Mom sits primly on the edge of the ottoman. One leg crossed over the other, she folds her hands on her knees.
I lean forward eagerly, already imagining the dirt she has on our father.
Could it be a notebook documenting all his affairs?
Dirty business deals?
Another hit and run buried under the rug?
Mom opens her mouth and says with her usual stoic expression, “The contents of your grandmother’s will was recently revealed. All her assets, money, and properties will go to one of her grandsons.”
“One of us?”
“The one who bears the first great-grandchild.”
A tight laugh chokes me. “What?”
“You might not have known, since I intentionally kept you boys from her, but your grandmother was a very harsh woman. Very unpleasant to live with.” Mom purses her lips as if she has a story she won’t tell anyone. “But in her old age, she began to have regrets. It led to her changing her will just before she died.”
“Gran died two years ago.”
“And the will was revealed only recently. I was sent a letter from her estate lawyer that outlined her last wishes.”
I lean forward, intrigued. “What did it say?”
“That your grandmother wanted to start fresh. Her dream was to gift her wealth to the generation furthest removed from her own.”
“The grandson who bears the first grandchild,” I murmur. “It’s unnecessarily competitive.”
“She was always fussy. I’m not surprised.”
Mom motions to me. “There’s more. If none of you have children, the inheritance will default to your father.”
“That’s B.S. You’re her daughter.”
Mom waves a hand as if she couldn’t be bothered. “I don’t need my mother’s assets to survive. Besides, I always knew that the money wouldn’t fall to me. Mother and I did not have a good relationship and it worsened when I married Jarod.”
She laughs softly. “I was honestly surprised when I heard she wanted to leave it all to someone in my family. I believed she would dispose it to charity, not out of goodwill but out of spite.”
“Dad doesn’t deserve it.” I glance at mom. “Is the only qualifier to have a baby? Because one of us can get that done in nine months flat.”
Mom smacks me in the back of the head. “This is exactly why I didn’t want to tell the three of you. You or Zane would be foolish enough to impregnate a poor girl just to piss off your father. Finn’s the only one who would stay out of trouble.”
“That’s not true,” I mumble, rubbing the back of my head. “Finn would find a loophole and adopt a kid so he could qualify in two months instead of one year.”
Mom slants me a death glare. “Even if you wanted to do such a preposterous thing, it’s not that simple. Your grandmother had a qualifier. Whoever inherits the property must be married first.”
Married.
A sudden revelation zings through my body.
“Did that condition apply to dad too?” I ask.
“It did.”
My eyes lock on hers. Gravity is pulling my body until it feels heavy enough to break through the floor.
“Mom, when did dad find out about the will?”
“The lawyer called him after he called me.”
“I want exact dates,” I press.
She tilts her head to the side, her mouth curving up in a knowing smile. Almost as if she’s proud of me. “I believe it was around the time when he got married to Marion.”
“What a coincidence.”
“A coincidence indeed.”
“And I guess it’s a coincidence that he decided to teach at Redwood Prep right around the time grandmother’s will takes effect.”
“Mm.” Mom slides a lazy finger over her pearl necklace. “Quite the coincidence.”
I grip the arm of my chair, glaring a hole into the ground. I should have known there was something bigger than the chairman seat motivating dad. His decision to teach at Redwood Prep and challenge Miller’s power was too random. Too sudden. Dad let Miller run the place for years while he sat back and silently controlled everything. Why threaten the throne now?
It all clicks into place.
The power moves.
The sudden interest in our lives.
The inheritance.
Dad wants us in his sight to make sure we won’t qualify.
Mom turns to me. “Zane is in love with that teacher, isn’t he?”
“You noticed?”
“He can’t take his eyes off her.”
“I thought he was getting better at hiding it.”
“Please.” Mom rolls her eyes. “There was a moment during dinner where that woman burned her tongue while eating. I thought Zane would climb on top of the table to help her. He was so entranced.” Mom pauses. “Your father must have noticed this too.”
I take a deep breath and shake my hands out. “You’re saying… even dad’s choice of a wife was because of the inheritance?”
“I’m saying, Dutch, that your father wants this money very much. Why? I don’t know. I only know that he’s making moves to prevent you boys from even thinking of getting your hands on it. And while I initially believed in keeping you in the dark so you can marry and bear children when you’re older and more settled, I’m troubled by the lengths he would go. It makes me wonder if there’s something he’s hiding. Something he wants to make sure we don’t know about.”
Dad’s secrets don’t mean anything to me. All that matters is thwarting his plan and making sure he never gets this money.
“How much time do we have?” I demand.
“You’re not thinking of doing anything foolish are you?”
“How much, mom?”
“To have a child, you need…”
“I know. Nine months.”
“The deadline is in twelve.”
Twelve months.
One year to get married and have a kid.
She sets her hands on my shoulders. “I don’t want you boys getting into the ring with Jarod. I don’t want any of you to get hurt.”
“We’re already hurt, mom. Look at what he did! He took Zane off the table by turning the woman he likes into his step-sister.”
She flinches. “Yes, perhaps that was uncalled for.”
“Finn isn’t the type to jump into marriage. That’s the only reason dad isn’t messing with him. So that leaves me.”
“What’s that look in your eyes?” She gasps. “You have someone you’re interested in?”
“I do.” I think of Cadey and my heart hammers in my ribs.
“Dutch.”
“Baby-making isn’t a problem.” Cadey wasn’t even thinking of condoms when she was grinding her hips on my lap today. “But I’d have to drag her down the aisle. She’d fight me tooth and nail every step too.”
“If it’s a fight, it means she’s not ready.”
“I’ll make her ready.”
Mom shakes her head. “Dutch, truly liking someone means you don’t force them.”
“So the answer is to let dad win?”
She pins her lips together. Quietly, she says, “It could be someone else. Someone more willing—”
“Whether I get married or not depends on her.” I spear my mother with a determined look. “It’s her or it’s nobody.”
