Chapter Seventy-Two: A Guest

"I what-?"

I ask, slightly taken aback by the direct line of questioning. God, I love kids.

You never have to wonder what they are thinking.

Should kids their age worry about inheritance? Can they even start chequing accounts?

"Oh, your mother must have said that to you. Did she say that you would be happy if that happened? That you would live together, and she'll never be too busy for you?"

The twins freeze up. Hayley, the bolder one, places a protective hand over Dove.

“I’m not trying to mock you; I was… married to someone like that."

I say as I bend to their height; if my legs were fine, I would have crouched, but this is the best that I can do.

"I will not talk badly about your mother, but if you keep protecting each other, your inheritance will come back to you. For now, I'll hang on to it because it's not safe. There are some people who want it bad enough to do this..."

I gesture to my arm and leg.

"To me. As soon as you turn twenty-one, we'll have an open discussion about this