Hopelessly Devoted to Holden Finn (27 page)

‘I don’t believe you,’ Henri said quietly. ‘Why else would you refuse me?’

Bonnie spun around again and fixed him with a blazing stare. ‘You’re so arrogant that you think the only reason I could possibly refuse sex with you is that I’m seeing another man? God, Henri, I thought I knew you, but this is a whole new level of why I hate you.’

‘You don’t hate me, Bonnie.’

Bonnie glared at him, but deep down, she was afraid he was right. The truth was she didn’t know what she felt about him. But she did know for sure that getting back together with him was a very bad idea. She could keep up the pretence of being a family for as long as she needed to, for as long as it took Paige to get her head sorted, but to let herself fall for Henri again? It would almost be too easy to let him back in, especially when giving up Max had left such a huge hole, bigger than she’d ever imagined it would.

‘This is imbecilic,’ Henri growled as she stared him down. He reached past her for the half-f wine bottle and stalked into the living room, leaving Bonnie to finish the dishes, her mind swimming with confusion and wishing dearly that Paige would come back from Annabel’s so that she wouldn’t have to be alone with him for a moment longer.

***

In the living room, Henri refilled his wine glass and took the lot in a huge glug. Just as he was about to start on Bonnie’s abandoned glass, a sound caught his attention. He looked up to see that Bonnie’s phone was on the mantelshelf, and it had just bleeped the arrival of a message. Throwing a quick glance towards the kitchen door to make sure the coast was clear, he picked up the phone and unlocked it.

Are you ok? I’m worried about you and I’m here if you need anything. It doesn’t matter if Henri is back, please don’t shut me out. X

Henri’s jaw clenched as he read the text. He tapped out a reply.

I love Henri. Don’t message me again.

Then he deleted the incoming message and placed the phone carefully back on the shelf.

It was about time this Max was seen off, once and for all. It would need a subtle and persuasive conversation with Paige to find out more about him. Still glowering at the phone, Henri knocked back Bonnie’s wine in one gulp and poured himself some more.

***

‘Mum…’ Paige sidled up behind Bonnie as she dropped some toast on a plate the next morning.

Bonnie turned and handed her the plate. ‘Uh-oh. I know that voice. What do you want?’

‘Nothing…’

Bonnie raised a disbelieving eyebrow.

‘Oh, ok. Every Which Way are finishing their tour in Birmingham. Annabel is trying to get tickets from Ebay because she missed out last time and they’re sold out everywhere else. Can I go with her?’

Bonnie frowned. ‘They’ll cost a fortune from ticket touts on Ebay.’

‘What if they don’t? Could I go if they don’t cost too much?’

Bonnie looked at Paige’s pleading expression. She could see that Paige desperately wanted to go. For a crazy moment, she considered texting Holden to get some tickets. But, of course, that was a ridiculous idea and asking for trouble, not to mention totally immoral, considering she had told him to get lost and never speak to her again.

‘When is it?’ she asked instead.

‘Saturday night.’

‘What! This Saturday?’

Paige nodded.

‘No way. Sorry, but I can’t get the money together that quick. If you’d given me a bit of warning…’

‘I didn’t know before…’ Paige began to whine.

‘Sorry, Paige. I’d love to say yes but I can’t. Maybe you can go to a date on the next tour.’ Bonnie silently hoped that the next tour would be soon. Holden had been quiet for the remainder of this one, and the danger of him having nothing to occupy his time and picking up where he had left off with Bonnie was a worrying one.

Paige pouted. ‘Where’s Dad?’

‘In bed, of course. I’d have more money to spare if he hurried up and got a job.’

‘It’s not his fault,’ Paige said defensively. ‘He says he has trouble getting work because of visas and stuff.’

‘Hmmm,’ Bonnie replied noncommittally.

***

Paige mentioned the concert at every available opportunity throughout the remainder of the week, dropping hints big enough to cause tsunamis in the Indian Ocean. Bonnie skilfully ignored every one and Henri seemed oblivious to any of it.

By the time a blustery Sunday arrived, alternate snatches of bright sunlight and steel grey colouring the sky, the flat had turned into an emotional battlefield. Paige was fuming that Annabel had managed to get the Every Which Way tickets and taken Nicola Clayton (who’d just had timely birthday money) in Paige’s stead; Henri glowered every time he looked at Bonnie and Bonnie was ready to run away to France herself with the excuse that her head wasn’t right. Lunch was a largely silent affair, shortly after which Paige retired to her room and Henri settled in front of the TV, leaving Bonnie to clear up.

As she put away the last of the dishes, Bonnie heard her phone bleep from the shelf in the living room. Going through to see what the message was, she was furious to find Henri had picked it up. He shot her a guilty look.

‘What the hell are you doing?’

‘Your phone went off… I was bringing it to you.’ Henri made no move to give the phone back, but Bonnie flew over and snatched it from him.

‘This text has been opened!’ Bonnie said, reading it quickly. Her heart felt as though it had stopped as the colour drained from her face. ‘Oh, God!’

‘What is this new secret you’re keeping?’ Henri said, regaining his cold composure. ‘No name on this text, only a phone number.’

Bonnie had never stored Holden’s number in the phone memory, but she recognised it just the same. She read the text again. Surely he couldn’t be serious?

‘If you think you can hide your boyfriend’s messages from me, you are sadly mistaken.’

‘It’s not Max…’

Bonnie’s hasty explanation was cut short by a knock at the front door. She froze, staring at Henri in some kind of weird
High Noon
stand-off as they both waited to see who would answer the knock first. Before either of them had a chance, Paige called
through, ‘I’ll get it,’ in one of her misguided attempts to appease her dad by appearing to be helpful.

There was a deafening squeal from the doorway.

‘OH MY GOD!’

Bonnie ran but wasn’t quick enough – Henri shoved her aside and got there first.

Holden Finn was standing in the doorway holding an enormous bunch of red roses. His cap was pulled low over his eyes and he wore sunglasses, but there was no mistaking him.

‘WHAT IS THIS?’ Henri shouted.

‘What the hell are you doing here?’ Bonnie gasped.

Paige stared as he removed his sunglasses and looked pleadingly at Bonnie. ‘You never replied to my messages, what else was I supposed to do?

‘You’ve been messaging Holden Finn?’ Paige squeaked to Bonnie.

‘No,’ Bonnie began, but then stopped as she saw Henri move menacingly towards Holden.

‘Henri…. No!’

‘This… boy… is the reason that you won’t take me back?’

‘No, it’s not what you think…’

But Henri wasn’t listening to Bonnie anymore. Holden took a step back.

‘I don’t want trouble. I’ll just leave these and go, eh?’ He put the roses on the step. Henri snatched them up and threw them out into the apartment corridor. Paige grabbed Henri’s arm.

‘Dad, what are you doing?’

Henri shook her off and shoved Holden in the chest. ‘Stay away from my family.’

Then Holden said the worst thing he could possibly have said… ‘Listen,
prick
, do you have any idea who I am?’

It was all over before either Bonnie or Paige could do anything to prevent it. Henri’s eyes flashed with anger, and he swung at Holden, hitting him with a clean, hard punch that sent him flying out into the corridor, his sunglasses skittering across the marble floor. His head thudded into the wall and he was still.

‘OH MY GOD, MUM! DAD KILLED HOLDEN FINN!’ Paige screamed.

Bonnie ran to Holden, her heart frozen in panic. Paige followed and Henri stood in the doorway with his hands still clenched into fists, breathing heavily, his nostrils flared. Bonnie gently lifted Holden’s head and took off his hat.

‘Holden,’ she said softly, tapping his face lightly. ‘Holden… can you hear me?’

Holden groaned a little but didn’t wake.

‘Phone for the ambulance, Paige,’ Bonnie snapped.

Paige stared at her in shock.

‘Paige!’ Bonnie commanded, ‘Call the ambulance. Now!’

With that, Paige seemed to snap out of her trance and ran for her phone. Bonnie turned her attention to Henri. ‘Help me get him into the flat.’

‘Why should I?’

‘Because, you idiot…’ Bonnie snarled, ‘you’ve just knocked out Holden Finn.’

‘Who is this
Holden Finn
?’

‘The man who has the power to make sure you end up in prison for assaulting him. And believe me,’ she continued as she turned back to Holden, tapping his face gently, her voice lower now, ‘he probably will, and I’d be sorely tempted to help him out. So if you know what’s good for you, you’ll at least pretend to be sorry when he comes round.’

Henri stared at Bonnie, incomprehension on his face. But doors opening along the hallway and curious neighbours emerging from their flats spurred him into action. He helped Bonnie pull a still unconscious Holden from the floor and together they dragged him into the flat to wait for the ambulance.

After they had made Holden as comfortable as they could on the sofa, Bonnie ran to the bedroom to fetch some blankets. While she arranged them over Holden, Henri stared at her as though she had turned into an alien.

‘What are you doing?’

‘He could be in shock,’ Bonnie said, ‘so I’m keeping him warm.’

Paige came from her bedroom, white faced, and stared down at Holden. ‘Oh my God, Mum,’ she whispered. ‘What the hell is going on?’

‘Did you phone the ambulance?’ Bonnie asked.

Paige nodded, still staring at the unconscious figure stretched across the sofa.

‘Who is this man?’ Henri asked in an exasperated tone. ‘If this is not the delivery man either, how many men do you have, Bonnie?’

‘It’s Holden Finn,’ Paige said in a dazed voice.

‘You keep saying this name! But who is Holden Finn?’ Henri demanded, the volume of his voice creeping up.

Paige turned to Bonnie. ‘He was here for you, he said so.’

Bonnie sighed. ‘It’s complicated.’

‘So you have two boyfriends?’ Henri cut in.

‘No… for God’s sake, Henri, will you just forget the boyfriend thing for one minute and grow up! You’ve knocked the poor boy out!’ Bonnie snapped.

‘He should not have come to our flat with roses for you,’ Henri said.

Bonnie stamped her foot. ‘That doesn’t give you the right to punch his lights out!’

Their argument was cut short by a low groan from the sofa as Holden began to stir. Bonnie knelt beside him. ‘Holden,’ she said gently, ‘Are you ok?’

His eyes slowly opened. He looked at Bonnie but didn’t seem as though he was focusing properly. ‘Where am I?’ he croaked.

‘You’re in my flat. The ambulance is coming.’

‘What for?’

‘For you.’

‘Have I hurt myself?’ Holden asked in a small, dazed voice.

‘Um… sort of,’ Bonnie said. ‘Lie still and don’t try to talk.’

Holden’s eyes closed again and he seemed to drift back into unconsciousness.

Bonnie turned to Paige. ‘How long did the ambulance say they’d be? And Paige, you didn’t tell them it’s Holden, did you?’

Paige seemed to squirm as Henri watched the exchange in confusion.

‘I didn’t tell the ambulance people, but I might have just messaged Annabel…’

‘Bloody hell!’ Bonnie shouted, leaping to her feet. ‘You told her Holden was here?’

Paige nodded uncertainly.

‘You go and message her again right now and tell her it was a joke!’ Bonnie ran a hand through her hair, almost crying with frustration. Why was she the only person here who could see how bad their situation was?

‘I can’t do that, she’ll think I’m an idiot,’ Paige pouted.

‘You are,’ Bonnie yelled. ‘Don’t you understand that your dad is in enough trouble already? If this gets around, there’ll be hell to pay!’

Paige looked as though she would argue for a moment, but finally sloped off to her bedroom again.

Bonnie looked at Henri, who had now sat himself down and was staring at Holden on the sofa. ‘I can’t believe you’d do this to us.’

Henri shrugged. ‘I still don’t know who he is.’

‘He’s incredibly rich and incredibly famous. You’re quite possibly the only person on the planet who doesn’t know who he is.’

‘If that is true, what is he doing here?’

Bonnie put her hands on her hips. She was sick of pussyfooting around Henri, with his demands and uncontrollable jealousy. ‘What do you think?’

Paige sidled into the room quietly. Bonnie turned to her.

‘Well?’

Paige paused for a moment. ‘It kind of might be on Facebook…’

Bonnie threw her hands in the air. ‘Delete it!’

‘I can’t,’ Paige said. ‘It kind of might be on loads of different people’s feeds now.’

Bonnie slumped into an unoccupied armchair. ‘That’s it then,’ she said miserably. ‘We’re doomed.’

Holden’s eyes opened again and this time he lifted his head from the cushion and looked around in bewilderment. ‘Bonnie?’

Bonnie jumped up from the chair and knelt on the floor beside him. ‘How are you feeling?’

‘Weird,’ he replied, looking utterly spaced out. He put a hand to his jaw. ‘Ow! And in pain too.’ His gaze settled on Henri, now standing up and watching them carefully with a dark scowl. Holden seemed to suddenly remember what had happened and his eyes widened. ‘Keep that mentalist away from me!’

Bonnie laid a hand on his chest. ‘He’ll be on his best behaviour from now on.’ She threw Henri a warning glance as she spoke.

Paige touched Henri’s arm. ‘Come on, Dad, let’s get a cup of tea.’

‘Get Holden a glass of water while you’re there, Paige,’ Bonnie said.

Holden managed a small smile at Paige, who returned it as she led a reluctant Henri to the kitchen.