feel knowing they've helped so much of the community, even after they're gone is one of the only things that makes it easier. To think God had a bigger plan for them, is how I console that hurt little kid. If I don't have that, I'm afraid for my emotional and mental state."
I am too. The teenage Jasper had a hard time coming to grips with the things that happened when he was a kid. He struggled and acted out, until his whole personality became what he could do for the foundation. The reminder of lives taken is the thing that saved his. "You know we'll help hold you up."
"Thanks." A sad smile spreads across his face. "But it doesn't make this, or the decisions I have to make any easier. I hate that he's put me in this position. There's only one saving grace."
"Yeah? What's that?"
He gives me a shit-eating grin. "My fantasy football team doesn't suck as badly as yours."
"Fuck face." I lob the remote in his direction. "There's no need to be mean to me to make yourself feel better."
He laughs, catching the remote with one hand. "Don't hate because I'm better than you."
The shit-talking is much better than the emotional moment we just had, but I know it won't last. He has some decisions to make, and we'll all need to be here for him. He'd be right there for us if the tables were turned, and that's what family is.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Kara
"Is Jasper okay?" I ask as I throw myself into Abel's arms when he shows up on my doorstep a few hours later.
"I asked if he wanted me to stay with him tonight, told him we could order some pizza, and he said he was good. Do I really think he's okay? Hard to say with him. He's hurting, and it's shitty what his grandfather is doing to him."
I don't know the man we're talking about, and if he's making things difficult on Jasper, I don't want to know him. Jasper has been nothing but nice since I met him early last year. "Do you still wanna show me the train trestle? It's cold, and there's still snow on the ground, but I'm willing to go if you are. I spend so much time in the food truck, I enjoy hiking. Plus, my ass has put on a few pounds these last few months."
"Your ass looks damn fine to me. Yeah, let's head out there if you want to. We won't be able to hang around as long as I thought we would because the sun will be setting, but watching the sunset from there is gorgeous."
"Perfect, let me grab my jacket and beanie." I'm beyond excited to go anywhere with him. He could probably tell me we're going to the ends of the earth and I'd follow him with a smile on my face.
"If you've got hiking boots, I'd wear them. It's gonna be cold and wet."
He follows me around as I gather what I'm going to need, and when I sit down to put my boots on, he takes them out of my hands. Before I can say anything, he's sticking my sock-covered foot in one of them and tying it. "You're putting my boots on me? That's like Prince Charming shit, Abel."
