Free Rescued by the Billionaire (Billionaire Romance Novel) by Aubrey Michelle

at her, waiting for her to continue.  
     
    “My mom’s 10-year death anniversary was fast approaching. She died October 2 nd , 2001—about a year after I’d graduated high school. Well, on August 15 th , 2011, I received a phone call from my dad’s friend Rich. He worked for a tow company and said that he’d just hauled my dad’s motorcycle from the cemetery where my mom was buried. Intuition told me at that moment that he’d taken his life. I was right—it was a single gunshot wound to the head.”  
     
    “How did his motorcycle get in the cemetery?”  
     
    “He drove there and killed himself on my mom’s grave. He left a suicide note but never said exactly why he did it.”  
     
    “Does that mean Emma never got to meet your mom?”  
     
    “Nope, she never got to meet my little Emma Buggy.” Kelly frowned.  
     
    “But she met your dad, right?”  
     
    “Yes, she was able to meet her grandpa, but they didn’t spend much time together. He was always wrapped up in working on motorcycles or hanging out at the bar. I guess he wasn’t exactly grandpa material.”  
     
    “Wow, Kelly. You’ve gone through so much, no wonder you’re such a strong woman. I admire you.” He sipped his coffee for a moment, “I bet your mom watches you from heaven and sees what an outstanding mother you’ve become. I’m sure she’s proud.”  
     
    “Well, that’s my story, how about your family?” She asked, turning the spotlight on him.  
     
    Dave sighed. Where would he begin? He couldn’t imagine telling her about his family’s problems after hearing how both of her parents died and their problems.  
     
    “I have to warn you, it’s not nearly as colorful as your past.”  
     
    “I’d say we all have colorful histories, just different shades.”  
     
    Dave nodded, “I agree.”  
     
    He cleared his throat, “My parents were always wealthy. My mom always wanted to have children so when she was in her early 30s, they began trying to conceive. I was the end result,” he smiled.  
     
    “The earliest memory that I have is my mom telling me that I was going to be a big brother. At first, I was angry. I didn’t want a sibling to steal away the attention, but I grew to accept it. I was happy, and I couldn’t wait to meet my new brother or sister. At the end of February, my mom gave birth to my little brother, Anthony—who we called Tony.”  
     
    He took another sip from his mug. “Tony was the apple of my mom’s eye. He was her everything—much like Emma is for you. It was sweet really. She never showed me the affection that she gave my brother, but I accepted the fact that he was the baby and the baby usually gets more attention. My dad was always busy traveling, making money—until my brother got sick.”  
     
    He looked at Kelly, trying to choose his words carefully. He didn’t want to say anything to upset her or alarm her, especially with everything going on with Emma. “My brother began experiencing odd symptoms in the fourth grade. Suddenly, every subject became difficult for him to comprehend. He didn’t understand most of what was being taught. Prior to this, he’d always been an honor roll student, so he was a smart kid. Eventually, he began to exhibit problems with speech; he was unable to articulate thoughts and ideas. My mom took him to various doctors, but they had a hard time diagnosing him. Soon, he began to forget who people were—including us.”  
     
    Dave noticed that Kelly was hanging onto his every word by the way she was intently listening to him. “My mom began to lose it. She took him to every specialist imaginable. He was finally diagnosed with juvenile Huntington’s disease. His condition progressed rapidly, and he died his freshman year of high school.”  
     
    “Aww, I’m so sorry,” Kelly empathized with his loss.  
     
    “Thank you. After my brother had passed, both of my parents became very distant, almost detached. During the last