Come Back for Me (Arrowood Brothers #1)(10)

“What the fuck do you mean there’s a stipulation?” Declan’s voice rises even louder as he stares at the lawyer.

The short, pudgy lawyer dabs his bald head with a handkerchief. I love it when my brothers and I make people sweat. “It is very clear. Basically, the will states that in order for his children, Declan, Sean, Jacob, and Connor to inherit the Arrowood farm, they must each live there for a period of six months. Once that time has been fulfilled by each of his children, whether it’s all at once or successional, then they will become the full owners with the authority to sell.”

Sean laughs without any humor. “Motherfucking asshole is controlling us from the grave!”

“This is bullshit. There has to be a loophole.” Declan says as he gets to his feet, his anger is palpable.

The lawyer shakes his head. “I’m afraid not. He was very . . . specific. If you all fail to agree, the farm will be sold and the proceeds will be donated to the foundation to help prevent child abuse.”

“You’re fucking kidding me,” I say before I can stop myself. “The man who beat all four of his children regularly wants to donate a possible ten million dollars to prevent what he inflicted on his own kids?”

Jacob puts his hand on my arm. “He will not win.”

“He wins no matter what!” I scream. “If we live on that godforsaken farm, we’re doing his bidding. If we all walk away, then all the money that we’re owed—and don’t tell me we’re not owed anything after the hell that man put us through—goes to charity!”

I can’t think straight. Anger and revulsion pulses through me with each beat of my heart. Of all the things I expected when we walked into this office, being dealt a fucked-up ultimatum wasn’t one of them. I didn’t think I’d be forced to live in the one place I never wanted to return to for six months.

“He thinks we won’t stay.” One of my brothers pipes up.

“I’m not staying. Not now. Not this way. I refuse to do this. Hell, give it to charity because those kids might actually have a chance that we didn’t.”

Sean stands and starts to pace. “What happens if one brother refuses?”

The lawyer clears his throat. “Then you all lose it.”

I throw my hands up, wanting to punch something, and then hate myself for even the thought of it. I have never raised my fists in anger. I’ve fought, sure, but it was in self-defense or because I had no choice. The vow the four of us made means everything to me, and I will never hurt another person physically because I can’t control myself.

“How long do we have to decide?” Declan asks, the ever responsible one who has no doubt formed a plan on how to handle this.

“Three days to decide, and someone has to be in the house within thirty,” he states matter-of-factly.

Declan stands, and the rest of us follow. “We’ll see you in three days with a decision.”





Chapter Five


Ellie





“I’m hungry,” Kevin slurs from the couch. “Make me something.”

I close my eyes, willing myself not to mouth back at him. It only makes it worse. I have to bide my time, be smart, and keep him as even-tempered as I can.

“Sure, is there anything you’d like in particular?”

He glares at me, his anger already starting to grow. “Food, Ellie. I want food.”

My throat goes dry, and I stand, forcing a smile that I hope will appease him. Once I get into the kitchen, I see Hadley at the table, working on her homework.

“Hi, sweetheart.”

“Hi, Mommy.”

I crouch next to her, pushing her brown hair, which is the same color as mine, back. “I want you to go play outside or stay in your room, okay?”

Her green eyes assess me, weighing what no seven-year-old should ever have to think about. “Is Daddy angry again?”

I nod. “He is, so I want you to stay out of his sight, okay?”

Disappointment flashes across her face, and I feel it in my soul. I’m letting her down. I’m failing my daughter in every way. If my mother and father were alive to see me, they’d weep. I’m not the girl they raised me to be, but I’m trying.

“Okay, Mommy. I won’t bother him.”

When did I become this woman?

When did I decide that it was okay for a man to treat me so? Was it when I married him, hoping I could love him enough to change him? Was it because my parents were killed the week before the wedding, and I was desperate for security? Was it when I found out I was pregnant a month after our marriage? Is this my punishment for lying for years about Hadley, suspecting that she isn’t Kevin’s daughter?

The wave of guilt is so intense that I worry I’ll drown in it.

Before Connor reappeared a week ago, it was an easy decision. I was married to Kevin. I wanted Hadley to be our child because, in some part of my heart, I loved him and believed it was God’s way of forgiving me for that. I thought that, if we had a baby, it would be okay. He would change because of this beautiful life that was growing inside me.

And, for a while, he did. It was as though the guy I started dating in college was back.

He was kinder, more attentive, and I had so much hope brimming inside me I couldn’t breathe.