The Bridge Ch 06 Will To Wedding

The Bridge -- Chapter Six -- From the Will to the Wedding

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. This work is copy written by the author.

This work is at times a slow burn. It will, at times, contain instances of pregnancy, interracial sex, lesbianism, romance and affection. Even a wedding. There is also a fair amount of family love and fun. It's all part of a long story that weaves in and out of several categories. It will go from warm to hot and occasionally cool.

Given the contents of this chapter, it's in the Romance category, but could have just as easily been in the Lesbian Sex category. It has also spent time in the Interracial Love category and will probably move around as it progresses. Which it will do if enough people like it. There is a bit more than sex by reference in this chapter, and it moves the story along. In time, there will be many more orgasms. Really good ones.

To truly understand what this chapter is about, you should go back to the beginning chapter. If you enjoy the wedding, you will enjoy my writing throughout. If you cry, PLEASE comment.

From the Will to the Wedding

Friday morning was early for us. Georgia had to be in school by nine, so she was up at seven-thirty, got cleaned up, had breakfast and was out the door at eight thirty. George wasn't up until almost nine, but Bertha took full charge of him while Holly and I got showered, put on our war paint, and dressed for a business meeting. We were to meet Mr. Lawrence at Kwame Jones's office at eleven. He was located in Bala Cynwyd, just outside of Philly, so at quarter to ten we jumped into the back of a Lincoln Navigator driven by one of the Barry's bodyguards. A man who was not on duty the night the house got hit. His name was Duane Royce, and I'd known him since I first brought Georgia to the Barry home. Mr. Lawrence warned me not to use the Barrys' cars until we could get registration changed to me once the estate was settled.

When we arrived at Mr. Jones's office, we were greeted like we were royalty. Kwame must be a big deal because the place was called The Law Offices of Kwame Jones and had several other names under his in much smaller letters. The office was bigger than I expected, and we were escorted by both Mr. Jones's personal assistant and one of his associates.

They got us settled in to a big conference room with very comfortable seats at the end of the table. They said it would be okay if we sat together if that was my wish, but all questions would be directed at me and that all decisions were mine and mine alone. Ten minutes later, a woman walked in, very prim and proper dressed the way you would think an attorney would be. She was very pretty.

"Ms. Todd, my name is Linnette Robinson. I'm a sixth-year associate with the Lawrence Firm and I will do practically nobody's business but yours for the next year, maybe longer. I want you to know that you are a very important client of ours and we will be getting very close over that year. Mr. Lawrence should be here in a few minutes. All other interested parties and consultants are already here and are gathered in the other conference room. Mr. Jones will conduct the meeting, and we will take our cues from him. This meeting is going to take a while and it may get a bit complicated. Mr. Lawrence and I will explain everything to you after the meeting. We have already reserved an open-ended lunch for the four of us to put together a game plan."

"Well, Miss Robinson, it sounds like you have everything under control. I leave myself in your expert hands. And please, call me Hannah."

She opened up her briefcase, took out two legal pads and handed me one.

"Today you're Miss Todd. We'll see about Hannah down the road. Trust me. Take this pad and pen and take notes, mostly questions you have for Mr. Lawrence or me."

As soon as the three of us were seated and ready to go, Mr. Lawrence entered the conference room, and still standing, told us what to expect. Then he sat next to me and the floodgates opened. A dozen people entered the conference room and took seats, opening briefcases and setting up laptops. Then Kwame Jones spoke.

"This is not a formal reading of the will per se, but a meeting to organize the Estates of George and Mary Barry. This is going to be a massive undertaking, which we are combining because of the way the wills are written. There is money and property and ownership rights to be considered, but most of all there is the care and upbringing of the children. That is where we will start. In that regard, I would like to introduce Harriet Girard of Chester County Department of Children, Youth & Family Services. Ms. Girard, you have the floor."

"Thank you, Mr. Jones. Currently the children, Georgia Peach and George Hamilton Barry, Jr., are residing in the Barry family home, under the temporary guardianship of Ms. Hannah Todd. Ms. Todd has proven to us she is, indeed, the biological mother of both children via DNA testing and as assigned on the birth certificates of each child. The Barrys also made it their wish as an amendment to their wills that Ms. Todd be given full parental rights of both children if they were to predecease her. Mr. Lawrence tells me they are going through the petitioning process in Chester County now and expect permanent guardianship to be granted to Miss Todd within six months. Until then, my department has granted her temporary guardianship rights, and we will check on Ms. Todd and the children on a regular basis to assure the welfare of the children. I foresee no obstacles until the Court has ruled. There is no reason to think there will be anything but a favorable ruling on behalf of Ms. Todd."

"Thank you, Ms. Girard. The next order of business will be investments, properties and businesses owned by the Barrys. In this regard, I will introduce you to Jake Johnson, the Barrys' financial advisor."

"Hello, as Mr. Jones said, I'm Jake Johnson, and I took care of a lot of the places where George and Mary put their money. Let me start by saying their assets are substantial and have not yet been fully compiled. I will present a full report to all interested parties as soon as it is fully completed. Starting with the homes, there are three altogether deemed personal use properties, with an estimated combined value of approximately eleven million dollars. I will have the three houses appraised in the near future. In terms of cash investments, the couple had invested in private equity funds, gold, stocks and bonds and retirement accounts approximately One Hundred and Forty-six million dollars. Mr. Barry didn't believe in crypto currency, so they held none of that. Mr. Barry also had a small partial ownership in three restaurants, two sports teams and a business called The Bridge House. There are an additional twenty properties owned by the Barrys as investments that currently collect rents. All properties are fully paid for and are up to date in terms of rents, documentation and taxes. Bobby can tell you more about them."

All those millions certainly got my attention, but when he mentioned Bridge House, both Holly and I looked at each other with more shock about that than anything else. But those millions were adding up, and I sat, slack jawed, throughout most of the proceeding. At twelve-thirty, Mr. Jones called a recess of about half an hour and directed us to the other conference room where they had coffee and snacks. I felt like I could have used something stronger right about then, but stuck with coffee, black.

When we returned to the main conference room, the lady from Child Welfare had gone, but everyone else returned.

The next speaker up to bat, no pun intended, was George's agent, Jimmy Cookman. Jimmy spoke so fast I hardly understood a word he said, but Linnie was typing away on her laptop and I believe she caught every word. Especially the part where he said there were unpaid salaries and endorsements owed to George, Sr. of over fifteen million dollars. He also said that George's sports memorabilia had not been valuated yet but has substantial value.

Next up was the property manager, who was tasked with keeping the books, collecting rents and upkeep of all properties, including the residences. He reported annual rents over Two and a quarter million, with expenses well under a quarter of a million. He said he would be thankful if we kept him on board.

The last to speak were the accountants. There were two of them from the firm of Hind and Beeble. They took turns speaking in gibberish until they got to the bottom line wherein they said given the data they have at this time, the cash value, after taxes, would be just south of two hundred fifty million dollars. Then the one accountant, the woman, Laura Beeble, said, "Of course it may be some time before this money becomes available to you. Foreseeing this event, the Barrys took out life insurance policies in the amounts of five million on George and two million on Mary. These funds will become available to Ms. Todd sometime next week, as she is a named beneficiary of the policy after George and Mary. That money will come to you tax free payable to you but will be addressed to our office. We have paid the Barrys' bills for years and they are all addressed to our office, so once the insurance checks are deposited. Should you decide to keep us on, you will only have to write one check a month to our office. We'll do the rest."

Mr. Jones then addressed me, and, in kind, the rest of the group.

"Funeral arrangements have not yet been made pending the results of the investigation into their deaths. It is my job to make these arrangements, and I will contact you all when I have made them. Miss Todd, Hannah, you have been named as both the Executor of the Estate and the Trustee of all funds. With the help of able advisors, you should work hard and make good choices, especially regarding the children. With this in mind, the Barrys left a video to be shown at a meeting such as this, should it be held. I'm going to play it for the group right now, as the Barrys wanted this to be shown to Miss Todd in the presence of witnesses."

At that, a television screen on the long wall visible to all at the table came on and there were George and Mary Barry. It looked like they were sitting in Kwame Jones' office. George spoke first.

"I didn't want to make this video, but both Mary and Kwame convinced me I should. I guess I just didn't want to think of the day it would be played. You know us old jocks. We like to think we'll live forever. First let me say that along with my written will I wanted to leave this as a record that along with my love for Mary, I wanted to say that I leave everything, the kids, the houses, the cars, the properties, the investments and the money to her. She is a good partner, and I want her to have it all. I also wanted to say that should I predecease Mary, I would ask Hannah Todd to come back to the family and work in earnest to raise the two children she rightfully gave birth to on our behalf. With me out of the picture, that should be easier for her."

He looked straight at the camera with the most serious look and said, "Hannah, Georgia, has not been the same since you left, and your presence in her life could only be a positive thing. I know she will remember you. Those green eyes of yours will open her heart to you." Yes, my eyes were moist.

When George finished, it was Mary's turn.

"As George said, we made this video at my and Kwame's insistence. I understand the inevitability of death, but I hope that for either of us, it does not come too soon. In the event of my death, everything I own and possess, I want to revert to George. As my loving husband, I know I can count on him to do the right thing by our children, the only thing that matters to me in my absence. I would like him to do everything in his power to bring Hannah Todd, the birth mother of both children, into the family to help raise them in a way that I would most definitely see fit. I mean this with all my heart and soul. To finish, George and I have each left a separate video for each of the kids so that mommy and daddy can give them last impressions of two people who loved them more than life. In the event either or both of us predecease her, I would ask that Hannah watch both videos and show each one at a time she deems fit. I trust her judgment and I trust her with the lives of our children. Thank you, Hannah, for what you've done for us and what you will do in the future."

And that is where the video ended, with my name. Obviously, nobody in the room except for Kwame Jones had seen this video, and Mr. Lawrence jumped up.

"Has child services seen this video? I think we should get it to them as soon as possible."

Kwame made a hand gesture as if to calm Mr. Lawrence down. "Relax, my friend, I showed her the video this morning before the meeting. I am sending her a copy today. This concludes my presentation. Does anyone have questions or concerns? My job for the Barrys is all but done and now it's Mr. Lawrence's job to carry on with the estate's wishes as his client, Miss Todd, will be both Executor and Trustee. If nobody has any questions for me, Miss Todd, I will hope that under Mr. Lawrence's guidance, you will continue to work with the advisors the Barrys have worked with all these years. I have found them to be honest, trustworthy, capable and hardworking. With that, I thank you all for showing on what, for me, is a very sad occasion. I hope to see you all at the funeral whenever that is scheduled. Miss Todd, have you heard anything from the investigators?"

"Not yet, Mr. Jones, but Chester County has promised to release the remains as soon as the investigation is over. Just to let you know, I've been cleared of any potential wrongdoing."

Attendees trickled out of the meeting and Mr. Lawrence had Mr. Jones pigeonholed in a corner of the room. I had a question I just had to ask Kwame before we left and I approached the two men, looked him in the eyes and held my finger up like I was ready to ask a question. He put his hand on Mr. Lawrence's and looked over at me.

"How can I help, Hannah?"

"I apologize for interrupting, but can you tell me about Bridge House? Do you know anything about what George and Mary are doing with the business?"

"Since the estate is leaving you, personally, with a twenty-five percent stake in Bridge House, I guess there's no reason not to. A little over three years ago, George and Mary approached me to see if I could devise a plan to see if we could convince you to have a second child for the Barrys. So I went to Mr. Schaeffer, the administrator of Bridge House, and asked for his advice. What he told me was that at the time, he couldn't arrange anything, as Bridge House was on shaky financial ground at the time and the facility needed work. We asked him what he needed, and he gave me a full rundown. I told him I would try to do something to help him if he could help me. I went back to George and Mary and told them the story and the plan I devised to make a deal everyone would be satisfied with. Mary browbeat him until she got her way. She wanted another child from the same biological pool and, frankly, George wanted a shot at getting his boy. So, working with Mr. Schaeffer and the Barrys, the Bridge House got millions of dollars to keep them solvent and fix what needed fixing, and Mr. Schaeffer brokered the package with you that you couldn't refuse."

"And George got his boy."

"That he did. Now you've got him, and I hope he brings you much joy."

"Thank you, Mr. Jones."

Linnette Robinson, Esquire, had now joined the conversation with the two bosses and was taking copious notes on her tablet. The two men were being courteous but firm, each making their points. When they finished, they shook hands, and Miss Robinson shook Mr. Jones's hand. They came back to us and Mr. Lawrence said, "Let's go to lunch. We have much to discuss."

On the way to the restaurant, we doubled back and drove around the Rittenhouse Square neighborhood, and Mr. Lawrence showed us Mary's townhouse. It was the definition of the word 'class.' I took a quick photo with my super cell so that I would have it to look at while I anticipated getting the keys and gaining entrance.

Lunch was on the late side and done in a way I'd never seen before. Docked at Penn's Landing, the Moshulu, a 150-year-old refurbished sailing ship that had been converted into a restaurant, only opened for dinner during the week, but Mr. Lawrence was well connected, and he had us specially served, off hours, by the cook's crew as they prepared for evening service. They couldn't offer us a full menu, but what they served us was magnificent and beautifully presented. And the place was dead empty. A good place for our private meeting.

Mr. Lawrence took control of the meeting from the get-go. "Hannah, now that you are a very important client of mine, it's time you called me Larry. That's what my friends and associates call me. I never much liked the name Mark. I will oversee your file, but Linnie will steer the ship. Her background is in Family Law, Wills, Trusts and Estate Planning, primarily, and will guide your hand all the way. However, she started with the DA's office and has learned to stand tall in the face of opposition. If a week goes by when you and she don't talk, I will be very surprised. In the beginning, there will be very few days that pass when you don't talk to her. There is nothing you cannot ask Linnie. If she doesn't know, she will find out. You are paying her well, so take advantage of what she brings to the table."

We talked about the kids and Larry said that after that video, and that I was the natural mother to both children, there is not a judge in the country who wouldn't grant me full guardianship and parental rights. He figured in less than six months, but Linnie said she'd push for three. Linnie also talked about setting up trusts in the kids' names and getting myself insured in the event of my death. She said I should also consider who might replace me if I were to die. It was all getting to be too much for me, so when the carrot cake came for dessert, I called a halt to the meeting.

"Please, Larry, Linnette, I've had enough for one day. Can we just stop for now?"

"Hannah," Larry said, "It's important early on that you make good decisions and that's gonna take a bit of an education and that's primarily going to come from Linnie. Why don't we do this? Linnie, please set up a hotel room for a couple of days next week when you can be up in Hannah's neighborhood and spend some time getting her on board."

"No, no, no," I said, "Stay with us, Linnie, we have tons of room. And it will maximize the time we have to work together. And we can even work in our pajamas. Think about how productive that will be."

"I love the sound of that. How about if we do Tuesday and Wednesday and if we need, we have Thursday to extend it? There's a lot we can get done in that time period."

"And you'll call me Hannah?"

"Of course, I'll call you Hannah. And you will call me Linnie, and we will become great friends."

"Now all I've got to do is make it home. I don't know how I'm going to drive. I'm still shaking like a leaf."

"Already thought of," Linnie said, "I'm going to drive you home and Al from the office will follow in your car and I'll take him back into town once you're home safely. And I'm sure you haven't missed that security detail that's been following you around."

"You really think of everything. I'll call ahead to Bertha and see if she can put dinner together for us, or, better yet, call out and have something delivered. She's got her hands full with the kids."