We’d waited to read the will—too long, probably—but neither Alec nor I had been ready. Not ready to face the finality of it. The quiet permanence of knowing Bas was really gone. But last week, something shifted. Maybe time did what it always does—forced us forward.
When we finally sat in that lawyer’s office, I expected the usual—a few keepsakes, maybe a shared inheritance with Alec.Instead, I learned that with the exception of the house Bas and Alec shared, he’d left everything to me.
Everything.
I stared at the papers, stunned and confused, words blurring on the page as I protested. Alec had simply placed a hand on my shoulder, steady and calm, telling me he’d known all along. That it was exactly what Bas wanted.
“I don’t need things to remember him,” Alec had said quietly. “I carry him with me every day. He wanted you to have this, to keep building, to keep living.” His voice had cracked on that last word, and I’d understood.
Now, as I reread the letter Bas had tucked in with the will—his scrawl, bold and uneven, still so familiar—the same gut punch of gratitude and grief hits me. His gift didn’t just change my life; it freed me.
Because of him, I no longer need an investor. No more silent partners, no more compromise. Thibault’s out. Bas gave me the means to build my dream my way, and I can already picture the smile he’d flash hearing me say it.
That’s the good news I’d shared with Olivia last night, once the house had gone quiet, Paige tucked into bed, Alec asleep in the guest room. Her eyes had filled with pride and something else—love, I think. The kind that settles deep in your bones.
“I like you.” Her small voice pulls me out of my thoughts.
Looking up, I find Paige curled under a blanket, her face scrunched in a frown that doesn’t match her words. Her eyes—dark and deep like her mother’s—are clouded with worry.
I close my laptop and set it aside. “I like you too. What’s up?”
Her gaze drops to the frayed edge of the blanket. “I just wanted you to know that,” she says softly. “You make my mom happy. Really happy. Happier than I’ve ever seen her and…” Her voice breaks.
Before I can think, I’m off the chair and next to her, gingerly pulling her into a hug. She’s so small, her frame light as air in my arms. I perch awkwardly on the edge of the couch, gently holding her.
“Hey, I love hearing that. I want to make your mom happy, and you and Drew too. What’s got you so serious? You want me to make her miserable for a while? I can probably pull that off.”
She lets out a laugh through her sniffles, her face brightening. “Nah, I do a pretty good job of that on my own.”
“True.” This earns another giggle.
Her expression softens again, thoughtful. “I thought my dad was supposed to make her happy. I thought he did…but now I see he didn’t. Maybe he did before, but not anymore.”
Pain flickers in her eyes, the kind that’s too heavy for someone her age.
“I’m sure he did at one point.” The words are hard to say, but they’re true. “Your dad gave her you and Drew, and that makes her fucking happier than anything.”
She sniffles again, trying to smile. I reach out, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Also,” I add, lowering my voice conspiratorially, “if your mom heard me swearing like this, she’d have my balls. Let’s keep that between us, yeah?”
She bursts into laughter, wiping her eyes. “Your secret’s safe with me.”
“Good.” I grin.
“Thanks, Sam… I guess I just didn’t understand why my mom left my dad.”
She hesitates, glancing toward the doorway, and I follow her gaze.
Olivia stands there, quiet and still, leaning against the frame. Her eyes glisten in the soft light, love and ache written all over her face. Paige takes a breath, then continues, her words meant for both of us now.
“I love my dad. I was afraid she’d move on. Not just from him, but from us too. That she’d…forget us somehow. But she didn’t. She won’t. She loves us, and we’re part of her life, no matter what. Even after meeting you.” Her voice trembles, but she finishes strong. “She brought you into our lives. She didn’t leave us for you.”
The tears come then, fast and unguarded. Olivia crosses the room in seconds, nearly tripping over the edge of the rug as she rushes to her daughter. She doesn’t hesitate, just sits right on my lap, wrapping her arms around Paige and holding her close.
I slide mine around both of them, pressing my chin against Olivia’s shoulder, the three of us tangled together in a messy, perfect knot of love and forgiveness.
My chest swells, full to the brim with something that might just be peace.
This—right here—is everything Bas ever tried to teach me.
