AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Without another thought, I dart through the house in search of the girls. What I find instead is Vi and Crystal, my sisters, hunkered together in the kitchen having what looks like a very intense conversation.
The moment I see them I want to spin around and run in the opposite direction, but I know it’s too late.
“We need to talk.” Vi swivels toward me, saying the four words no man ever wants to hear.
“Now’s not a good time,” I clip, looking past them through the back windows, trying to see if I can spot Bree or Courtney outside.
“Well, make it a good time,” Vi demands, her gray eyes that match mine narrowing in on my face. “We just buried our father today, or do you need to be reminded of that fact?”
“I’m here aren’t I?” I yell, my patience nonexistent by this point.
“Not really, no,” she challenges, broadening her shoulders. “You’ve been anywhere but here,” she accuses. “You haven’t spoken two words to Mom, and you’ve barely said a hello to any of our relatives or dad’s friends.”
“Maybe because I don’t want to say hello. Did you ever consider that? Fuck, Vi. I’m here. That’s the best I can give you. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have more pressing matters to deal with.”
“More pressing?” It’s Crystal’s turn to chime in. The younger of the two sisters, Crystal is much more laid back than Vi, but push her far enough and she can be ten times more lethal too.
“That’s what I said.” I move to push past the two of them, but Crystal steps in front of me.
“More pressing than your mother ending up out on the street?” Now this gets my attention, and I stop my attempt to move and actually look at my sisters for the first time since stepping into the kitchen.
“What the fuck are you talking about?” I question, not trying to hide my confusion. “I’m sure that asshole had some kind of life insurance policy. Besides, the house is paid for, is it not?”
“He didn’t have life insurance.” Vi softens her approach. “He didn’t have much in the way of savings either. And you know he never wanted Mom to work.”
“But she still gets the house. She’ll figure it out from there.”
“He left it to you,” Crystal says, sending my head reeling in a completely opposite direction.
“He did what?” I hear the words leave my mouth, but my brain does little to process it.
“You get everything. He left it all to you,” Vi confirms.
“How is that fucking possible? She’s his wife. I thought it defaults to her,” I object.
“It does, unless the person instructs otherwise. Dad met with an attorney a few days ago, had some papers drawn up. None of us knew what he was doing until this morning when his attorney showed up and delivered the paperwork to Mom. She gets nothing.”
“He left me the house?” I question, still not fully processing what the fuck is happening right now.
“He left you the house,” Crystal confirms again.
“Why the fuck would he do that?” I pinch the bridge of my nose between my thumb and index finger, taking a long inhale when I suddenly feel like I’m on the verge of collapsing from lack of oxygen.
“Your guess is as good as ours. We figured maybe it was his last-ditch effort to make things right with you.” Vi reaches over and squeezes my forearm. “Maybe you should talk to Mom.”
“I can’t right now, Vi.” I pull my arm away. “I… I have to find Bree.” I step past them through the kitchen, looking out the back door before turning around and heading in the opposite direction.
“What about the house, Ant?” Crystal steps in front of me again as I move to exit the kitchen.
“Mom can have it. She can have all of it. Just get out of my way,” I seethe, my temper flaring.
“Just let him go,” Vi says seconds before Crystal steps out of the doorway to let me pass.
I hear Vi say something else, but I’m too far out of earshot to hold onto her words. I feel bad. My sisters are the last people I want to alienate right now, but I just can’t fucking deal with this right now; not with everything else going on.
He left the house to me?
God, just thinking it makes me hate him even more. He thought he could buy my forgiveness? Fucking typical Aaron Treadway move; my God that man is a real piece of work.Was.I remind myself as I push my way out onto the front porch.Wasa real piece of work. Fuck, it’s strange referring to him in past tense.
But none of that matters the second I spot Bree on the sidewalk in front of the house. Every single thought goes spilling from my mind, and all I can see is her. All I can hear is her. All I can feel is her.
And then her eyes meet mine, and I swear the entire world falls out from under my feet.
