Indebted: Part Three (Series Finale): The Virgin & The Bad-Boy Billionaire (A BWWM Billionaire Romance) Read Online Free PDF Page A

pride is what killed her just as much as that heart attack.
     
    My ears are ringing like someone cuffed them. Now I’ve been walking step-for-step in my Mama’s footprints, shutting him out for fear of being weak or pitied. This whole time Matthew has just been trying to make things right with my family, and he’s just dealt with pride and anger.
     
    “So, is he some kind of stalker or something?” Blake asks me. “It seems weird that he found you on purpose and now you two are dating.
     
    “He’s not a stalker!” My voice is louder than I wanted, but hearing someone else talk about Matthew like that shreds my insides. Especially since I was just saying the same things about him just a couple of days ago. “He did originally find me to talk to me about his father, but things got serious between us pretty quick. And he never offered me any money at all,” I say pointedly to Reginal. “It doesn’t matter now anyway,” remorse fills my sigh, “I fucked it up. We’re done now anyway.”
     
    “It sounds like that’s probably for the best anyway,” Reginal breezes over my heavy heart. “You’ve got enough going on right now; there’ll be other guys.” Not like him . I bite my tongue, not wanting to put argue with my brother. Maybe he’s right, it could be for the best.
     
    “Who wants another beer?” Regional interrupts my thoughts, rolling his naked bottle in his hand. The fragments of the beer label are stripped off and strewn over the table.
     
    “Nah, we should probably head out here soon.” Blake smooths his hand over Tania’s shoulder.
     
    “Yeah, it’s getting late.”Isaiah agrees. The sky is turning the deep hues of blue that you only see just before the first stars shimmer. As soon as Reginal is out of earshot, Issaiah leans into me. “Hey, I can see that this wasn’t just some fling was it? You really care about this guy, huh?”
     
    I nod, not trusting my voice as my eyes start to water.
     
    “Listen, Mama was a great woman. I’m not taking anything away from her, ok? You’re so much like her Kendra, I can see the best of Mama in you.”
     
    “Thank you, I try.”
     
    “I know you do. But here’s the thing, don’t follow that path too close, ok? I mean, Mama didn’t die a happy woman, you know? She could’ve let someone help her and had a longer and more fulfilling life. She could’ve still been with us right now, holding Marie or playing with Bailey and Jonah, but she let her pride break her. I just don’t want to see you do the same. If you have something real, don’t let your stubborn streak destroy it.”
     
    “I think I already did,” I mumble to my iced tea.
     
    “It’s only too late if you say it is,” Blake adds.
     
    Is he right? Can I still fix this? I’m not sure. My head is swimming in thorns as my temples start throbbing after such an emotional day. There’s one thing that I’m certain of right now; that I need to get home and get some rest.
     
    As Issaiah and Winnie pack up the car, I drift over to the side of the house and pull out my phone. Matthew’s number stares me in the face as I weigh out the consequences of calling him. What if he tells me to stay out of his life? What if he hates me? I throw back my shoulders and stick out my jaw. There’s only one way to find out. The phone rings, once…twice…three times.
     
    “Hello, You’ve reached Matthew Blackwell on my private line. Please leave a message and I’ll return your call shortly.” BLEEP , the voice mail deafens me with it’s prompt to leave a message.
     
    “Um, yeah. Hi, Matthew. This is, uh, Kendra. And, well, I was hoping we could talk maybe? I know that you might not want to speak with me, but I thought I’d try to get a hold of you. Anyway, if you want to call me back? That’d be really great and…. BLEEP! His messaging service just cut me off. I hang up and throw my phone into my purse, my mouth twisting in disgust. The thought of him listening to that