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“I got them to give me an appointment tomorrow morning, it’s fine.”

I sigh, knowing it’s futile to argue.

Yes, Luna is the most peaceful out of all of us, but we learned three years ago when she first got pregnant that she becomes a demon when she’s expecting. I don’t know if that’s kicked in yet, but I don’t want to risk it.

For now, I help them pack up the place, and later, when I finally get a chance to talk to Johnny, he tells me the nanny quit two days ago and Amanda hadn’t bothered to start looking for a new one, and that’s why he was taking care of the boys today.

I ask him to go down to the apartment he has with the other security guards—who unlike Johnny will be out of jobs soon—to pack up his stuff and come to my place with us. Wes lives at the brownstone too, has an apartment all to himself on the first floor, but there’s space for Johnny there as well.

Closing out the penthouse will take longer than I can spare today, but when we can finally leave, when we’re back in the car and on our way home, I feel like I take my first full breath in hours.

May 24th

At a quick, private hearing with a judge two days after Jim’s death, the trust and the signed prenup in which Amanda gave up her parental rights were reviewed, and I was named the boys’ guardian officially.

Avery put in a petition—which I backed in front of the judge—to become their guardian, but the judge explained how child services would have to review all candidates and told us to take a week to think about it, then gave us a meeting for next week where we could petition again if we were sure.

I was also officially named the trustee and beneficiary of the Barclay trust, but that was simply paperwork by that point.

The world reacted to Jim’s death as expected—dramatically.

Thanks to Eli and his father, Amanda didn’t get papped on her way to jail and no pictures except a professional headshot of Jim were passed around social media.

But the reaction to the news that I’d become the owner of three professional franchises overnight was exactly what I expected.

People were ready to assume the worst of me—that I’d be just as inefficient at managing a professional hockey and basketball team as Jim had been, and that I was just his clone.

Instead of giving any of that attention, I asked all the executives of the teams to come to a meeting, as well as my sisters and their husbands. I even brought Mason and Maddox.

“Why do we have to be here?” Maddox demanded with a whine as soon as we stepped into the big conference room at Barclay Arena.

“Because all of my siblings are here,” I answered simply with the truth.

I know there’s a very good chance they won’t retain a single thing about this meeting, that they’ll not even remember it at all, but since I’m about to make fucking history, I think it’s fitting.

“It’s going to be tough, I know you two want to play, but I brought this.”

I pull two coloring books and a stack of colored pencils out of the backpack I’m afraid I won’t ever be separated from again.

One is dinosaur themed and the other car themed—naturally.

The boys look instantly interested and I want to pump my fist in victory.

My sisters arrived with us, but their husbands walk in together too, and I shake each of their hands.

Avery’s husband is Mark Davies, a banker who has never given two shits about sports.

Liv’s husband is Aaron Baker, a retired baseball player who’s also the GM of the Keys.

Luna’s husband is Kyle Lawrence, a sports analyst for ENN.

They’re all good guys, thankfully, and didn’t have any love for Jim, though, like my sisters, they played the old man’s game mostly to keep the peace.

The GMs of the Knights and Demons come in with their assistant GMs and presidents, as well as the president of the Keys.

I shake their hands with disinterest, knowing that’s what they expect from me, though it’s funny how hard they’re trying to hide their nerves.

Literally, the only safe person is Aaron, and everyone knows it.