“I have forgiven you.” Sky leaned back and cocked his head in Mason’s direction. “I’ve made some really poor decisions too.”
Hold on!
Mason didn’t like being referred to as a poor decision but he wasn’t going to quibble when Sarina looked so happy and Sky wasn’t staring at him like a monster anymore.
“Okay!” Sarina fanned her eyes. “Do you wanna hang out and drink some wine and catch up or maybe we could go?—”
“No…” Mason handed Sarina her purse, she had left it by the coffee maker. “You still have to go to work. It’s not even eight o’clock.”
“Shoot! I have appointments this morning!” she remembered and kissed Sky loudly before turning and bolting from the kitchen. “Love you both!”
“Drive safe!” Mason called after her, then raised a brow at Sky. “How about some breakfast?”
“Another time.” Sky shook his head. “I still want to go for a run. I’m having brunch with Mom, and I need to get some of this...” He rolled a hand in front of him and shuddered. “Itchinessout. Some attorneys are coming up from the city to go over Nana’s estate and she wants me to make some decisions about the service.” Sky rolled his eyes. “It’s gonna be a fucking day.”
“I’ll keep you in my thoughts.” Mason offered Sky a salute as he left.
Thank you, Nana. And Adele?
Mason wasn’t ready to give her credit yet, it was too early to tell what Adele’s actual intentions were. Having known her most of his life, Mason was skeptical and his instinct was to defend and protect Sky and Sarina from whatever she was up to.
He had a meeting later with the town’s public works department about upgrades to the water treatment facility. Mason would ask his assistant, Kyle, if he had heard any recent, relevant gossip about Adele. A degree in political science made him overqualified for the position but Mason hired Kyle because he kept his ear to the ground and knew damn near everything that went on in Roseview.
The only reason Kyle didn’t know about Mason and Sky or the truth about Sam’s paternity was because the only people involved had never breathed a word about either matter to anyone else or were dead. And that was how it would stay, if Mason could help it. They were finally mending things with Sky and didn’t need one of Adele’s schemes complicating or sabotaging the fragile progress they had made over the last few days. Unfortunately, Mason was playing a game against a master and didn’t know all of the rules.
He didn’t even know the name of the game, if he was being completely honest. He just knew he couldn’t let Adele blow things for him and Sarina when they had finally gotten Sky back.
This family might be the death of me.
Chapter Twelve
Nana’s funeral had been blessedly easy for Sky. She had already said goodbye to him in a touching message that would always stay with him and he had made peace with her passing. And Sky was sure that she was pleased, wherever she was, as he locked arms with Sarina and Mason and looked on as her coffin was lowered into the ground.
According to Mason, Nana’s final wish was for the three of them to make amends and be close again. The first week of Sky’s return had been long and tedious with dozens of documents to be signed and numerous decisions to be made. With the vastness of Nana’s estate and the inheritances Sky and Sarina had already received from their father and Uncle Lance, they were now billionaires.
Their inheritances were intertwined and complex, but both Sarina and Sky agreed that much of their combined estate—with the exception of the Sutton House and a “cabin” in Upstate New York—would be liquidated and that most of the money would be donated to various causes. A trust would be set up for Sam and some money would be set aside for each ofthem to fall back on and maintain Sutton House, but neither Sky nor Sarina were comfortable with keeping the rest of it.
Adele was disgusted, of course. She was wealthy enough in her own right and had taken steps to ensure that she would never run out of money so she was thoroughly confused by their actions. But there was nothing she could do about it but whine and stomp her feet in the end.
For Sky, it washisreward for a lifetime of bearing the burden of the Sutton name. He was overjoyed thatgoodthings would come of the money. Scholarships, parks, new business grants, new schools and hospitals, wildlife preservation programs, medical research… So many useful, life-changing things were going to happen for countless people thanks to that money and he couldn’t have been happier.
He was also grateful that his sister’s heart hadn’t changed over the years and that she was just as adamant that the money went to as many worthy causes as possible. They both looked at each other when the team of attorneys explained the value of their combined estate and said “Let’sdo somethingwith this.”
The attorneys and accountants weren’t excited either but Sky and Sarina were celebrating that evening with champagne, and Mason surprised them with “special” strawberry Jell-O shots.
“To Nana and finally doing something positive with the Sutton legacy.” Sky held up a little paper cup and his champagne flute. “I think this might be thebestI’ve felt in years.”
“Hear hear!” Sarina cheered as she tapped her paper cup against Sky’s and Mason’s.
Sam was staying at Mason’s parents’ for the night and having a sleepover with the neighbor’s boys, Nick and Luke Castle. They were four and six and Sam’s best friends and the three of them regularly camped in Mason’s parents’ den on the weekends. Sarina confided that she’d plantedthe idea in everyone’s heads so Mason could have a night to himself a few times a month.
Mason cleared his throat as he raised his shot. “To Sina and Sky, the very best of the Suttons and two of the best people I have ever known in my life.”
“Lies!” Sarina declared but she hugged Sky’s arm and beamed up at him as she tipped her shot back. “Thank you for coming home and for making this possible.”
“We did it together.” Sky kissed her hair, happier than he could ever remember feeling. “I’m glad we’re together again.” He held out his glass to Mason and his eyes shined as he tapped his against it.
“I bet Nana is so damn proud of you two.”
