Alpha Billionaire Series

HOLDEN

3 weeks later...

Igrit my teeth together as I stood on both feet. It was less of a pain but more of a discomfort. A familiar discomfort that I hat thought I would never have to experience again. I didn't have a cane to help me move, I had crutches.

“You only need to walk down the hall and back” my physiotherapist said.

“That's what you said last time.”

“Well, it is a convenient length. Your mother’s house is well suited for your recovery.”

“I swear you have conspired to make this hall longer this morning” I called out as I limped my way down.

“You are getting steadier. How's the pain been?”

“An almost constant dull ache. Am I crazy or do I feel it more this time?” I slowly turned at the end of the hall and began my crutch walk back.

“Last time your arm was also fresh out of surgery.”

“And my ribs, and a concussion, I would think that would put me in more pain.”

“You probably were in more pain. I bet you were also on more pain management medication’

I'took a tentative step. I winced.

“Next time pop a few acetaminophens before you go for a walk. That will help take the edge off. I think you are good until next week.”

Ishook my head.

“Not good?” he asked.

“I'm going back to Nantucket. I've been gone entirely too long” I had been stuck at my mother’s house recovering from emergency surgery to replace one of the plates in my leg. In what the doctor described as a freak one in a million chance, the plate cracked, and an infection tried to move in. After he got me cleaned up, with new hardware, he suggested with my luck that I should consider buying a lottery ticket next.

Being in New Haven gave the lawyers more than enough time to discover more questionable business practices my father had engaged in. It was suddenly my job to clean up his mess. It really cut deep to know that he had tried to defraud the very government that I had served. Fortunately, we had more than enough money, and a deal was brokered to pay the back taxes while a forensic accountant came in and attempted to locate the funds that had to be hidden somewhere.

I felt guilty but I suggested they get in touch with my aunts. Maybe they knew something the rest of us didn't. I had to put m trust fund to work to make sure Mom's house was secure. Same with the property on Nantucket that I had transferred to my name. I wasn't going to let my mother suffer even more. It was bad enough that she lost my father, she didn't need to lose her way of life as well. Not when I had the means to keep her more than comfortable.

Penny had come through, and paperwork was ready and waiting for Ainsley's information to guarantee she would be taken care of. Makenzie may have never asked for child support, but I was prepared to provide it. I didn't even need a paternity test; I just needed some pertinent information such as birth date and social security number.

I needed to get some recovery behind me before I was stable enough to be on my own. I harbored fantasies of pulling IVs from my arms and walking out of the hospital against doctors’ orders. There was something powerful thinking of oneself as tough badass. If I had tried anything like that I would have simply ended up on my a*s. I still barely had enough strength to grip the crutches with my left hand, and my leg could not support my weight, even a little bit.

I was stuck at my mom's while my body took its time mending. And I missed Makenzie the entire time, I even dreamed about her while under anaesthesia. We texted and even called, but three weeks of texting back and forth with Makenzie was barely enough to keep me satisfied. I longed to see her. I missed her in a way that I hadn't when I first joined up.

“Okay, Nantucket?” my therapist started, “I can find you a physiotherapist to work with there. I really think you need to keep working with someone. I know last time you were released on your own, but this has really set you back. Besides, I'm not convinced your arm is getting the work it needs.”

“I'm fine" I brushed him off.

“Do this." He held his arm up and made a fist and then opened his hand flat with the palm face down.

That was easy and I was able to mimic his movements.

“Good, now do this.” Not moving his arm, he rotated his wrist so that his palm was face up and his finger perfectly flat.

It was a strain, but I managed to get my thumb to point up, and my fingers all curled in toward my palm.

“Yeah, I'm giving you a referral.” He pulled out a card and referenced his phone before writing down a phone number. “Seriously, if you want to regain full range of motion, you have got to work on that arm.”

Itook the number and promised to call. The next morning, I was limping off an airplane back on the island. I had my driver go straight to the quilt shop.

Ethan was out front with sawhorses, painting panels for something.

“How's it going? New signs?” I asked.

“Hi Holden, oh man, what happened to you?"

“They had to crack me back open and upgrade my hardware. What's all this?”

“Mak had a brilliant idea, and I'm finishing up the doors for a little play zone for Ainsley and other kids. Its really smart, and the shop has been full of moms with strollers for the past two weeks. Its like they have some kind of secret network and word got out they can shop and let the kids play. I've had one hell of a time getting space to do the work to put in the walls Mak asked for”

“Makenzie is a smart woman. That's a clever idea.” I wanted to puff up my chest with how proud I was of her. I probably would have if I wasn't balancing my weight on one leg and a pair of crutches.

“Right? But I don't think her boyfriend agrees.”

Cold water crashed through my veins. “Boyfriend?”

“Yeah, he's a big financier in New York. He's been here every weekend, and all they do is fight. The guy's a real asshole. Mom doesn't like him much either. Every time he shows up she makes me grab Ainsley and we leave.’

“He's not here now, is he?”

“He's inside right now. They've been shouting at each other for like an hour. I know it's not my place but I've been telling people not to go inside.”

“Where's Ainsley?”

He-tilted his head indicating she was inside with Makenzie, and—I swallowed bile—her boyfriend. I looked in through the window. Makenzie was red-faced and animated with anger. I didn't recognize who she was yelling at, but he loomed over her and had hair only slightly darker than Ainsley’s.

“Shit,” I bit out. I was a fucking idiot.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

“You want to know what I think?” Ethan asked.

“Sure, what do you think?" I knew what I thought, and it wasn't good.

“I think she ran away from him, but he found her. Mom told me Mak won't tell anyone who Ainsley’s father is. I think it's this guy. He looks kind of like her. I mean Ainsley looks dead up like Mak, but she kind of looks like this guy too.”

That's exactly what I was thinking. Fuck. I was an idiot. Makenzie had told me not to become invested in the idea that Ainsley was mine. And what did I go and do? I set up a f*****g trust fund for some other guy's offspring.

I leaned on my crutches and seethed, glaring dageers into the back of the man who blocked me from Makenzie's view.

“You, okay?"

“What?” I turned to see Ethan looking at me with a puzzled expression on his face.

“I asked if you needed any help. You kind of froze up there.”

Ilet out a heavy breath. “Just planning my next move.”

“I thought you and Mak had something going, but this guy...

“Mak and I are just old friends, nothing more. I'll be seeing you around.”

Iturned and hobbled back to the car. “Stop at the package store, would you?” I needed booze and lots of it. I had an ache in my chest that no pain killer was going to be able to touch.