“Things like that still go on?” one of the guys asked. My mind was too busy rolling the information around to verify who.
“Yes, more than you think,” Atticus said, acknowledging whoever asked. “The only one with any inheritance remaining was a great, great grandmother. When she died, she left it in her will to set up a trust for her future descendants. It listed you and any children you had as the trustees. It is my belief that your mother hoped to gain access to this through you or even the birth of your child. That is the detail I’m not positive about when it all started with her and Brian, but somewhere along the way, he became aware of it and part of the plan. In my opinion, maybe he wanted a divorce sooner, or to not marry you at all, but your mother promised him something if he did and produced an heir. The past few years, your mother has been reckless with her finances and has gotten herself in trouble. She put a lot of her stock into the um,” he paused, his eyes flicking over to Wells. “Into a stock that crashed.”
“Fuck,” Wells hissed, and I turned to him, curious how it connected, but also not caring. Whatever his part was, I didn’t blame him. That much I knew to be true.
“Whatever it is, it doesn’t matter, Wells. It sounds like she made a choice on her own. That’s on her, not you.” He nodded, but I could see some guilt there. Atticus squeezed my hand, pulling me back.
“She lost a lot of the wealth she’d gained since marrying your father, and panicked. She started using other avenues to gain it back. These have all failed as well, and she’s gotten herself into a hole now that she can’t get out of without something significant happening. I believe she hid it from your father, but he’s now aware. There’s a lien against their home, most of the clubs they belonged to have banned them after declined payments, and some of their possessions have been repossessed. This trust you have the right to is her last hope of getting out of debt. That’s why she’s been so desperate. I believe that the thing other than Barkley they had to bribe you with is your ovum.”
“But how? And that’s what you meant the other night at the benefit? Why she left so quickly?”
He nodded. “This is where I’m not sure of the sequence of events, whether it had been planned or a happy circumstance she took advantage of. When the doctor told your mother about the risks of the delivery and the test results, she was given a choice. Apparently, she had power of attorney over you for all medical procedures.”
“What?” I gasped, jerking back at the information. It shocked me so hard, I reared back, bumping into the body behind me. Sax’s hands landed on my hips, and his nose and mouth made their appearance on my neck. It was the grounding I needed to not lose my shit. When I opened my eyes, Atticus continued.
“It was in the paperwork I found today. I’m guessing Brian had you sign something when you weren’t aware. Still, she had the authority to make decisions for you and requested they perform a transvaginal aspiration to retrieve the healthy eggs directly following labor. You wouldn’t have known as you were focused on the nurses and the doctors already working on closing you up. It wouldn’t produce a scar either, leaving you clueless. When you woke up the next day, your grief was so heavy, you would’ve believed anything they told you.” His voice was soft, trying to, for once, soften his tone in consideration for my feelings. It didn’t matter; everything he said was accurate. My grief had consumed me, and I hadn’t thought I needed to guard myself from them. I never would’ve believed my husband or mother would lie to me.
“Which brings it back to whether it had always been planned as a means of blackmail, or if it was bribery in a last-ditch effort to gain control of the trust.”
“Anyone else feel like they’ve just stepped into an episode of the Rich and Famous?” Nicco joked. “Shit like this actually happens? Though, what can I say, I’m apparently a surprise heir to a potentially not-dead father, so I guess shit like this does happen. Huh. Perspective is a weird thing.”
I turned to look at him, my face breaking into a smile at his nonsensical babble. He was sitting back in the chair, his ankle crossed over his leg in much the same way Atticus did often. Nicco had a contemplative look on his face, and for some reason, it pulled me from the cliff I was about to dive off. I slowly looked around at the men gathered here, realizing we all had things we’d carried, and the knowledge of that made me feel not as alone.
Nicco had just discovered he wasn’t an only child, and his father might’ve killed his mother.
Monroe had gotten his son, but still had to deal with his ex-wife and if co-parenting would be possible.
Wells carried so much shame for his choices; it blanketed him and made him push others away.
Atticus carried the weight of protecting everyone on his shoulder, never allowing himself any happiness.
And Sax, he had something buried so deep, I worried if he didn’t talk about it soon, it would swallow him.
None of us were perfect, and we all had our own crazy shit, as Nicco put it, but we weren’t alone, and that made me feel like nothing was impossible.
“What I want to know then,” I started, everyone’s attention on me, “how do I gain access to the trust and my eggs, and how are we,” I emphasized, “going to handle Jacqueline and Brian?”
“We?” Wells asked, a smile on his face as he absently patted Fort.
“Yes, we. I know you all don’t necessarily know one another or hang out watching sports or whatever guys do. And I know that some of you,” I teased, looking at Atticus, “have to squint to ignore the other guys I’ve found myself attached to. But we are a we, and it means everything to me that you’re all here for me. I honestly have never felt this way about people before, which only confirms what I said the other night. So, yes, what are we going to do?”
They all smiled at me, and I felt it through my entire body. This unconventional relationship would work because we would make it. I didn’t care what others thought. I’d already lived that life, and it had been lonely and miserable. If people wanted to talk about me, point fingers, and call me names, so be it. I’d be too busy having mind-blowing orgasms to give a shit.
“The best way to get back at your mother and ex-husband is to hit them where it will hurt. It won’t be enough to take what is yours. You need to make a point, an example of them in a way that will matter to them,” Monroe said, meeting my eyes.
“That’s an excellent point.”
“I might have a suggestion that not only solves your problem but also could set the stage to get Cami back.”
“I’m listening.” I waited for Atticus to speak, but he looked at Monroe first.
“Mr. Miller, I believe it’s only fair that you understand the possible consequences of your choice. But I can guarantee that I would never let anything happen to your son, and in fact, by joining with us, I could help you more if you allowed it. You can verify with Mr. Young how authentic my word is.”
I held my breath, having not considered this. Of course, it would be bad for Monroe to be connected to the mafia. I hadn’t told him anything yet, and a small part of me was probably scared he’d leave, and I would have to let him go, knowing it was the best choice for him and Levi. He held Atticus’ gaze for a while before looking over at me and then Wells before returning to Atticus.
“I appreciate the honesty, Mr. Masters, and I do believe you are true to your word. I’m not naive, nor am I a stranger to the darker parts of this city, despite my outer appearance. I pride myself on making the best choices for my son and myself. And well, being with Loren and Wells is the best choice I can make. That will never not be the right decision. You have changed Wells' life, and for that, I’m grateful. You’ve also helped Loren and me more than most people. So, while I can assume you’re not just a restaurateur, I can accept it as an acceptable risk because the rewards are worth it. They are,” he finished, looking between Wells and me, officially making my heart swell with love for him.
“Then I’d like to first tell you my last name isn’t Masters, but Mascro, and I’m the current boss of the Mascro crime family.” As Atticus conveyed his story to Monroe, I leaned back into Sax, rubbing my hands up his arms. Sax had given me so much in our time that now I wanted to make sure he knew I was there for him too.