“She did.Leah was very certain about this and I have a feeling everything will be explained in the letter.I can hand everything over to you once you sign the paperwork,” Mr.Vanguard responds with a gentle smile on his face.
I sign the paperwork in a daze.The second everything is signed, Mr.Vanguard hands over a large manilla envelope.When he stands, Judge follows his move and shakes his hand before helping me up.I’m in shock and need some time to process what just happened.Mr.Vanguard walks us out to the entrance and I finally thank him before shaking his hand.He tells me to call if I have any questions and he’ll help me the best he can.That he’s really sorry about Leah and she was a true friend of his wife and him.
Judge helps me get back in the SUV once we’re outside.Tristan and Zach look to me with curious eyes and I simply shake my head no because now is not the time to talk to them about what’s going on.I need to process the fact that I’m now a millionaire with multiple properties to my name.Including one in Italy.Our ride back to her apartment is silent.
“Why don’t you two go grab us some lunch?”Judge asks Zach and Tristan when he pulls back up to the apartment.“Wren hasn’t had a milkshake yet today and I’m sure she could use one about now.And fries with gravy.”
“We’re on it,” Tristan says as Judge gets out and leaves the SUV running.
Judge helps me up to the apartment and locks the door behind us.I take a seat on the couch and lay the envelope in my lap.
“Is this real, Braydon?”I ask Judge when he sits down next to me.
“It is.I told you Leah loved you, Little Bird.Take your time and go through all of this when you feel you’re ready.It’s not gonna go anywhere.Then, when you know what you’re dealin’ with, you can start makin’ decisions about what you wanna do with everythin’.For now, get some rest while Tristan and Zach go grab us some lunch,” he answers while grabbing the throw blanket off the back of the couch, removes the envelope from my lap, and covers me with the blanket.For me, being covered is more of a comfort thing instead of keeping me warm since it’s already hot outside.Judge holds me close once I’m wrapped in the blanket.
“I want a milkshake,” I say as Judge starts laughing.
“Already told them that.Along with fries and gravy.Anythin’ else you want?”Judge asks me because he knows I’ve been having a lot of cravings over the last week.
“A hot fudge sundae with extra hot fudge and some of that peanut butter topping stuff added to it.If they go to the ice cream shop in town, they know exactly what I’m talking about because I have it there.Maybe a bacon cheeseburger with extra bacon, mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato, and ketchup.Nothing else on it.I think I’d also like some cheesecake for later.That sounds really good right now,” I say before burying my head in Judge’s chest and he holds me tighter.
Judge grabs his phone and I listen to him type a message.I’m guessing he’s sending out my updated order to Tristan and Zach.My eyes land on the envelope Judge removed from my lap and it feels as if it’s burning a hole in the table.Leah’s letter is in there and I know I should read it now while I’m already upset.It’s the last thing I have of hers and I don’t want to pull it out right now.I don’t want to read the words she wrote me at some point before taking her last breath.No matter when I decide to read Leah’s letter, I know Judge will be there to hold me as I sob before slowly starting to put the pieces of my shattered heart back in place the best he can.Judge grabs the remote from the end table and puts a movie on as we wait for our lunch to be brought back.I’m exhausted, but I know I won’t be able to sleep because it feels as if so much is weighing heavily on me.Learning of everything Leah left me has sent my head spinning because it’s the last thing I expected to hear when we walked in that lawyer’s office today.For now, I simply let Judge hold me in his arms and relax the best I can.
Chapter Thirty
Judge
ONE MONTH.THAT’S howlong it’s been since the day Wren met with Mr.Vanguard and learned her life changed in ways she never imagined.We discovered she wasn’t just left the fifty million dollars and properties as part of Leah’s estate.There was also an account with a few million dollars in it to deal with the checklist Leah left Wren in regard to the diner.She wanted Wren to completely remodel the place and make it her own.So, that’s what we’ve been doing for the last month.We’ve had construction crews in the place around the clock to meet the deadline Wren set for a grand reopening.Today would have been Leah’s birthday and it seems fitting for a new beginning to the place Wren first met Leah.Even going all out and having multiple construction crews on sight around the clock, the money in the diner account was barely touched.Wren is at a loss about what to do with the rest of the money other than hold it for any kind of emergency or something like that.
A lot of shit has changed with all of us over the last month.Fury and I buried the beef between the two of us completely and are now back to how we were before all of this shit happened.I’m happy as fuck because I missed my best friend and the friendship we had before.Losing Fury only deepened the void in my life and I don’t ever want that shit to happen again for any reason.It’s also a good thing we fixed our friendship because he spends all of his free time with Wren so I spend every day with Fury.Not that we didn’t before.The only difference is we now spend more time away from the clubhouse.Every single member has had a hand in the remodel of the diner.
My brothers, Gramps, and the rest of the family went home a few days after the will reading.Wren shed tears when they left and promised to talk to them all on a regular basis so they’re all kept up to date with the pregnancy.Gramps bought us two cribs and rocking chairs for the nursery before leaving to go home.Yes, Wren cried when he gave them to us and she gave Gramps the largest hug he’s ever accepted from anyone else.I could see the bond between the two of them clearly as he held her tight and let her cry in his arms.Death and Talon reminded me to treat Wren like a queen or they’d be back to kick my ass before moving her to Braedon with them.I already know she’d move there but I won’t give them a chance to take her from me.Wren is mine and it’s time everyone knows that.
The relationship between Wren and I is going so much better than I thought it would.We’re both busy and have lives of our own.While we spend time together every single day, it doesn’t mean we’re constantly up one another’s ass.I have time for club business and working at Whittaker’s while she’s overseeing everything going on at the diner.I go to her appointments with her for the twins and we got to see them in an ultrasound again.This time I heard their heartbeats and we got to learn the gender.Little Bird was right, we’re having twin boys.Our only argument so far has been what to name them.Wren and I can’t agree on names at all.Fury and the rest of the guys have laughed their asses off at us every single day because of our arguments and the insane names we’ve both thrown out to each other.I’ll fully admit that some of the ones I’ve said were simply to make Wren laugh and absolutely ridiculous.
Now, today is the day Wren has been waiting for.We’re all heading for the grand opening of the newly improved diner.Wren even renamed it because Leah gave her permission to.After much thought and debate, Wren decided to name it Leah’s Comfort Food.Leah loved the diner so much and rarely left the place.She used to make all sorts of food and had some kind of sixth sense about when people needed good old comfort food so she’d make it instead of serving something else from the menu.Wren and I stayed in the apartment last night because she was worried about being late or something happening before we could get to town.