Yours to Keep by Claudia Burgoa
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Vance
We spendThanksgiving in Baker’s Creek, just like last year. Well, it wasn’t exactly like last year since the Aldridge-Sanders family joins us. It’s taking us some time to get used to the idea of having six more siblings. It might take us longer to fully accept them and be accepted by them. Due to my new relationship with Dr. Sanders, we explain our situation to Mason Bradley. He refers me to a different therapist who gives me the green light to work for The Organization. I’m going to work with them in a consulting capacity. My brothers keep me busy all day long with their businesses.
Two days after eating turkey and trimming our Christmas tree, Jerome Parrish arrives. He waits until midnight to ring the bell. He counts each one of us, asks Mills for his and Arden’s passport to verify that they only went to Canada once during the past eighteen months. Once he’s finished, he says, “I guess this is it.”
“Who were you to my father?” Henry asks.
“No one,” he answers. “I was the kid he defended from bullies during recess. I owed him a lot. The day he came to me asking me to draw this will, I wanted to say no, but I couldn’t. I don’t think anyone in their right mind would’ve agreed to do what William requested. Who traps eight adults the way he did? Yet I understood why he was doing it. He wanted to bring life back to the town. You’re doing well, and you seem to have found happiness, no?”
“I should sue you,” Pierce threatens him.
“You could, but I’m retiring. Everything you need to receive your assets has been emailed to your office, Pierce. Congratulations, I think you’ve grown a lot professionally and personally. The same goes for the rest. It’s time for me to spend the rest of my life with my husband, my children, and my grandchildren.” He tips his hat and turns around.
“Hey, what happened to my letter?” I demand.
He turns to look at me and smiles. He shrugs. “Clearly, you haven’t opened your letters, or you’d know where it is. Good luck, gentlemen. Ladies, it was always a pleasure.”
Once he’s gone, I realize Henry isn’t in the living room. A few moments later, he’s coming down the stairs with all the envelopes we’ve been saving for more than a year. He hands Beacon the big yellow envelope first.
“I think you have Vance’s letter,” he suggests.
When Beacon opens it, there are nine envelopes inside. He waves one of them. “This one is for Dr. Sanders. I had the fucking answer in the envelope, and I never thought about opening it. Dammit.”
“It’s okay, Beacon. I’m pretty sure he did that for a reason,” Hayes suggests.
“To fuck with us?” I ask.
“Probably,” Henry answers.
“Okay, I have letters for all his other children, which I might not give to them until they live in Baker’s Creek for eighteen months. Here’s the one for me and last but not least, the one for Vancy.”
“I think we should read them individually, and then we can share them,” Pierce suggests. “Ready?”
We all nod and open our letters.
