Trial By Fire - Bouncing Back, Book 1

Twenty-Six

When they got back to the house, Thomas greeted them at the door. There was no hint of emotion on his face, but he seemed more on edge than when they left. "How'd everything go? Did they give you any issues.”

"Nothing a little bit of violence didn't handle," Kennedy replied as she made her way inside.

The older man blinked, grasping his son's arm as the teen passed him. "Did she name her replacement?"

Memphis smirked. "Someone mentioned I'd be good for the job, so I accepted. She also told me that she knew mom cleaned us out, too. I didn't tell her anything, so I'm chalking it up to her own research. My woman’s a beast when it comes to getting intel."

Thomas wanted to curse at the news, but he controlled himself well. Locking it away, he asked, "Was the MC okay with it?"

Memphis chuckled, "They didn't have a choice. She shot one just for using demeaning names for the women that live there."

"Oh boy," Thomas muttered as they walked into the kitchen. Sitting at the table, he called Kennedy down from upstairs. Waiting until she stopped next to him, he handed her the heavy envelope.

"What's this?" She asked, clearly confused.

Surprised that she didn't know, he asked her to sit down for a minute. "Declan came over just after you left and handed me this. Your sister took half of what's in the account, but the remainder belongs to you. It's what your parents left for the two of you when they passed. Apparently, both of you had to be legal age, and had to graduate high school to unlock it. I called Temperance for confirmation, and that's the explanation I got."

"We had no idea this existed," she breathed.

He pushed the envelope that went with the card toward her. Watching as she opened the still-sealed document, Thomas ran a hand through his hair. He was suddenly nervous about giving the girl something that would probably start a fire between the young couple. "I don't know what's in there, or how much you're left with."

Running up over the stairs, she came back with her laptop. Following the instructions on the papers, she logged into the bank account.

"This can't be right. Memphis, am I seeing things, or is that an eight followed by six zeros?"

Turning his eyes to his son, Thomas gasped. "Are you serious, Kennedy? You're not yanking our chains, are you?"

"No, I'm not," she whispered. Covering her mouth, she moaned, she could feel the tears forming. "I think I'm going to cry."

Memphis rose to his feet and stood behind her, his facial features were frozen in shock as he scanned the screen, "Dad, she's not joking. This is after Tempy took her half?"

"Yes," Thomas whispered. If she was of a mind to, she would break Memphis’s heart and take off with her new-found wealth.

Kennedy shook her head, "Thomas, I know what your ex did to you, and I know that taking care of two teens who are about to be parents is hard on you. I can see the wheels in your head turning, so stop thinking what you're thinking. One third of this is going in a trust for our baby, but the rest... I can’t. It’s not in me to be greedy. It's time for me to pay it forward."

"Pay it forward? I don't understand," he said cautiously.

Shaking slightly, Kennedy said, "When my sister and I had nothing, the Veiðimenn helped us out of the literal poor house. We were starving, living in a dingy, dirty apartment with a sleazy landlady, and just scraping by. You've been living pay-to-pay with bills and taking care of your son since he was a toddler. I know that you've never asked for anything you can't get for yourself, and I admire that strength. I really do. However, I want to give back now that I can."

Watching as a few tears escaped the corners of her eyes, Thomas winced. He was sure she'd leave, even after finding out about the financial situation he was in. “So, what will you do now?”

"It's not in me to abandon the people I care about. Right now, you, the baby, and Memphis are at the top of that list." The conviction in her voice spoke volumes.

Kennedy rose to her feet and grabbed a notepad from the top of the fridge. Handing it to Thomas, she sat back down and waited.

He glowered at her, "What do you want me to do with this?"

"I want your banking credentials," she said.

He crossed his arms, “No. I don’t want your money, Kennedy.”

"Please, don't argue with me about this, Thomas. I wasn't expecting you to do what you did the day I told you about the baby. I genuinely thought you were going to tell me to go get an abortion, but you didn't."

He was hurt by her words, her fears. "Kennedy, I would never ask you to do something like that.”

"I know that now but try to see it from my point of view. I was terrified of your reaction. Terrified that you would turn on me. Let me do this for you, please?" She begged.

Memphis turned his honey brown eyes to his father and took a deep breath. "Dad, please, just give her the information. She wants to help, so just let her."

"It just doesn't feel right accepting money from you, Kenni," Thomas grunted as he wrote out the information and groaned. "Please don't make me regret this."

"I won't, I swear," she said, suddenly giddy. "Memphis, you too, babe."

"How about no," he snapped darkly. “You’ve already done more for me than anyone else, and that’s where I draw the line.”

Thomas handed her the paper as his son argued his reasons for turning it down. He watched as she typed it into the laptop, completely ignoring her boyfriend’s ranting.

“He’s likely going to be telling me off for the next two days. When it comes to ranting, it’s a tie between him and Mark,” she muttered under her breath.

A minute later, his phone dinged, letting him know that he had an incoming notification. Taking a breath, he opened the notice. "What the f**k am I going to do with a million bucks, Kenni?"

She shrugged, shutting the laptop. "Just take it and deal, okay? Think of it as retribution for all the hell you've been through, and all the hell I put you through growing up. Deny it all you want, but I know I was a hard child to raise. Put it on Memphis’s schooling for all I care. Just promise me you’re going to use it to get in the clear with everything."

He ran a hand over his face before getting to his feet. Pulling her into his arms, he realized his son had found a genuine treasure. "I don't know what we did to deserve this, but I'm grateful, Kennedy."

Hugging him back, she winked. "You could always use it to pay for the wedding. Callum's footing the bill for the honeymoon, so no worries there."

Memphis scowled, "How did you manage that?"

She winked at him, "Nix."

Thomas grinned as he smoothed her hair back from her face. Pressing his lips to her forehead, he said, "Why don't you two go up and get some rest. I need to take care of a few things, okay?"

She nodded, "Have a good night, Thomas."

As soon as they were gone, he broke down. Little did the girl know, she'd just saved him from claiming bankruptcy. Picking up his phone, he called Declan. Three rings went through before he heard the stoic voice of one of his friends.

"Hello?"

"Hey, sorry to call so late, but did you know she was going to do that?" Thomas asked.

Declan went quiet. "Yeah, I had a feeling she would want to help you guys out any way she could. She used to save her allowance just in case she ran across a homeless person or if anyone at school forgot their lunch money, Thom. Beneath it all, she really does have a heart of gold."

That the man knew and said nothing annoyed him. "You could have warned me."

Declan laughed, “I could have, but now I get to laugh at your misery. How much did she give you for you to be bitching about it?"

"A million, and not a penny less." Thomas confided.

Letting out a low whistle, his friend said, "Didn't think she'd go that high, though."

"Well, she did, and then she told me to deal with it." Thomas glanced over at the door where his son was standing. Hanging up the call, he breathed out a heavy sigh. "What is it, Memphis?"

Dropping to the chair opposite his father, the eighteen-year-old said, "I know it's hard to believe, Dad. I get it. You have to understand something, though. For a full six months of their lives, her sister starved to make sure Kenni was fed. She worked two jobs, and still didn't have enough to make ends meet. Then, they met Declan, and things changed for them. She's not trying to outdo you, or make you feel inferior, Dad. She genuinely wants to help us get out of the rut we're in."

"Why, though? What have I ever done to deserve this?"

"She told me to tell you that doesn’t want it back," Memphis said. "It's okay, Dad. I know that, because of your pride, it's a hard pill to swallow but think about it for a moment. She knows what it is to go to sleep on an empty stomach, she knows how it feels to just scrape by from day-to-day. Just enjoy the fact that your new daughter is a generous woman under the attitude she presents."

Mulling over the information, Thomas nodded. He would accept this gift if only to let her feel like she'd done a good deed.