Page 11 of Knot Your Pucking Secret

“It’s just confirmation of inheritance documents, nothing more.”

I nod, even as I close the document folder.

“Of course. I just want to read them over. Make sure there aren’t any administrative errors and all that.” I smile, shrugging a little. “You never stop being a lawyer, you know,” I say jokingly, because it’s true. I’ve learned what not to do simply by watching others in the game. But also, I’ve made some mistakes too. Ones I sure as hell won’t make twice. Out of habit, I won’t even throw away a damn post-it note. Everything is a legal document to me.

Brett chuckles, the sound warm as he shakes his head. He knows first hand what lawyers are like. He’s spent enough years negotiating contracts and sitting across boardroom tables from them to appreciate just how painfully meticulous they can be.

I’ve learned a lot about him over the past few months. He owns multiple multi-million dollar companies in cities all over the country. He’s smart, that’s for sure. Calculated. Patient. The kind of man who never makes a decision without thinking five steps ahead.

Maybe that’s where I get it from.

It’s a comforting thought.

Hockey had been my passion, but law had felt like something so much more to me. A calling. A way to stand between horrible people and those far too innocent and vulnerable to realize they’re being exploited. To fight against injustice in a world built on corruption. To force people to answer for the damage they leave behind.

“You are so much like your father, Glen, you know. He was such a stickler for the rules. Every single document was analyzed with a fine tooth comb. Nothing got past him. That’s what madehim so great on the ice. Everyone wanted him. There wasn’t a day that went by where he wasn’t poached by other teams.”

I smile to myself, fighting the feeling in my chest from finding its way onto my face. Knowing I share even the smallest piece of the man who helped bring me into this world feels...achingly beautiful. A long, quiet moment passes between us, before I finally say, “I wish I could have met them.”

Brett nods solemnly. “They loved you, Lennon. I hope you know that. They would be so proud of the woman you are today.”

I will myself to not get emotional. I’ve already shed far too many tears these past weeks, allowing myself to heal after everything that happened.

“Thanks, Brett.”

He rolls his eyes, but I mean it. Yes, I have Bronte and Veronica, and words will never be enough to explain how much they mean to me. I’ve handled most things alone over the years, only having Patrick to turn to, but they’ve singlehandedly refused to leave me to deal with life on my own since leaving Vadena. But it’s nice to know that I at least have one family member around, someone who knew my parents. In a way, it’s helping me feel closer to them.

“That’s what uncles are for, you know?”

Uncles.

Even with Patrick around, I’d never known any other family. I’d never questioned it, either, which I suppose he’d have never told me the truth anyway. Other than observing others, I don’t know what having an uncle or any other family is supposed to be like. The idea has me smiling. My inner child is feeling a lot less lonely.

“That’s better. Smile, Lennon.” Brett chuckles before giving me an affectionate tap on the shoulder. “Anyways, I have an appointment I need to get to.” He shifts his gaze from me to the files on the table before me. “You’ll get them back to me assoon as you can, won’t you? The lawyers are already hassling me. Everything’s a damn deadline these days, you know how it is.”

“You got it.”

The front door clicks shut behind him, the sound echoing through the apartment far louder than it should. Silence settles over the room once more, only this time, it doesn’t feel quite so empty. My gaze drifts to the stack of papers waiting for me.

Inheritance.

It’s a strange word to me now. Inheritance has been the topic of most conversations since Patrick passed. I don’t find myself wondering how much any of it is. Truthfully, simply hearing stories about my birth parents has already given me more than money ever could. No amount of wealth could buy what I really want.

To bring them back. To know them the way my heart aches to know them.

I would trade every dollar for the chance to hear their voices just once. To know what it felt like to be loved by them instead of simply being told that I was.

I’d rather have one ordinary memory than an extraordinary fortune.

Some losses don’t have a price tag. They have a lifetime. And I’ve lost enough this year to last me one.

Chapter Six

Sasha

“And how does that make you feel, Mr. Volvok?”

I swear if this fucking therapist asks me one more time how something makes me feel, I am going to flip this tiny-ass sofa.