Page 38 of Too Broken to Love

Hudson crossed the room and clasped each of their hands. Squeezing their fingers, he forced humor into his voice. “Pop was always too much of everything. What did you expect?”

He earned watery smiles and tight hugs. His heart hurt as Josie put her arm around Ralphie and excused them for the night.

As the door clicked behind them, Nathaniel glanced from his phone, shifting to the edge of his chair. “What’s next, Malcolm?”

“Sam left his sweet fishing boat to me. He left the Belmarva property to the town, along with funds to establish a fishing retreat for wounded veterans.”

Hudson’s chest cinched. He’d thought he’d braced himself for anything the will might say, but this carved a hole in his heart and healed a piece of it at the same time.

Tessa pressed her fingers to her mouth and met Hudson’s eyes. “Perfect.”

Her reaction cleaved through his beautiful ache.

Nathaniel muttered under his breath. “Are we done with the fucking charities yet?”

The peaceful moment with Tessa shattered. Hudson’s jaw tightened as he dropped his gaze to the bald spot Nathaniel tried to conceal with a slick comb-over. Tamping the urge to knock the pushiness out of him, he nodded at Malcolm to continue.

“Sam left Vivian a sum of twenty million dollars.”

Vivian closed her eyes and lifted her chin to the ceiling. “Thank you, Sam.”

Nathaniel’s shoulders relaxed as he smiled and typed on his phone again. “When do we get access to the money?”

“The funds will be transferred into an account in Vivian’s name to be accessed by only her. Upon her death, the funds go to Shayla.”

Nathaniel’s fingers paused on his phone. “That can’t be right.” He shot from his seat. “You’re telling me I have to ask my wife for money. That’s marital property. I’m her husband.”

One look from Hudson shut Nathaniel’s mouth.

“What else?” Vivian tugged her husband into his seat. “Who did Sam leave the house to?”

Malcolm shuttled his gaze from Hudson to Tessa. The corners of his mouth twitched.

“Sam left the mansion and surrounding properties to you two.”

Tessa’s stomach pitched like the floor shifted beneath her. She whipped her gaze to Hudson. The deep crease in his forehead mirrored her surprise. Ignoring Vivian and Nathaniel’s protests, she looked back at Malcolm. “Excuse me? Can you repeat that?”

“You heard me.”

Vivian slapped her hand on the chair’s armrest. “This doesn’t make sense.”

Tessa couldn’t agree more. “Sam left me half the mansion?” The words sounded even more insane out loud.

Malcolm nodded. “Along with twenty million dollars.”

“What?” Her shoulders jerked like she’d been hit, fear pressing in as dollar signs swam in her vision. Had Frank known about her windfall and sent Fry Jack to fetch her?

“Tessa.” Hudson splayed his hands on the desk and leaned across the smooth mahogany. “Breathe.”

She dragged in a long breath, the steady command grounding her in the moment.

In the mansion.

In her freaking mansion.

Malcolm stood. “Do you need a minute, Tessa?”

“No.” She needed a lifetime to comprehend all the money she’d done nothing to deserve.