Chapter 27
Elliot
Putting the Pieces Together
“Hit me.” Fletcher slaps the table as Rhonan flips over another card, making his hand total twenty-one. “Hell yeah!”
“Nice,” I say before debating what I’m going to do with my hand. I’ve currently got fifteen in front of me, and even though I know the chances of busting are high, my gut tells me to take the hit. “All right, Rhonan. Be nice and give me a six, will ya?”
Rhonan smirks as he flips over my card and I practically leap out of my chair when the six of spades is revealed. “Fuck yes!”
Henley laughs on my left. “You’re acting like we’re actually betting real money tonight.”
“Hey, a win is a win.” Reaching out in front of me, I slide the chips I won into my stack as Henley chooses to stay with his hand, beating the dealer as Rhonan busts.
“So, not to put a damper on the high of winning, but…” Rhonan slides the deck of cards to the side and pulls out a few folded papers from his back pocket, tossing it onto the table in front of me. “My private investigator came through a little early.”
My eyes land on the papers. “No shit.”
“Yeah, and I haven’t looked at them, just so you know. But if you want to, I figured we could help you put all of the pieces of your problem together.”
My gaze drifts around the table at my three best friends. “The only thing I ask is that no matter how pissed off I’m about to get, you don’t let me contemplate murder or harm to anyone because I work in the legal system, and the last thing I want to do is see the inside of a prison.”
Fletcher nods. “Will do.”
Sighing, I reach for the papers, unfold them, and lay them out flat as my eyes drift over the pages, one by one.
There are so many numbers, addresses, and bank statements, page after page that it starts to become overwhelming, until I arrive at the copy of my grandfather’s will—the one I saw in my father’s office.
“The will,” I say out loud, pulling the paper from the stack and bringing it closer to my face as my eyes scan the words. It’s the beneficiary part that catches my eye. “Holy shit.”
“What does it say?” Rhonan asks, leaning forward in his chair.
When I lift my eyes and glance around to my friends, it takes me a minute to form words. “My grandfather left me an inheritance that I knew nothing about.”
“Shit. Really?” Henley asks.
“Yup.” Tossing the paper onto the table so that they can all see it for themselves, I continue, “But I don’t stand to inherit it until I’m married.”
Silence descends upon the four of us.
“Wait.” Fletcher finally speaks. “You never knew about this?”
“Nope.” I stand from my chair, needing to move to help the adrenaline course through me. My heart is slamming against my sternum, and I can feel the anger boiling just beneath the surface. “Which would explain why my father has been so hell-bent on me getting married.”
“But how does that serve him?” Henley asks.
Rhonan clears his throat. “Because the new version of the will that Elliot saw at the reading never mentioned this, which means that his dad could have the money distributed to a private account after providing proof of a marriage license, and Elliot would have never known that he was supposed to be the recipient of it.”
Fletcher blows out a breath. “Holy shit.”
“Why would your dad do something like that?” Henley asks. “I mean, I know you two haven’t always seen eye to eye, but to scam your own son out of money?”
“Not just a little money,” Rhonan interjects. “Millions.” He slides one of the papers across the table toward Henley as I glance down at the paper over his shoulder. “Fifteen million and some change to be exact.”
“That son of a bitch,” I mutter under my breath, picking up the bank statement and studying every digit on the page.
My grandfather was smart with his money and had multiple investment accounts.
I just assumed he and my grandma cashed them out and used them to travel when they were still alive, but I guess I was wrong.
“And I bet that past-due bill I saw in his office is part of why he wants—no, needs this money.”
Rhonan hands me another paper. “Yeah, seems your dear old dad has been mismanaging funds in the practice for years, and now he’s in some hot water.”
“But where does Tori fit in with all of this?” Fletcher asks. “That’s the part that doesn’t make sense to me.”
“She and my dad probably made a deal that if she could get me to marry her, she’d get a cut,” I say through clenched teeth.
Fletcher shakes his head. “But why would she need money? And more importantly, she ran off with her boss, remember? Where the hell does he fit into all of this?”
Rhonan keeps looking through papers until he lands on one that keeps his attention much longer than the others. “Tori is in debt too, it seems.” He hands me the paper so I can see her financial statements.
“One of her credit cards has over a $100,000 balance on it.” Then my eyes land on a pertinent detail. “And her boss is an authorized user on the account.”
Henley leans back in his chair. “Do you think she was actually in love with him and that’s why she didn’t go through with the wedding? Or, is there something else going on there too?”
“The fuck if I know, but hell…” Blowing out a breath, I push a hand through my hair and start to pace again.
“This is all starting to make so much more sense. But the will?” I shake my head.
“I remember when my grandpa died, my dad was angry that he wasn’t left more.
Maybe this was his way of making sure he got what he felt he was entitled to? ”
Rhonan nods. “Makes sense.”
“But for your own dad to be that envious of you,” Henley starts just as Fletcher raises his hand.
“Uh, the idea isn’t that far-fetched, remember?” Pointing to his chest, he says, “My father fucking hit me because he was jealous of my talent and ability to play a game that he couldn’t any longer.”
Henley nods. “Touche.”
Rhonan blows out a breath before peering up at me. “So, what are you going to do, Elliot?”
“Part of me wants to drive over to his house and give him a piece of my fucking mind right now, but…”
Fletcher clears his throat. “Trust me. Reacting out of anger isn’t going to get you what you want.”
I meet his eyes. “I know. Plus, Dilynne and I leave for Motorlux in two days. I can’t do anything to risk not being there with her.”
Henley and I look at each other at the same time. “Good to know you’re thinking clearly here.”
“Trust me, Henley. My mind is fucking clear for the first time in a long time…about a lot of things.” I didn’t intend on talking to Henley about me and Dilynne quite yet, but after last night in the shop, I would feel wrong pushing her for more without her brother knowing that my intentions are in the right place.
“Such as?” Henley quips.
“I think you know.”
Fletcher clears his throat. “Maybe you two should talk outside?”
Rhonan stands and slaps me on the shoulder. “Definitely. Fletcher and I will just hang out in here until you’re done.”
Henley stands but keeps his eyes locked on mine. “Probably a good idea we talk away from the gossip twins.”
Laughing, I head for the front door of Rhonan’s house, exiting as Henley follows my lead. When I turn around to face him, all I can see on his face is curiosity. “Look, I know you haven’t exactly been a fan of me and your sister pretending to be engaged…”
“That’s right.”
“But I need you to know something.”
“Okay…”
I’ve thought about how to broach this topic with him several times before now, but in this moment, all of the eloquent words I’ve conjured up are escaping me. “I’m uh…sort of in love with your sister.”
His brows lift. “Sort of?”
I push a hand through my hair. “No. Definitely. I—I’m definitely in love with her.”
Henley’s eyes narrow. “For how long?”
“Honestly, I don’t even know. Part of me knows it didn’t start getting real for me until about six months ago. But Henley…back when we were teenagers? I—I had a thing for her too. But we made that fucking pact, and I…”
Crossing his arms over his chest, he widens his stance. “So why haven’t you said anything until now?”
“Once she started hating me, I just shoved the thought of something more with her down where I never had to confront it.” I shake my head.
“And look at how I used to feel about relationships, Henley. The truth is, it doesn’t matter how long I’ve felt something for her because what matters now is that I finally feel like a man who deserves her.
And she’s the reason I can say that.” He continues to stare at me.
“She checked on me regularly after Tori left, man. For a year. It annoyed the shit out of me, but deep down, I appreciated it. It let me see this side of her that cares for others. And now? Well, I guess I just want you to know that I want to care for her too.”
I’m telling Henley more than I’ve said to Dilynne right now, but he’s one of my best friends and knows me for all of my faults. The only way I can get him to believe my sincerity is by giving him the whole truth.
“That’s a pretty bold statement,” Henley says just as we hear a sound of something knocking on glass. Both of us twist toward the house where we see Rhonan and Fletcher pushing each other behind the front window through the blinds.
“Move out of the way, fucker. I can’t see,” Fletcher mutters.
“There’s plenty of room on that side,” Rhonan fires back.
“I can’t see Elliot’s face from that side.”
“Well, that’s your problem.”
“You know we can fucking hear you!” Henley barks out as the two figures in the window freeze and slowly back away. He turns back to me and shakes his head. “Fucking idiots.”
“Hey, cut them some slack. They’ve sort of been helping me process this shift I’ve been feeling toward your sister. They’re just as invested as I am.”
His right brow lifts. “Oh. So our other two best friends have known about your feelings, but I haven’t?”
I throw up one of my hands. “Can you fucking blame me, Henley? All I knew is that I didn’t want to have this conversation with you until I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that I was willing to risk our friendship for Dilynne.”
“And that’s how you feel?”
Straightening my spine, I reply, “Yes. Being with her these past five weeks has cleared the fog from my mind. She’s incredible, selfless, smart, and fucking gorgeous. And I know now why she’s hated me all these years.”
“You’re sure this isn’t just about getting back at Tori?”
“Fuck no. If anything, being with her has made me realize that what I thought was love with Tori was a fucking joke. Love isn’t one-sided.
It’s two people showing every facet of themselves to someone else and asking for acceptance.
It’s the good, the bad, and everything in between.
Dilynne is who I want, and this would be easier if you could support us.
But if you can’t? Well… It’s not going to change how I feel. ”
He stands there, staring at me for so long, I’m wondering if I said enough. Words don’t mean as much as actions. But part of me knows that without Henley’s support, being with Dilynne isn’t going to be easy.
Hell. Nothing in life worth having ever is though, right?
“I’m not going to lie and tell you that the idea of the two of you together doesn’t make me want to pluck my eyes out of my head,” he finally says as my pulse pounds. “But Elliot? If there’s someone out there that I think can love my sister for exactly who she is, it’s you.”
My shoulders fall as I let out a sigh of relief.
“But if you fucking hurt her, I won’t hesitate to kick your ass. She will always come before our friendship.”
“I know. Like I said, I am willing to risk our friendship to be with her.”
“Exactly. And that’s why I can confidently give you my support because that’s how it should be. She should always come first.”
I reach out my hand to shake his, but when he slides his hand into mine, he pulls me in for a hug instead, back slapping included.
When he releases me, he chuckles. “Does she know how you feel yet?”
“Not entirely because you know how high her walls are. I’ve just been focused on trying to break them down over the past few weeks.”
“You need to tell her.”
“I’m going to, after Motorlux.”
He nods. “Probably smart. Her anxiety always gets the best of her before a show.”
“I’m learning that. Plus, I know the whole Vinnie thing is still in the back of her mind, so right now I just want to make her feel more at ease about that.”
The corner of his mouth lifts. “You’re a good man, Elliot.”
“Right back at you, Henley.”
He shakes his head. “I wasn’t until I met Elodie.” His words are clear and certain, resting between us like gospel.
“I understand that entirely. The right woman changes everything, doesn’t she?”
He nods. “Abso-fucking-lutely.”
On my drive home from Rhonan’s house, something dawns on me, so I make a phone call that might help me put more pieces of my life together.
“Elliot?” Tori answers after the first ring.
“Yeah. It’s me.”
“Um, hi. What…how…”
“I’m ready to talk, Tori,” I say, knowing that I can’t talk to my father yet, but perhaps his accomplice has some information that will help me make sense of this entire situation.