Alpha Billionaire Series
The Wrong Choice Chapter 16

MADII

I sat at the busy café with my camera bag, waiting for Alice to show up. She had insisted we get together because it had been weeks since I'd stopped in to see Drew, eight weeks to be exact. I'd spent most of my free time with Lexi and Crystal or Gavin. Each time I thought of Drew now a guilty pang struck my chest, but I was getting better at pushing it away.

I sipped the bubble tea I had ordered and watched the door expectantly, and when Alice walked in, I stood and waved her over. She offered a huge hug and a smile.

"Oh, Madison, you're looking just radiant." She held me by the shoulders at arm's length. She'd gotten her hair cut, and if I wasn't mistaken, she'd added some color too. It was nice to see her beginning to care about herself again. For too long she'd just thrown a hat on to cover the gray's she had previously been anal about recoloring.

"Thank you, Alice. You look great too. How is Henry?" I gestured as I spoke, and we sat down.

Alice situated her purse on the chair next to her, and I slid the tea I bought for her across the table. In the packed room, there were only so many open tables, but I had been fortunate enough to get one right by a window, so we watched the passersby as they talked and waited on the traffic light to change.

"Oh, you know. Henry is doing okay. He's just working and keeping himself busy. Days pass now without us seeing Drew, but there isn't much to see. The doctors keep us informed if things change." She fiddled with her tea, twisting it in a circle on the table. A puddle formed around the base of the cup on the table, condensation from the icy drink inside.

"I'm glad he is still staying active and not getting depressed and lonely." I sipped my drink, trying to know what to say. I had a sense that Alice needed me as much as I had needed her all those months, and without me she felt a little lost.

"Yes, well he has his down days, but we manage." Alice took the lid off of her teacup and swirled the straw in it, forcing the bubbles to mix around with the ice. She looked back up at me with a sad smile. "How are you doing? I haven't seen much of you lately, but it seems you're doing fine."

I shrugged, straw still in my mouth. As I set the cup down, a strange melancholy feeling washed over me. I had loved being like a daughter to Alice for so long, but this conversation almost felt like she was the mother bird kicking me out of the nest. Like saying goodbye to one part of my life and moving on to something different. Only, when I had gone through this with my own parents, moving out to be with Drew, it hadn't felt so difficult.

"I'm okay. I've been getting out more." I neglected to mention Gavin on purpose, afraid of what Alice would really think. It had been her idea to move on, and she had even encouraged me to take an interest in him because of his comments to me. But still I was apprehensive-always afraid of what other people would think of me.

"That's good dear." Alice snapped the lid back on her cup and took a drink, her eyebrows rising with delight. "This is really good." She held the cup up and looked at it and for a moment I thought I had passed the awkward conversation I didn't want to have. Until she set her cup down and said, "You know who else hasn't been around as much?"

I sighed inwardly. I knew it was Gavin. He'd been spending time with me instead of hanging out around Drew's room.

"Who?" I hoped that sounded as nonchalant as I tried to make it sound.

"Dr. Carpenter." Alice smirked and batted her eyelashes. "Anything I should know?" She waited with an expectant look on her face as a blush formed across my cheeks, giving away my thoughts. Deciding the cat was already out of the bag-who keeps a cat in a bag anyway? -I smiled and looked down.

"Yeah? Well, I guess we know the reason he was around so much then, don't we?" My chest fluttered just thinking about him. He had quickly gone from a stranger who was really nice and bordering on a close acquaintance, to someone I loved. It was just awkward telling the mother of the man I still loved just as much as I always had, that I was moving on.

"Yes, and when I do see him, he seems to positively glow. I wonder why that is?" Alice seemed to grin behind her cup, though her face was obscured.

"You got me." Looking her full in the eyes, I shook my head. "I went on a date with him-a few times. And I think he and I have a lot in common."

She slapped the table, smiling broadly. "I knew it. I just knew it. I'm so happy for you, Madii. It is just about time you decide to take control of your life. I know it had to be a difficult choice for you but moving on is the best thing. You'll see. You will just feel so much lighter and better." She sipped her tea again, then sat it down. "I can't wait to tell Henry. He and I just worry over you so much. You deserve so much more than to sit and waste away waiting for something that may never happen. I'm so happy for you." The tension in my shoulders lifted like a balloon, floating away and taking the apprehension with it. Just hearing those words calmed something inside of me that I hadn't been able to put my finger on in weeks. Why had Alice and Henry's opinions mattered so much? I wouldn't ever know. But they had.

"So, tell me all about it." Even her complexion looked better as she smiled, her mood changing. So not to deprive her of her joy, I answered her.

"Well, I went to Gavin's house to learn more about Drew-a symposium that was online. Anyway, I'd been wrestling with what you said to me that day, about moving on and living my life, and as I sat and listened to the experts, I realized Drew is never coming back." I thought I noticed her eyes glisten with tears, but her smile never wavered as I told her about how the evening went, stopping short with a kiss. She didn't need the dirty details.

"And that is that. Now Gavin and I are officially a couple. I think things are going pretty well. We have so much in common, and he's such an amazing man." It felt good getting it off my chest and seeing how she was so supportive made me feel right at home. "Well, not as amazing as my Drew, but I'll let that one slide." With a wink, she drank more of her tea, playful and happy. "I really am glad you took my advice, Madison. You know as well as I do, that Drew would expect you to be on some mountain somewhere or jumping out of a plane. And it's good to see you happy again."

"Thanks, Alice. It's good to see you happy too." I took her hand and held it. Those hands had seen so many things, rocking babies, soothing heartaches, and now soon they would bury a son. My heart ached a little for what they would go through, but I vowed then and there to be there, even if I had moved on.

Alice and I chatted a while longer. It turned out she and Henry were planning a few updates to their home. She invited Gavin and I over for dinner once they were finished but I told her I wasn't certain. It was strange enough talking about my new love with my former almost-mother-in-law. When it was time to go, it was bittersweet. I was definitely saying goodbye for what I thought would likely be the last time for a long time. She hugged me tightly and I thought she'd never let go.

"You take care of yourself, you got that?" Alice kissed my cheek and scooped up her purse.

"I will. You take care of Henry."

I waved as she walked away, watching her with a twinge of sadness. And when she was gone, I opted to linger for a while and enjoy the solitude before my shoot. It was for a family of four. For so long shoots like this left me feeling drained of emotional energy. My dream of having a family had been stolen from me.

But today I was excited about it. I had new hope for a family, even if Gavin was significantly older than me. It might not look the same as what I had planned, but I was confident that my dream had been revived-so long as everything worked out with Gavin.