Don't Poke the Luna (Xena and Ryder) novel Chapter 322

Chapter 322

“Of course. That’s a beautiful way to honor your mom.” Ryder kissed my forehead. “Ready to see what’s inside?

“I’m ready.” I set the letter down and opened the car door, stepping into the humid Florida air. By the time I walked around the car, Ryder already had the key and was working on the lock. After years of weathering, the lock was a bit rusty, but he managed to open it.

Click. The lock opened, and Ryder pulled the door up. Everything was covered with sheets. Ryder grabbed the first sheet and pulled it off. It was hand–painted artwork in gold frames. They were of different people or landscapes. Ryder and I looked through the paintings until he stopped.

“Look at this signature.” He pointed to the bottom. In the bottom right corner, Greer Harris was signed.

“Mom painted these?”

I had never known Mom could paint. These paintings… they were beautiful, with smooth lines and perfect use of color. Did I inherit her talent?

“I think this is where your artistic talent comes from.” Ryder smiled. He let me continue looking through the paintings while he continued pulling sheets off other items.

• Behind the paintings were more art supplies, easels, and many different art books. It looked like Mom had studied art in college.

She had so many secrets… I knew so little about her. If she were still here, we could paint together, and she could teach me techniques. Now I could only learn about this other side of her through these remaining items.

“Xena, look at this.” Ryder called from the back.

Walking to the back, there was a huge mirror. When Ryder opened it, it was filled with jewelry. “What’s that envelope?” I asked, seeing an envelope taped to the top.

Ryder took the envelope and opened it. “These are appraisals for each piece of jewelry.” Ryder flipped through them. “That ring is worth a million dollars.” Ryder pointed to a particularly beautiful ruby ring set in a gold band.

“Are you serious?” I asked.

“Yeah, twenty years ago it was worth a million. Today it would be worth much more than that.” Ryder sounded shocked.

“What are these?” I looked at another stack of manila envelopes in a box next to the mirror. Opening the first one, it contained bonds.

“My God.” Ryder looked at the one in my hand. “She hid a fortune here.”

“Now it’s all ours.”

Ryder started opening more boxes. Some were just clothes or different vases. There were fur coats and collectibles. “Basically, everything valuable from her family is here.” Ryder said.

There were about a hundred different paintings Mom had done, and some that were definitely done by her mother or aunt. “What are we going to do with all this stuff?” I asked.

“Take it home. Hang up some of them. Give Logan some. Keep the jewelry safe. We don’t need the money. I put away the five million that went into the bank after your father died. We can do whatever we want with it. Save it, build the house you want, or use it for something else.

“We need to keep it secret so no one comes to steal.” I said.

“We could buy a bank to store them in Ryder joked.

Chapter 322

“That’s really not a bad idea.”

“I was joking, but we actually could do that.” Ryder looked at me.

Let’s go to the beach to talk about this. That was my mom’s last wish, and I want to fulfill it.”

The beach… the place Mom wanted me to go. Maybe there, in the sound of the waves, I could feel her presence and better understand the meaning of all this.

Anything for you.” Ryder picked me up, kissed me, and carried me toward our car. Watching Ryder lock up the storage unit, I realized all my dreams had come true. I didn’t need to travel to find happiness. I already had it.

Yes, I had it. Not because of this wealth, but because of Ryder, because of our upcoming child, because Mom had left me not just money, but love and memories. These were the real treasures.

Ryder got in the car. After starting the engine, he put his hand on my belly, and we drove toward the beach.

THE END. THANKS FOR READING!

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