36. Ryan
CHAPTER 36
Ryan
RYAN’S BIRTHDAY
A s I park in the same spot as I always did to see the trustees, I think about how different today feels.
Next to me is the woman of my dreams, even if she is fumbling anxiously with her seatbelt. I lean over and kiss her cheek, and her eyes pop up to mine. As I smile, I can see her relax and then unbuckle herself.
I extend my hand with my palm facing up, and she places her hand in mine.
“I’m the one who should be nervous,” I say, teasing her.
“I know. I can’t believe you seem so calm. You’re about to lose everything.”
“You don’t have to put it like that,” I say with a laugh.
“But it’s true. Maybe we should get married. Call Howard or Harold, whatever his name is, and delay this. We can do it now at City Hall.”
“Carina, I know a City Hall wedding isn’t what you want. It’s not what I want either.”
“It doesn’t matter how we get married. I just want to be with you,” she says.
“And I want to be with you too, but I’m not going to have you miss out on what you want because of some spiteful dead man. Besides, you never know what might happen in there today. My dad could be mean, and he definitely wasn’t a good father to Alex, but we had a lot of good times, too. Most of my memories with him are positive ones. Hopefully, this one will be too.”
She nods, but I can tell she’s still anxious.
“Carina, I know you had a rough time growing up, but I want you to know that none of what’s going to happen in there matters to me. We don’t need the money or the mansion, and I know you don’t care about that, but I want you to know that I don’t either. What matters to me is that I have my brother back in my life, and I have you. I finally have my spark. You light up my life in ways I never thought was possible.” I slide my hand into her hair and cup her face. “Today is a new beginning for us. We’re going to spend the rest of our lives together, and nothing will prevent that.” I lean over, kiss her lips, and she smiles. “I love you, Carina.”
“I love you too, Ryan.”
We step out of the car, and Alex’s limo pulls up and parks. An old man gets out of the driver’s seat and begins to head towards me while Alex gets out of the car.
A crooked grin forms on the old man’s face, and I realize it’s Reggie, my father’s old driver.
“Reggie? I had no idea you’ve been working for Alex,” I say.
Reggie’s face shows no emotion other than a crooked grin, but then he reaches me, holds his hand out, and pulls me in for a hug.
“Been a long time, sir.”
Carina steps over and hugs Reggie before looping her arm through his.
“You’re coming in too, right?” she asks.
“Oh, I wouldn’t miss this for the world,” he says.
Alex walks alongside me as we enter the building.
“Why didn’t you tell me you hired Reggie?” I ask.
“We haven’t spoken in five years, and that’s what you’re hung up on?” he laughs. “Besides, I didn’t even hire him. He hired himself for a position that didn’t exist. I had to buy a limo for him to drive. I don’t even pay him.”
“You don’t?”
“No. I tried to once things got better for me financially that I could afford to run a payroll, but he turned it down. Said he has more in life than he could ever imagine.” Alex shrugged. “He lives rent-free in the guesthouse, and I make sure he has everything he needs.
Caitlin is waiting as the elevator doors open.
“They’re waiting for you,” she says as we get out of the elevator.
We follow her down the familiar hall to the glass meeting room. Seated around the table are Abe, Harold, and the others. At one end of the room is a white movie screen.
“There’s no need for formalities, are there?” Harold asks.
“No, let’s just get this over with,” I say.
Harold nods, then waits for everyone to sit before pressing play.
The DVD player turns on, and shades automatically roll down over the glass windows. After a blip, my father appears on the screen, looking just as I remembered him before his death.
He grins at the camera and then sits down.
“Hi, I’m Thomas Stirling, and this is my last will and testament. Spoiler alert--if you’re watching this, then I’m already dead.”
A laugh escapes Carina who quickly covers her mouth as her eyes widen with embarrassment.
“I’m sorry,” she says.
“It’s alright. He would’ve loved that someone laughed at his joke,” Alex says.
“Let’s see here,” Thomas says. “If I know my boys, you’re both here, unmarried but successful businessmen. Both of you.” He shares a knowing grin before crossing his legs. “My old pals Harold, Abe, Levi, and the rest of you rich assholes.” He waves his hand dismissively, and the trustees chuckle. “And Reggie, you old goat. I always knew you’d outlive me.”
I turn to Reggie, surprised to hear Father mention him. Reggie nods in my direction but nothing more.
“So there’s no confusion,” Thomas says. “I arranged for a monthly stipend from the estate to continue paying Reggie until his death. I asked that he keep tabs on you, Alex because I wasn’t always the bastard you think I am.”
Alex hangs his head down, and Carina places her hand on his shoulder. He closes his hand over hers briefly before pulling away.
For a flash, I’m jealous, but it’s over just as quickly as it started. Carina loves me. That’s all that matters.
“But Alex, yes, I was a bastard to you for many years. And it wasn’t right,” Thomas says, his voice losing its humorous tone. “I’m going to say something to you I should’ve said years ago. Something my father never said to me.” He pauses and clears his throat. “I’m sorry for how I treated you. There’s no excuse for it. I was always very proud of you.”
Thomas takes a long breath, then rubs his chin, before cracking the knuckles on his left hand.
“Don’t be me,” he says. “If either of you get married and have children one day, be a better father than I was to you. I know that’ll be an easy task, I wasn’t great. It’s no excuse, but it’s easy to become your parent, even if you hate them. Looking back, I see it now. There’s a reason you never met that sonofabitch who was your grandfather. The last thing I wanted was to be like him, but that’s exactly what I ended up doing.”
He leans forward in his chair, runs his fingers through his stiff grey hair, and then rests his elbows on his knees, just like Alex is sitting.
“My boys,” he says, then starts shaking his head. “It’s always amazed me how brilliant you both are but stupid at the same time. My father said the same thing to me about myself in his own will, but I wasn’t old enough then to appreciate it. He might’ve just been having the last word, though.”
He leans back in his chair and looks directly at the camera.
“Alex, when my father died, his will stated I would not receive any portion of his inheritance. I know you know the feeling that comes with that.”
Alex nods his head.
“What I failed to explain is something neither of you knew before. It wasn’t a secret, but it was something that I never cared to talk about, so I didn’t. As you know, our family home is a huge stone mansion, the same one you grew up in.
“Neither of you ever questioned why a plumber lived in such an extravagant home. Maybe you thought everyone had their own castle.” He laughs. “You know the home was passed down generation after generation. What you didn’t know is that my father didn’t leave me anything when he died either. Eventually, I got the house, but it was in such poor shape that it didn’t amount to much. It was probably worth more torn down, but I couldn’t do that either.”
“I digress, though. My father disowned me so I would make my own way and choose what I wanted to do. So I wouldn’t choose what was easiest for me. And that’s what I’m hoping I did for you, Alex.
“I have no doubt in my mind that you are a successful businessman right now, Alex. And while some might say I’m narcissistic, you do owe your success to me.
“You wouldn’t be where you are right now if you hadn’t lost everything. Just like I wouldn’t have grown a successful plumbing business. I know you didn’t want to be a plumber. That’s why I pushed you away. I knew if I didn’t, you would continue doing a job you didn’t care about. I might’ve gone about it the wrong way, but I wanted you to be happy.”
Thomas clears his throat and then crosses his legs again.
“But I know I owe you an apology for more than just that. I was a shit to you. You both lost your mother, and all I could think about was how I lost the love of my life. I hope you never forget how special she was. She had such a spark.” He turns away from the camera and wipes at his face before clearing his throat again. “I would look at you boys, and each and every time, all I saw was her. Especially you, Alex. Whenever I saw you, I felt like my heart was breaking from her death all over again.”
He sighs and is quiet.
“Your mother would’ve never forgiven me for how I treated you. She would have left me if she was alive to see me keep the two of you apart. But I had my reasons. I had to cut your ties after my death so both of you could achieve the level I saw in you. So while you, Alex, needed that push out of the nest, you, Ryan, needed that countdown for you to get anything done because you throw yourself into your day-to-day and don’t make room for anything else.”
Thomas shakes his head and then laughs.
“There’s so much out there for you to enjoy, boys. Including love.” He smiles wistfully, and his body seems to relax as he closes his eyes. A smile slowly spreads across his lips. “I lost my best friend so many years ago. I’m looking forward to seeing her again. Assuming we both end up in the same place.”
He laughs but then is lost in his thoughts.
“I really miss her, you know. I’m sure you do, too. And yes, seeing her blue eyes looking back at me from your face, Alex, was torture at times, but it’s no excuse for my behavior.”
He coughs and then grabs a tissue and spits into it.
“I’m pretty sure this is payment for how badly I treated the two of you.” He nods his head as he coughs again. “I deserve it.”
“Now, about that will. I’m sure it’ll come as no surprise that Ryan will lose half of his inheritance. I’ll let you two figure out the split with Harold. My only request is that Ryan take my place at the round table. Give ‘em hell, my boy. They need some fresh blood in the group. I love you boys. Both of you.”
He begins coughing again and reaches for another tissue before stopping the recording.
Harold stands and turns on the lights.
“I miss that old prick,” he says.