A Billion Reasons (Wish 8)

16 - New Year's

Monty wasn't emotionally prepared to see in another year without kryptonite in his arms. If it weren't Ted's wedding, he would have stayed home. He respected the man too much. The wounded little boy in him still remembered the day Trey and Ted came out of the woods and led him to Wonderland, or was it Neverland? It was a paradise until his father took it away. He had traveled the world looking for another paradise.

Not only wouldn't he be dancing with the one he loved, she would be dancing with another, the man she had given her heart to. The end of one year and the start of another was full of retrospection. Monty had trouble moving his thoughts away from his first New Year's Eve following his return. He didn't dance the night away like all his so-called friends. He hadn't seen any of them since before he entered the hospital. His mother had kept saying they asked about him, but he had felt unworthy and ashamed. His father's words were still lodged deep inside him.

The one person who cared for him, besides the therapists and counselors, who were paid to say the right things, was withering before him. On that dark, cold night, he became a man as he held the hand of the one person who truly loved him as she slipped from life. Without him, she would have died alone. Deep inside he knew if he didn't figure life out he would die alone. He had already tried once, but Alice had saved him. Who would save him when she was gone? He would have to save himself.

When he saw Sofia, she looked like the world had caved in on her. It was like looking in a mirror. He only liked feeling helpless about his own pathetic life. With everything else, he was a doer. Even when she put him off, he knew he would convince her to confide in him.

Once outside, she surprised him by cashing in on his promise to tell her about Alice. She had tested him. If he trusted her, she would hopefully trust him. Answering her when the raw emotions had been just under his skin was more difficult than he let on. He received a whisper from her in return.

"I'm being blackmailed."

He stood shocked while she scurried away. Maybe it was a need to pay it forward in Alice's memory, but he was determined to help the distraught girl. What good was having money if he couldn't use it to help others? Even cold hearted Montgomery believed in it, after all his wife dedicated herself to the family's foundation.

He slipped in while Sofia was with Sage. He scanned the ballroom and stopped on Sloane fit closely to the side of her man. Turning on his heels, he wandered into the dining room where the food was laid out. He could hear his old man complaining about not having a formal meal. Monty was thrilled not to be tied to a table half the night.

As he heard Sage and Aidan walk by, he slipped back into the private room and sat across from her. Looking at the baby, he hit him with awe. He had seen Sage pregnant, but the result was a miracle.

"I don't need to watch the dancing. Too many couples. I'll sit here all night if I need to."

"Why?"

"I need you to tell me what's going on."

"There's nothing you can do."

He shrugged. "I doubt that's true."

Sighing, Mrs. Reilly interrupted them. While she twittered about being a grandmother, he unsuccessfully stopped his brain from wondering if his father ever thought of him as a miracle.

After he discovered his father's infidelity at thirteen, it became a challenge to catch him. One Saturday afternoon when he was perhaps fourteen, a woman who was on the fringe of their social circle appeared at the door. He was surprised his father was home and not working.

His father's deep voice said, "Celia is out. Did you have an appointment with her?"

"I thought she said today. I want to become more involved in the foundation."