Page 55 of The Chad Next Door
Smiling, she shuffles through her massive stack of papers and hands me an envelope. Though I try reading through the first page, it’s a lot of legalese that I’m too tired to decipher. “It’s a trust fund, essentially, set up by your father’s family for both children when Link was born. It has been growing over the last six and a half years. I’m surprised no one told you about it when you were dealing with the custody issues, as this is an important factor in your ability to care for the children.”
Uh, she can say that again. According to Todd, though I’m not sure how he knows, there’s over five million in each of their accounts, which is more money than I will ever see in my life. In a weird way, it’s almost going to complicate things as the kids grow up because it will be harder to raise them to have good work ethics and be generous. I’m not going to keep the money from them, but I’ll have to figure out how to teach them to use it responsibly.
Unlike Todd, apparently.
“So, can you tell me why he needed the money so badly? I can imagine it was pretty bad for him to come out of the woodwork after keeping his distance for seven years. How did he even find us?”
The lawyer shrugs. “I can only tell you so much, but it sounds like he was in Laketown for some other reason. Finding you and the kids was happenstance. There is a case being put together against him in New Mexico, something that has to do with theft and fraud.”
Does that mean Chad was still right? He was absolutely wrong with how he handled everything yesterday—was it really just yesterday?—but from what I gathered, Todd was pretty threatening when they talked. I understand why Chad was so spooked, but that doesn’t give him the right to talk over me and refuse to let me tell him that the police had already grabbed him.
As it has since the moment I drove away, my heart throbs with the thought of leaving him behind. Getting some space for the weekend was absolutely the right decision. I was never going to be rational with the way he was acting, plus the police suggested I take the kids away from Laketown in case Todd had anyone else with him. But I miss Chad. More than I thought I could miss anyone. It feels like I left half my heart in Laketown, and I can’t wait to get back.
Do I wish Chad had come with me? Absolutely.
Did I ask him to come with me? No, because I’m a coward. I was too worried that he would say no. Now that things have settled, I’m realizing how stupid that fear is. Chad would do anything for my family.
“Is there anything else you need to tell me, Miss Duncan?”
I shake my head. “The police got most of the details, and I’m too tired to think straight anymore.” It’s been a long day and a half, especially with all of my thoughts and feelings about Chad never leaving the forefront.
The lawyer smiles as she stands. “I understand. Thank you for your time. I can’t make any promises, but hopefully we can ensure Mr. Thwaite won’t be able to bother you again.”
“He doesn’t have any parental rights, does he?” I wish I could remember her name, but I’ve met too many people since leaving Laketown that my brain is mush.
“No. You are the children’s sole guardian.”
That’s a relief, though I should look into the official adoption process before I get too far into this thing. I don’t want to risk the chance of losing them, no matter how small that chance may be.
It’s definitely going to be a job for Tomorrow Hope, though. Or Next Week Hope. Or the Hope who isn’t completely exhausted and wishes she had just asked Chad to come with her instead of being angry and frustrated. I never got my phone back from Todd, which means I can’t even call Chad and explain it all to him because the man is a complete ghost on the internet. I’m hoping the police in Laketown have my phone, or I’m going to be in trouble.
I’ll drive back to Chad’s in the morning and apologize for not acknowledging how scared he was of what Todd might do. Maybe, if he had given me a chance to explain exactly what happened at the diner, he would be here with me right now and giving me the support I wish I had while I dealt with all of the police and lawyer questions.
“I’ll show you out,” Aunt Phoebe says, appearing in the doorway and recognizing that the lawyer lady is done talking to me. She comes back to the lounge a few minutes later, picking up a blanket and draping it over me where I sit stiff and frozen on the couch. She’s been so helpful, even if she was surprised when I showed up out of the blue. Having a rational adult was exactly what I needed. “How are you holding up?”
“I wish I had come straight to you a month ago,” I admit, sniffling. I’ve been a veritable mess for the last couple of days, more emotional than I was even when I showed up to plan Bailey’s funeral. Not that it was much of a funeral. It was me, the kids, and a few of her coworkers because my mom’s family is all gone and I was still under the impression that my dad’s side didn’t care.
I’ve never been more wrong, according to the literal millions of dollars belonging to the kids.
“I might be too tired to have this conversation,” I mutter, “but why didn’t I know about the money? Why did it take so long for you to reach out? Why…?”
“Why did your mom think we were the worst of the worst?” Phoebe settles beside me. She’s not much older than Chad, but there’s a weathered look about her. She’s soft and gentle, but despite the fact that she lives in a mansion and owns more cars than one person could ever drive, I don’t think her life has been easy. “Because we were the worst,” she says. “My big brother fell in love too young, and we all thought he was making a mistake by getting married, even with the baby. He and I were raised by parents who thought status was more important than action, and it took a long time for me to realize how backwards that was. When Parker died in that car accident, my parents finally figured out that all the money in the world meant nothing compared to having a loved one in your life. I’m sorry you had to lose your parents like that.”
I accept her side hug with a teary smile. “It happened so long ago that it’s really just been me and Bai for a while. I got used to being alone.”
“Now you’re never going to be alone,” she says with a chuckle. “Those kids are incredible, but they’re a handful.”
I laugh. “You can say that again. They’re such good kids, though. Even if I have no idea why Bailey thought I was the best person for them when they could have had someone like you.”
“Bailey seemed to think your family was better off without us.” She frowns. “We didn’t even know about your parents being gone until after the funeral, and she told us you didn’t want anything to do with us when we contacted her. I wish we had reached out to you too instead of listening to your sister, but at least you’re here now. No point in trying to change what can’t be changed.”
Haven’t I cried enough today? Swallowing, I shake my head and try to reconcile the sister I loved with the one who apparently kept running my life without me knowing. I’m sure she had her reasons for keeping our grandparents away and thought she was doing the right thing. Right? But I’ve been so alone, and if I’d known my family was closer than I’d realized…
Would I have asked them for help? Probably not. It took Chad forcing his help to convince me that I don’t have to do everything on my own.
Phoebe pats my arm. “Whenever you need a break, I will happily take the kids for a few days.”
“Could I take you up on that offer right now?” I’m absolutely falling asleep, but I won’t be able to get any real rest unless I know I will have the chance to see Chad tomorrow and make things right. “I have some things I need to take care of, and it will be easier if I don’t have to worry about the kids getting their hearts broken if it doesn’t work out.”
