“I did, sure.”

“I all the time appreciated her for you, Jared. Cade wasn’t adequate for her. He’s an excessive amount of like your uncle and never sufficient like your father. I don’t know the place we went incorrect. He thinks it’s okay to make use of and discard girls like he does.”

“Mother, I’ve no clue, as a result of neither me nor Lachlan would ever deal with a lady the way in which he chooses to. I wager that’s why he bought divorced.”

Man, when that information hit the family, I believed my mother would lose her ever-loving thoughts! Knox’s don’t divorce. Oh, certain, a few of my members of the family are barely civil to at least one one other, however they don’t divorce. Ever.

“Truly, he divorced her when he discovered that she had an abortion, not a miscarriage all these years in the past,” Mother replies. Her response is so surreal to me that I cease working and get off the treadmill, grabbing a towel to wipe the sweat from my face.

“Are you severe?” The lady he married six months after leaving for faculty was apparently pregnant which was why he married her. To listen to that she had an abortion is devastating, as a result of regardless of the circumstances and what it did to Cassidy, my people had been excited to grow to be grandparents.

Mother nods. “Apparently, she determined that she wasn’t ‘mom’ materials and {that a} child would cramp her type. She had it executed whereas he was at some convention, then when he referred to as, she advised him she’d had a miscarriage.”

“How on earth did he discover out now after so a few years?” I query. My coronary heart hurts that none of us ever had an opportunity to get to know this little one. I would despise my brother, however am not the form of one that would take it out on an harmless little one.

“He was packing for his or her transfer and got here throughout some medical data. When he confronted her, she admitted to every part. Whereas I do know that nobody in our household has ever gone by means of a divorce, when he talked to your father, they each determined that it might be for the most effective. He’s bought points, Jared, and I’m extra conscious of them than anybody, however he did do the correct factor by her.”

“If he had remembered he was seeing somebody none of it might have occurred,” I remind her. “I imply, Cassidy was right here ready on him, keep in mind?”

“Would you like my opinion? I feel he knew you had been excited about her and requested her out first so that you simply couldn’t. He’s all the time been jealous of you, Jared.”

I shake my head in puzzlement. “However why? We’re brothers.”

“As a result of the 2 of you had much more in frequent than he had together with her.”

I take into consideration her phrases and understand that she’s proper. Cade hates motion pictures and Cassidy didn’t like going by herself if Mags wasn’t out there, so I might go together with her. She loves being open air and he wouldn’t know the best way to bait a hook if his life trusted it, so she and I might go fishing. Hell, he doesn’t know the best way to change the oil in his fancy automobile, and for certain, he’d have by no means been excited about fixing up an previous truck.

“I assume you’re proper, Mother.”

“I’m all the time proper, don’t that by now?” I giggle at her phrases as a result of she’s telling the reality. “Anyhow, I do know issues are tense between you two, however I additionally know that you simply and Cassidy are beginning one thing, so I’ll run interference any manner attainable.”

“Thanks, Mother.” I lean down and kiss her cheek. “I’m gonna go up and bathe then hit the hay. Obtained court docket within the morning.”

“Good night time, Jared. Simply keep in mind, he’s bought points,” she replies.

“So long as they don’t contact Cassidy, we’re good,” I state.

* * *

Freshly showered, I hit the mattress and take into consideration the day. Reconnecting with Cassidy took what was a shitty begin and turned it round. I don’t look after my father’s receptionist, nicely, our receptionist, all that a lot. She’s all the time been a bitch, however he feels she’s good at what she does, so he gained’t hearth her. Simply another excuse for me to department out by myself. As I drift off to sleep, I make a psychological notice to debate that with my father; my new home is a county over and I wouldn’t thoughts being my very own boss for a change.

5

Jared

“Jared, I believed you appreciated working collectively,” my dad says. I can see the frustration on his face as a result of up till Cade got here again, I did get pleasure from working alongside my father. He’s a bit old-school and typically stuffy, however he and I’ve all the time gotten alongside nicely with each other.

I run my hand throughout my face whereas I attempt to give you the phrases to elucidate how I’m feeling. “Dad, I simply don’t suppose I can proceed to work right here in the identical workplace as Cade. I’m certain that Mother crammed you in on my date with Cassidy final night time. We’re courting and that may be awkward for her if she comes into the workplace and runs into him, and he pulls what he did on me final night time.”

“What do you imply?”

“He accused her of being his sloppy seconds, Dad,” I growl out. I swear, I don’t know who I’m any extra, however she brings out a facet of me that I by no means knew existed.

“She’s a very good lady. She’s all the time been a very good lady. Wayne and Maureen raised her up proper,” he replies. “Don’t know what your brother was pondering saying one thing like that until he was simply making an attempt to rile you up.”

“Effectively, it labored. Not solely that, however I genuinely don’t like Estella. She’s a bitch, Dad, and appears down at everybody who walks by means of our doorways. We’ve by no means been pretentious, though we’ve bought cash, but she acts like everybody that is available in is out to steal our ‘fortune’ or one thing!”

He chuckles then says, “She’s good at what she does, Son, and he or she’s by no means overstepped. Not less than not the place I can hear, anyhow. So, you need to exit by yourself, huh? That may assist me out greater than . Obtained circumstances I’ve needed to flip away as a result of I merely don’t have the time, even with Cade coming again. You opening up your individual workplace implies that all these coming from that county would stick with you, ?”

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