Carter slides close, squeezes in behind me, and wraps me in his arms. I’m honestly hoping to still be enveloped in them when I’ve finished telling him everything.
“What a horrible burden after something so spectacular.”
I lean back into him. “You are the very first person to ever say that to me.”
He hugs me tighter. “When did Cyrus come back?”
“He knew I took the annuity. And he knew approximately when I would get each installment. He started harassing me a few months before the second payment showed up. I even moved twice. That’s when I started thinking of leaving New York, even though it’s the only place I’ve ever known.”
I feel him inhale deeply, then exhale slowly. He places a light kiss just below my ear. “I want to get back to Cyrus, but I have a question. Most people take the lump sum, and with sucha large win, the payout would have been extraordinary even after the lump-sum penalty. How were you not enticed to do that over the annuity?”
A sardonic smile plays on my lips. This, unfortunately, is an easy but painful admission. “It really comes down to me not trusting myself. Had I taken the lump sum, I would have been an instant multi-millionaire. Fourteen million after taxes. And honestly, what in the heck would I have done with all of it? I’d read horror stories about lottery winners going bankrupt years later. So to make sure I didn’t do anything stupid, and to ensure a future for Amelia, I took the safe route. I only got four hundred thirty thousand with the first payment. The second was over four fifty. It will increase every year until the final one-point-seven million payout. After taxes, I’ll have banked twenty-eight million total.”
He goes completely silent. I know the feeling. It’s still surreal. I reach out for my wine and take a drink, waiting for the barrage of questions that will surely come. Waiting for the devastation that might follow.
Chapter Forty
Carter
Twenty-eight million dollars. The number rolling around in my head is as foreign a concept to me as quantum physics. I can’t even fathom how much money that actually is.
“Holy shit, Kenna. How do you even wrap your head around it?”
“Honestly, I still haven’t. And since I gave so much away last year, it wasn’t like I was rolling in it. Yes, I was able to rent nice places. But other than that, the car I bought to take us away from the city was my only extravagant purchase.”
“Let me guess,” I say in disgust. “You got the second payment a few weeks ago, right about the time Cyrus showed up on my doorstep.”
“You guessed it.”
Her car. How she has so much cash. Why she didn’t want to use credit cards that could lead to her location. Why her degenerate ex is after her. It all makes sense now. All except one thing.
“Why didn’t you tell me? I get why you didn’t when we first met, but later—and especially last weekend—why didn’t you say anything? You said you trusted me.”
She laces her fingers with mine. “Idotrust you. And I was fully prepared to tell you. But then you went off on this crazy idea about uprooting your life for me. That’s when I came up with the idea. But I knew you’d never let me pay off the loan. I had to make sure it was a done deal before telling you. I’m actually surprised you found out this quickly.”
“I went to the bank today to discuss all the options.” I shake my head. “How did you know what bank? And for that matter,how did you know our loan details? And how did you get it done so quickly?”
“The internet is an amazing place. I drove to White Plains on Monday and had my bank courier the cashier’s check directly to that John Walker guy you mentioned.”
“Me and my big goddamn mouth. I mean, Jesus, Kenna, why pay offmyloan when you said yourself that everyone you knew was asking you for money?”
Leaning heavier into me, she drops her head to my shoulder, and sighs. “Because you’d never ask.” She glances around the cabin. “And I couldn’t let you sell this place. You shouldn’t have to give up your business. Or move away from the town you love. Christian shouldn’t have a part-time father, and he should be able to go to any engineering school he wants. All of that can happen now.”
I bristle a bit at her implication. “I can pay for my own son’s education. I would never ask you to do it.”
“I know you wouldn’t. And you misunderstand. Without the burden of your business loan, now youcanpay for his education.” She turns and smiles. “You want to know my main reason for paying it off?”
“Yes.”
“Because you are the only person in my life who has ever been willing to give up something for me and not ask for a single thing in return. And you were willing to do it all without knowing about the money.”
“Nothing about that has changed. I’m still willing to do anything for you.” My deep sigh displaces some of her hair. “You must know that paying off our loan doesn’t changeyoursituation. Cyrus is still after you. He’ll always be after you. But now that I know why, maybe we can do something about it. The Jonah I mentioned earlier has a security firm. We’ll hire him,make sure you’re safe. Get bodyguards for you and Amelia if we need to.”
She shakes her head. “That won’t be necessary.”
“The hell it won’t be. Don’t you understand? You don’t have to leave now. We can make this work. You can afford to hire the best attorney who will make sure Cyrus never bothers you again.”
She turns around, stares directly into my eyes and says, “This money has brought me nothing but bad luck. From day one, I haven’t been able to enjoy it. I haven’t been able to do any of the things I dreamed of before I collected the first payment and my name was released. It hasn’t improved my life in the least. In fact, it’sruinedit. I don’t want it.” She tears up. “All I want is you. Us. Here in the town you love. All of us together. Which is why I’m getting rid of it. All of it.”
