It’s only then that I look at Meadow again. She has a self-satisfied look on her face which is kind of adorable.
She lets out a sigh, “I should have come here earlier. It’s clear you haven’t been taking care of yourself.”
The side-eye she gives me is epic. If she wasn’t her, I might be scared. Instead of fear, warmth spreads through my chest. There’s nothing quite like being cared for.
“I’ve been struggling,” I admit, even though I hate how true it is.
“Youknow,” her voice is gentle and sounds like a lullaby to me, “if you ever want to talk about it, I’m willing to listen.”
I nod, but I can’t quite make myself look into her eyes. As I eat, the words are swirling around in my head.
It would be better to keep them to myself. I know it. The last person I should burden is Meadow.
She’s a client.
I finish off my slices and drink half of the soda. Then it’s as if something unlocks inside of my chest.
“I met with my grandpa’s lawyer,” the words start to tumble out of me. “I learned a lot while I was there. I’m getting a lot of money, but I’m not getting the farm.”
“What?” Meadow gasps the question and when I glance at her, the shock on her face is easy to see.
“At least,” I pause and wince, “not yet.”
“What does that mean? Are there some stipulations for the farm being transferred over?”
“Ownership will be transferred in a year to the youngest blood relative, but they have to be married.”
The words land like a bomb between us and when I look at her, she’s blinking her blue eyes at me while her mouth opens and closes. Yeah, I can totally understand her reaction.
What I’ve just said sounds ridiculous. Because it is.
But it’s also my life.
CHAPTER 5
MEADOW
I almost stick my fingers in my ears to check for some sort of obstruction. Because there is no way I heard Rook correctly. Did he really tell me he has to be married to gain his full inheritance?
And he has a year to get married.
“Do you have any other blood relatives?” The question slips past my lips before I can stop it. “You don’t have to answer that,” I’m quick to add, “it’s really none of my business.”
“The only one left is my dad,” his voice is so small, his words barely reaching me. “He is married.”
Iopen my mouth, but then snap it closed. He doesn’t owe me answers to questions I have no business asking. This is the longest we’ve held a conversation that isn’t about work since the first time we met.
It would be a better idea to ease him into my level of curiosity.
His brown eyes find mine and I can see the pain there, but I suspect it has nothing to do with grief this time. I have to squeeze my hands into fists to stop myself from reaching for him.
“He’s not a good guy,” there’s steel in Rook’s voice this time. “He would take my family’s legacy and sell it off piece by piece. He never respected his parents and the farm. He turned his back on both before I was even born.” He huffs out a laugh that contains zero trace of amusement. “I never even knew my mother, but heard she was some drug addict that my father got mixed up with and got pregnant. I was less than a year old when he brought me here and handed me over to my grandparents.” His eyes slide closed, as if the action could help protect him from his past. “They didn’t even know I existed until he showed up. He left me here and while I could be bitter about it, it was the best decision he’s ever made.”
“I’m glad you were given a home where you were shown love, support, and given a legacy that matters,” my voice is small, but the words still land with force.
He nods and his voice cracks slightly as he starts to speak, “The best thing my father ever did for me was leave me with my grandparents. I can’t even imagine what my life would have been like if he hadn’t done it. I would say it was self-less, that he did it for me, but he did it for himself because he didn’t want the responsibility of having a child.”
“His reasons don’t matter,” my voice is hard and firm. “The end result is what matters. You grew up in a loving, stable home. He may not have intended to make your life better, only his own, but you benefitted more than he’ll ever understand.”