Epilogue
Mase
Reese hadn’t been insistent that we get married before the baby was born, but I wanted her last name to be Colt Manning before we brought a child into this world. We would be a family. The kind she and I hadn’t started out in life with.
Today Harlow had come to Dallas to shop for a wedding gown with my mother and Reese. Tomorrow Reese, Harlow, and I were going to L.A. to tell Kiro about the wedding and the baby. He wasn’t drinking himself to death, but Emily was getting worse, and Harlow was worried about him. I didn’t want her to visit him without me, and I needed to tell him about Reese and me. It just wasn’t something I planned on doing over the phone.
I wasn’t sure he’d even care about the baby or the wedding, but he was my father. He should at least be told. I did the best I could with him for Harlow’s sake.
Dad pulled up in front of the stables and held out my mail, like he did most days when he drove out to check our mail-boxes. “Got a few things today,” he called out.
I headed up the hill to his truck to get them from him. “Thanks,” I said, taking the small stack of envelopes.
“You’re welcome. It’s been quiet around here with Major in Rosemary Beach and Aida gone. I’ve got more time on my hands without having to listen to your momma telling me about the drama they’ve stirred up.”
Chuckling, I went through the mail in my hands. “Yeah, Major kept things interesting. How’s Uncle Chap doing with him working in the restaurant business?”
Dad shook his head. “Not proud of him, but I told him at least he’s got a job. Don’t think Chap’s ever gonna get over the fact that his son slept with his wife. Don’t know what he expected, marrying a woman four years older than his son.”
I had to agree with him. “It’s got to be hard being Chap’s son, though.” I never envied Major his father. Chapman Colt was a hard-ass to deal with. He was never my favorite uncle.
Dad grunted. “Probably so. Well, I got shit to do. I’ll see you later. I reckon we’re on our own for dinner, with the women out shopping.”
Smiling, I nodded. “We’ll make do.”
He pulled away, and I went back to going through my mail. One envelope caught my eye, and I placed the other ones in my jacket pocket so I could open it. The simple white envelope had no return address. It was postmarked from Chicago and addressed to me.
I opened it and pulled out a thick set of folded papers. Something else fluttered to the ground. I opened the papers first, and my eyes immediately saw the words Trust Fund at the top. Just under it was Reese’s full name.
I scanned the papers to see that Reese had a trust fund worth ten million dollars, which she was entitled to the year she turned twenty-one. Confused, I continued reading, and Benedetto DeCarlo’s name appeared. He’d done this. He had known where her mother was at one time, because he’d set up this trust fund. I wasn’t sure how to tell Reese about this. Was this Benedetto’s way of asking me for help in telling her?
I bent down to pick up the paper that had fallen out of the envelope. The small, square note looked familiar. I’d seen it before.