Chapter Thirty-three
Not wanting to worry my mother or sister, I called Scott and arranged to have dinner with him at his house that night. I wanted to talk to him because he was smart about money and investments and legal matters, but more importantly, he knew Angie better than anyone, and I would have felt lost without his advice.
Before dinner, while lasagna cooked in the oven, we sat down on the leather sofa in his living room, so that he could look over the documents.
When he finished, he sat back and said, “Wow.”
“I know,” I replied. “I’m still processing everything. But it’s pretty clear what she wants.”
He nodded. “She’s suing you for Wes’s entire trust fund.”
I stood up and walked to the kitchen to pour the wine that had been left to breathe on the counter for the past twenty minutes. I poured two glasses, returned to the sofa, and handed him one.
“You weren’t even sure if she knew about the fund,” Scott said as he accepted the glass.
I sat down beside him. “That’s right. When Wes came to see me, he told me that she didn’t know anything about it. I can only assume that he revealed it after he agreed to return to Toronto, when she told him she was pregnant.”
Scott pointed at the papers on the coffee table. “And this is very clear that she is pregnant, just past the first trimester. She’s arguing that despite the will he wrote, he wouldn’t have wanted the money to go to you, not when he had a child on the way.”
“That could be true,” I said. “And to be honest—as much as I dislike Angie—she’s about to give birth to his child, and it doesn’t feel right that I should be the one to receive the giant nest egg he left behind. He filed that will before he knew about the baby. And though I would love to be a millionaire, I find myself wondering… What would my father do in this situation? How would he want me to handle this?”
Scott watched me carefully. “And? What’s the answer to that question?”
I sighed. “I don’t think I could live with myself if I fought her over this.” I regarded Scott intently. “I never felt right about it, you know. Because I’m not even sure I would have taken him back. I probably wouldn’t have.”
We both sat for a moment or two, listening to the soft jazz playing on his portable speaker, and breathing in the delectable scent of lasagna in the oven.
“So what are you going to do?” Scott asked.
I sipped my wine. “I’m not a hundred percent sure, but I’ll definitely talk to a lawyer. Right now, I’m leaning towards handing over the money.”
Scott regarded me with astonishment. “Really.”
“Yes, but I’m not just going to hand the whole kit and caboodle over to her without making sure it’s put to good use. After what she did to me—and us—I’m still angry with her and I don’t think she deserves a giant windfall like this. I wish I didn’t feel that way, but I do. What can I say? I’m only human, and I feel very little sympathy toward her, even though she lost Wes, too.”
I paused and sipped my wine.
“But that’s not what matters here,” I continued. “It’s the child I can’t stop thinking about. Wes’s child, who is completely innocent in all this. The money should go to him or her. So there’s got to be a way to settle with Angie somehow, to get her to agree to accept some sort of annuity to raise the child, while most of it remains in trust for when he or she reaches the age of majority.” I set down my wine glass. “I just don’t want to hand two million dollars over to Angie without any parameters, then watch her blow it on herself, on trips and shoes. Do you think she would do that?”
Scott sat forward. “I don’t know. Maybe she would blow through some of it, but she’s not stupid. She’d want to make it last.”
I tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. “Sadly, two million dollars doesn’t go all that far in this day and age, especially with the cost of living in Toronto, and the cost of education if the child wants to go to university down the road.”
Scott watched me while I turned everything over in my mind. “I have a feeling you’ve made up your mind,” he said.
“Yes, I think I have.” I took a deep breath.
“So that’s what you’re going to do? Give her the money?”
I sighed heavily and nodded.
Scott glanced over the papers. “Didn’t his mother tell you that if Angie ever came after you for the money, they would take care of it? They are the grandparents after all.”
I considered that while I took another sip of my wine. “Barbara did say that, and she tried to convince me that Wes would have wanted me to have the money, not Angie—probably because she knew how guilty he felt over what happened. But I’m okay now. I’m alive and I’m happy. My house is totally paid off and I have my sister and her newborn baby living with me, and I love them both. Besides, it’s not up to Barbara. It’s my money now and I can do whatever I want with it. Unfortunately, Wes isn’t here to speak for himself, but I have to go with my gut. I may not have known him as well as I thought I did, but I’m pretty sure he would have wanted that money to go to his son or daughter. I don’t feel right keeping it for myself. That would feel very greedy, and I’m not a greedy person. I just want everyone to be happy. Even Angie, I suppose.”
Scott reached for my hand and held it. “You’re an amazing person, Claire. I have to say… I’ve never loved you more.”
I felt a spark of something exhilarating, as if my broken heart had just been pieced back together. “I didn’t know you loved me before.”
Scott raised my hand to his lips and kissed the back of it. “Wasn’t it obvious?”
We gazed at each other tenderly in the lamplight while Johnny Matthis sang soulfully in the background.
Sliding closer to Scott on the sofa, I rested my head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around me and stroked my hair.
“I do love you, Claire,” he said softly as he kissed the top of my head, “and I don’t ever want to live without you.”
I felt an almost ferocious desire for him. “I don’t want to live without you either. I’ve felt this way about you for a long time, but I’ve been holding back, because everything’s been so complicated and painful. But now, Wes is gone and… Still, I don’t know if I’m ready.”
“I know,” Scott said, rubbing his thumb over my shoulder. “We don’t have to rush this. We can take it as slowly as you like, but I’m not going anywhere. And you might as well know…”
He paused and looked down at me. I sat back slightly so that I could see his face.
“I have every intention of marrying you,” he said. “When you’re ready.”
My eyebrows lifted, and I couldn’t help but smile. “You are presumptuous.”
“Not presumptuous,” he replied. “Hopeful.”
A feeling of electricity sizzled in the air between us as I gazed into the depths of his beautiful eyes. Then he wrapped his big hand around the back of my head and slowly pulled me in for a kiss that left me breathless. His lips were warm and sweet, and he tasted like the full-bodied red wine we had been drinking.
I wanted nothing more than to give myself over to him completely, knowing that my heart would be safe, that he would never hurt or betray me. He was the most honorable man I had ever known, and he was handsome beyond my wildest imaginings. I’d always known it, but now that I loved him openly with my whole heart, he was ten times more attractive than I’d ever dreamed a man could be.
The timer on the oven began to beep, and I slowly drew back. “Is that supper?”
He beheld me with desire and cradled my chin in his hand. “Do you know that you are the most beautiful woman on the face of the earth?”
I grinned. “No, but I love that you think so.”
The beeper went off again and he chuckled softly. “I should go and take that out of the oven before it burns.”
“I suppose. Let me help you.”
We both stood up and he led me to the kitchen, never letting go of my hand until he had to pull on the oven mitts. He opened the oven door and steam filtered out. The lasagna was covered with golden mozzarella cheese and fragrant fresh oregano that filled my senses. I felt positively intoxicated with happiness.
I closed my eyes and breathed in the heady fragrance, then I went to the table to light the candles and open another bottle of wine.