Page 70 of The Damaged Billionaire

“Hmmm, good idea, I will add that to my final invoice,” I mutter and smile, letting her embrace me and sighing at the warmth of her hug.

“I am going to buy us an island and we are going to move there. I will also buy the water surrounding it so no fucker can get to us without us knowing about it,” Tennyson mumbles, and I smile, thinking he is joking, but the look on his face tells me he is seriously considering it.

“Willow?” I hear Josh’s voice, full of emotion, and Saide pulls back as I look at him. Standing next to my bed in front of Tennyson, his hair is messy, his eyes half-asleep. Tennyson's hand rests on his shoulders like a supportive parent, and my heart melts at seeing the two of them like this.

“Hey, bodyguard,” I say with a smile and watch him crumple right in front of my eyes. My strong, smart, and usually full of confidence little neighbor, drops his head and weeps. I reach for him, taking him in my arms, his tears coating my shoulder.

“It’s okay, champ. She will be okay,” Tennyson says, rubbing his back, and I am glad he speaks because I can’t, too choked up at the sight of these people getting weepy at my bedside.

My eyes water, even though the lighting is dull, and I want to move, but my body is heavy, hurting, and I am so, so tired.

“You need to stay in for observation for a few more days. You have stitches in your foot, so you need to take it easy and stay off it when you get home. The smoke will completely clear out of your lungs in the coming days. You will probably still smell it for a while, even after you bathe. It tends to stick around in your nostrils and hair for a while,” Josh’s mom says.

“I will look after her,” Saide, Josh, and Tennyson all speak at the same time. Josh’s mom laughs.

“Perhaps take turns?” she offers as the three of them look at each other like they want to kill the other.

“I am sure I will be fine in no time,” I offer, already feeling better.

“You are not leaving the house,” Saide says.

“You are not cooking any cupcakes,” Josh says.

“I am not leaving your side. Ever,” Tennyson says, trumping them all, and I see Saide and Josh both roll their eyes.

And as crazy as they all are, I love them. No matter how damaged we all are, they are my little family.

EPILOGUE - TENNYSON

“Take it easy, just slowly sit, and then you can lie back,” I say, cautious of Willow as I lift her onto her bed at home. A few days in the hospital was too long. I plan on keeping her here in her bed right next to me, where I can make sure she is comfortable and safe.

“I’m fine, really, no need to fuss,” she says, but I see her wince a little, her foot still giving her some trouble. I grind my teeth as I look at her bandage. I have Ben and his firm working overtime on building the case against the Newcombs. It is one thing to try to blackmail me into being a father of a fake baby, but it is a whole other level to kidnap my girlfriend and leave her to die in a flaming barn. I swallow down the anger that festers, knowing that they won’t see the light of day again. Or at least not for a very long time.

“I have your favorite movies. I have told Betty and Bob to be on their best behavior, and even though you can’t wear them yet, I got you a new pair of fluffy yellow bed socks and a matching set for me,” I say, watching the animals as one jumps up near Willow’s head, the other slinking near her feet.

“Tennyson. I’m fine,” she says, smiling, rolling her eyes at me.

“She said she is fine, stop crowding her,” Josh says to me as he elbows me out of the way, delivering her a plate of her favorite lemon cupcakes. I picked up a few boxes from the local bakery she likes, knowing that she would enjoy them. While there, I also spent way too much money on upgrading all her bakery supplies and have a new oven on order from Germany. One of those deluxe models that has different compartments so she can cook cupcakes and bake a cheesecake at the same time.

“You boys are already giving me a migraine. Josh, come and help me downstairs,” Saide says from where she stands behind me, leaning against Willow’s bedroom door. Willow and I smile at her, knowing that she is giving us a bit of space, that I am on the edge, really wanting to ensure Willow is okay.

“Fine,” he grumbles and walks off as I plump Willow’s pillows and help her get settled.

“Have you spoken to your mother?” she asks me, and it is a question I have dodged from her the past few days, preferring her to concentrate on getting better, not thinking about my horrible mother.

“Not really. Before the accident, I had it out with her,” I mumble, now only telling her the whole story.

“What do you mean? What happened?” she asks, her eyes running over me with concern. This is what I was trying to avoid. She needs to concentrate on herself, not me.

“We had a family meeting. She started pushing me, and I started remembering things…” I say, sitting on her bed next to her, needing her close.

“Remembering what things?” Willow pushes me, like she always does.

I blow out a breath. “I just have a vivid memory of Helen and how she died. I have no proof, and I was only twelve, so I have nothing else to go on, but I am reasonably confident that my mother had a hand in her death,” I say to her and still as I wait for her response.

“Oh my God. I can’t believe it,” she says, her eyes wide in shock.

“Unfortunately, I can. I need to speak to my brothers about it, but like I said, no proof, no evidence, just the inconsistent memories from when I was a kid. None of that will hold up in a court of law,” I say, grabbing her hand and strumming her soft skin with my thumb. Her skin is pink and glossy where the medical ointment has been applied. On a lot of her body, she has hot spots, where the flames flicked a little too close. Nothing that will cause scarring, but the soft pink flesh is still tender.

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