What Remains (25 page)

She forced a smile and nodded, appearing very somber at the idea of saying goodbye.  If he was the kind of man who could allow
himself to throw caution and responsibility to the wind, he would pick up this adorable, prissy little woman and finish what he had set out to do—make her his own.  To hell his with family, let his mother fall apart and drink herself into a stupor, and his dad take over the funeral arrangements and turn it end to a circus.  But that wasn’t the kind of man he was, and there was little he could do to change it.  He was the stoic male figure that everyone relied on.

Placing a light kiss on her forehead, Seth stepped out into the cold night, bracing himself against the ice and snow that pelted against his face.  After loading his bags, he literally had to coerce himself into the SUV.  He was already backing out of the garage and turning to head down the drive when he heard pounding against the driver’s side window.  Slamming on the breaks and throwing it into park, Seth opened up his door and found Tessa standing outside the SUV in nothing but her tee shirt and socks.

“What are doing, Tess?  You’re going to freeze out here.  Go back inside.”

Tessa shook her head and refused to listen to his warning.  Instead, she ran forward and hugged him.

“Baby, what is it?  What’s wrong?”

“I love you, Seth Richards,” she told him, with her teeth chattering.

“I love you, too.  Tess.  Very much.”

“Okay,” she
giggled, her lips blue.  “That’s all I wanted to hear.  And I’m not going to run away this time, I swear, so don’t worry.  Just do what you need to and come home to me.”

Seth stared straight forward for a few seconds, options running through his mind.  Finally, he turned off the motor and got out of the car, slamming the door behind him.  Scooping Tessa up in his arms, he carried her back into the house and up to his bedroom.  She watched wide-eyed and innocent from her spot on the bed as he
removed his clothes, neither of them saying anything.  After helping her with her tees shirt and tube socks, he joined her.

Hours later, as Tessa laid beside him, physically spent and satiated, Seth rested on his elbow staring down at her as she slept.  Making love to her was nothing like he expected, it was much more.  She was the same sweet, silly girl in bed that she was every other second of the day.  A mixture of sass and insecurity that kept him guessing what her next move was going to be, what goofy or sensual comment was going to come out of her mouth next.

Allowing his fingertips to trace the curve of her face as she slept, Seth was overcome with love.  Her tiny body that lied so still next to him was perfect.  The fleshy mound of her abdomen beckoned to be kissed.  How fortunate her children were to have at one time been inside of her, enveloped in her warmth, able to feel every breath she took, every heartbeat. 

Lightly, he touched the fine lines left from carrying them in her womb, amazed that those four young adults who now towered over her, were once capable of fitting inside someone so small.  With care, so as not to wake her, Seth leaned forward and kissed them one by one. 

Contently, Tess sighed in her sleep and rested a hand on his head.  Drowsily, she murmured, “Is everything okay?”

“Just making love to wife,” he grinned against her skin, knowing she was not yet awake enough to realize what he had said, before making his decent.

For once, Seth would allow himself to be selfish.  She could always sleep in after he left for Boston in the morning.

Chapter Nineteen

Standing in the center of the conference room of his grandparents’ attorney’s office, Seth glanced around the table at the faces of his family and their attorneys.  Everyone appeared apprehensive, and showed more concern over what they may or may not receive from the reading of the will than the fact that they had just buried the matriarch of the family less than two weeks before.   He was surrounded by vultures; every last one of them, and it made his stomach turn. 

After being forced to spend the past weeks with them, it was more obvious than ever that it was time to finally be rid of the albatross that had been wrapped tightly around his neck for far too long.  And in a strange, comforting way, he felt his grandparents’ presence there with him, along with Tessa’s, as he clutched the good luck
token in his pocket that she had given him the morning he left for Boston—an 1865 buffalo nickel her grandfather had given her, explaining that it was the first nickel he ever earned. 

With her eyes alight with love, and with the joy of having something to offer him, she had placed it in his palm and wrapped his fingers around it, telling him to keep it close, that she had spent many nights holding the coin between her hands when she was scared or while praying for courage, and knew that it would now ease his fears as much as it had eased hers.  Seth couldn’t actually say that he believed in the divine, but he believed in Tessa, and that was why he held it now, drawing strength from his faith in her.

If only he could say that he had that same faith in his family, who had refused to look at him since gathering together at Whitmore, Levine, and Starcher.  Elaine Richards sat next to her husband holding his hand that was balled into a fist resting on top of the table, his usual display of intimidation that Seth knew so well.  It was sign of character and dedication, however misplaced, that she was still capable of supporting a man who had put her through hell for all these years, but a shame that the united front they displayed was against their only son. 

No one was happy with him at the moment, due to the way he handled
Mems’ funeral.  He gave her the send-off he knew she wanted.  The old girl hated crowds of people and fanfare, so he kept the wake and funeral simple, allowing only a handful of her most beloved friends and family, most of whom seemed unaffected by her passing.

Regrettably, though not surprisingly, his father had secretly tipped off the press, hoping to cash in on the publics’ curiosity of his mother-in-law’s death.  This left Seth the unpleasant task of hiring a security firm at the last minute, to stiff arm the dozens of reporters and paparazzi who clamored outside The Old North Church to get interviews and pictures of the grieving family.  It was hard to believe William Richards was his father.  Never could father and son be so different.

Well, if the old man was steaming over the lost income from the funeral, he was going to lose his mind when he found out that there was more than the distribution of Mems’ estate to be discussed today.  By the days’ end, they would realize just how fucked they were.

Seth’s three sisters sat somber in their seats, whispering quietly to one another, glancing in his direction randomly during their conversation, though avoiding direct communication with him, treating him as the enemy.  Had they truly forgotten all of the financial support he had offered them over the years?  Extravagant weddings, the considerably more expensive divorces, new homes, monetary gifts into the hundreds of thousands, all seven of their children’s college tuition paid in full.  In fact, they had enjoyed more of their grandfather’s wealth than he had. 

Except for the house, Seth had refused to touch anything associated with the inheritance, choosing to live only off his salary as senior partner, which was more than enough to provide him with a comfortable lifestyle.  His hefty share of the profits from the firm, he had invested, making him a wealthy man in his own right, and he only accepted it because under his tenure, the firm’s net worth had more than doubled over the years.  A testament to what one could achieve when they dedicated themselves one hundred percent of to someone else’s dream, even if it was at a detriment to their private and social life. 

Although his personal wealth wasn’t anywhere close to the hundred million left to him, it was more than enough to where he, his future wife, her children and grandchildren, would never have to
want for anything.  But that was a matter he needed to discuss with Tess at a later date.  As it stood, she assumed he could be struggling financially when he turned the inheritance over to Whitmore’s firm to disburse according to Edward Collins’ wishes.  And that was his plan.  Again, he wanted her to come to him feeling as if she was his equal.  It would be the only way to win her heart.

Finally, Douglas Whitmore, Pops and
Mems attorney, and executor of their wills entered the room and proclaimed it was time to get the proceedings started.  He turned to Seth and offered him an encouraging nod.

“First I want to thank everyone for coming…”

By the time he concluded, everyone, including Seth, sat silently in stunned amazement, a few members of his family even stared at the elderly attorney with mouths agape.  Ignoring them the best he could, he seated himself in the corner of the
room, away from the fray that was about to take place once Seth took the floor to make his announcement.  But right now Seth needed a moment to absorb the reading of his grandmother’s last will and testament.

As he knew she wouldn’t,
Mems hadn’t forsaken her seven great grandchildren, leaving each of them with one hundred thousand dollars, to be placed in a trust until they were thirty.  All of her real estate holdings were to be sold off and the proceeds given to the dozen charities she supported throughout her lifetime.  Her only daughter was left the set of weddings rings Edward had bought her from Sears and Roebuck when they married, before he made his fortune.  Though they probably valued less than a thousand dollars in the current gold market, they were treasured by Margaret Collins, who wore them until the day she died.  Seth was left two hand-written letters; one from his grandfather, and one from his grandmother, sealed in an envelope to be read in private. 

The remaining bulk of her personal wealth left to her by her late husband, some ten million dollars, were to be distributed to only a select few: the private duty nurse who had faithfully nursed her for twenty years, Carlos Martinez and his wife Angelina, and Tessa Maguire, whose name, Whitmore disclosed, was added only months before her passing.

So Tessa Maguire was a now a wealthy woman.  Once taxes were taken out, she would probably end up with around a million.  Not much, relatively speaking, but to her, it meant economic freedom for her and her children.  Whether she agreed to marry him or not, she would be taken care of, and it brought a smile to his face and chuckle to his lips, which drew glares from his disgruntled family.

The joy it brought him gave him the fortitude he needed to stand and deliver his unwelcomed news.  Standing, with his good luck charm clutched within his grasp, Seth addressed his family.

“While everyone is here, I thought it would be an opportune time to tell you about my decision to relinquish control of the inheritance on May 1
st
.  That should give you ample time to get your financial house in order.  Not that you’ll stand to lose anything other than my ability to support you with the allotted amount of money I could offer as gifts.”

There were audible gasps and grumblings.  His oldest sister, Megan, sobbed inconsolable, inciting a flurry of support from her third husband and Seth’s other two sisters. 

“How can you do this to us, Seth?  What have we ever done to you?”

Since he refused to make matters worse by sharing Pops’ last words regarding his disappointment in the family, Seth simply stood quietly.  Even though the fear in their faces caused him regret, the decision was final, and all of their accusations and attempts to make him feel guilty weren’t going to sway him.

“I’m sure you’re feeling quite proud of yourself for turning your back on your grandfather’s money, but I can’t wait to see you fall flat on your face, and you will, mark my word,” his father hissed.

“You and mother, I’m sure will live quite nicely after the sale of your overseas villas and the beach front property in Hawaii.  You’re seventy two, and considering the mess you created with the SEC, I suggest you think about retirement.”

“You don’t give a damn about me, or your mother.  I devoted forty years of my life to that firm, not to get a damn thing for my dedication is criminal.  I’m going to fight this, don’t for one second think I won’t.”

“
Incase you weren’t listening, you’re threatening the wrong man, it’s out of my hands now.  You’ll have to take it up with the other senior partners.”

“Don’t kid yourself; you’re not walking away Scott-free.  I’m going after Whitmore and you.  By the time I’m done, you won’t have a pot to piss in.”

A grin skirted across Seth’s face briefly, the old man hadn’t saved a dime, it was obvious now.  Between their vacation homes, and their pent house in Manhattan, their extravagant spending consumed every scent of his income.  And it wasn’t just his father’s doing, his mother was more than willing to defy her father and marry a man he knew to be irresponsible, even though she wasn’t prepared to give up the lifestyle her father’s hard work had provided her.

“Do whatever you feel you have to, Dad, because that’s exactly what I’m doing.”

“I don’t understand why you’re purposely trying to hurt us, Son,” his mother interjected, the alcohol once again conveniently wiping away any and all memories of the past.  “We provided you with a wonderful home and a life most children only dream of.”

Shaking his head in bemusement, Seth raised his eyes from the table in front of him and confronted at her.

“Mother, for the first time in my life, I’m doing what is right for me.”

“How can throwing away my father’s fortune, our family’s birthright, benefit you in anyway?”

“Pops money wasn’t our birthright.  He was the one who broke his back to earn it.  I’m simply fulfilling the promise I made to him.  I could have lived with the idea of running the firm for the next twenty years.  But I refuse to spend it hearing the constant whining and bickering of a family who is never satisfied.  All of you are aware of the legal constraints I’m under when it comes to what I’m allowed to offer you—and trust me, it’s more money than most people will ever see in their lives—but it’s never enough.  You result to backbiting and manipulation to get more than you’re fair share.  It disgusts me to watch the feeding frenzy that takes place every time you’re all together.”

Acting as if she hadn’t heard a word he said, his mother sobbed, “I refuse to believe my own father wanted his family to suffer.”

“You’re right, he didn’t.  He wanted us to learn to stand on our own two feet.”

“That’s bullshit!” his father boomed, slamming his fist down on the table, toppling over several glasses of water.

Chuckling at the absurdity of his father’s outburst, Seth returned to his seat to enjoy the show.  The entire Richards clan sat glaring at him in murderous contempt.  They were so detached from reality that they couldn’t even fathom the concept of self-reliance, and it was futile for him to attempt to enlighten them.  Not one of them understood the satisfaction that came from an honest day’s work or achieving a personal goal through self-sacrifice and determination.  Pops was right.  Life for them had become an empty, soulless pursuit of material things.  Rather than being angry, he should pity them.  They were frightened, and rightfully so, because without his financial support, they would have to face the cold, hard truth; in the real world, nothing was handed to you on a silver platter, you had to earn it.

“What about our children, Seth?  Huh?  Have you given any thought what-so-ever to what is going to happen to them?”  Megan asked bitterly.

“We will be fine, Mom.  Uncle Seth made sure that we were all well educated.  Do you realize how many people there are who either can’t afford college or are drowning under student loan debt?”

Megan’s wrath turned toward her son.  “Be quiet, Justin, you have no idea how much money he’s throwing away.  If he didn’t consider himself holier than thou, none of us, including you, would ever have to work another day in our lives.”