Page 252 of The Billion Heirs Boxed Set

He never met them once. Why force them to a ranch that they’d never seen? To become Bridgers in more than name?

I scoff. The answer to that last question is simple. To fuck me over. To pit us against each other.

My father knew I hated him. He didn’t give a shit. He probably knew Austin and Miles didn’t like him much either. It wasn’t as if they came knocking and wanting to play catch when they were young. No. They stayed away until a will forced them back.

And dear old Dad didn’t set up the paperwork out of the goodness of his heart. He didn’t have one. He did it so Austin and Miles would come here. Hate the place. Hate me. Leave so that the will went to shit. So they had the money in their hands but let it slip through their fingers. A billion dollars would be lost.

At least we’re having the last laugh on that. I love my brothers, and ’I know they feel the same way. Sure, we give each other shit, but isn’t that what brothers are supposed to do?

I run my hands over the death certificate.

At least now I know why she didn’t come back. She couldn’t.

“I’m sorry, Mom,” I say out loud. “I’m sorry for your pain.”

I shove the death certificate back in the box and toss it aside. I have to process her death somehow, but now isn’t the time. She’s gone. Has been for almost twenty years. But Avery’s back and I need to know the truth. All of it. Back to Linda’s box.

The rest of the file folders contain ledgers showing how much my father shelled out to Linda over the years to keep Avery away from me. He paid for her college. For Avery’s. He bought them a house in a suburb of Phoenix. All this to keep me from the love of my life.

Because he thought she wasn’t good enough for me.

“That’s a load of shit,” I say, again out loud. “It had nothing to do with Avery. He just didn’t want me to be happy.”

He just wanted to be an asshole and see me suffer. I grew too big for him to physically control me. This way he could destroy me without raising a finger. Fucking bastard.

“I’ll see you in hell,” I mutter.

I rise, brush off my jeans.

Avery’s been gone less than a day, but even that’s too much.

Now that I know so much kept us apart, it’s time to put the past behind us. All of it.

Time to fly to Phoenix and get my woman.

But then my gaze falls on a different box with a name scrawled in thick black marker on the top—the only one marked in that way.

Grady Landon Marsh.

Never heard of him. He must be some relative of Linda’s. Someone else my father paid off, probably.

I shove it to the side.

I don’t have time for more of my father’s nonsense. I need to bring my woman home.

23

AVERY

Watching my son put away a thirty-ounce porterhouse makes me smile. Truly smile. This kid is everything to me. I live for this child. Only him, until now. I’ thought he would be the only guy in my life with Chance out of it, but now… I want Chance, too.

If only things could be different. Chance will never forgive me for keeping his son from him. From watching him grow, learn, turn big enough to eat an entire side of cow in one sitting.

“You two have any room for dessert?” I ask, holding my stomach. I don’t think I need to eat for another week.

“Not me.” Mom pats her mouth with a napkin.

“Of course. I’ll have the chocolate cake.” Grady chews on the end of the T-bone.