Until Harry(79)

Jeffery beamed. “Fantastic. I’ll start the paperwork to have you named as the new property owner of Harry’s home, and you can decide what to do with the contents. I will need your bank information so I can transfer your inheritance from your uncle to you.”

This was surreal.

“I’ll have to email that information to you.”

“No problem,” Jeffery said, and smiled.

I zoned out for a minute or two, enough time to allow myself to comprehend the magnitude of what I’d inherited. I came back to the present just as Jeffery, who was speaking to my nanny, said, “. . . had me draw this up after he found out about his heart condition.”

“Wait a second,” I suddenly gasped. “What do you mean by ‘heart condition’?”

I looked from Jeffery to the faces of my family members.

“He didn’t tell you?” My mother seemed surprised.

I stared at her. “You think I would have stayed away if I knew he’d had a heart condition? Really, Mum? Do you think that little of me to ever believe I’d be so dismissive of someone I love so much?”

My mother shook her head. “No, of course not. I just can’t believe this. How could he not have told you?”

She looked at my father as if he had the answer.

We all looked to Lochlan when he spoke. “Isn’t is obvious?”

“Not to me,” I quipped.

“Why didn’t Kale allow anyone to tell you about Kaden when he died?” my brother asked.

I swallowed. “Because he didn’t want me to come unless it was my decision to.”

Lochlan nodded. “Uncle Harry obviously thought the same as Kale. He knew you better than anyone, and he knew that you weren’t ready to come home, so he kept the heart condition away from you.”

I was furious.

“Why does everyone think they know what’s best for me?” I snapped.

My father sighed. “Because you don’t know what’s best for you, darling. If we step on your toes, it’s because we want to help you.”

I knew that was true, but it didn’t make it any less frustrating.

“What was wrong with him?” I asked, my heart pounding in my chest.

My mother answered me. “He had coronary artery disease.”

I sucked in a pained breath. “Did . . . did you all know he would die?”

If they said yes and still had never contacted me to tell me, I didn’t know what I would do.

“No,” Layton said. “We didn’t. We all only found out about it a few months ago because he had some chest pains here and there. He changed his diet, took on different medication in order to lower the risk of a heart attack, but none of it worked. He refused a procedure to try and remove some plaque because he didn’t want to be stuck up in a hospital. You know how much he hated them.”

“I can’t believe this,” I murmured. “I had no idea.”

“This is a lot to process for you, Lane. Take a minute,” Layton said.

My nanny placed her hand on mine. “The will is done with. You said you’d abide by the condition to keep everything. You don’t have to stress about that; we can get in and clear everything out at any given time. There’s no rush on it.”

“Unless,” Lochlan murmured, “you plan on selling and moving back to America.”

He wasn’t being rude; he was just stating one of my options.

“Do you all think New York is the best place for me?” I asked, my eyes pleading for honesty. I needed some guidance, and the usual two people I sought it from – my best friend and uncle – were gone from this earth.

“No, I don’t think it is,” my mother answered. “I’m not just saying this because I want you to come home, but you’ve been there for six years, and I saw the moment that you looked at Kale in the parlour the night you came home that nothing had changed for you. Whatever you thought would be solved by moving to America hasn’t changed. You still love him.”

She’s right, I thought. I do still love him.

“I’m really confused, and I don’t know what to do,” I admitted. “You’re right, Mum: I do still love Kale, but things are even worse than they were before. He lost Kaden and Drew, and in a lot of ways he lost me too. I’ve changed, and so has he. I don’t want to cause any more hurt. What if being here makes everything worse?”

“What if it doesn’t?” Layton questioned.

My shoulders sagged. “That’s a pretty big ‘if’, Lay.”

He nodded. “It is, but what do you have to lose?”

“Nothing,” I replied.

“Exactly,” he stated. “If nothing comes of you and Kale, at least we will all be here for you. You won’t be alone again, and you’ll never have to go to bed questioning if you’ve done the right thing. You tried being away, and it didn’t help. It’s time to be here and see what happens.”