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“Yeah, Giselle called me to give me a heads up and warned me to keep Lexie away from Mom. She doesn’t know about the two of us yet. Still thinks that I’m courting Vivian.”I’m surprised by the fact our sister called Ben and told him this. Why couldn’t she have done this for me? Ben reaches for my hand and gives it a squeeze. “Elle also told me what your friend said before leaving your house. She really wants to take him up on the offer, but she’s scared.”
“Why?” I don’t get what she’s got to be scared about. She’d be free of the asshole she’s married to.
“That’s for her to share, Bris, but you know if you were to actually talk to her without looking at her like you were judging her, she might feel like she can talk to you.”
Ouch. That hurt.
“I can’t help it. The way she is with Mom . . . always by Mother’s side, with that husband of hers, constantly ridiculing me, how can I not judge?”
“I see your point as well,” he remarks. “It sucks being the middleman between the two of you. I hate what the woman is doing to both of you. Fuck, I don’t even care to be around the insufferable woman, but I do it to be able to check in on Elle. She can’t always call me. Ronnie monitors her calls.”
“Of course, he does,” I scoff. “He’s a dickhead with more than enough issues to go around.”Before Ben can speak further, the driver pulls into the driveway of a house I don’t recognize. “Where are we?” I ask as the driver comes to a stop.
“Don’t know but we’ll find out,” Ben says, opening the door.
As I slide out of the back seat, I spot my dad coming out of the front of the house.
“Ben, Bristol,” he calls out, arms open, a huge grin on his face.
“What’s going on here, Dad?” Ben demands, getting right to the point.
“That’s why I asked you both to dinner,” Dad remarks. “Come on in, dinner is on the table.”
I look to Ben, and he does the same. Neither of us speaks as we follow our dad into the house. It’s not a big house like the one he shares with our mom. It’s more homey, lived-in, cozy perhaps. It’s more like my house than anything.
The three of us take a seat at the table, and I’m surprised to find it’s all home-cooked food and not something prepared and served to us.
“Did you cook this?” I blurt without thinking.
“That I did.” Dad chuckles and starts filling his plate. “I needed to talk to you all, and I figured why not tell you all here.”
“You’re leaving Mom, aren’t you?” Ben asks, cocking a brow.
“I am.” Dad nods. “I filed the paperwork yesterday to get the ball rolling.”
“Isn’t she going to get half of everything?” I ask, worried about what’s going to happen to him. He doesn’t deserve to be put through a nasty divorce.
“Dad’s prenup covers him,” Ben answers for him, nodding. “Glad to hear you’re finally doing it.”
“Wait, I’m confused and feel like I’m missing something,” I state, waving my hands wildly in front of me.
“Your mother, when we got married, had to sign a prenuptial agreement, one my mother had drawn up, stating that if there were any reasons for divorce on your mother’s part, no matter the circumstances, she would not receive a penny from me. That reasoning could be anything. You know your grandmother wasruthless and made sure to word the agreement so that I would win over her if it came down to it. Your grandmother never really liked your mother as it were.”
“Whoa.” I lean back in my seat and stare at my dad, finding it hard to believe what I’m hearing. “So, you’ve moved out of the house. Are you giving it to her?”
“It’s the only thing I’ll allow her to have. She won’t be getting a dime from me. The only money she’ll have is from whatever she has that isn’t connected to me. I won’t be giving her anything.”
“What’s the reasoning you’re using?” Ben asks.
“I’m using the fact that she’s screwing around on me and trying to access control over Bristol’s trust fund, claiming she’s not of the right mind, which is total bullshit.”
“I’m sorry?” I swear I must not have heard him correctly.
“Tell me you’re joking,” Ben sneers.
“Afraid not.” Dad sighs, taking a bite of the fluffy mashed potatoes. “I got a call from one of the other firms to inform me. After I hung up, I made a call to JE Boise.”
“You called my boss’s dad?” I gasp, eyes wide.
