the monitor, and the ugly face of Mills appears. “Oh, the jock. I heard your career is over. You should be the one taking on Aldridge Enterprises and Dad’s assets. Aw, you can be just like Daddy.”
“It’s not fucking over, fucker number three. I'll be back next season,” he snarls.
I sit back and relax because if there’s something I like to do, it’s to ruffle his feathers. “Original, you know. We do all have actual names. Fucker has nothing to do with them. But what can I expect from you, a stupid jock?”
“Can you two stop the nonsense? You’re grown men,” Henry orders.
Once we stop, the conversation concentrates on what they want us to do, and it circles back to how many times our father failed us.
“So, I have to act like a loving son and follow his wishes?” I ask, my words drip with sarcasm. “Or what’s the plan?”
Honestly, I don’t want this family reunion. Baker’s Creek is a place filled with bittersweet memories.
“We go in, pretend to give a shit during the funeral, sit down while the lawyer reads Dad’s will and decide how to get rid of his money—unless one of you needs it,” Hayes answers.
“The jock might need it since he’s too stupid to do anything other than punch assholes for a living,” I joke.
“Stop!” Hayes commands, and I almost smile because this reminds me of the times we were together. Henry and Hayes pretended to be in charge. I’d boss the other three around and bug the fuck out of Mills because it’s fun. We’re almost the same age. I’m older by just a few months. If it wasn’t because he’s blonde, we could’ve passed as twins while growing up.
“We’re not teenagers anymore. Even then, it was shitty the way you treated each other,” he lectures us. “Can you get through this without fighting or punching each other?”
“I can if the bloodsucking lawyer keeps his trap shut,” Mills claims, but I’m sure he’ll provoke me soon. It’s what we do. “My issue is Arden.”
“Arden?” Hayes asks, confused.
“My son, he’s with the hockey wives right now. They help me watch him during the games, but I don’t have anyone who can help me if I go to Baker’s Creek.”
“You have a son?” We all ask at once.
“Yeah, well, shit happens. Condoms break, and I have a fourteen-month-old kid who shouldn’t be at a funeral.”
The kid is practically a baby. If I hadn’t done something very, very stupid when Carter died, I might be able to say something like, “My baby is the same age.” But I did, and it was for the best.
Look at Mills. He has to deal with a baby, and there’s no mother. Things with Leyla were never going to last.
“We’ll find someone to watch him for a couple of hours,” Henry offers, and that narrowed gaze tells me that he’s going to fuck someone over while he’s at it. “Actually, I have just the person for the job.”
“I’m not leaving my son with a stranger.”
“Sophia isn’t a stranger. She’s my assistant. I’ve known her for a couple of years. She has nieces and nephews. I’m sure she’s capable.”
“How about you?” Henry looks at the screen. “Any children or family we should know about?”
“A wife,” I mumble, clearing my throat. Is it even worth it to mention Leyla? We’re not together anymore. If only… “Ex, if she wasn’t stubborn and would sign the fucking divorce papers.”
“Sorry, man,” Mills says. His words are genuine, and his gaze is kind of sad. I’m sure he knows who I’m talking about. They kind of know each other from all the games we’ve gone to see. “That’s tough. Mom went through a few divorces, and it was never easy.”
“How is your mom?” Hayes asks, and I hope my mother doesn’t come up in the conversation because our relationship is complicated.
“Happy with husband number five. They live in Calgary. I see her often,” Mills offers and then looks at me. “Do you have any kids, Pierce?”
“Are Beacon and Vance going to be at this party?” I change the subject. What’s the point of discussing my failed marriage? “Because I don’t see them here.”
“It seems like everyone ignored Dad’s lawyer,” Hayes says. I’m pretty sure he’s annoyed at our lack of interest.
He’s pretty nerdy and a rule follower. I, on the other hand, know the rules and find loopholes.
I laugh when Henry states, “Except the nerd. The good son.”
“Fuck off,” Hayes says, trying to sound upset, but really, the