December 1942

"Mr. Blackwell, Mr. Duncan is on the phone for you."

Jonathon stopped rubbing his frozen hands over the cast iron radiator in his office and pressed the button of the intercom device on his desk. "Thank you, Mrs. Gibson." He picked up the telephone receiver and leaned back in his chair. "Hello, Mr. Duncan."

"Mr. Blackwell, we were wondering if you could come to the office tomorrow. There are some things we need to discuss."

Jonathon smiled. "Is it about the adoption?" he asked, lowering his voice even though his office door was closed. "Are the papers ready?"

"Uh, yes, they are. Are you available at three o'clock?"

"That will work for me," Jonathon said, trying to reign in his excitement so Mr. Duncan wouldn't hear it.

"Very well. Good bye."

There was a click as the phone was hung up, and Jonathon placed the receiver back in the cradle while he grinned. By tomorrow afternoon, Douglas would legally be his son, and he couldn't wait. As soon as he signed those papers, his family would be complete.

~~

"How was your day?" Helen asked that evening as she leaned forward so he could kiss her.

"It was great!" He took off his coat and threw it over the banister so he could take a sleeping Douglas from her. "There's my little boy," he said, as she shifted him into his arms. Once he was holding him, he bent low to kiss him on the top of his head, smelling the sweet baby soap on his skin. "How's he been today?" he asked Helen.

"He's been good."

Jonathon went into the grand parlor while Helen hung up his coat, and sat on one of the couches.

"Oh, he did something that really surprised me," she said, sitting beside him.

"What's that?"

"Well, usually when he wakes up from his naps, I feed him and then change his diaper. But when he woke up this afternoon, he stopped crying when I picked him up, so I thought maybe he wasn't hungry. I laid him on the bed to change him, and he got the funniest look on his face. He stuck out his bottom lip, like he was disappointed I'd changed the routine and started crying. I wish you'd been there to see it, he was so cute! As soon as I picked him up and he realized I was going to feed him, he stopped."

"Only three weeks old, and he's already a smart little fellow," Jonathon said, smiling down at him with pride. "I got a call from the law office today," he said to Helen. "The adoption papers are ready for us to sign. We go in tomorrow afternoon, and I want to bring Douglas with us."

Helen immediately looked worried. "Do you think it'll be alright? What if someone sees him? What if we run into–" She stopped, but Jonathon knew she meant Dwyer.

"The office isn't anywhere near the pharmacy so we shouldn't see anyone we don't want to, and he'll be bundled up. No one will be able to tell how big he is."

"Are you sure?"

"Don't worry about it," he said, putting his free arm over her shoulder and pulling her close. "I'll make sure nothing happens."

She let out a deep breath and relaxed against him. "I know you will. You've taken good care of us."

He kissed her forehead. "Tomorrow is going to be a big day for our family, and I want Douglas to be there – to be a part of it."

"You're right," she said, smiling up at him. "He should be there."

"I can't wait to sign those papers," he said, grinning with excitement for the hundredth time since he'd gotten the phone call.

Helen snuggled closer to him and gently smoothed the dark hair that had started growing on Douglas's head. "It's going to be a very important day for our son."

"Yes, it is."

~~

As James parked the Duesenberg in front of the law office the next afternoon, Helen crouched low in the back seat.

"Johnny, that woman over there lives across the street from my aunt and uncle," she whispered, slinking lower to hide from her.

Jonathon saw a woman, walking her dog in their direction on the snowy sidewalk. "Don't open the door, James," he said, keeping an eye on her.

Other than a curios glance at James in the front seat, she didn't show any interest in the car, and they waited in silence until she turned a corner and disappeared.

"Alright, James," Jonathon said.

When they were outside the car, Jonathon ushered Helen into the building and shut the door firmly behind them.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Blackwell," the firm's secretary said, standing from behind the front desk. "Can I take your coats?"

Jonathon quickly slipped his off and handed it to her before taking Douglas so Helen could remove hers. He could tell by the tightness in Helen's features, she was nervous about the woman seeing Douglas, but he was completely covered with a blanket over his face to protect him from the frigid air.

In any case, Jonathon was certain the secretary was held to the same standards of privacy as the lawyers who worked there. She wouldn't share anything that happened in the offices to anyone outside.

Once the secretary had taken their coats, she led them down a hallway. Jonathon recognized the closed door she stopped in front of. It was the conference room where he and Billy had heard their parents' wills read. She opened it and stepped aside so they could enter, and Jonathon was surprised to see all three of the law firm's partners seated behind the large table.

"Mr. Blackwell," Mr. Duncan said, as the three of them rose.

They came around the table, and the elderly Mr. Klein shook Jonathon's hand first. He'd been the family's lawyer for as long as Jonathon could remember. As Mr. Fulton shook his hand, Jonathon couldn't help puffing up with importance. The Blackwell family was the most powerful family in town, so powerful that all the partners had decided to attend the adoption signing.

After the greetings and introductions, Mr. Duncan pulled a chair out for Helen. "Shall we get started?" he said, and she sat down.

While the men took their seats, Helen loosened the blankets around Douglas, and when his little face was uncovered, Jonathon looked down at him, his heart filling with happiness. It would only be a few minutes before he was officially his son.

"Mr. Blackwell," Mr. Duncan said, clasping his hands on the table with a serious expression. "Before you sign the adoption papers, we felt it was best to talk with you. This situation hasn't come up before, and well, we wanted to make sure everyone was on the same page."

"What situation?" Jonathon said, searching the three men's faces with confusion.

"We wanted to be sure you were aware of your grandfather's wishes," Mr. Fulton said, speaking up.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Jonathon said, his voice rising with irritation. "What does my grandfather have to do with adopting Douglas?"

"There's nothing preventing you from adopting him," Mr. Klein said quickly. "But–" He looked at the other two men with a worried expression before he continued. "The trust is set up so that only blood relatives can inherit. Douglas will be your legal son, but he won't be able to inherit the house, the property, or Blackwell Iron and Mining."

Jonathon stared at him, unable to breath. This couldn't be possible.

"I – I don't understand," Helen said, looking at all of them. "Johnny – Jonathon inherited everything from his father. Shouldn't he be able to say who inherits it next?"

"All of the family's assets are held in a trust," Mr. Fulton explained. "Mr. Blackwell inherited control of it, but the wording of the trust is clear. Only his natural born child can be next in line."

"Then change it," Jonathon said sharply, suddenly finding his voice. "Change the wording so he can inherit it."

"I'm afraid we can't do that," Mr. Duncan said.

"Then find some way around it! That's what I pay you to do, isn't it? You're lawyers, find a loophole!"

Mr. Klein cleared his throat. "My father drew up the original wording of the trust for your grandfather, Mr. Blackwell. He would have done him a great disservice if he hadn't written it exactly as your grandfather wanted it." He leaned forward in his seat. "You see, the elder Mr. Blackwell came here and started the mine because he'd left his home back east. His father had died unexpectedly, and an older adopted stepbrother became the heir to the family fortune. Your grandfather felt it was a terrible injustice, and he wanted to be sure his future descendants were protected."

"But this isn't like that situation!" Jonathon insisted. "There aren't any other children involved!"

"If you and Mrs. Blackwell have another child, then that child will be able to inherit," Mr. Fulton offered unhelpfully.

"But Douglas is my son! Even without the papers to prove it, he's just as much my child as any other child we'll have!"

"You'll be able to leave him your personal wealth, and any possessions you own."

"He should be able to inherit everything!"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Blackwell," Mr. Duncan said. "The language of the trust is clear."

"What if we don't have another child?" Jonathon said desperately.

"Johnny," Helen said under her breath, but he ignored her.

"Will he inherit if he's the only child?"

"In that case, William would be the next in line, or his eldest child."

"Johnny."

"My brother enlisted in the army! He's gone off to fight in the war!" Jonathon shouted, waving his arm in the direction of the window. "Who knows when he's getting married, or even if he will?"

"Johnny!"

The sharpness of Helen's voice cut through his attention, and he finally looked over at her. Douglas had started fussing and she was jiggling him to try to keep him quiet, but from the look in her eyes, Jonathon knew it wasn't going to work for long. If she didn't nurse him soon, he was going to start screaming.

"Mr. Blackwell, we're very sorry about this," Mr. Klein said. "We wish the trust was set up in the way you were expecting, but there isn't anything we can do. Our hands are tied."

Douglas let out a loud cry, and Jonathon slumped, knowing arguing  with them any more was useless. "Gentlemen," he said without meeting their eyes. "Can I have a few minutes to talk with my wife?"

"Certainly."

When they were alone, Jonathon turned to her. "Do you want me to hold him while you get ready?"

"Are you sure I can feed him here?" she said, eyeing the closed door nervously. "What if they walk in?"

"They won't come back until I get them," Jonathon said, holding his hands out to take Douglas.

"Okay."

By now Douglas was wailing with hunger, and Jonathon rocked him while Helen unbuttoned her dress. His eyes stung as he looked at his son's red crying face. After everything he'd done to protect Douglas and ensure he had a secure future, it had been for nothing.

"I'm ready," Helen said, and he handed him to her. Once Douglas was quietly nursing, Helen looked up at him with sorrow. "I don't want you to feel sad about this, Johnny. It's not that bad. He'll be okay without the–"

"It is bad!" he shouted, and then stood. He walked to the window while his rage flared. Looking outside at the street filled with muddy slush, he was filled with the urge to smash his fist through the glass. Instead, he turned around. "Don't you think people will notice when he doesn't inherit the mine? They'll know something strange is going on. They'll probably think I didn't love him," he said miserably.

"No one would ever think that about you!" Helen said forcefully, and then she reached her hand out towards him. "Please come sit with me," she said in a softer voice.

He shuffled back and slumped in the chair next to her with defeat. "Why do things like this keep happening to me?" he said, putting his head in his hands.

"We'll have another child," she said soothingly while she rubbed his back. "If it's a boy, he and Douglas will run the mine together, like you and Billy. If it's a girl, Douglas will run the mine for her. Billy doesn't care that you inherited everything, and neither will–"

He straightened. "That's because I'm the oldest. I'm supposed to be the heir."

"If we raise Douglas knowing how it has to be and why, he'll understand. He won't be disappointed, just like Billy wasn't disappointed when you inherited the trust from your father.  I bet hardly anyone around here will even notice – because they'll be working together as a team, just like you and Billy work together."

He studied her, considering the possibilities. He had to admit, it made a certain amount of sense.

She took his hand, weaving her fingers through his. "As long as the trust stays in the family, that's what matters. We'll make sure this works – together, as a family. I know we can do this."

He nodded, grasping at the hope she was offering him. "Alright. That's what we'll do."

She smiled while her eyes glistened. "Have I told you how lucky I am – how lucky we are, that we have you."

"You've got that wrong," he said quietly, moving closer so he could kiss her. "I'm the lucky one."

****

Another piece of the puzzle has fallen into place with this chapter, and I hope you enjoyed reading  it, knowing what's coming for all of them in the future.  The way the trust was set up has had huge implications for everyone involved, and is the main driver of the entire plot of The Boy in the Woods. I can't wait to hear what you think about this one!

Even when I was writing The Boy in the Woods, I thought of Jonathon as a very tragic figure, someone who had suffered so many losses he was eventually crushed by them.  Writing this story has been extremely satisfying for me even though it hasn't been easy.  Not only do I get to tell Jonathon's story in all it's detail to you, writing scenes like this brings them to life and fleshes them out for me too. 

I will strive to post the next chapter as soon as I'm able.  I don't know if I've mentioned it, but I've recently begun working for Wattpad in a more official capacity.  That means I'm now in charge of a few projects in addition to my ambassador duties, and even more crazy busy than I normally am.  But always know this story is never far from my mind.  Even when not actively writing, I'm constantly thinking about what's coming next.

Cheers and thank you for continuing to read!