Chapter 48

Chapter

Forty-Eight

ATHENA

3 days later

It’s been quiet at the estate since the cabin burned. Eros spends most of his time in the gym hitting the punching bag over and over or getting on the treadmill and pushing his body to exhaustion. He doesn’t talk to me, or anyone. He does come into my room late at night fresh from the shower, and just holds me as he sleeps. If what he does can even be called sleep. He tosses and turns and holds me tighter.

When I wake up, he is gone, and I know I can find him back in the gym punishing his body for what his mind can’t cope with. I know he is grieving the brother they lost and worried about the other still lying in the ICU in a coma. The paramedics and doctors have done what they could. Now it was up to him to live or die.

Perseus is handling it far worse. He has locked himself in his bedroom with bottles of whiskey. He drinks as he rages, trying to numb the feelings of loss and hopelessness. He only comes out for fresh bottles, and if he sees me, hobbling around in my cast, he turns and walks away with his head hung low.

I don’t blame him. I want to shut down, too. I want to crawl in my bed and never get out, but I can’t. Someone needs to make sure Ellen is okay. Someone needs to keep the house running, and someone needs to see to the funeral arrangements .

It’s weird planning a funeral for a man I feel like I barely know, but it’s not for me. It’s not even for him. It’s for Perseus and Eros. They deserve to say goodbye. The body was too burned for an open casket, but getting pinned under a burning beam will do that. I don’t think any of us could stand to see his face disfigured like that, anyway.

The funeral is being held here. The front room has already been set up. Mrs. Medea is doing a great job, even if she and the rest of the staff are also in mourning.

I just have to get through the next few hours, the funeral, then a meeting with the estate lawyer, and then I can take my pain meds and slip into oblivion.

The funeral is small, really just us, and a few other friends of the guys are there. My brothers come, not really to pay their respects, but to make sure I am okay. The way they keep eyeing Perseus and Eros, I worry they are planning to start something after the funeral. Lucky for everyone, my father is away on business.

Perseus should be the one leading the funeral, but he isn’t up for it. Neither is Eros, so I hobble to the small podium to welcome everyone when a shadow passes over the doorway, and I gasp.

Heph is standing there wearing scrubs that are clearly a size too small. He looks horrible, his skin is pale and he has dark circles around his eyes. He could keel over any minute.

Leaving the podium, I shuffle down the aisle as quickly as the cast will let me, tears streaming down my face. Perseus and Eros speak behind me, but I’m not listening to whatever they are saying. I wrap my arms around Heph and hug him tightly, he wraps his arms around me, and he sways a bit. I am pretty sure we are holding each other up at this point, and one stiff breeze and we will both go tumbling over.

“I’m so sorry I didn’t get there sooner.” He places a kiss on my forehead.

“You saved my life.” I hold him tighter. “You’re awake! How are you here? Shouldn’t you be in the hospital?”

“I had to come. I had to pay my respects. I’m going back right after, I promise.”

Eventually, someone pulls me away, guides me to a chair, and Perseus takes my place. He’s asking the same question and responding the same way I did. But there is a desperation mixed with relief in Perseus’s eyes I’ve never seen before.

I don’t know how, or how long, but somehow we get back to the funeral .

No matter what Paris did in his last few weeks on earth, he was a brother to them and deserves a proper goodbye.

After the funeral, my brothers agree to get a sobbing Ellen back to her room at the care facility but not before giving Eros and Perseus death stares. Heph they just give a nod of respect. It is kind of funny watching my brothers go from dark and scary to giant teddy bear when dealing with Ellen. It’s clear to see that they feel awful for the poor woman. I most certainly do and have made a commitment to have her cared for for the rest of her life. I can’t imagine what it must be like to lose a son.

The rest of the guests follow them out. All but the lawyer.

“I have the papers you asked for.” He drums his fingers on his briefcase. “Did you want to go talk somewhere private or?—”

“Here is fine,” I say, sitting on one of the couches mostly because the others need to hear this, but also because the idea of getting up and spending more time on this leg is excruciating.

“Did you get what I needed handled?” Perseus takes a seat next to me. Eros sits on the other side and pulls me into his lap so Heph can sit between all of us.

“I did,” The lawyer answers. “I admit I wasn’t coming up with a way to do that until Ms. Godwin called me with a proposal. You have both violated the will. As such, you both forfeit sole ownership of this house. Ms. Godwin’s expose on polyamory may not have been true tabloid fodder but did cause quite a stir on some of the more… traditional media tracks. And Perseus, you and your friends were tasked with protecting Athena. That clearly went awry as well.”

Perseus puts his head in his hands. The guilt must be killing him, but it isn’t his fault.

“So neither of you can have sole ownership of the estate and the money. At Ms. Godwin’s suggestion, I have placed all of it into a trust. You are both listed as trustees. The terms are simple. You cannot sell the house unless both trustees agree. The money in the trust is to be used to pay for the upkeep of the home and the rest invested or donated. Neither of you can personally gain from the trust, at least not without the other’s signature. I have all the paperwork here. I just need you both to sign.”

“This isn’t what I asked for.” Perseus stands up and starts pacing again, always with the pacing.

“No, I couldn’t find a legal way to just drop you from the will, and frankly it was against Freya’s wishes. Ms. Godwin wanted to give it all up as well, and this was the best compromise I could find.”

“You wanted to give it up? Why?” I ask.

Perseus sighs and sits back on the couch. “Because it’s yours.”

“No.” I shake my head. “This house belongs to all of you, not to me.”

“Beautiful, you are one of us now. Do you think I would throw my ass into a burning building for someone who wasn’t a part of this?” Heph grabs my hand and laces our fingers together.

“You are part of our family,” Eros agrees. “Listen to Heph. Listen to everyone.”

“Okay.” I can’t say no to those big brown eyes, not after everything that happened. I lean forward and sign the papers with my right hand, not letting go of Heph with my left.

“No,” Perseus says. “This house, everything it isn’t ours, it’s hers.”

“Shut the fuck up and sign the damn papers then drive me back to the hospital before I collapse on the floor.”

Eros and I both snicker as Heph bosses Perseus around.

The papers are signed, the lawyer will file them, and in a week it will be official.

No more forced parties. I can leave if I choose to, and I can get back to work.

Or…

I can stay and be part of the family.

A family of four.