Alpha Billionaire Series
Coming Home Chapter 18

HOLDEN

I had to complete a few errands, so I arranged for a car to take me into town. I was too sore to give in to my personal vanity and not use the cane. After my first stop at the office supply store for more packing boxes, I had the driver head farther into town. I started my daily prescribed walk at one end of the block. As a reward, I stopped in at the coffee shop. The last person I wanted to see was Makenzie. So, it made perfect sense that I kept running into her. She was there in the line in front of me. I had my cane with me, and for a second thought about ditching it somewhere so she wouldn't see it.

I didn't know why I was trying to impress her. She could see me for who I really was, a broken man needing tools to aid in my recovery. I stared at the back of her head and dared her to turn and look at me. I leaned on my cane and limped with exaggerated emphasis. Oh, look at me, I am an injured man.

Did I want her sympathy?

What was wrong with me? She had been pretty damned clear a few days earlier that we were very much in the past.

She was laughing and tossing her hair as she spoke to the young man behind the counter. Was she flirting with him?

I glared harder at her back. My gaze slid down the perfect curve of her back and I sucked in a breath. Her hips and a*s were abundantly curvaceous and on display in a pair of tight jeans. I tightened my core muscles and grit my teeth together. Her body always sent mine into overdrive. My groin tightened as blood flow redirected itself. I may have been pissed off at her, but my d**k was ready to stand at attention and say, 'yes ma'am whatever you want!'

Our eyes met, and she paused. She bit her lower lip. Her cheeks flushed, and she looked like she was about to say something.

Say anything, I should have begged right then.

Instead of saying something flirtatious, hell, I would have settled for a scathing retort, she raked her gaze over me from head to toe. When she brought her eyes back to meet mine, she narrowed her eyes into a glare and wrinkled up her nose as if she was smelling something bad.

She made it perfectly clear that she thought that me and my attitude were what stank. She walked past with a little huff.

Had I been whole, and able, I probably would have jumped out of line and ran after her. I wasn't in any condition to fight for her. Closing my eyes, I accepted my defeat and stayed in line.

With coffee in hand, I sat at a small cafe table and doctored my coffee to the way I liked it. I limped over to the trash can and reached out to toss my garbage at the same time as another person. I looked up and it was Makenzie. She pursed her lips and turned with a toss of her hair. The air filled with the soft scent of her coconut shampoo.

I got it; she was angry with me. I returned to my seat and made sure I watched as she walked away and up the street. She wiggled in the most delightful way when she was in a hurry. But more importantly, I had visual confirmation that she was well away and that I wouldn't run into her the next time I got up.

There was a small gift shop on this block that I wanted to visit. Mom always admired the little things the gift shop carried. I thought it would be a nice gesture to send her something to brighten her day. I walked slowly, careful to keep a good grip on both the cane and the coffee cup. The cup proved to be a bit tricky with my left hand, but I managed.

I set my coffee on the windowsill out front of the shop. It was a gamble that it would be there and untouched by the time I came out of the shop, but I wasn't willing to risk having a clumsy moment inside. Not with my grip strength being as weak as it was. The shop bell tinkled and the clerk and the woman she was talking to turned to watch me hobble in.

"You again? Really?"

Makenzie's voice cut through the thoughts in my head. I completely forgot why I was there.

I must have stopped and stared for a moment.

"How can I help you, sir?" the shop clerk asked.

"Uh, I'm just looking for..." Why the fuck was I in there? Right, Mom. "For my mother."

Remembering took a moment longer than it should have, Makenzie had derailed me so completely.

"Let me know if you need any help."

I limped around the small shop. Instead of looking at trinkets and small items with positive sayings emblazoned across them, I kept casting my gaze to Makenzie.

She looked really good all grown up. She had always had good curves, but now they were even better. Being a mother had done amazing things for her shape. She looked like she would be soft to hold.

My left hand decided that was the perfect moment to fumble the small ring box I had picked up and pretended to be looking at.

"Sorry, sorry," I said, as I carefully replaced the box.

Makenzie leveled her glare at me. She obviously didn't believe for an instant that I was there for a random gift for my mother.

I needed to get out of there before Makenzie accused me of stalking her. It was a small island; she knew we would eventually run into each other.

"Thanks for coming in," the clerk called out as I limped from the store.

My coffee was where I had left it, untouched. It was cold. I tossed it in the first trash can I found. The island was full of little gift shops. I could replace something in one of those. Fortunately, I didn't have to walk far before I found another shop. The items were similar to the previous shop. I was bound to replace something here. I walked slowly around the display tables letting my gaze fall on the various items on display.

I picked up a small painted figurine of a heart with flames coming off the top. I flipped it over and it had "Burning Love" incised into the bottom. It seemed like something Makenzie would like. A little folk-art style, a little edgy. I held onto it as I kept looking for something for Mom.

I was at the counter paying for a small box with inlaid turquoise and the Burning Love sculpture when the door opened, and I heard an exasperated sigh.

"Seriously Holden, what are you doing here?"

I huffed half a chuckle out through my nose. "I was here first. Tuck your attitude back in. You can't accuse me of following you around like a love-sick puppy. I had no idea you would be coming in here. As I said the last time I saw you, I'm buying a gift for my mother." "Whatever for? Is it her birthday?"

"No, as you might recall, she recently lost her husband of thirty-five years. I thought I would send her something to cheer her up."

Makenzie rolled her eyes and shook her head at me.

"I'm almost finished. I'll be out of your hair in just a minute."

She stood with her arms crossed and watched as I limped past her and out the door. The situation was ridiculous, I couldn't help but smile.

With my purchases in hand, I headed back to where the car would be waiting for me. I slid into the back with a sense of relief. I had done a fair bit more walking than I had intended. Keeping my cool around Makenzie had taken more effort than I would have expected.

Damn, she was so beautiful. And she was single. It didn't matter that she had a kid, I still wanted her. I sat up. She had a kid. I started to count on my fingers. There was no way.

I leaned back into the car seat and closed my eyes. How old was her daughter? There was a very real possibility that the little girl was mine. Wow.

I began to rethink everything Makenzie had said about not introducing her kid to random dates. As some random guy in Makenzie's life, yes, I wanted to meet her daughter. I understood that single mothers came as package deal with children. But as the potential father of that child, I was very glad that Makenzie was as smart as she was and protecting our child.