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He remembered wondering where his brothers were. What hall were they in?
Picking up his tea glass, he took a sip wishing it was something stronger.
“We heard the sirens and knew there was a tornado on the ground somewhere close by. The teachers were kneeling down. Several were praying. You could hear debris hitting the building. But we were the lucky ones. The tornado hit south of town. The school got a glancing blow, but homes were destroyed.”
She gazed at him, her eyes wide, and he could see she understood what a tornado was capable of.
“Later that day when the bus dropped me and my brothers off, we ran down the lane to the house,” he said his voice cracking. He would never forget that day. “The house had collapsed. We found the bodies of my parents beneath the fallen roof. The ranch hands were desperately trying to free them.”
A lump formed in his throat and he had to swallow it.
“Their arms were wrapped around one another and they were clinging to each other. Both of them were dead.”
She gasped. “Dear God.”
“That was the worst day of my life. We were kids. Thank goodness, my brother was close to being eighteen. He accepted the responsibility of the ranch and raising all of us. But he was young and inexperienced. We almost lost the ranch,” he said remembering how hard those days were.
The waiter put their food in front of them, but Blake had lost his appetite.
“We were just about to be foreclosed on when Adrian stopped at the store and bought a lottery ticket. For numbers, he used the birthdays and anniversary of my parents. The next morning we were stunned to learn we’d won. It was like our parents stepped in and saved us.”
He’d never forget his brother’s reaction when he learned they were billionaires.
“My brother didn’t tell us we’d won. He took us all to the Bahamas on vacation where he laid out ground rules. He set us all up with a trust fund, but in order to receive that money, we had to graduate college. And no, I didn’t want to go. I wanted to stay at the ranch and help him, but he said no. Now I’m glad he made me attend.”
Reaching across the table, she squeezed his arm. “I’m so sorry about your parents. That had to be so hard.”
It had been his first tough lesson in life. He’d gone from running out the door and yelling at his mother that he would see her later, not knowing that was their last moment together, to pulling bricks and boards off of his parents’ bodies to reach them that afternoon.
He’d never forget when they found them how all of the ranch hands and his brothers had stood there staring at their bodies, crying. One by one, they all removed their cowboy hats in a show of respect. He’d been fifteen years old and life had kicked him in the teeth.
“Hardest thing I’ve ever had to deal with,” he said. “Family is important. Now my brother Adrian insists that every house built on our land has a concrete storm shelter built inside. My father kept telling my mother he was going to build us one and he waited one tornado too late.”
There was silence at the table and he didn’t know if he had completely spoiled the mood. And yet she needed to know his background. How every time a big storm rolled through, he quaked with fear. Nothing like a big six-foot, frightened man and yet he couldn’t help himself. Storms terrified him. Not that he was afraid of dying, but rather that he was going to lose someone he loved again.
“Your oldest brother took care of you and your brothers?”
“With the help of our housekeeper. She was at the grocery store at the time of the storm. She came back to just about everything destroyed. We all lived in the barn, which thankfully was set back away and was not in the path of the tornado. It took almost a year for the main house to be rebuilt.”
They were silent for a few minutes while they ate and he wanted to bring back the light atmosphere, but he also knew they needed to talk about Wyatt.
“My future sister-in-law is an attorney and she’s going to file papers stating I am Wyatt’s father and I would like to have joint custody.”
“Oh hell no,” Cristina said her eyes widening. “You are not taking my son away from me.”
“I’m not trying to take him away from you. I want joint custody in case something happens to you or even to me. Everyone will know who will take care of him. What if you’re in a plane crash tomorrow?”
“Don’t say those words,” she said. “I’m terrified of something happening and leaving Wyatt. He’s just a baby. You were at least a teenager.”
“Then let me have joint custody with you. That way if something happens to me, he’ll get enough money for you to take care of him. If something happens to you, I’ll get custody and be able to raise him. I’m sure your mother could take care of him, but what if she’s not here? What if she’s dead or sick? Then what happens to him?”
Shaking her head, he could see she was upset. “Lauren would take care of him.”
“I don’t know who Lauren is, but she’s not family,” he said.
Cristina sighed. “Let me think about it. What else?”
“You already know that I’m changing my will and you’ll receive child support. Madison is working on getting his college fund set up. Is there anything else you need? What does Wyatt need?”
