AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I roll my eyes at him, thinking he’s full of crap, but I love him anyway.
“Thank you. Love you.”
“Love you more. See you in a few days. I’ll be letting Michael know I’m riding with him, and I don’t give a fuck what he says. See ya!”
He hangs up before I can say anything about his antics.
Shaking my head, I hop off the counter just as my phone rings again. This time it’s Michael and I rush to answer.
“Happy birthday love,” he says by way of greeting.
“Thank you, baby, I love my gifts! I’m not sure how I’m supposed to use all that makeup, though,” I deadpan, making him chuckle.
We talk on the phone for a few more minutes, while I wish I were there with him instead of looking at his face on the screen. Soon. Very soon I will be waking up to this beautiful man, my protector, every morning. Treasuring him until the end of time. I’m counting down the days.
If I didn’t have to go see Mr. Marks, I would have been content to spend my birthday on the phone talking to Michael all day. But I need to wrap this last piece of my American life up before I can become a Canadian.
I step into his office and Mr. Marks waves me back with a bright smile on his face. “Happy birthday, Mr. Reed. Hope you have some big plans tonight.”
I shake my head. “None. Just talking to my boyfriend. Making plans for my move.”
“Out of the country, right?” he asks, and I nod. “That’s a bold move. Brave though. Good luck with that.”
I nod my thanks. “So, what do I have to do?” I’m ready to get everything sorted. Most of all, I want to see what my mother left me.
Shuffling some paperwork, he clears his throat and says, “Well, you know you have the house. It’s valued at $4.6 million.” My eyebrows shoot to my forehead, making Mr. Marks chuckle. “Yeah, the location and the bit of land surrounding your house really adds value. It’s close to the city, but out of the hustle and bustle. The sale of this house will give you a really nice nest egg.”
“Oh,” is all I can think to say.
“Now, for what your mother left in her will for you. Looks like she had her own little nest egg. To the tune of about six million dollars.”
My mouth drops open. Six million. “How?” I blurt. “What—? How?”
“Your mother had some stocks that did really well. A few weeks before her untimely death, she cashed some out and that got her a good chunk. It’s been growing ever since. As far as her estate, she has about three million in stocks and bonds and has a property in Pasadena.”
I know I look like a fish out of water the way my mouth is opening and closing. I shake my head, a braid flopping over my shoulder. I have almost eleven million dollars? Just yesterday, I was worried about how long I could stretch my casino winnings so I wasn’t living off Michael until I found a job. Now, I can live comfortably without having to get a job or depend on him.
My heart hurts because I’m only seeing this money because my mother is dead. We could have done so much together with this kind of money. She could have stopped flying if she wanted to and we could have traveled. Done anything and gone anywhere. My mother is gone, but I’ll do everything for the both of us. I think she would have wanted that.
It takes me a moment, but I get my bearings and nod. “What do … what do I do now?”
Mr. Marks slides some papers over to me and I scoot closer to the desk. “Sign here and here and I’ll have your funds sent to your account. For the stocks, if you’d like, I can actually recommend a good accountant and I can handle things, even with you out of the country.”
I nod and sign where he indicated. “Yeah, I would like that. I like working with you. I wouldn’t know how to go about getting one on my own.”
Feeling overwhelmed with everything that just happened, I don’t immediately drive home. I sit in my car and stare off into space, wondering how I’m supposed to feel being free from my shitty life and finding out I’m a millionaire.
Unbidden a smile stretches across my face. Good. It feels really fucking good.
Chapter 23
Michael
AgreeingtoleaveDamonwas one of the hardest things I’ve had to do, but I think it was the right call. He got all of his paperwork from his mother’s estate in order, put his house on the market and got all his things packed and the house clean. He told me it looks and feels strange because he’s the only one there and can’t remember a time when the house was empty.
He probably wouldn’t have gotten all that done with me there, because I would have wanted to do everything else but that. Even though we couldn’t leave the house, we could have spent time inside, getting to know each other, letting me get to know his mind and his body. God, I miss him so much.
I scramble around, trying to make space for him in my room, even though I did that the day I got back home. Even still, everything has to be perfect for him. I’ve waited years to have Damon by my side. Nothing less than perfection is worthy of him.
