The Harper Generations

You've got to be kidding me

West

I dialed Tom since Alana was bugging me.

Tom answered after the second ring. "West."

"Don't West me, you weasel," I said.

"Shit," Tom cursed under his breath.

"How long did you know, Jonas?"

"Can I plead the fifth?"

"No, you can't plead the fifth. No one can plead the fifth on this situation."

"It's not like we got a choice in the matter. You know how Ma gets when she starts planning."

"That's the problem. Everything gets screwed up."

"But it all worked out," Alana said.

"Hey, Peppermint Patty!" Tom exclaimed.

"Put a sock in it, Jonas. Did Karen return with you?"

"Yes, and she promised Ma to behave this time."

"Then that means Cayson is Luke," I said.

"Well, it isn't you or me. Val doesn't count since he's family," Tom said.

Alana giggled.

"This isn't funny. Wait. What about Harvey?" I asked.

"Do you really need to ask?" Tom asked.

"Well, we know where Ma and Dad are. How the hell did we return with different bodies without being related to each other?"

"The better question is, how did we end up with girls instead of boys?"

I didn't like the sound of this. Everything was topsy-turvy.

"When do you come home?"

"In two weeks. I need to finish training."

"Or you need to train the idiots that run the company. You already know everything about the company."

"It doesn't matter. I didn't until a few days ago when my memories returned. How did Ma manage to return later?"

"Do you remember that accident Grace and Harvey had when the kids were young?"

I had to dig through West's memories. "It was a car accident, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, but they didn't make it."

"What? What do you mean they didn't make it?"

"Grace and Harvey had died for a few minutes. It gave Ma the perfect opportunity to step in."

"How do you know this?"

"Luke and I confronted them when they were acting weird. Ma helped us with our memories."

"And you didn't bother to let me know?"

"What did you expect me to say? Oh, by the way, you're my brother from another mother from a past life. Yeah, that would fly over well. We heard how well you took it when Val told you the truth. By the way, did anyone tell you your great-great-great-grandson is one of the few people who actually tell the truth? Are you sure he's related to us?"

"Valentine is definitely related to us."

"So, how did Val believe this situation when others doubted it?"

"Because Val seeks the truth, unlike the rest of this damn family. But if we returned, there's a reason."

"No shit. I was enjoying the afterlife until Ma sent me back. Now I have a daughter who has the hots for Val's nephew."