“Does the guy even have the money to take legal action? I mean, we could draw this shit out forever and bury him in court fees,” I say, annoyed that some guy that I don’t even know thinks he has some kind of claim to what’s mine.
Colton laughs. “Man, I missed you, buddy.”
Drake shoots him a look, but then his eyes are right back on mine. “You’re probably right, Hudson, but the fact of the matter is that we’re Slades. We do what’s right and taking care of our own is right. Dad may not have seen it that way, and Colton may not see it that way, but that’s the way we do things around here. Our name is finally just started to get clear from the shit that great grandpa pulled decades ago. You really wanna tarnish it up again…like this? Over a measly few thousand bucks? You can spare it. I can spare it. Hell, we all can. And if you think you can’t, let me know, and I’ll make sure it’s handled so that you can keep living the way you want without having a guilty conscious. And you know why I’d do that? Because it’s the right thing. I’m a Slade, and I take care of what’s mine.” He lets out a long breath and looks us all in the eye. “Now, let’s vote.”
I take a deep breath. I know that Drake is right. This is the right thing to do, no matter how much I’d like to beat dad’s ass for causing all this shit.
“Raise your hand if you want to give him a share of the brewery and bring him into the family.”
Drake’s the only one to raise his hand. He shakes his head but doesn’t say anything. “Raise your hand if you want to buy him out?”
Clay, Colton, Wyatt, and I all raise our hands.
“It’s settled then. We’ll buy him out. I’ll talk to Celeste, and she will contact his lawyer and we’ll settle on a number. I’ll let you all know when it’s done.”
It’s not that I don’t want to meet the guy or that I’m being stingy with my share. It’s just that I don’t know him and don’t trust him. That brewery has been in the Slade name since it opened. No way I’m going to willingly give up my share to some guy who could just turn around and sell it to anyone with deep enough pockets. If it’s money he’s after, I’ll gladly give him the money to protect the brewery and our family’s life work.
Drake gets up and walks down the stairs, I’m guessing to go tell Celeste the result of the vote. He seems letdown by us, but the fact of the matter is that this guy can’t be trusted, not yet. He’ll get the money he’s after. And that doesn’t mean that Drake can’t get to know him. He can invite him to family cookouts and treat him like the long-lost brother he is. All it means is that the brewery is protected. That’s what’s most important to me.
12
Deven
I lock up the store for the day and head back to the motel room. Every time I walk into this room, I get excited because I know who waits for me on the other side of that door, but it’s also just a reminder that I have no family left. I don’t know how long it’s going to take Brad to forgive us, but I hope it’s sooner rather than later. I don’t know how long I go can without fixing things between us.
I walk into the room and Hudson is sitting at the table, a beer in his hand. When I walk in, he looks up, locking his eyes on mine as a smile takes over his face.
“Hey, babe,” he says, standing and leaning over the table to kiss me.
“Hey, how was your day?” I ask, putting my things down and taking my seat across from him.
He reaches across the table and takes my hand. “I have some things to tell you.”
“Okay.” I nod.
“I saw Brad today,” he starts.
“What? You did? Where? How’s he doing? Is he still mad?” All the questions rush out all at once.
He nods. “He’s doing good. He was still pissed, but we talked and I explained everything. I told him that we aren’t just messing around, that we really loved one another, and that we’re going to get married and start a family someday.”