“Of course I did. I’m not saying I went about it the right way, but when my own brothers accused me of killing Mom because I started the fight with Dad, I lost it. I have always protected you, made sure you turned in your homework, and got enough to eat. Itstung to have accusations thrown at me. I lost Mom, too,” he argued.
“Maybe so,” Elias agreed. “But we lost Mom, then you, and Dad. We needed you, Owen.”
“Why did you come here? Did you do it to have one final say? If so, I hope to hell you feel better. Why didn’t you hang up on me like the rest of them?”
Elias sent him a hurt glance. “Because I wanted to know why you deserted us.”
Staring into his coffee cup, he immediately regretted his actions toward his brothers. Maybe Dad used his time to reflect rather than trying to push the memories away.
“I messed up, Elias. I told Mom where to find Dad when he didn’t come home. She sent us all to school and never mentioned it again. When he came home and confronted me, I got mad. Mom took care of us for years, while he drank and fooled around, from what I saw. Mom didn’t deserve it. We didn’t either. Rage pushed me to set him straight, and Mom paid the price.”
“Why didn’t you tell us?” Elias asked softly. “You and Mom shared some secret code with one another. It seemed like you two against the world. Did you ever consider that Mom enabled him to drink? She made excuses all the time. She never held him accountable. After I finished school, I attended a group for kids with alcoholic parents. It helped me understand our dysfunctional life. You’re our brother,Owen, not our dad. Yet you accepted the responsibility, and we blamed you out of fear and insecurity. Our family imploded in less than an hour. We hurt, too.”
Placing his elbows on the table, Owen rubbed his eyes. “What does it matter now? The others hate me. I lost Leslie, whom I saw this morning, with the second item we need to discuss. Congratulations, brother, we have another sibling. He’s almost eight years old and goes by the name Conner.”
“What the hell?” Elias cursed. “Are you kidding? Six of us didn’t seem like enough?”
“It’s not like he raised us. Mom did, and then you went into foster care.”
Shrugging, Elias said, “They treated me great and ensured I went into therapy. My foster mom encouraged me to go to college and helped me get a full scholarship. I have no complaints. Even if Dad tried to get me back, I don’t know if I’d want to go. How much did he fuck this kid up?”
“Hang on to your ass, Leslie volunteered to take him. She has a son around Conner’s age, and they get along. Leslie wants to adopt him.”
Elias shook his head in disbelief. “You mean she didn’t shoot you on sight? When Mason told her you left, I think she turned three shades of purple.”
“Yeah, she left after she gave me a verbal warning shot. I told Conner you’ll want to meet him. The lawyer can meet with us in an hour. Do you mindcoming with me to his office, and then we’ll take Conner out for dinner? Maybe then we can decide what to do about him. I live in the wilderness. It’s no place for a kid.”
“I’m barely surviving between rent and my job. I can’t take him,” Elias said. “I live in a studio.”
“We’ll figure it out,” Owen said. “Let’s see what the lawyer has to say about the trust.”
They cleaned up their mess and then headed to Owen’s truck.
“Where do you live?” Elias asked.
“I’m near the border of Wyoming. What about you?” he asked, turning on the road to town.
“I live in Colorado Springs,” he said, gazing out the window.
He pulled into a parking space directly in front of the lawyer’s office. They got out and entered it together. Something shifted in Owen at knowing Elias came with him. Grudges or not, they still remained brothers.
“Hi. I’m Owen Wolfe, and this is my brother, Elias. We came to see Mr. Williby,” he told Constance, the receptionist.
“Oh, yes. If you’ll have a seat, I’ll let him know you’re here,” the woman said as she rose, tapped on one of the office doors, and went inside. A minute later, she held it open and invited them to join the lawyer.
Owen shook the older man’s hand and stepped aside for his brother.
“Take a seat, boys,” Mr. Williby gestured to two metal chairs across from his desk.
They sat and waited for him to start.
“Will the others be joining us?” the lawyer asked.
“They declined to come,” Owen volunteered.
Shaking his head, the older man frowned. “I’m afraid they must be present for the reading of the will. It’s one of Jeremiah’s requests. All Wolfe boys and Leslie Wilkins must be present and provide a vote.”
“A vote?” Elias asked, confused.
