PART 2 — THE WEDDING GIFT MY SON WAS NEVER SUPPOSED TO SEE
I slowly turned the final page toward the crowd. At the bottom were my signature, my attorney’s signature, and an official notary seal.
But Cullen wasn’t looking at any of them.
He was staring at the first line.
“Last Will and Testament of Nile and Evelyn…”
His face lost its color.
“That’s not the deed,” he whispered.
“No, sweetheart,” I replied. “It isn’t.”
Laurelai immediately stepped between us.
“Evelyn, this is ridiculous. Whatever family disagreement you’re having, it can be settled privately. There’s no reason to humiliate Cullen in front of everyone.”
I glanced at the guests gathered across my lawn.
“Privately?” I asked. “You invited all these people to my property to watch me hand over the keys. You arranged the chairs, sent the invitations, and told everyone the house was already theirs. And now you want privacy?”
Nobody answered.
Even the ocean seemed quieter behind us.
Cullen stepped forward, his expensive honeymoon sunglasses hanging crookedly from his shirt.
“Mom, stop making everything dramatic. Dad always said this house would eventually belong to me.”
I nodded.
“He did.”
A relieved expression crossed his face.
“Exactly. So what’s the problem?”
“The problem, Cullen, is that your father also told you something else. Something you apparently forgot.”
I reached into the envelope and removed a folded sheet of yellowed paper.
My hands trembled slightly.
Not because I was frightened.
PART 2 — THE WEDDING GIFT MY SON WAS NEVER SUPPOSED TO SEE
I slowly turned the final page toward the crowd. At the bottom were my signature, my attorney’s signature, and an official notary seal.
But Cullen wasn’t looking at any of them.
He was staring at the first line.
“Last Will and Testament of Nile and Evelyn…”
His face lost its color.
“That’s not the deed,” he whispered.
“No, sweetheart,” I replied. “It isn’t.”
Laurelai immediately stepped between us.
“Evelyn, this is ridiculous. Whatever family disagreement you’re having, it can be settled privately. There’s no reason to humiliate Cullen in front of everyone.”
I glanced at the guests gathered across my lawn.
“Privately?” I asked. “You invited all these people to my property to watch me hand over the keys. You arranged the chairs, sent the invitations, and told everyone the house was already theirs. And now you want privacy?”
Nobody answered.
Even the ocean seemed quieter behind us.
Cullen stepped forward, his expensive honeymoon sunglasses hanging crookedly from his shirt.
“Mom, stop making everything dramatic. Dad always said this house would eventually belong to me.”
I nodded.
“He did.”
A relieved expression crossed his face.
“Exactly. So what’s the problem?”
“The problem, Cullen, is that your father also told you something else. Something you apparently forgot.”
I reached into the envelope and removed a folded sheet of yellowed paper.
My hands trembled slightly.
Not because I was frightened.
Because I recognized Nile’s handwriting.
Because I recognized Nile’s handwriting.
