“To grab some breakfast and get some dirt on your aunt. It’s been an interesting morning.” I smile worriedly at him and hand over the bag.
“Dirt on my aunt?”
I shake my head and sit down next to him on the bed. “Yeah, I figured out why she hates me. She thought I knew something all these years, but I didn’t figure out what I knew until this morning.”
Bryan unwraps his bagel while I’m speaking and bites into it. His green gaze flicks up to mine. With his mouth full, he prompts me. “Well?”
I think about keeping her secret, but I feel no loyalty to her. Besides, Bryan won’t tell anyone. “She’s gay. I caught her with her lover in your mom’s kitchen this morning.”
His jaw drops and the piece of bagel falls out of his mouth and onto the bedspread. “No way.”
I nod and look down at the piece of food. “Shocked much?”
“Hell, yeah. She’s so demure and proper.” His nose scrunches at the thought of his aunt being sexually anything.
“And apparently she likes girls.”
Bryan blinks and smiles. “Well, that explains a lot of things.”
“Yeah, like why she’s still married and allows half-dressed whores to walk around her house.”
Bryan grins. “Of course, everyone likes a little eye candy.”
I bump his shoulder. “Bryan!”
“Come on, think about it. There’s been a mistress in that house since Jon was a baby. It’s the weirdest family I’ve ever seen. My mother wouldn’t have tolerated it. I’ve always wondered why Aunt Constance did.”
“Your dad doesn’t have a live-in whore?”
He tilts his head at me. “My dad doesn’t have time for it. He’s too busy making money to be bothered with relationships or buying ladies. But still, Aunt Connie likes the ladies. Who would have thought?” He shakes his head. “Then what the hell did I see the day we broke up?”
Good question. I sigh and have a pretty good idea of who to ask. I grin wolfishly. “Which room does Constance use when she’s here?”
Bryan looks confused and then his eyes widen. “Are you insane?”
“Only a little.” I laugh and almost pinch my fingers together.
Chapter 5
A few minutes later, I’m knocking on the door to the guest room. A snippy voice shouts, “How many times have I told you to—” when Constance’s lover opens the door, she looks shocked. “Oh, it’s you.”
Bryan is standing next to me. “Is this the same woman you saw when we were together?”
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure it’s her. I didn’t know they were a couple at the time.”
Constance, magically appears from behind and shoves us into the room, snapping, “How dare you waltz in here and act like this!” She’s livid. I can practically see the steam coming out of her ears. She gives her lover a look and the other woman disappears into another room within the suite.
“Aunt Connie,” Bryan begins, but she cuts him off.
“Constance, Bryan. For God’s sake, use the right name.” She pinches her brow and sits down hard on an absolutely beautiful round tuffet.
“Aunt Constance, I wouldn’t have looked down on you for this. Why didn’t you tell anyone? And why the hell did you break us up? Hallie didn’t even know.”
Constance’s eyes flick up and her gaze widens. “Of course she knew. She saw me with my arms around another woman. How could she not know?”
“I didn’t know. I assumed you were affectionate with your friends. I was interested in Bryan, not you.”
Bryan blinks slowly and I can tell he’s in pain. “Just tell me what I saw.”
Constance smiles and folds her hands on her lap like she’s posing for a picture. Socialite in a robe. It’s very dramatic and she looks like all she wants is world peace. She’s more fake than a plastic plant. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Cut the crap, Aunt Connie. I saw a girl at the park years ago. Jon said that she was Hallie, but I never saw her face because she was making out with someone. We broke up because Hallie cheated on me, but Hallie never cheated on me and has no idea what I’m talking about. Some other people seem to know about it, though, and I’m guessing you have every last detail.”
She sits there, confident. “I’m afraid not.”
“Then, I’m afraid I might forget about your little secret here and let it slip next time I see Mom and Dad.” Bryan takes my hand and we turn to leave, but Constance jumps up, blocking the door.
“Don’t you dare!”
“Then, tell me!” Bryan yells. “Tell me what you did! I deserve that. You stole my happiness by taking away the only woman I ever loved. I’m lucky to have her now. I need her, and you cost me years.” He says the last word like it pains him. Bryan grabs a dresser and inhales slowly, deeply. His face pinches together and, though it appears to be anger, I know it is pain. “Tell me.”
Constance sighs dramatically and throws up her hands. “Fine. It was your sister with some boy Jon knew. They set it up. Joselyn went to that dumpy Mandee’s store and bought a dress that resembled Hallie’s favorite. We’d seen her in it several times. Then Jon called you.”
Bryan shakes his head. “But her hair?”
“Wig.” She shrugs like it was no big deal. “The hair stylist was amazing. Jos looked like a replica from a distance. If you got too close, you would have noticed, but you didn’t so it all worked out.”
Bryan laughs bitterly and steps toward his aunt. “I haven’t told anyone this yet, but I want you to be the first to know. I’m dying, Aunt Connie. There’s not a fucking thing they can do to help me, and you took the only woman I’ve ever loved away from me to hide your own selfish secret. I don’t care who you fuck, and neither did Hallie. I never want to speak to you again. I never want to see your face again. I only have a handful of days left and I’m not wasting a single second more with you. Goodbye Aunt Connie.” He turns and holds out his elbow for me. It looks gallant, but that’s not why he does it. It’s because his strength has been sucked from his body. The confrontation stole it, funneling it away from him swiftly.
For once his aunt is silent. The door closes behind us and Bryan doesn’t look back.
Chapter 6
When Bryan returns to his room, he downs a few pills and does a couple of shots. His stomach is empty so it hits him hard. I take off my clothes and press my body to his. I want to hold him for a while. As he wraps his arms around me, pulling me close to his body, I can tell that he’s dropped a few pounds this week. Just after Bryan settles back into the bed, Sean bursts in.
Bryan is wearing a pair of jeans and only jeans. I’m not wearing anything, so I pull the sheet up, ready to beat Sean to a pulp if he picks a fight now. “You.” he says, lifting his hand and pointing a finger at Bryan.
Bryan just laughs and ignores him. “Get out, you crazy fucker.”
Sean works his jaw while folding his arms over his chest. “How do you know Victor Campone?”
Bryan’s smile fades. “What’s it to you? Besides, he’s dead.” He glances at me and I give Sean a look that says shut up, but he doesn’t.
“What the fuck is this? It’s not even nine in the morning and you’re already high? Who gave you this shit?” Sean is holding a bottle of pills.
Bryan gets up to fight, but I jump in front of him, clutching the sheet around me. “They’re mine. Give them back.”
Sean glares at me. “Yeah, why are you popping these? Life too hard, Princess?”
“Fuck off, Sean.” Bryan has a warning tone that says to drop it and get out.
“You two are going to end up dead! You’re the dumbest couple of assholes I’ve ever met.” Sean takes the bottle and starts to dump them down the drain. I scream no, and launch myself at him knocking the other half of the bottle onto the floor. White pills go flying everywhere.
“You don’t know everything!” I scream in his face. “So back off! Those weren’t from Victor. I’m not stupid and neither is Bryan.” I glare at Sean. Bryan doesn’t know about Victor and this idiot is spelling out the kind of trouble I’m in. Take a hint and shut the hell up!
Bryan’s gaze is burning holes into Sean’s chest. “Get out.” His voice is low and deadly.
Sean hisses, “Bryan, I swear to God, if you pull Jon down with you—”
“He won’t.” Constance’s voice is calm and even. She’s standing in the threshold and pushes her way into the room. She glances at her nephew and tells her son, “Come along. We have things to discuss.”
Sean’s wide sapphire eyes flick from me to Constance and back. “What the fuck?”
Constance seems somber. She snaps her fingers and points to the floor next to her. “Come, now. It’s not an option.”
Sean, irritated beyond words, growls, shoves past his mother and is gone without another word. That’s when she looks over at Bryan. “A team of specialists will come by later today. They’ve been paid to keep their silence.”
“It’s unnecessary.” Bryan replies and sits down hard on the edge of his bed.
“Perhaps, but let them look, just in case something was missed. Don’t give up hope until you breathe your last breath. Do you understand?” She looks down at him, and has her typical matriarch demeanor, but it’s stern, yet soft. When Bryan doesn’t answer she adds, “Cancer runs rampant in our family. This team of doctors are the best in the world. If you don’t want to humor me, at least let them look you over for Hallie.”
Bryan straightens and glares at her, “Don’t you dare.”
Constance smiles and it looks perfectly malicious. “I would never try to take you away from her. I owe you something for my error all those years ago. She can stay.”
“Write it.”
“What?” Constance blinks, looking stunned.
“Write it down and sign it. I want the notary here as well. After that’s done, you can tell whoever you want.”
“Just let the doctors look you over. Then this silly need for signatures and a notary aren’t needed.”
Bryan lifts a brow at her. “Do it. There’s something else you’ll want to know and I’m not saying a damn thing until the notary is here.”
Constance seems annoyed and then her gaze flicks to mine. “I keep my promises.”
“I wouldn’t know.” I reply coldly.
Bryan looks at Sean who stands behind his mother. He’s pieced everything together, I can see it on his face. Sean interrupts. “I’ll do it. Who else do you want here?”
“Jon and Jos.”
Sean nods once. “Done.” He leaves the room quickly, and although he didn’t react, I know the realization that his cousin will soon be gone struck him hard. It’s the way his shoulders stiffened and his jaw locked. The movements were minor, but I saw them all the same.
Chapter 7
“You can’t be serious?” Jos blinks and folds her slender arms over her chest. “You can’t do this. We’ll contest it. You know we will.”
Jon glances at Sean, but says nothing. Bryan is sitting up in bed and I’m next to him wearing a pair of his sweats.
His arm is around me, possessively, protectively. “I know, which is why I had this drawn up. Sign it.” Bryan has been holding an envelope. He lifts it, handing it to Jon. His cousin opens the letter and picks up a pen, scratching his name across the bottom before passing it to his mother.
Constance’s eyes flick over the letter and she shakes her head. “No, this is not how these things work. You can’t hand over your part of the estate to a stranger. Even if you married her, and you died, she still wouldn’t be given this amount of money. You’ve lost your senses, Bryan. I cannot sign this. I cannot promise you that I won’t contest this decision.”
Jon speaks firmly. “She’s not a stranger and she would have been his wife if we hadn’t meddled.”
His mother gives him a look that could kill a bear. “No, I’m not signing this. You’ve been ill for some time and your mental facilities have been compromised. No judge in his right mind would allow this will to stand. This is Ferro money, not hers.”
Sean has been standing next to Joselyn. He’s leaning against the wall, silent. Bryan’s sister keeps switching between denial and rapid blinking, as if she’s trying not to cry. “He’s not that sick. I’ve seen him every day. He’s been laughing!” As if that explained everything. She covers her mouth with her hand and rushes out of the room.
Bryan sighs loudly and nods at Sean. “Go get her.”
Sean rushes after Jos, closing the door behind him.
I had no idea what Bryan wanted, but now that I’m looking at it, I’m afraid to speak. He wants me to be his heir. Some of his things are part of the Ferro estate and this amount of money is more than I got for book sale and movie rights combined. I want to tell him I can’t take this, but he sees it in my eyes. Bryan strokes my cheek and says softly, “I want to take care of you, even after I’m gone. Hallie, let me. Please.”
“I love you, and you don’t have to prove a thing to me. Besides, I have enough money, even with Neil buying the house and spending most of my advance.” Ooops. I hadn’t told him that part, yet.
Bryan looks furious. He’s ready to jump out of bed. “That fucking son of a—”
Pulling his arm, I plead with him. “Stop! Bryan, you can’t fix everything and I don’t want you to. Time with you is so much more precious than trying to get that money back. Plus I have a huge ass house. I know I can take it from him if we went to court.”
Constance rolls her eyes. “Naivety is unbecoming, dear. How did you allow him to spend your entire fortune? Getting courts involved will create a public scandal, not to mention that it’s a waste of time and money.” She looks at Bryan, as if I proved her point. “See, Bryan? This is why you shouldn’t do it. New money always makes mistakes like this, and I won’t see the Ferro fortune frittered away with such irresponsibility. My final answer is no and no judge will uphold this will.” She turns on her heel to leave.
But Bryan pushes off the bed and pads across the room with that smile he always wears, the one that hides his pain. “Aunt Connie, you obviously didn’t read it.”
She stops and turns, looking him over like she can’t believe he’s so ill. “There’s no point. It won’t stand.”
His grin broadens as he asks Jon for the papers. Handing the will out to his aunt, Bryan says simply, “Read the date.”
She glances at him and then down at the papers that were shoved into her hands. Something changes in that second and his aunt stiffens. She stares at the will in disbelief as her lips mash into a thin line. When she glances up at Bryan, there’s fire burning in her eyes. “You went behind my back and did this, even after what you saw?”