Chapter 35

Chapter Thirty-Five

Aspen

"I'm in love," Austin answers his phone.

"With who?" My brother is in love with the entire male population of the world.

"Asher Neville," he retorts, the voice in a dreamy state. He's a goner.

"Wait, the guy at Sophia's celebration? You said you wouldn't fuck him."

He laughs. "I didn't sleep with him. He made me feel special, asked about my life, my job," he pauses inhaling deeply. No, sighing like a puppy in love. "He drove me home. Once we arrived at my place, he walked me to my door."

"A gentleman, I like it."

"Asher is a noble English gentleman." His voice is jittery and filled with excitement. "As I opened the door and thanked him for driving me, he kissed my cheek and said, ‘I had a great time, Aussie. Talk to you soon'."

"Hey, why is he using my nickname?" I protest.

"Ash thought it was adorable that you still called me that."

"You have to keep me updated about this new beau of yours."

"I will, why don't you tell me what's with you. That voice is giving you away."

"Dad's letter." My voice shakes.

"You finally opened it?"

"Yeah."

"Can you read it to me?"

"I don't think I should…"

"Please?"

I read it to him from beginning to end.

He chuckles. "Mom said once that she was happy I looked like her brothers. I guess she liked to torture him."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I let go of Jonathan years ago, Aspen. I thought he hated me for being gay. It feels better knowing it was his insecurities and my mother's mind games." He pauses, I don't understand why it's better for him. "I've had years of therapy to get over my daddy issues, sweetheart. Don't worry about me. You are the one who concerns me. What's going on with Anderson? You left him hanging yesterday."

Promptly, I explain everything up until the letter I read only a few minutes ago. This conversation doesn't go without the ugly tears.

"From a counselor standpoint, it sounds like Jonathan made too many bad decisions to show the world his worth. Their marriage was a clusterfuck. Mom shouldn't have played with my paternity."

"What do I do?" The bank papers have a radioactive glow to them. It is suffocating to have so much money tainted with my father's hands in my hands.

"With what exactly?"

"The letter and his money."

"I'd enjoy making a hefty donation made in his bigot honor to any or many LGBTQIA non-profits." He laughs. "Aspen, you're a millionaire. Blow it, save it…don't think where it came from. Think what you can do with it. Solve world hunger. Donate to low-income families so they can afford health insurance…forget about the guilt. That's Jonathan's, not yours."

"Sounds effortless."

"What are you going to do with Mom?"

"Meaning?" I avoid talking about her because I don't have an answer. "Wait, how did Asher ask for your number?"

"Smooth."

"Can you explain better, Aussie?" There's nothing better than a sweet story to erase the heavy weight the letter left on my chest. "Smooth isn't exactly something to swoon about."

"No. I mean your transition from Mom to Ash. Aspen, you lost Father. Can you afford to ignore Mother?"

"What do I say? ‘Hey, I'm sorry you married an asshole, but you were kind of a bitch to him and to us'?"

He sighs. "All true, not what you should say. You two had a good relationship—better than the one I have with her."

"I think I'll drive to the Keys and visit her." I head to Brooklyn's room. "You want to come over?"

"No, Mom and I are working on our relationship, but from afar. Please, keep me updated. I love you, sis."

"Love you, Aussie."

Brooklyn stares at the letter. She narrows her gaze taking the statement from me. Her hand flies up to her mouth, shaking her head she continues. "Damn, girl. You won the lottery without buying a ticket."

"If I decide to use it, I'll stop the sale of the properties. Will that be okay?"

She flags the papers. "We're rich, why sell?"

"I want to visit Scarlett, and then Mom. Can you come with?" I hear noise coming from her phone and point at it. "Did you leave someone on the phone?"

She shrugs. "We are waiting for you to have a meltdown."

"Scarlett?"

She nods, smiling. "She's part of us."

I take the phone, putting her on speaker. "Hey, you."

"What is it?" Scarlett is on speaker. "Bitch, I'm not there to see. What did you win?"

"Hundreds of millions of dollars."

Brynn's mouth remains agape.

"We are fucking millionaires!" Scarlett celebrates. Knowing my friend, she's dancing all over the place. "What's the plan? Maybe an island in the Pacific with entertainment…if you catch my drift."

"Focus, Scarlett." I snatch the papers from Brynn to get her attention. "It's not that easy. The money is tainted." I fold it putting everything together.

"What's the plan?"

"There's no plan, yet. Brynn and I want to start a practice. Maybe this can pay for it. I have to talk to Mom…wanna drive with us?"

"Just drive to the Keys?" Scarlett questions, Brynn is rolling her eyes. "We should celebrate, make it big and better."

"Well, if we have to be on the road, why not have an adventure?" I blurt out of the blue. "Like Wild ."

Brynn tilts her head moving her lips from side to side. "Right. Like Into the Wild where the guy dies in Alaska?"

"We could do the one where that woman left everything behind," Scarlett adds.

Brynn searches around her room and hugs herself tight shivering. "Around nature? Are you insane?"

"We can do Thelma and Louis," I counteract.

"Thelma, Scarlett, and Louis," Scarlett corrects.

"A walk across America?" Brynn continues.

" Paper Towns ?" I disregard her walk. It'd take forever.

"I refuse to read John Green. Not after he made me cry in that movie." Brynn mimes clearing a fake tear. "Why did he kill him?"

"Move on, Brooklyn," Scarlett and I protest.

"No ladies, we have to do some grown up adventure—but not extreme." I raise my eyebrow waiting for Brynn to finish her statement. "Well, most books are written for teenagers. We aren't teenagers. What kind of teenager can afford a road trip? In all honesty, we can provide for ourselves while driving around the country. We can stay wherever we want and do whatever we want. No matter the movie or the book, we are doing what we never did because we were too busy studying and being responsible."

"I like where Brynn is going." Scarlett claps. "Let me talk to my uncle and Dad. We have new farm hands on the ranch. How long do you think this will take?"

"Weeks?" I suggest. "We need to map a route; find hotels that'll accept Hugo."

"It's set, ladies. You two strategize," Scarlett says. "I'll find a way to escape and be with my girls."