Legacy (Steel Brothers Saga #14) - Helen Hardt Page 0,33
a cup of tea. “Everything okay with Brad?”
“Yeah, he says they’re both fine.” I sighed. “I miss him.”
“So do I, honey.”
I kissed her on the cheek. The action was out of the blue. I was never that forward, but I’d grown to love Mazie in a short time. “Thank you for everything,” I said.
“You’re most welcome. Thank you for giving me a grandchild.”
“It’ll be a while yet.” I smiled down at my belly. “But he’ll be wonderful. I know it.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Brad
Tom Simpson lived in Boulder with his new wife, Evelyn. He was a first-year student at the University of Colorado Law School.
I didn’t tell my father where I was going. Just said I had some stuff to take care of. He’d nodded and told me to take his car. I’d taken my truck instead.
I pulled up at the small house Tom rented near the school. He should be home on a Sunday.
We needed to talk.
After Tom, I’d contact Larry.
Then Theo, if I could find him. He moved around a lot and was always a question mark.
I walked up to the door and knocked.
His wife answered the door. “Brad. Hi.” She looked a little pale.
“Hey, Evie. Are you okay?”
“Not in the slightest. Come on in.”
“If you’re sick, I don’t want to bother you.”
“You won’t bother me. I’m sure you’re here to see Tom.”
“Yeah, I am.”
“I’ll get him for you. Have a seat.”
I sat down on the green couch and waited. Tom came in a few minutes later, followed by his wife.
“Did you tell Brad the good news, Evie?”
“Oh. No, I didn’t.”
Tom smiled. “We’re pregnant!”
Oh. That explained why she looked like she was going to lose her breakfast. “Congratulations!”
“Ugh,” Evie said. “I’ll be happy when the first trimester is over. I feel completely awful.”
“I know what you mean,” I said.
“How could you possibly know?” she said.
“Oh, sorry. Not me, of course. My girlfriend. Er…fiancée.”
“You’re fucking kidding me,” Tom said. “Wendy’s pregnant?”
“God, no. Not Wendy. I’m sorry I’ve left you out of the loop. Daphne Wade.”
“Not Larry’s kid sister?”
“Yeah. We met at school, and well…you can guess the rest.”
“Are you going to marry her?”
“I am.”
“Marriage isn’t for the faint of heart, dude.”
“You think I don’t know that? I watched my parents’ shitty marriage.”
Evelyn swatted Tom’s arm. “Don’t give marriage a bad name. We’re very happy,” she said to me.
She didn’t look happy. She looked like—
“Excuse me!” She clamped her hand over her mouth and ran out of the room.
“Poor thing,” Tom said. “She’s sick as a dog. I don’t have to tell you that this came as a surprise. We weren’t planning to start a family until after I finished law school.”
“I hear that one. Ours was a major surprise, especially since I used a condom.”
“No shit?”
“No shit.”
“Do you at least like her?”
“More than that. I love her, man.”
“So you and Wendy are over for good this time.”
“Yeah. It’s been a long time coming, but I’m glad. She was becoming…hard to control.”
He guffawed. “No one will ever be able to control Wendy. She’s hot as hell, but damn, I’m glad you were the one saddled with her. Theo and I talk about that all the time.”
“You do?”
“Oh, hell, yeah. She’s nuts.”
“Thanks for letting me in on that.”
“Seriously, how did you not know?”
“I did. Eventually. She’s gone now. Committed.”
“Fuck. Seriously?”
“I’m surprised you didn’t know. It happened a few weeks ago.”
“She and I haven’t been in touch. The three of us guys have been working on something by ourselves.”
“Yeah, Theo told me. What is it?”
“Still in the planning stages,” he said. “Keep your voice down. Evie doesn’t know anything about my dealings with the club.”
“Yeah. Okay.”
“So where’s Wendy?”
“Piney Oaks, in Grand Junction.”
“Right. Good. Can’t say I’m sad to have her out of our hair. She’s brilliant, but she’s a loose cannon.”
“You’re telling me.”
“Still, she was the brains behind getting us going. She figured out the business strategies and then took our profits and invested them in all kinds of shit. We made a mint, as you know.”
Yeah, I knew. I hadn’t minded pocketing the profits.
“That’s kind of what I’m here to talk about,” I said. “I’m out. As of now.”
“Steel, we need your cash.”
“Not anymore you don’t. I gave Theo some money a month ago, and that’s the last time. I’ll be taking over my dad’s business soon, and I’m getting married. You’re invited, by the way. You and Evie. It’s in two weeks, at the ranch.”