He clears his throat, looking uncomfortable. “Even after I left, I wanted to make sure you’d be taken care of. I continued to contribute to your trust—”
“My what?” My voice is loud and sharp, shock slipping through all my armor, rocking me to my core. What is he talking about? That shift in the storm I was waiting for… This is it. Wes must feel it too. His hands slide up my back, bringing me a small modicum of calm.
My dad looks uncertain, like this is something I should know. He glances at my mom, who refuses to look at him.
“Your trust,” he pushes. “I started it when you were born, and I never stopped adding to it. I always wanted to take care of you, no matter the terrible decisions I made. Your thirtieth birthday is coming up, which means the trust will turn over to you.”
“And what, your stipulation is that we have some kind of relationship for me to get it?”
He jerks his head back like I struck him. “No, I…” He trails off, horror in his eyes, body tense. Every emotion that rolls off him rings true to me, but I don’t know if I can trust my instincts where he’s concerned. “No, I’m not trying to force your hand here. I just wanted to talk to you about it in person. I reached out to your mom to get your contact details. I didn’t expect that she’d want to talk to me, but I was hopeful you would be open to it. She was the one who suggested we come to see you together. But the trust is yours on your birthday, regardless of whether you want a relationship with me.”
“So… what does that mean exactly?” I furrow my brow, trying to come to terms with what he’s saying.
“Well, it’s very simple. There are no stipulations for you to access the trust fund; there’s just some paperwork we need to fill out and then it’s yours.”
There must be a catch, strings he isn’t telling me about. This man who abandoned me can’t possibly be offering me a pile of cash. “And if I don’t want it?”
My dad seems surprised and my mom looks absolutely horrified that I’d even consider not taking it. I can understand their reactions. I mean, who wouldn’t want a lump of cash? But I don’t want to be attached to them by money or anything else if I decide a relationship isn’t in the cards.
“It will still be there if you ever change your mind. Legally, it’s yours. I can’t keep it from you, and I wouldn’t want to.” He leans forward, eyes locked on me. “Look, Joss, I understand why you’re hesitant to trust me, and it sounds like you have things you need towork through with your mom as well.” He shoots her a look that says he’s not happy about being left out of the loop. “But this isn’t about us; this is about you receiving what’s rightfully yours.
“I wish I could erase all the hurt I’ve caused you, and I wish things were different, but I can’t make that true.” His breathing is a little shaky and there’s sorrow and remorse heavy in his features. “I would love the opportunity to fix things, the opportunity to be in your life, but I understand if that’s not something that you have any interest in—”
My mom places a hand on his knee. “Brian, I’m sure—”
“No, Andrea.” He stands and crosses the room. “I don’t want to put any pressure on her. If she’s not interested in a relationship with me, then that’s her decision.”
I take them both in. She watches him with dollar signs in her eyes—it’s a look I know well—but he watches me. I wonder how much of her desire for this little trip is to get her hands on either him or a piece of my trust. I wish that wasn’t where my mind goes with her, but she’s made it that way. I can’t trust that she’ll ever want me for me.
“I think I need some time to process this. How long are you in town?” I ask, directing the question to my dad.
“Until Tuesday. Maybe we could all go out for dinner? After you’ve had some time to think.”
I watch him, feeling more and more like he might actually have good intentions here. As for my mom, the jury is still out.
“Yeah, okay. I’ll let you know.”
“Okay. Can I give you my number? That way if you have any other questions, you can reach out.” He reaches into his backpocket and pulls a business card from his wallet. “We have rooms downtown—not far from here—if you need anything.”
“Yeah, that would be good.” I nod my head, still reeling from all of this. When we stand from the chair, Wes reaches forward and takes the card, nodding to my dad. My mom looks uncomfortable, unsure of what to do next. Standing, she fiddles with her hands, looking down at her shoes.
“Joss…” I can tell she wants to say more, convince me to forgive her or maybe to let her stay here—I don’t know.
But my dad cuts her off a final time as he walks to the door. “Come on, Andrea, let’s leave her be. You’ll call or text me and let me know about dinner?”
“Yeah. I will.”
My dad reaches out a hand to Wes and says, “I’m glad she has someone like you in her corner. She deserves someone who loves her like you do.”
Love. That seems a bit extreme. He’s only seen us together for, what? An hour, tops?
Wes clasps his hand, cranking up the fake boyfriend charm and responding with a “Yes, she does.”
My dad nods and then turns to my mom, motioning to the door he just swung open. She walks out without another glance, but Dad’s sad eyes linger on mine as he walks out after her.
CHAPTER THIRTY
Wes
