Alpha Billionaire Series

GAVIN

Traffic was a nightmare on the interstate. An accident had held up all three lanes, and the road may as well have been a parking lot. Typically, I did well in traffic. I had the philosophy that there was no use getting upset about something I couldn't control, and I'd turn on a podcast or the radio and just enjoy the time where I didn’t have to work or listen to complaints of my patients or the nurses on the floor.

This traffic jam, however, was more challenging than average. I sat staring at the license plate of the big rig stopped in front of me, with no way to see around it to know how long I'd be sitting there. Mom sat in the seat next to me yammering on about Delores and her grandchildren. It was only a matter of time before the inevitable happened anc she started talking about Madison. I'd been lucky so far by talking about Dad's return from overseas and focusing he on being happy.

We inched forward and I noticed the stick-figure family on the back of the black SUV ahead of me to the left. It showed a man, a woman, a baby, and two dogs. I'd have probably selected cats, not dogs, but the human component saddened me. I hadn't heard from Madii for two weeks. And unlike when Drew first woke up, this silence was deafening.

The first separation of two weeks had been at my own choice, to give her space to handle the shock. I knew pushing her back then would have broken her, perhaps us. But this time, I had given her a clear ultimatum. Choose me or I'm done. And I couldn't take it back no matter how much I wanted to. I couldn't sit back and watch her fawn over another man for any amount of time, and if she hadn't come to her senses to call or text me, well she had made her choice.

“What's wrong, sugar pie?” Mom seemed to notice me grow quiet as I stared at the stick-figure family and patted my knee. “Traffic doesn’t get you down. What's happening?”

I shrugged. There was no way in hell I was telling my mother about Madison, not after I knew how she felt already. But that didn’t stop her from discerning what was going on. She sighed with frustration. I could see the steam spewing from her nostrils and ears like one of those cartoon characters whose faces turn bright red in rage.

“That girl!”

I started at how she spat out the words with a raised voice. I also knew better than to interrupt her or try to keep hel from her soapbox. So, clenching my jaw, I set my gaze on the bumper of the semi ahead of me and told myself to remain calm as she let her rant loose.

“I have told you time and again, she was no good for you. And now she’s gone and broken your heart, just like those other floozies you had hanging around. It's about time you find someone that is respectable. Gavin, your father would simply snap if he knew how you were being treated.”

She talked in an animated fashion, gesturing with her hands and emoting with vivid facial expressions. I swore the lady in the car next to us rolled her eyes at how ridiculous Mom was being. She probably thought Mom was going off about the traffic or something. What was happening was way worse. Any person on this highway would feel frustrate: or angry about the traffic. Not everyone would side with my mother.

“And there's another thing... Madison kept the ring, didn’t she? I bet you she did. She's a shady gold digger if I ever saw one. Fuck’s sake, Gavin, I tried to warn you."

I didn’t have the heart to argue with her this time. I'd stood up for Madison on so many occasions and it had made no difference in this particular situation with Mom. And now, with everything that was happening, even if I did stand up for Madii, it would seem like I was falling on my own sword. In a way I was, I had given the ultimatum despite my better judgment looking back at the situation.

Madison deserved a second chance even if she came back now, but I didn’t hold out any hope that she would come back. In fact, I had already resolved myself to believe she wasn't coming back. She had returned to her first love, a stronger bond than I could provide her, given the fact that she had withdrawn from me so greatly.

“Here! Here!” Mom shouted, pointing at the exit lane. Traffic had gotten up to about I0 miles per hour and before I knew it I was at the exit I needed for the airport. Mom was pointing frantically and waving her hands. “Gavin, you're going to miss it!”

“No, I'm not” Remaining calm, I turned on my blinker and slowed down, waiting patiently for someone to let me ove A kind older woman in a gray minivan backed off so I could merge, and we made the exit at the last minute. “See.” Things were a bit quieter until we got parked. Mom kept her complaints to people's driving or the horrible parking jobs perpetrated by other airport-goers. Her frustration seemed to intensify about the time we entered the terminal when a comfort companion got a little too close to her. She commented very loudly, and very rudely, “Cats are not comfort animals.” I had to steer her away from the crazy cat lady who was very offended by her remark.All content © N/.ôvel/Dr/ama.Org.

I distracted her by pointing out the flight board, so we could see if Dad's flight was on time and where his baggage would be directed to when they emptied the plane. We were quite close to the baggage claim B, which is where Dad would end up, so I placed my hand in the small of Mom's back and guided her toward a row of benches where we could sit and wait.

The very minute we sat down, she started in again with her nagging. “I'm just sorry you didn’t listen to me. If you had listened to me none of this would have happened and you wouldn't have a broken heart right now. Mother always knows best.” She said that last line with her finger pointed, and her head cocked sideways.

Her insistence was annoying me, but I didn’t have the emotional energy to fight her, so I listened to her list off the names of the women she had wanted to set me up with and their current relational statuses. Most of them had found someone. Of course, Becky Kindall was still single, but I wasn't interested in dating a podiatrist. In fact, I wasn’ interested in dating anyone. I wanted Madison. I wanted her enough to get my phone out right then and call her, but with Mom grilling me I didn’t dare.

“Oh, and I have all the rest of those packages returned, so you can thank me for that, not Madison. And another thin “What on earth are you prattling on about?” Dad's voice interrupted Mom's rant with a ring of comfort. My eyes and Mom's shot to the escalator where Dad descended with his trilby in hand, carrying a laptop bag. “Well don’t just sit there. Get up and hug me.”

Mom scurried over to him like a long-lost pet finding its owner after days of being apart, and I stood too. I'd done this dozens of times over the years, and I didn’t live with Mom and Dad anymore, so his absence didn’t affect me as much. We shook hands as Mom squeezed the life out of him, and he instantly noticed my sullen face.

“Your mom been hounding you again?” He scowled.

I nodded without saying a word. He knew what sort of trouble Mom always tried to rile up with me, and he always came to my aid in the fray.

“Margret, what have I told you? Gavin will marry whoever he wants to marry and whenever he wants. If and when he produces grandchildren, we will love them.” Dad let my hand go and patted Mom on the back. “Now, let's go get my bag. You'll like this.”

Mom backed away, eyeing me guiltily before following Dad. I trailed behind as he tugged a suitcase off the baggage return belt. He set it on the ground and pulled out what looked like a remote control.

“What is it, dear?” Mom leaned in, acting curious.

I gave Dad some space as he pointed his remote at the luggage, then started walking. Strangely, the suitcase on wheels started following him. “It's like a robot. No one has to carry it!”

Mom clapped her hands happily and grinned. “Fantastic!”

I rolled my eyes and kept pace with Dad as Mom watched the self-powered suitcase. I was glad for the moment that she was not making her harsh comments anymore. And I fell into step with Dad.

“So, things are rough?” Dad reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigar, ready to light up as soon as we exited the terminal.

“Yeah, a little.” If anyone could give me sound advice as to how to handle this Madii situation, it was Dad. Still, I doubted there was little anyone could do at this point. She wasn’t speaking to me, and it was my fault. I had pushed her into Drew's arms.

“You know, Gavin, my mother hated your mother. When we were first dating, there was nothing your mom could do right. Grandma just hated her and had it in for her. But then you came along, and you were the best thing that ever happened. After that, your mom and your grandma became the best of friends.”

“I know, Mom told me.” I shrugged. That story hadn't helped the first time, so I didn’t feel much comfort from hearing it again.

“Well, I bet what she didn’t tell you was that she almost gave up. We split for a while, and I had to go get her”

I held the door open for Dad and his robot luggage. Mom skirted past me, still fascinated by the contraption, and then I hurried to catch up to Dad. He had already lit his cigar and was charging forward to a parking spot he had no knowledge of.

“Well, I told her she'd have to get along with my mother or she was done.”

“And I almost left him!” Mom chimed in.

“But I got what I wanted. I went over to her house and told her she didn’t get the choice. She had to make peace wit! my mother because she was going to be my wife, and when you love someone, you just don't let petty things like thi: get in the way.”

“And she fell for that shit?” I chuckled as I pointed down a row of cars, directing dad to our spot.

“Oh, he is quite persuasive when he wants to be.” Mom waggled her eyebrows and I cringed.

“Yes, let's just say I satisfied her desire, and we made up.” Dad grinned and puffed his cigar. I made a gagging noise and a cringing face and both Mom and Dad laughed.

“Alright, so you're saying I need to just lay down the law? Tell her like it is?” I clicked the button on my key fob and unlocked my SUV. Dad opened the hatch and lifted his suitcase into the back.

“What I'm saying is you know her. You know what gets under her skin, what motivates her, encourages her, woos her heart. You walk right into her presence and be the water she is thirsty for, and then demand she drink. It's that simple.”

Dad shut the hatch and climbed into the car. I stood for a moment thinking about what he had said and wondering i it had any merit. Drew seemed to be the water she was drinking lately, not anything I could offer. And how did I compare with that? Her lifelong best friend, back from the dead, was far more enticing than a new love that gave her a bit of excitement for a few months.

I slid behind the wheel and started the car. Mom and Dad were already engaged in a conversation about what they had in the refrigerator at home and what they'd have for supper. I was left to ponder in silence for the ride home. Traffic wasn’t as heavy, and I thought about dropping them off then heading to Madison's house, but I thought bette of it. I needed a plan.

It would do no good for me to storm into her house demanding she “drink” I had to plan every detail of the encounter to make myself seem so appealing she'd have no choice but to thirst. And I had to do my best work ever. This would be the only chance I had left. If I didn't nail it this time, I'd lose her forever. And I couldn't do that.