Free A Silken Thread by Brenda Jackson Page A

percentage of it was matched against the amount that was held in trust. “
    Brian was speechless. Still standing—but barely—he stared down at the check. He glanced up and asked, “Did my mother know about this?”
    “Yes, she knew, and as your guardian she could have taken the funds out at any time. However, she chose to let it remain in trust until maturity.”
    Brian drew in a deep breath and glanced back down at the check. Thanks to Mr. Brown and Mr. Samuels he had become a partner in the firm. And thanks to his father and his mother, he’d become a millionaire.

    She quickly clicked over to the other line. “Brian?”
    “Yes, baby?”
    “You’re calling early tonight. What’s up?” she asked, sitting up in bed.
    “Can you come out this weekend if I were to send for you?”
    She pushed her hair behind her head. They hadn’t seen each other since the engagement party two weeks ago. And then they had been surrounded by so much family they hadn’t had a chance to spend a lot of time together alone.
    She smiled as she eased back down in bed. “Are you missing me?”
    “I’m always missing you, baby. I can’t wait until you’re here with me permanently.”
    She couldn’t wait until she was there with him, too.
    “But there’s also another reason I want you here.”
    She lifted a brow. “And what reason is that?” It was then that she noticed something in his voice. It was still deep, husky and sexy, but she also detected something else. Excitement maybe?
    “I made partner today.”
    Erica jerked upward, nearly dropping the phone out of her hand. “What? But you figured it would be another couple of years before you’d be considered for that. And that there were so many other attorneys ahead of you.”
    “Well, today Mr. Brown and Mr. Samuels informed me that I was their choice, and more than anything I want you here this weekend to celebrate with me.”
    Erica drew in a deep breath and fought back tears. She was so proud of him. From the time she’d met Brian she’d been aware of what a fantastic attorney he was. He worked hard and was deserving of whatever achievements came his way.
    “I can’t imagine being anywhere else this weekend other than there helping you celebrate. And you don’t have to send for me. I can pay for my own ticket.”
    “I know, but I want to. I’ll call you tomorrow with all the flight details.”
    “Okay.”
    As she cuddled in bed she knew when she saw him again, she would show him just how proud she was of him.

    An hour or so later Brian hung up the phone from talking to Erica. He chuckled. She had fallen asleep on the phone after he’d sung her a lullaby. He headed for the study to read a few case files he’d brought home.
    He had intentionally not mentioned anything to Erica about his trust fund after deciding he would share the news with her on what would be the most important day of his life—his wedding day.
    He’d always felt capable of taking on a wife financially, which was one of the reasons he’d always found it rather amusing when Erica’s mother insinuated that he was not. The woman knew nothing about him, and evidently she knew nothing about her daughter, either. Especially if she assumed a man’s wealth was all Erica cared about.
    One of the first things he’d discovered about his future wife was that even with her wealthy upbringing she didn’t have a snobbish bone in her body. She was one of the last persons who would flaunt the fact that she’d been born with a silver spoon in her mouth. She was sweet and genuine, which was why he’d fallen hopelessly in love with her so easy and so quickly. Their love was solid and wasn’t dictated by occupation or social status.
    And he meant what he’d told her earlier. He couldn’t wait until she joined him in Dallas permanently. Now that he knew he was even more capable of taking care of her, he felt wonderful and couldn’t wait to see her again to celebrate all his good fortune.

    “My