Page 83 of Chasing Xander
“What’s wrong?” He rubbed his hands up and down her arms in an attempt to stop her shivering.
She shook her head and blew out a heavy breath. “I don’t know. Mr. Stanton was talking about stocks and bonds and investment portfolios. Something about a trust and equity on the house.” She covered her face with her hands, falling silent. A few moments later, she looked up. “I didn’t understand any of it other than the part where he told me my grandmother had left me everything. Every dime she had is now mine.”
His eyes widened. “Whoa. Okay, so, did you ask him any questions about all of it?”
“I tried, but my father kept interrupting. He’s drunk again. Big surprise.” She rolled her eyes.
“Wait, your father didn’t get anything?”
“No.”
“Then why was he at the reading of the will?”
She shrugged. “Knowing Nammy Joyce, she probably wanted him there so I wouldn’t have to be the one to tell him. She was always doing stuff like that to try to protect me.” A faint smile pulled at her lips but disappeared just as quickly. “When I left, he was in there screaming at Mr. Stanton about contesting the will and suing for what’s rightfully his.”
He wrapped his arms around Kylie and hugged her. “Hey, it’s going to be okay.” He nuzzled his face into her neck, savoring the sweet smell of her perfume.
She sighed with contentment and hugged him back. “I have no idea what to do.” Releasing him, she smoothed her hands over her hair and then crossed her arms. “My father isn’t going to give up. He’s going to throw a tantrum until he gets his way. He’s like a damn child.”
“How much money are you talking about?” He furrowed his brows, disgust thick on his tongue. He hated being asked that question, but asking it of someone else was worse.
“Total? A little over six hundred thousand.”
“Wow. Okay.”
“Maybe I should just sign it all over to my father. Maybe then he’ll go away and leave me alone. I never cared about the money anyway. I’ll keep the house, all the pictures, and everything that was important to Nammy Joyce.”
He took hold of her shoulders and turned her so she was facing him. “Think about that for a minute. That’s a lot of money to hand over to someone. Besides, do you really think that’s what your grandmother would want you to do? She left that money to you for a reason. If she wanted your father to have it, she would’ve left it to him.”
She sighed and hung her head. “I know. You’re right. It’s…”
“What?”
“All of the money is tied up in investments and all that stuff Mr. Stanton was talking about. I have no idea what to do with it.”
Xander put his finger under her chin and tilted her head up. He bent his knees so he was eye level with her. “Take a deep breath. It’s going to be okay.”
“How?”
“This is what my father does. He deals with stocks and bonds and finances. He’s a personal financial advisor. He can help you with all of this.”
Hope brightened her eyes. “Really?”
He nodded. Things couldn’t have worked out more perfectly if he’d planned them. “There’s something I didn’t get a chance to tell you.”
“What?” Her voice wavered, and she took a step back.
“My father is having a surprise birthday party for my mom tomorrow. I’m supposed to be on a plane later this afternoon to go home.”
“Xander!” She balled her hands into fists. “How could you not tell me that?” She walked away from him, mumbling, and then she spun back around to face him, pointing. “You not only missed classes, you’ve pissed off your frat president, and you were going to miss your mom’s birthday?” Her eyes blazed with fury.
“I have no intention of missing her birthday. That’s what I’m trying to say.” He took a cautious step toward her, and when she didn’t retreat, he closed the distance between them. “I want you to go with me. We’re not that far from New York right now. We’ll drive to my parents’ house, I’ll introduce you to my family, you can talk with my dad, and I’ll be there for the party.” It was a win-win for both of them.
“Wait.” She held up her hand. “You want to take me to New York to meet your parents?”
“Yeah.”
“You know how crazy that sounds, right?”
