Gray looked at him as he opened the passenger door and slipped in beside him.
"You okay?"
"Fucking kryptonite."
Monty had run from the ballroom, almost bumping into his friend, Oliver.
"Hey. We just arrived. Better late than never."
"I was just leaving. Catch up later."
He slipped through the back hall again and kept walking with purpose to his car.
"What happened?"
"We danced. I held her."
Gray sighed.
If he were a smart man, he would have declined. Being his own worst enemy, he held out his hand. Her hand fit in his, just as her body felt like home in his arms.
Monty wanted the song to never end, so he could pretend she still loved him. Instead, she thanked him for the dance and leaned in and kissed his cheek.
He reluctantly dropped his arms and stood frozen while she walked off the dance floor. When his feet began to move, he moved with speed and purpose.
As Gray started the engine, he looked at his friend. As if reading his mind, he asked, "What did she say to you?"
"I'm lazy and while she does important work, I'm getting drunk and naked with models."
"Shit, damn. Where was I? Except the drunk part, because I am an alcoholic. Are you drunk?"
Monty sighed. "Two glasses of champagne. I'm not even buzzed. I'm dehydrated."
Monty was regimented with his water intake. His doctor had scared him over some results from routine blood work. His kidney function was off. Then the doc said he might have been dehydrated. The repeat blood work was fine, but he learned from the experience to monitor his water intake. Also, he discovered he didn't want to die, at least not from renal failure.
"You'll need to replenish your tears."
"I'm not going to cry." Hopefully.
"Who was the hot girl with the kid?"
"The sister of the help. The daughter belongs to Bea's couple. She treats them like family."
"Is she hiring? You treat me like..."
"My best friend."
"Your only friend, because..."
"Because why, Freud?"
"You know why. You've paid a bucket load to your counselor to figure it out by now."
If he didn't let anyone get close, they couldn't hurt him. He had deep wounds from everyone he loved. A few were faultless, like Alice. Depending on his mood, some were classified as self inflicted. Dancing was self inflicted. He agreed, knowing the euphoria of being close would turn to pain.
"Oliver is my friend."
They drove in silence. Meeting Gray had changed his life. Feeling sorry for his rich ass was selfish compared to what Gray did and saw in Afghanistan.
"Don't think about it."
"What?" Monty looked from the road ahead to Gray's profile.
"Kryptonite. The cycle. First, you think of her and then the parade of pain starts and you'll be crying for your cook."
"Fuck. She loved me."
"Your mother loves you and I love your spoiled rich ass. But we both know you'll want to numb the pain, but we don't have a drop of alcohol in the house and you love me too damn much to fuck with my sobriety."
YOU ARE READING
A Billion Reasons (Wish 8)
Romance(Complete) Monty Whitby grew up knowing exactly what was expected of him. As the sole heir of Whitby Enterprises, he will one day take over, but his father never misses the opportunity to tell him he will never meet his expectations. Once Monty's re...
