The Bluegrass Billionaire Trilogy: An Alpha Billionaire Romance Box Set

by Alice Ward

  We made love on the balcony beneath the moon, on the back lawn and on the edge of the swimming pool. We spent a particularly interesting evening in the home gymnasium. Hawk had made a game of counting how many positions he could achieve when we were draped over one type of equipment or another. A couple of nights we adjourned to the home theatre and made love on the white leather seats while a sexily salacious movie played in the background. We called it “making love in the round.”

  When we boarded the jet to go home, we were replete after our six weeks of bliss. As we neared the U.S. we both began to stiffen, dreading the homecoming. It was likely to be warm and effusive from my dad, but cold and hurtful from Worth and probably Auggie. I don’t know whether she planned to tell Worth, but somehow, eventually, he would find out. The hurt would come then, and the only thing that remained to be seen was whether revenge would be involved.

  We arrived home, exhausted but so terribly in love with one another. We barely did anything but make love and sleep. I’d even lost my appetite, and Hawk noticed this one day. “You’re growing awfully thin, my girl,” he said, pinching the fabric away from my body.

  “I’m just not hungry. In fact, my stomach has been bothering me. I was sick yesterday morning.”

  We looked at one another, and realization dawned. I raced to a drugstore for a home test kit and sure enough — we were pregnant! I immediately made a doctor’s appointment, and he confirmed it. “Did you miss your period?” Hawk asked, still attempting to understand how I’d gotten pregnant. I’d started the pill a few months ago.

  “I’ve always been very irregular. I’m embarrassed to say that since we’ve been making love so much, I thought maybe I was, well… you know… kind of ‘worn out?’”

  He grinned. “You silly goose. Well, this changes things completely.”

  “How do you mean?”

  “I’ve been giving this thought since we came back from Australia. This house is under tight security due to my business, but it’s not the sort of place for a baby to be raised. Why don’t we make this an office and build a new home on the rise? The property Mom gave us?”

  “I think that’s a marvelous idea!” The idea of living in Hawk’s military compound had never thrilled me and to have a house that we created together seemed like a dream come true. “Do you think we could be in before the baby comes?”

  “We can try. I’ll get Mom’s architect on it. I remember she always works best when she’s well paid. I’ll see to it.”

  In the meantime, our life settled into a rhythm. I visited with Dad often, and he was completely elated at the news. I knew he was lonely, and the idea of having a grandchild around for him to bounce on his knee was something that would bring him a great deal of delight. I ached to tell Auggie and Worth; it would be their first grandchild after all. I knew it wasn’t my job to share the news, however. I left it to Hawk, and he seemed in no great hurry.

  Hawk introduced me to Beverly Dexter, the architect. Just as he had promised, money talked, and she grew quite excited at the idea of building a home on the high point of the county. She had multiple views to work with and acres and acres of untouched ground. She drew up some preliminary plans for a very modern, almost futuristic design and we heartily approved them. We had loved the clean, open lines of buildings we’d seen in Australia. The design incorporated not only windows in every direction, but inside there were plans for an arboretum, huge tanks for saltwater fish built into the walls and naturally, stables and outbuildings for a variety of animals. Hawk agreed to let me begin raising a few exotic animals which would require some diversity of terrain and housing. I threw myself into research for what I’d need and gave all that information to Beverly. We agreed that the house would come first, and after the baby was born, we could work on the outbuildings. She was sworn to secrecy and professional enough to recognize where her company’s interest lay.

  I stopped to see Auggie from time to time, but I avoided Worth. There was something brooding deep inside him. I suspected it had much to do with Hawk. The two of them still hadn’t reconciled. If anything, Hawk held him more and more responsible for his feeling of alienation. It had magnified after the incident on our wedding night when he realized how close he’d come to throwing everything we had away. The memory terrified him. I believe he almost felt as though Worth would hex us.

  One night it came to a head. Hawk and I stopped by to bring Auggie some pictures from our trip to Australia. We had all decided not to mention anything to Worth. We were in their family room, the photos splayed out across the coffee table. I was quite animated, telling her about the manor house where we’d stayed and showing her some of the gardens and zoos we had visited. We showed her a picture of us scuba diving and were laughing about my reaction to seeing a shadow I thought was a shark. That’s when Worth walked in.

  Auggie’s laughter fell silent, and Hawk’s face turned dark. Worth stepped into the room, and he came over to the coffee table to see what we were laughing at.

  “That looks like Australia,” he commented.

  Hawk took it on the chin. “It is.”

  “I didn’t know you were in Australia. Did you, Auggie?”

  Her chin lifted. “Yes, as a matter of fact, I did.”

  We all turned as Mark walked in. He stopped just inside the doorway, looking confused. Hi, what’s going on?” he asked in a tone that was artificially light.

  “That’s what we’re about to find out,” muttered Worth, turning to sit down in a club chair. “It seems your brother has been on a fairly nice vacation from the looks of it.” He looked pointedly at our hands. “Any reason for that, Hawk?”

  “Liane and I were married in May. You may as well know now. That was our honeymoon.” Hawks’ voice was not defensive — it was simply a statement. The tension was tremendous in the room. “There’s more,” he continued. “You’re both about to become grandparents.”

  “Oh!” Auggie squealed and leapt up to hug me. Worth didn’t move an inch.

  “Auggie, you knew about this?” Worth asked, his voice deadly quiet.

  “Well, not about the baby, but I knew they were married,” she admitted, still holding my hands.

  “Did you go to the wedding?”

  Auggie hesitated and only I knew why. “We weren’t invited,” she said finally, and I felt terrible for her. She couldn’t win.

  “We weren’t invited to our son’s wedding?” he repeated, each word a staccato.

  Auggie fell silent. She had asked not to be put in the middle of this and yet that’s where she was.

  I felt I was the only one who could rationally put this into words. “It was partially my decision.”

  “No, Liane, don’t,” Hawk spoke up. “It didn’t have anything to do with her. It was my decision. You and I have not and will never see eye to eye. The tension in the room at this very moment is proof of that. I felt if you and Mom came to the wedding, there would be some discomfort. I didn’t want that for Liane’s wedding day. It was extremely small. Liane’s father performed the ceremony, and we each had one witness. That was it. You can’t get much smaller than that. We left immediately after for Australia.”

  “Paybacks, eh, Hawk?” Worth spat.

  “Worth, don’t!” Auggie was getting upset, and Mark came up to stand behind her, his hand on her shoulder in support.

  “Well, who in the hell gets married and doesn’t want their parents there?” He was getting increasingly angry.

  “I did,” Hawk said in a firm voice, “and I would do it again. After all, I didn’t think you’d mind. You missed my sixteenth birthday, my eighteen. I don’t remember you being there when I turned twenty or twenty-one. Oh, college graduation? Nope, not there either. What was one more event in my life where you didn’t show up?”

  Mark spoke up. “Well, I think it was a rotten thing to do. You’re so incredibly selfish! You haven’t gotten anything you didn’t deserve. You come back here like some sort of prodigal son and expect everyone to tiptoe
around your feelings. You have Mom feeling so guilty that she’s been dealing with horrible depression over all this. You weren’t there for Grandpa when he died because you couldn’t be bothered. You’re an ass, Hawk or Ford or whatever the hell your name is. As for me, I’m sick of the whole mess. Go back where you came from!”

  Auggie’s mouth was hanging open. I could tell she’d never heard anything remotely like that from her youngest son. He was such a kind and respectful young man. My heart broke for her but knew enough to stay out of it. The atmosphere was charged with energy and it actually felt painful to me.

  Worth didn’t let it rest, though. “Mark! That’s enough! Apologize this moment!”

  “No, no, I won’t!” Mark yelled then turned on his father. “This is actually your fault, you know. I’ve heard the stories, don’t think I haven’t. You were wild. Too wild for your own good. You’ve been in trouble with all kinds of people. You alienated him,” he pointed to Hawk, “just because you were too busy to be a good parent. Well, look what you’ve earned. He’s just like you, damn you! Distant, self-absorbed, calculating. He hates me. Look at the way he’s glaring at me! Did you once bring your children together and have any sort of family talk? Did you once ask any of us how we felt about this whole mess?” Mark was literally spitting with anger.

  From the corner of my eye, I saw Marga sneak in, probably hoping to go unseen to her room. She paused and straightened, then came to stand in the doorway. She didn’t look happy about what she was hearing, particularly that Mark was so upset. Auggie was crying by this time, which fueled Mark all the more. Marga’s face was flushed, and I knew she wanted to put in her two cents’ worth, but all her privileges lay with Worth’s permission. She was just like him. She wouldn’t risk losing anything she wanted by sticking up for someone.

  Mark wasn’t done. “I can’t believe you even love Mom,” he threw at Worth. “You’ve put her through hell and knew you were doing it! You see this farm? You know what this is? This is my inheritance, Dad. Keep it! I don’t want anything from you because everything you’ve touched was for yourself. This farm was Mom’s attempt to have a family home. You can give all your money to the people who are just like you. Him!” Mark finished, pointing at Hawk once again.

  “I don’t want his damned money, you little shit! You think that means anything to me?” Hawk was on his feet, screaming. “I only wanted what you had. A family. And you, damn you, you can’t even be that for me, can you? You think it might cost you something? A little bit of your mealy mouth reputation? You think you’re better than me!”

  “To hell with you!” Mark shouted, his young man’s voice crackling with the effort. “To hell with the both of you!” He stormed from the room, and the front door slammed.

  “Ohhhhhh, boy,” Marga cooed and started up the stairs. “Tell me if the house catches fire from all that hot air,” she called over her shoulder as she went.

  Auggie was visibly shaking and crying. Hawk’s face was flushed and very angry. Worth sat stunned except for the muscle jerking in his cheek.

  “Excuse me, but I need some air.” I stood up and made it to the porch before I heaved the contents of my stomach all over a bush. Hawk was right behind me.

  “C’mon, Liane. Let’s get you home.”

  “Thank you,” was all I could muster and although the drive was short, I had the window down the whole time.

  Once I’d settled my stomach with some saltines, I found Hawk on the patio. He was still steaming. I sat down next to him and waited for him to talk. I had another life to worry about now, and I was trying very hard not to pick up Hawk’s extreme anger.

  “Can you believe that?” he began the rant.

  I just sort of shrugged and nodded. I was trying to subdue him.

  “That little shit telling me off like that? I hate the little sonofabitch. Spoiled brat. He thinks he has the world eating out of his pale little hands. Jesus Christ! Where does he get off talking to me like that?”

  I let a few moments pass. “I felt sorry for Auggie, to tell you the truth. She didn’t ask for any of this, you know. She’s been through a lot and not been the cause of any of it.”

  That brought out Hawk’s protective mode. I wondered that he and Mark couldn’t at least agree on the simple concept of keeping their mother out of things. Did they need her as an audience to their rebellion?

  “Ewwww… that Marga. She’s a cool one,” I added, hoping to draw Hawk away from Mark. Mark was just becoming a man. I knew that if things didn’t settle, it could become physical. Once it did, it was very difficult to back off.

  “Aw, she’s a spoiled bitch too. Both of them. That’s what he is, nothing but a whiny little bitch. They have no idea what I went through. They’ve had everything handed to them on a silver platter. ‘Here’s a horsie, here’s a brand new car, do you have a big enough wardrobe?’” he mocked his parents’ indulgence of the twins. “While their asses were riding around on a yacht, I was getting slashed by a gang!”

  “Hawk, please, none of that was their fault. If circumstances had been different, you would have been offered the exact same thing.” I sighed, holding my stomach again. “Can we talk about this tomorrow? I really need a lie down. All that energy…” I pleaded with him.

  His face immediately changed. “Liane, I’m sorry. Of course. I forget how sensitive you are to all this. I’ve lived with shit all my life. I guess I’m used to it. Here. Let me take you in and get you settled. Then I’ll make you a cup of mint tea. I think that’s good for your tummy, isn’t it?”

  I nodded and sighed, glad that the storm was over. At least for the moment.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Auggie

  The sky grew dark earlier than it should have for that summer night. I knew there was a storm coming in and called down to Lily to make sure the animals were all inside. They would be skittish already. Horses knew when there was a storm coming.

  I replayed the scene in the family room in my head. I’d never heard Mark talk like that. He’d never so much as raised his voice to Worth in all his years. I couldn’t imagine what had provoked him to attack so violently.

  I sighed. That was a lie. I knew exactly what, or rather who had been at the root of it. Mark was more like my side of the family. Very much like Dad. I think that’s why we were so close. It made Worth and now Hawk a bit envious, perhaps. There wasn’t any reason for it. I loved them all equally.

  Marga had to add in her bit of drama. I’d have to remind her of that later when it came time for a prom gown or a sleep over at one of her girlfriends’ house. She needed taming.

  I felt bad that Liane had to witness all that. Surely she must think us a horrible family. Perhaps we are? Perhaps I’d lived with dysfunction so much of my life that I accepted it as normal. I hated to think about that.

  Then there was the news of a grandchild. I wasn’t sure if I hoped it would be a boy or a girl. We seemed to have the LaViere blood in both sexes. Perhaps the baby would be more like Liane; gentle and helpful, loving. In that case, I hoped it would be a girl. It would be difficult for a male to possess those qualities and stand up to Hawk. I knew it would happen. He was too much like his father. It was inevitable.

  I heard the growl of distant thunder and looked out the window. There was, indeed, a storm brewing and it was coming quickly. I went through the house, shutting the windows. Worth was closeted in his study downstairs, and I let him be. I wasn’t in the mood to listen to all his rationale. It would only heat things up again.

  I found Letty in the kitchen, putting away left-overs. Unfortunately, upon seeing all the family at home, she’d started cooking barbecue ribs and salads. By the time dinner was ready, it was only Worth, Marga and myself left, but Marga wasn’t coming down. I thought about taking a plate down to Lily, but Brandon’s car had just pulled into her driveway, and I knew that eating was not on the agenda for her evening.

  I sat in the window seat of my bedroom, watching the lightning. It cut through the d
arkness like light sabers thrown down by the Gods. I tried to imagine what civilizations thousands of years before had thought about such things. They all thought they were alone; that the entire world only consisted of them and what they knew. How wrong they were. Even today, we only know what we can see. How primitive will we be considered a thousand years from now?

  I drew a bath, filling the tub with bubbles. I needed a good soaking. It was therapeutic for me. The storm escalated in intensity, and the walls of the house shook with the thunder. I grew sleepy and climbed out of the tub, pulling on a sleep shirt and climbing beneath the covers. I hoped Worth would choose to sleep somewhere else. I really wasn’t in the mood for his negativity.

  I’d just flipped on the television with the remote to see how big the storm was when the power flickered and then went out. The house was completely dark. I didn’t hear anyone moving around so I assumed they’d gone to sleep. Worth just probably lit a candle and continued brooding. I wished Mark would come home soon but knew it would only be another confrontation. That’s probably what Worth was waiting up for. I hoped Mark would have the sense to stay at a friend’s. Inspired, I tapped his number, but there was no answer. It went to voice mail. I didn’t blame him. He needed to cool down without any interference.

  I slipped the heavy coverlet off the bed. With the electricity off, the air wouldn’t be on, and it would grow warm in the room. I laid atop the sheets and slipped off to sleep.

  *

  I was deep in a dream of riding Carlos. He was running at a full gallop, and my hair was flying behind us. We came up to a stream, and he launched us across in one bound. I felt so free, so young, so untroubled. Something was pulling me from the dream, and I resisted. The images of the dream were suddenly vacuumed from my brain, and I awakened to a bright light. Startled and trying to gather my thoughts, I pulled back and grabbed a corner of the sheet to pull over my eyes.