I grin. “Congratulations, Daddy.”
Rowan chokes on his inhale.
Declan’s eyes narrow. “Call me that again and I won’t hesitate to rip your tongue out and mount it behind my new desk like artwork.”
Rowan’s eyes bounce between us two. “Does anyone want to fill me in on what’s happening?”
Declan pulls out his wallet and hands Rowan a photo of the sonogram. “Here.”
“Holy shit. You’re going to be a dad.” Rowan traces the circle. “It looks like a jellybean.”
“Say hello to your nephew.” Declan preens like a peacock showing off its feathers. It’s the most un-Declan-like behavior I have seen, which only makes me laugh.
“Could be a girl,” I tease.
Declan taps his chest. “I have a good intuition, and my gut tells me it’s a boy.”
Rowan’s eyes roll. “And if it is a girl?”
“I already have a heart doctor on speed dial and every police captain in Chicago under my payroll to arrest anyone who steps within six feet of her.”
“You can’t arrest every guy or girl they’re interested in,” I say.
He swipes the photo out of Rowan’s hands while glaring at me. “Watch me.”
My car is packed and I’m ready to head back to Lake Wisteria when I receive a call from Leo asking me to come to his office for an emergency meeting. Before taking off in the direction of Leo’s office across town, I text Lana to let her know that something came up and I’m not sure if I will make it home tonight.
I spend the entire drive fidgeting from anxiety. When I enter his office, my nervousness is only amplified as I find my brothers staring my father down from opposite sides of the sitting area.
Leo sits behind his desk with a neutral expression. “Callahan. Please take a seat.”
He motions to the only empty spot available beside my father. I sit down, practically hugging the edge of the leather couch to avoid him.
“I’m glad you all were available tonight to meet with me.” Leo opens a file.
Like we had any other option.
“What is all this about?” My father’s voice hints at his building temper.
“I was asked to read one last letter from Brady.”
“Another letter?” Rowan sits up.
Leo tips his head in confirmation. “This one was addressed to the four of you.”
Declan remains quiet, his gaze glued to Leo pulling out the letter from an envelope.
“To my family,” Leo begins. “A man’s legacy shouldn’t be determined by how much money he made or how successful he was, but rather by the memory he left behind and the way he made people feel.” Leo pauses to look up from the letter.
“What?” Declan grunts.
“Sorry. Your grandfather noted that I should pause for dramatic effect.”
I explode with laughter. Rowan and Declan follow, the three of us filling the whole room with the sounds of our amusement. My father remains rigid beside me, completely emotionless.
Leo continues, his lips tugging upward. “My way of going about you four earning your inheritance was unusual. Leo warned me as much when I called him at two a.m. after a crazy dream, letting him know I needed to revise the will.” He pauses again to look up. “I did. Just for the record.”
“Cut the useless chitchat and read the damn letter,” our father barks.
Leo doesn’t balk or snap, although a small tic in his jaw appears. He refuses to give my father any attention as he returns to his reading. “Each of you were given a task that I chose based on your strengths and weaknesses. Given that Leo is reading this letter rather than the other one I wrote, I assume the four of you met the requirements asked of you to receive your inheritances.”
Leo pulls out a second sheet of paper from the envelope. “To my son, Seth. I gave you two choices regarding your inheritance. While I had hoped you would rise to the challenge and pick the more difficult path, you went with the easier option of the two.”
What two choices? Were they like mine and based on contingencies, or was he given two clear paths from the beginning and it was up to him to choose?
My father’s foot shakes, his only nervous tell.
“I understand why you chose to get sober in order to receive your shares of the company. I really do get it. Just like I understand that I cannot with good conscious hand them over, knowing you made that choice to benefit yourself.”
What. The. Actual. Fuck? Are parts of our inheritance revokable now?
The blood drains from Declan’s face. We lock eyes for a moment before returning our attention back to Leo, who continues reading off the page.
“If you truly have changed, then your sons will make the appropriate choice that reflects that transformation. If you have not made amends for the mistakes you’ve made and the hurt you’ve caused, then you never truly learned anything despite my letters and pleas, and therefore are unworthy of receiving your inheritance.”
“Motherfucker,” my father whispers under his breath. “Well played, Pop.”
Leo ignores his comment. “To my three grandsons. In addition to you receiving your percentages of the company and your inheritance, I grant you one last thing that I denied you before. A choice. You can choose to deny your father his six percent of the company shares and have them redistributed amongst the investors, or you can choose to give him the shares.”
Holy shit.
Holy. Fucking. Shit.
My gaze snaps to Rowan and Declan. Both of them sit with their elbows on their knees and their chins cradled over their clasped hands.
“Regardless of what you three decide, I hope you learn from your father’s example. What can be given can easily be taken away. Fortunes. Lovers. Family. Don’t make the same selfish mistakes we made because I can guarantee it leads to nothing but an empty life and an equally empty heart.”
“And to my son, I hope you change out of the goodness of your heart before it is too late for you.”
Leo folds the letter and returns it to the envelope.
“Can I have the other letter he wrote?” my father asks, shocking us all with his question.
Leo raises a brow. “It doesn’t have any legal standing.”
“I know that.”
Leo pulls out a third folded sheet of paper and hands it over to my father. He doesn’t read it in our presence, instead choosing to tuck it inside of his suit with a shaky hand.
Leo clasps his hands together. “Each of you will vote yes or no regarding your father’s inheritance. We will start with the eldest grandson.”
Declan rises and buttons his suit. Instead of sharing his feelings aloud, my brother leans over to whisper something into my father’s ear. The color drains from my father’s face. I’m not sure what Declan says, but my father looks as if he saw a ghost.
Declan returns to his full height. “I vote no.” He walks out of the room, leaving us behind to make our own decisions.
My father turns a fraction of an inch in my direction.
I’m not ready to say my truth yet, so I stumble over my words. “Can Rowan go next?”
Leo glances over at my brother.
Rowan shrugs before rising to his feet. “I’m honestly disappointed you didn’t choose the more difficult path. After abusing us for years and using our weaknesses against us, turns out you’re the weakest one of us all.” Rowan shakes his head at Leo. “I vote no.” He exits the room and shuts the door behind him.