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Uncle Edmond stared at me for a weighted moment, obviously waiting for any reaction. I was too stunned to say anything, so I shrugged. Uncle Edmond grinned and continued.

“West, I’ve tried to impart a sense of decency and responsibility in you as you grew up, but I’m afraid I may have failed you in some respects. Your rebellious nature was much like my own when I was your age, and as I struggled to know how to help you, I finally understood the frustration my parents felt with me.

“They wanted the best for me, but I thought they were trying to keep me from enjoying my freedom. That’s probably how you felt with me a lot of the time, and I didn’t want that for you. This is why I’ve made the following decision.

“Son, I’m leaving Aames Investments to you—at the end of one year from the date of my death, with this caveat: You need to prove to the Board of Directors that you’re fit to run the company and continue to generate revenue for the business and our clients. You will, in the interim, be responsible for taking care of your mother. For one year, neither of you will get anything from the estate or your trust. It will be up to you to figure out how to live without my support until you, Weston, prove you’re worthy of being the CEO of Aames and your trust fund.”

“If you decline, you’ll forfeit your trust and you will be penniless, as well as your mother. It’s time for you to make some decisions, son, and I do this with love.”

I suddenly couldn’t breathe. My lungs refused to expand, and I felt as though I was going to suffocate right there.

“Uh, Edmond, he’s having a panic attack. He’s hyperventilating. Get a bag,” Bridges said as he came over to my chair and knelt in front of me.

The gorgeous man took my hand and placed it on his massive chest. “Listen to me. Listen to my voice, West. Breathe with me. In...one, two, three, four. Out...one, two, three, four. Again.”

He breathed with me for a few moments while Uncle Edmond and my mother scurried around, trying to find a paper bag for me to breathe into. Bridges’ gaze locked onto mine, and everything else melted away. The steel band around my chest released and I was able to get a breath and calm down. Finally, he said, “There. That’s better.” His hand gently patted my chest as he stood and walked back to the window to lean against the sill.

My father had never hinted that one day I would be running Aames Investments. It was exponentially more than unexpected, but then again, I’d never fathomed that my father would die. Like a stupid kid, I thought he’d live forever.

Growing up, I never gave a shit about Aames Investments. Yes, at my father’s urging I got an MBA, which would give me the knowledge I’d need to run a company like Aames, but grad school was just something to do while I figured out my life.

Running a company like Aames Investments wasn’t anything I was interested in doing. I didn’t know what I wanted to do, and hell, shouldn’t I by now?

“Uncle Edmond, I can’t run Aames Investments. I’m still trying to figure out what I want to do with my life.” That was no shit.

I stood from the chair Uncle Ed had told me to give to Bridges earlier in the meeting. I was surprised I could stand on my own legs, which were shaking uncontrollably. I couldn’t fathom what the hell was expected of me.

Running Aames Investments? Who the hell would ever think I could do that?

For most of my life, I’d craved my father’s approval as the youngest of his three children. I definitely didn’t want him talking about me the way he spoke of my brother and sister behind their backs—worthless and stupid were his two favorite adjectives to describe them.

Unfortunately, I always knew I fell short in my father’s eyes in far too many ways. After listening to Uncle Edmond read the will, I was convinced my father was setting me up for public humiliation to outdo all other humiliations. The world would know of my failure at Aames Investments for centuries to come, and everyone would laugh when the tale of my mortification was told.

Dad’s challenge for me to prove myself to the Board of Directors? Make them believe I was worthy of running Aames Investments—a company I didn’t want to run in the first place—was absolutely a huge mistake. I mean, wtf was he thinking?

I needed to get the fuck out of Uncle Edmond’s office before I had another anxiety attack. I needed fresh air in the worst fucking way. Without asking if we were finished, I headed for the office door.

“Wait! Stick around, Weston.” Uncle Edmond was giving me the evil eye. He knew I was freaking out about Dad’s will and uncertain of what it all meant. I was sure he was going to try to talk me off the ledge, but that wasn’t what I wanted or needed.

“Bridges, will you stay for a bit? Please? I have another thing to discuss with you.” Uncle Edmond wasn’t an idiot after all. He could tell I was attracted to the guy and would stay if Bridges stayed.

Bridges nodded and Uncle Edmond turned to the rest of the occupants in the room. “Thank you for coming.”

I stood and hugged Mom, hating the idea that she had to go out of the office and be alone with Elise, CJ, and Claudia. She didn’t deserve the bullshit they’d hit her with if she was alone with them.

“Please don’t send Mom in with them.” I nodded my head toward my siblings and stared at Uncle Edmond.

Uncle Edmond smiled. “May, dear, go through that door into my private conference room. Jean will get you some tea, and we’ll join you in a few minutes.”

Mom kissed my forehead and walked out the door where Jean, Uncle Edmond’s assistant, met her. Once Mom had been shown out, I turned to Bridges, who was still leaning against the windowsill.

“Do you know what the hell this is all about? I mean, I don’t want to run Aames Investments. Why would Dad think I could run the business?”

Bridges and my uncle knew my father much better than me. Their opinions mattered to me.

Uncle Edmond gave me an unexpected smile. “Your father believed in you, West, whether you knew it or not. He would never have asked you to do anything he wasn’t confident you could do. Now, go check on your mother, and then we’ll sit down and talk this through.”

I left to check on Mom, glad to see she was enjoying a cup of tea and speaking with Jean.”