Olivia Graham was twenty-two when she started a whirlwind romance with charismatic Jakob overseas.
By age twenty-five, Liv was back home and checking off the widowed box on paperwork. With zero plans, Olivia and beloved dog Snuggles find themselves...
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Flashback
Will is tossing away old clutter in his two-bedroom apartment on Park Avenue that evening when his phone trills out from the kitchen.
He turned in early tonight after dinner out with some friends. There was a pit in his stomach like something terrible was going to happen. It's been hanging over his head all night.
He glances at the phone before pressing accept, seeing the selfie he had taken of him and his dad after a raucous round of golf this past August.
"Dad?"
"Hi, son. How are you? Where are you?" His voice is calm, but he knows when his dad means business.
He looks out the large window at the city. "I'm in my apartment. What's wrong?"
"Listen, Will, I need you to make sure you're secure where you are."
He swallows, feeling the anxiety grip him. "The Marrone family knows about your sister."
"Dad? You sound nervous."
"I'm just worried about you two," he admits. He chuckles a little. "It will be okay. Just be alert. I love you."
"Love you, too."
The door is already locked, but he checks it regardless. He climbs into bed, and not four hours later, his whole existence has changed.
Will had held it together as much as possible while on the phone but had crumbled on the ground after his uncle Robbie had hung up, screaming until his throat was raw, pounding fists on the floor.
He's barely 20 years old, and he's not psychologically equipped to take over the family business. And certainly, he is not prepared to lose his parents.
His dad. Mac was Will's best friend. He taught him how to stand up for himself, how to think on his feet, how to persuade Joanie he would be a good husband for her. Their parents might have planned it, but Will wants them to be happy if possible.
His mom. Mia was his confidant and soundboard. How will he survive without hearing her wild laugh and her many, many jokes at Dad's expense?
The way she lovingly handled things for him like an assistant might, despite him being a grown adult, with a wave of her hand: "I do things because I love you, Wilbur."
She insisted on naming him after her dad Wilbur. He had insisted on being called Will.
He knows Mia was truly catering to him to get him used to the corporate life of having an assistant manage details for him.
His phone trills out somewhere nearby. He doesn't bother lifting his head.
