Free Willed to Love by Michelle Houston

Ashley leaned back in her chair and tipped her head, subtly wiping the tears that were welling in her eyes. As various family members filed into the room and claimed seats, she made sure not to meet anyone’s eyes. She wasn’t wanted, and she knew it. Nervous, she twisted the simple gold band on her ring finger, waiting until the lawyer decided to finally start telling everyone what they got in the will.
    The chair next to her creaked when weight settled in to it, and a firm hand clasped over hers startling her. Looking up into her soon to be ex’s warm eyes, she found herself unable to look away. Her heart ached with the need to collapse in his arms and cry out her pain. His paternal grandmother had been the only person in his family that had accepted her, had made her feel welcome. Now the grand lady was dead, and Ashley was surrounded by hostility. She could only imagine what Devon’s family was thinking, wondering why she was present.
    In fact, Ashley was having that same thought.
    “She loved you, you know?”
    Pinching her trembling lips together, Ashley nodded. The sympathy in Devon’s voice was almost her undoing. He had lost his grandmother, and here he was trying to comfort her. How she loved him.
    Glancing around the room though, she saw the curled lips and flared nostrils, the squinted eyes and the gazes that wouldn’t make contact. His family hadn’t changed their opinion of her and she doubted they ever would.
    Her inability to provide him with an heir was only one of the reasons. As the thought entered her mind, a flash of pain followed. Pulling her hand away, Ashley broke eye contact and curled into herself, the way she’d had to after her pregnancy ended in miscarriage. Devon had been out of the country, and she’d been alone, surrounded by people who didn’t give a shit about her.
    Two days she’d lain in a hospital bed before someone thought to let his grandmother know what happened, and she’d had to be the one to call him and let him know that she had miscarried.
    “Well, since everyone is here, I guess we can get started.” As the lawyer started pulling papers out of a briefcase, those that were milling around the room settled into available chairs or leaned against walls. Only the warmth coming from next to her where Devon sat kept her in her chair.
    She didn’t want to be there, but the lawyer had insisted that her presence was vital. But as he droned on, detailing the dozens upon dozens of bequeaths to various family members, Ashley was giving serious consideration to sneaking out when her name was called.
    “And to my grandson Devon and granddaughter-in-law Ashley, I leave my house, the remainder of my trust-fund from my father, and a variety of jewelry and other personal items that are itemized, on the condition that they spend three months together in the house before perusing their divorce further. Should they decline, they both forfeit the right to anything from my estate. Should they agree, then all previous bequeaths to any member of the family are conditional upon their agreement to support Devon and his wife’s attempted reconciliation. Any attempt to convince them not to reconcile, now or in the future, will be seen as an automatic forfeit of claim to any part of my estate, as well as an agreement to reimburse the estate for anything previously accepted.”
    Ashley almost giggled at the sudden silence. The old adage about a pin dropping came to mind, momentarily cutting through her grief. Devon’s grandmother had been big on speaking her mind, using old age as her justification. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise that her will reflected her personality.
    “In addition, should Ashley agree to spend three months with Devon, an additional settlement for her, including property for an artist studio, has been arranged regardless of the outcome of their attempted reconciliation.”
    Ashley felt like a clamp had wrapped around her heart. Devon’s grandmother knew all of her