All For You (Alpha Hero Book 4) Read online

  All For You

  Alpha Hero 4

  Hope Ford

  All For You © 2020 by Hope Ford

  Editor: Kasi Alexander

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  www.authorhopeford.com

  Contents

  1. Kendall

  2. Kendall

  3. Kendall

  4. Kendall

  5. Kendall

  6. Brian

  7. Brian

  8. Kendall

  Epilogue

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  1

  Kendall

  I take another look at him lying in the hospital bed. He’s lucky to be alive. That’s what everyone keeps saying and my heart breaks a little more each time I hear it. I guess the car he was in caught fire. He’s indestructible. At least I thought he was. And I would have been happy to keep believing it, but instead, a drunk driver – in the middle of the day – runs a light and hits him. The other man walked away without a scratch. But Brian wasn’t so lucky. He just came out of recovery and the surgeon just told me that they have fixed the torn ligaments and his fracture was so small it didn’t have to be set. Although he looks bad, he’s going to be okay. I swear as soon as he said it, I started crying and have been sobbing ever since. When I was sitting in the waiting room, waiting on the doctor to come out and talk to me, I could only imagine the worse. I can’t lose him. I can’t. Not because he is my dad’s best friend. Not because he is holding my inheritance. No, it’s because he’s Brian. The man I’ve been in love with for years. I don’t know what I would do without him.

  When my dad passed away two years ago, I was eighteen. An adult. But hell, I didn’t feel like it. My mom left us right after I was born and my dad was everything to me. He would have been the first to tell you that he didn’t know what the hell he was doing. But he took to raising a girl like he did everything else. Full speed and with complete devotion. I was his little girl and completely had him wrapped around my finger. But he also raised me to be independent, responsible and to go after what I want. Looking over at Brian, I can’t help but think that he’s the one thing I’ve wanted that I haven’t been brave enough to go after.

  Dad started med school a little later in life and he may have been ten years older than Brian, but they were still the best of friends. So much so that when he passed, he put Brian in complete control of my inheritance until I turn twenty-one. I have one more year and then I’m free. Free from having to check in with Brian on everything I do. Not that I care, because I don’t. But all it’s done is put me face to face with the one thing I want more than anything and the one thing I know I’ll never have. It’s a little disheartening to have to face that every day.

  I pull the envelope out of my pocket and slowly rip open the seal. Pulling out the documents, I unfold them, holding my breath the whole time. Obviously these forms are important. Brian was in an accident and his car caught fire. The firemen worked hard to keep them safe and one paramedic worked on him until they could get him out. In all that, Shannon, the paramedic, said he repeated my name over and over. He made her promise to give me the envelope with my name on it. The fact that he was so worried about me getting this letter that he gave it to the paramedic tells me how important it is.

  I start reading the letter and I gasp when I realize what it is. He’s signed over my inheritance to me early. He’s done what I’ve been begging him to do for the past two years. He’s finally done it. The elation that I thought I would feel is not there. No. In its place is a burning feeling deep in my heart. I rub my hand over my chest, almost like I’m trying to self-soothe. I wanted this. I asked for this. But I can’t help but question why, after two years of begging, did he finally give in?

  I look at his bruised face and the cut over his eye. He’s so white, his face almost blends into the stark whiteness of the sheet on the bed. I get up from my seat across the room and walk over to him. I swear he’s almost too big for the bed. His brown hair is short and when I take a closer look, I can see the dried blood in it. My fists clench at my sides because I’m fighting myself from reaching out to him. Without even lifting the sheet, I can picture perfectly in my mind what he looks like under it. He’s built, spending his rare free time running hills and lifting weights. He’s always taken care of himself. I take a deep breath and think about how he’s taken care of me these past two years. He’s done everything for me. It was because of him that I made it through my dad’s death and funeral, and he even helped me pick up the pieces afterwards. And this is how I repay him. That thought has lingered in the back of my mind since I got the call about his wreck. He has done so much for me and this is how I repay him. I can’t help but wonder if our argument from earlier had him preoccupied and if that’s not the reason he wasn’t able to avoid the accident. Remembering the hurt on his face has my legs about to buckle now. I stroke my finger lightly down his cheek. He moans softly and I still. He doesn’t open his eyes and I pull my hand away quickly. He wouldn’t want me to touch him. He actually wouldn’t want me to see him like this.

  I clench my eyes shut, thinking of the horrible things I said to him that I didn’t mean. He has complete control of my inheritance. He was supposed to be using that money to help me live on, but he doesn’t. He spends all of his own money. I’ve talked to him about it over and over, but he never listens to reason. Today was the first time that I point-blank told him I wanted my money. I cringe as everything I said plays back in my head.

  2

  Kendall

  Two hours before the wreck

  I went to the hospital this morning to meet him in his office. I had scheduled an appointment with his nurse because I wanted it to be an official meeting. I didn’t want to do it over our weekly dinners together. I was sitting there waiting for him, trying my best to get myself under control and prepared for when he would walk in. He takes my breath away every time I see him. He does that with one glance, one innocent touch, or even a tilt of his head.

  I fold my hands in my lap and my body tightens when he opens the door and walks in. He stops next to me, but I don’t look up at him. He sighs heavily and walks around the back of his desk.

  He runs his hand through his hair, forcing it to stand up. Even like that, he’s handsome. “Is this what I think it’s about?”

  I start to say yes, but it sounds like a croak. I clear my throat and nod my head, finally looking him in the eyes.

  He sits heavily down at his desk and leans forward. “I don’t see what the big deal is. Do you not have everything that you want?”

  I shake my head at him. I don’t know how to explain it to him. I’ve tried over and over, but he just doesn’t get it. “Brian… I don’t understand. You spend your money to pay for my college, my apartment, all of my living expenses. That money that Dad left me is just sitting there and he left it for me to be able to live on. You shouldn’t be spending your money on me. The clause in the inheritance said you were to use the money until I was twenty-one so that I could live on it.”

  He grimaces. “What does it matter? My money, his money, your money? When you turn twenty-one, I want you to have all of that money. I don’t want to worry that you will need something and not be able to get it.”

  His logic doesn’t make sense at all. “It’s millions of dollars, Brian. Millions.”

  His forehead creases. “How do you know for sure I’m not using your money?”

  I jus
t shake my head at him. Did he forget that he gave me access to the financial reports? “I look at the financial reports. The ones you gave me access to.”

  It still blows my mind. My dad left Brian in complete control of my money. He didn’t even have the lawyers give me access to the reports. It was Brian that demanded the lawyers send me the information.

  He just shrugs his shoulders at me, completely oblivious to my side of things.

  I stand up from my seat, and already I hate myself for what I’m about to do. “Okay, fine. Have I proven to you that I’m responsible?”

  He just laughs. “You’re more responsible than most forty-year-olds, Kendall.”

  I put my hands on my hips. “Okay, do you trust me?”

  He leans back in his chair and settles his arms across his broad chest. “You know I do.”

  I nod my head, taking a deep breath and trying to get my gumption up. “Well, then, as a responsible adult that you trust, I need you to do what I’m asking you. Please sign my money over to me.”

  He tilts his head to the side. “Why is this so important? Why now?”

  I have never been dishonest with him before. I’ve always told him everything. But this, I just can’t. I can’t tell him that last week when we “ran into” a nurse he knows at our weekly dinner and she ate with us how much that bothered me. I can’t tell him that all I do is think about him… what he’s doing, who he’s with, if he’s taking care of himself. I can’t tell him that I don’t want to be around when he finally decides he wants to settle down. My whole life revolves around him. And I can’t do it anymore. I can’t sit by dreaming of him and knowing that nothing will ever come of it. He doesn’t see me that way. He probably sees me as a burden, God, as a child that he needs to take care of instead of the woman I am.

  All of these thoughts, especially of the nurse touching his shoulder when he told his joke at dinner, yeah, all of it is going through me and I know what I’m about to say comes out harsher than I wanted. “Because of you. I don’t want to cater my life to yours anymore. I want my own life. I want to do things, try new things, hell, I want to be able to go on a date without thinking of you and how it’s your money. It’s like you have me under lock and key and I don’t want to have to owe you anymore. I don’t want to always be looking at you for approval or to think, oh, Brian wouldn’t want me doing this or Brian would want me to do this. I want my life… just that. I need away from you. I. Want. My. Life. To. Be. My. Own.”

  I enunciate every word of it. Because it’s true. If I can’t have him, I need to be on my own and making my own decisions. I need away from him before I go crazy.

  I hurt him. There’s no doubt about it. He sits there, looking at me with his mouth wide open. I’ve never talked to him like that before. I know he’s stunned. Hell, I’m stunned.

  He leans forward and rests his arms on the desk. He doesn’t say anything, but he doesn’t have to.

  I rush over to the desk and put my hands down on it. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have…”

  He holds his hands up to stop me. “I have a meeting to get to… do you need anything else?”

  I want to finish this, but the look on his face tells me that I went too far. I’ve hurt him and that’s the last thing I wanted. It’s the last thing he deserved. It’s not his fault he doesn’t feel the same as I do.

  My voice is soft, almost a whisper compared to minutes ago. “No. That’s it.”

  He nods his head. He stands up and walks to the door. Before he opens it, he turns back to me. “Everything I’ve done… all of it… I did for you.”

  I start to tell him “I know” but he cuts me off.

  “I never meant for it to be like I was controlling you.”

  I nod my head at him and I can’t stomach the look of sadness on his face.

  He tightens his chin and nods his head before walking out.

  3

  Kendall

  “Kendall.” His moan brings me from my thoughts.

  I look down at our joined hands in surprise. I must have grabbed on to him when I was lost in thought.

  “Kendall.” He moans again and I tighten my hold on him. I probably should let it go, but I need this right now.

  “I’m right here, Brian.”

  “What happened?” he croaks.

  I grab the pitcher of water with one hand and pour it into a cup. Then I bite onto the end of the straw wrapper and pull on it before putting the straw in the cup. He’s watching my movements easily and I breathe a sigh of relief that he is alert. “Here, take a drink.”

  He tries to sit up, but he moans. I let go of his hand and put it on his chest. “No. Don’t try and sit all the way up. Just lean your head up a little.”

  He does as I ask and I put the straw in his mouth. He takes a big sip and when he’s done, I pull it away from him.

  With a clearer voice, he asks me, “What happened?”

  Shaking my head, I tell him, “You were hit by a drunk driver.”

  “Is the other driver okay?” Of course he’s compassionate, even for someone that inflicted pain on him. Guilt hits me again.

  I nod my head. “Yep, not even a scratch on him.”

  Immediately, he lifts his hands up off the bed to look at them. “My hands?”

  He’s one of the top performing heart surgeons in the state. I knew he would be worried about his hands. I tell him what the surgeon told me. “Your hands are fine. You have some torn ligaments and a very small fracture in your leg and a bunch of cuts and bruises, but they’ve already fixed your leg. You will be good as new.”

  He takes a deep breath and lets it out. He’s staring up at me, and there’s so much I want to say to him. We start talking at the same time.

  “Go ahead. You first,” I tell him.

  “There was a paramedic…”

  I pick the empty envelope off the bed and hold it up to him. “Yeah. She found me. She stayed with me too, until you got out of surgery.”

  Brian

  I nod my head, but stare openly at the envelope. It’s the one I gave the paramedic to give her. So since she has it, she knows that I’ve now turned her money over to her. She has no connection to me now. None. She is free to do what she wants, when she wants without ever questioning me.

  She wipes a fresh tear off her cheek. “About earlier…”

  I know how kindhearted she is. So I know how hard that had to be for her to say to me. My feelings are hurt. There’s no doubt. But more than that, my heart hurts.

  I shake my head, ignoring the stabbing pain. “Let’s forget it, okay?”

  She reluctantly shrugs. She pulls the chair over from the corner of the room and slides it up next to my bed. I watch as she sits down, resting her hands in her lap. Her face is red, and I don’t know if she’s embarrassed about earlier or if she’s just uncomfortable now.

  I can’t look away from her. I never can. She’s beautiful. More beautiful than any woman I’ve ever known. I’ve fought these feelings for what seems like forever, but quite honestly it’s only been a year… a very long year.

  When her dad died two years ago, I stepped up. Because of my relationship with him, I took care of his daughter, never wanting her to worry, or hurt, or struggle. It’s only in this last year that my feelings for her have changed. I don’t know what or why, but I started looking at her differently. Not as the little girl that always hung on her dad’s every word. No, she’s grown up quite a bit since then. Now she’s independent and thinks for herself. She’s always wanting to be better, to do better. Just watching her brings pride out of me. But there’s more.

  She crosses her legs and her skirt slides up her thigh. I drag my eyes off her exposed skin and back up to her face.

  Her forehead is creased and I know that look. She’s thinking, trying to figure out where to go from here. She pretty much told me that she wanted to be rid of me earlier. And no matter how much it kills me, I made sure that she got what she wanted. I canceled all my appointments for the rest of
the day and drove straight to the lawyers and made them rush on the paperwork. Knowing that there’s nothing tying us together anymore almost kills me. I know she’s only here now out of obligation. She feels like she has to be here.

  I curl my hand into the sheet and grab on to it. “Kendall.”

  She looks from her hands up to me questioningly.

  I smile at her softly. “You don’t have to be here. As a matter of fact, you probably need to go.”

  She starts shaking her head side to side and grips the railing of the bed with one hand. “No, I want to…”

  I put my hand next to hers. I almost grabbed hers, but caught myself at the last minute. I stare at our fingers, right next to each other but not touching. “No, really. You have class tonight and well, I’m fine. I’ll probably get out of here tomorrow.”

  She smirks. “You were in a car accident. You just had surgery… They are not letting you out tomorrow.”

  I just shrug my shoulders. “Regardless, you don’t need to be here. You need to go now.”

  She sits back like I’ve hurt her, but I know this is what she wants. She wants away from me and no matter how much it kills me, I will always make sure she always gets what she wants.

  4

  Kendall

  I still can’t believe I left him. It was hard, seeing him lying there in the hospital, but I would have stayed with him. I would have taken care of him. But it was obvious he didn’t want me there. Heck, he couldn’t get rid of me fast enough, it seems. I don’t know why he would want me there after the way I talked to him in his office.