I took it, frowning. The flap opened easily, and inside lay a check with more zeros than I’d seen in one place in years.
A laugh burst from me, bitter and sharp. “So what, Mom thinks money’s gonna fix everything now?”
Justin’s jaw ticked. “I didn’t come here to stir up old memories. Maybe things could’ve been handled better back then, but believe it or not, we did what we thought we had to for your sake. You were out of control, Hud. Nothing wesaid, nothing we did, got through to you. If they hadn’t forced your hand… you’d be dead already.”
I stiffened.
“You might have spent a couple of years behind bars,” he went on, softer now, “but it saved your life. Whether you see it that way or not. And that check? It’s not just money. It’syourmoney. Every payment you’ve ever made on that lawsuit. They’ve been holding it aside for you. For a rainy day. They didn’t sue you to keep the money, but as long as you had the debt to repay, it meant you would keep working, keep productive. It worked, didn’t it?”
The words hit like blows, one after another. My head spun. My throat worked, but nothing came out. Was what he was saying true? I’d always felt my parents were vindictive, spiteful, and they wanted to keep punishing me because I wasn’t the kind of son they’d wanted.
At the time, I thought I was protecting him. You’ll understand one day, Hudson. You have a daughter now. In time, you’ll see we sometimes interfere more than we should—for their own good.
Emma’s words floated in my head as she’d explained her actions to me the day we visited. Was she right? Would I have to make a choice one day to do something I knew Ivy would hate, but do it anyway for her benefit?
“Mom’s not feeling well,” Justin said after a pause. “That’s why she didn’t come, and Dad won’t leave her side. So… I came. I promised her I would bring it. We know about the Magnusons and how rich they are. She wanted you to have your own wealth as well.”
I stared at the paper, numbers blurring. I shook my head slowly. “I’m getting married. This isn’t the right time for this.”
“Fair enough.” Justin smoothed a hand over his blazer. “Whether you cash it or rip it up, that’s your choice. But I can’t take it back with me.”
“Are you heading back now?” I asked.
He hesitated, the cop mask slipping. “Actually, I was thinking maybe I could…come to your wedding.”
The words knifed through me. I looked at him—really looked—and part of me ached. But this day wasn’t about aching. It wasn’t about the past.
It was about Matty. It was about our future.
I shook my head slowly. “No. I’m sorry, Justin, but this day is supposed to be about me and the future. And the only thing I want to think about is the man I’m about to marry. Seeing your face among our guests would change that.”
His throat bobbed. He nodded once, clipped, like he expected it all along. “All right, then. Can’t say I blame you. Congratulations, little brother.”
I pressed my lips together, the ache inside me pulling in two directions at once. For years, I’d told myself I didn’t care what my family thought. That I’d walked away, that it didn’t matter. But seeing Justin there, so human, so worn down, it cracked something open I didn’t expect.
“Well,” I said quietly, forcing myself to meet his gaze, “maybe when I get back from my honeymoon, we could…have a drink. Or something. You know, if you’re still in town or you don’t mind coming back.”
A flicker lit his eyes, faint but there. His mask shifted just enough for me to glimpse the older brother I remembered. “I can make the trip, and I’d like that,” he said, his voice rougher than before. “I’ll leave you to your big day, then.”
He walked out ahead of me, his shoulders straight, leaving me in the quiet to collect myself. My hand shook as I slipped the envelope into my overnight bag, the one Rowanhad insisted I bring for styling today. It felt heavy, like the past itself had been stuffed inside.
I zipped it up and blew out a shaky breath. Today wasn’t about that. Today was about Matty. I had to focus on Matty.
A knock sounded on the door, and Lawson leaned inside, his calm gaze catching mine. “Everything okay? Please say yes, or Rowan’s going to gut your brother for ruining a perfect day.”
I grinned. Knowing Rowan, he would too. He had so much riding on my wedding with Matty. “Yeah. Everything’s fine.” I lifted my chin. “Let’s go get me married.”
43
MATTY
“They’re late,” I muttered. I tapped my boot against the packed earth, nerves skittering like ants under my skin. Hudson wasn’t the kind of man to be late. Not for work. Not for Ivy. And certainly not for this.
Dad, standing beside me with his usual calm weight, chuckled low in his chest. “That’s the way these things go, son. I had to wait four hours for your mother to show up.”
I shot him a look. “All I hear in that story is that Carter and I almost didn’t happen.”
Gray’s laugh cracked wide, full of warmth. “But I was happy to wait for her at the time.” His hand rested briefly on my shoulder. “And when Hudson walks down that aisle, you’ll smile and look just as happy to wait for him.”
