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“Did you not hear the words that I just read to you? To hell with her.”
“You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do,” Mom assures me.
“Legend, son, that’s a lot of money.” This is from my dad.
I whip my head around, mouth falling open in shock, to look at him. “Do you hear yourself right now? That’s not what we’re about. We don’t let money buy our love. We’re Raines. Isn’t that what you preached to me growing up? That money can’t buy happiness, and you should be true to yourself. How can you even suggest that I entertain this idea?”
Dad holds up the hand that’s not wrapped around Mom. “Son, that’s not what I’m saying.”
“What are you saying, Dad?” I stop pacing to place my hands on my hips and glare at my father.
“I think you should consider all of your options. If you fall in love within the next year and find a woman who you know without a doubt that you can’t live without, then consider this and what it could do for you and your family.”
“I do fine on my own. My home is paid for; I have a nice nest egg in the bank. My business is thriving. What more could I ask for?” I challenge.
“Legend, please sit.” Mom’s voice is calm and soothing, and I hate being short with her or denying her anything, so I do as she asks and park my ass back on the couch. “What your father is trying to say badly is that you don’t know what the next year of life is going to toss your way. If you fall in love and get married, then why not show up on your one-year anniversary and collect the money?”
“Because they abandoned you. Us. That’s why.” I try to keep the anger out of my voice.
“That’s in the past, Legend,” Mom says gently. “We don’t let our past hold us back. Instead, we live for today and all our tomorrows. If the timeline fits, then I say you do what you have to do to take the money. Technically, that money should have been mine, and I would love nothing more to know that you and your future family would be set for life because of it.”
“Are you really saying I should go through with this?”
Mom shrugs. “Only if you want to.”
“I’m not engaged. Hell, I’m not even dating anyone,” I remind her.
“That could change. Just keep an open mind. You have one year from—” She leans over and grabs the envelope that’s made its way to the coffee table. “—last Thursday. A lot can happen in a year.”
“In thirty-one years, I’ve yet to find someone I feel I can’t live without. The chance of that happening in the next twelve months is slim.”
Mom nods. “You could be right, but you could also be wrong. We don’t know our futures, Legend. The day I met your father, I was at the mall, waiting for food at the food court. I wasn’t supposed to be there, but I defied my mother and went anyway. Your dad and a few of his friends were behind me in line. I dropped my wallet, and he picked it up for me. Our eyes met, and the rest is history.”
“Come on now,” I say, fighting the smile that wants to break through. I’ve heard this story a million times. “It wasn’t that fast.” Even as I say the words, I know they’re not true. The story hasn’t changed, not once over the years.
“I knew he was going to be important in my life.”
“And I knew she was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen,” Dad chimes in with the same line I’ve heard countless times.
“It doesn’t work like that for everyone. Look at Roman and Emerson. They fought hard to be together, fought against it, and then for it. It’s not always that easy.”
“Oh, it wasn’t easy by any stretch of the imagination. My parents didn’t approve and did everything in their power to keep us apart. Our hearts had other plans.”
“You sound like a Hallmark movie.”
“Oh, we should call them up, see if we can sell them our story,” Dad jokes. “How much do you think we can make off that? Maybe we can remodel the kitchen and buy that new bass boat,” he rambles on.
“Har har.” I shake my head but smile despite the anger I harbor against my grandmother. I’d never met the woman, yet she still managed to insert herself into my life and strike up an anger deep in my gut all the way from her grave.
“Just keep an open mind. Life has a way of surprising you.”
“Yeah, okay,” I agree because I don’t want to argue with her.
I spend a little more time with them before leaving. The plan was to head home, but I see a text from Roman telling me that everyone is invited to their place for leftovers. They had a small wedding but enough food to feed an army. Time with the guys—and well, now girls, if you count Emerson and her best friend, Monroe—is exactly what I need.
CHAPTER
TWO
