Page 15 of Her Grumpy Alpha

“Sadie,” I demanded, my voice sharper than intended, “what’s going on here?”

She looked genuinely taken aback by my sudden intrusion. “James, what are you doing here?”

Ignoring her question, I pressed on. “Why is Brian here? What is he doing?”

Brian sidled up beside me and, with a mocking tone, he remarked, “Your lady friend there, she’s quite the charmer, isn’t she? I can see why you’re so enamored.”

His words grated on me, and I felt the anger simmering just beneath the surface. But I had learned the importance of restraint, especially in moments like this. My focus was on Sadie, and I couldn’t afford to let Brian’s taunts distract me. But my hands did curl up into fists by my side. He had become such a problem for me that he seemed determined to affect every part of my life. But I couldn’t let him see that, in too many ways, it was working.

With a controlled calm, I turned my gaze away from Brian and kept my eyes fixed on Sadie. “Brian, it’s time for you to go,” I snapped, my voice laced with firmness.

“Whatever.” He waved a dismissive hand. “I’m done here anyway.”

In that moment, while I watched him walk away, my determination was clear. My priority was to protect the connection with Sadie and ensure the safety of the children under her care. While Brian’s provocations may have left a bitter taste, I knew that I had made the right choice by focusing on what truly mattered.

But I couldn’t help worrying if this was what she had been keeping from me, and it seemed to be that thought that overtook me completely.

“Are you sleeping with him, Sadie?” I snapped, my voice trembling with a mixture of frustration and fear. “What was he doing here?”

“Of course not. Why would you even ask me that?”

“Well, you seemed to be flirting happily with him, so why wouldn’t I think that?”

Sadie’s eyes blazed with a fiery anger that matched my own. “James, how dare you even suggest that? I haven’t been with anyone else in over a decade!”

The raw honesty in her response hit me like a punch to the gut. I knew that I had gone too far, allowing my emotions to get the best of me. My anger started to dissipate, replaced by a deep sense of regret. Shit, I’d messed up bad.

“I’m sorry, Sadie,” I muttered, my voice barely more than a whisper. My head fell into my hands as the magnitude of my words hit me hard. “I didn’t mean to accuse you like that. It’s just… I don’t know what’s come over me.”

Sadie’s anger softened into a hurt expression, and she looked at me with a mixture of disappointment and sadness. “James, I can’t have you treating me like this. I care about you, but I won’t tolerate baseless accusations and mistrust. Brian has become a bit of a nuisance, hanging around here a lot, but this is a small-town business. I have to be polite with everyone or I end up losing people. I can’t afford to do that.”

Her words pierced through me, and I knew I had crossed a line, damaging the fragile trust we had been building between us. I could see the pain in her eyes, and I hated myself for being the source of it.

Taking a deep breath, I tried to regain control over my emotions. “You’re right, Sadie. I messed up, and I’m truly sorry. I need to work on my trust issues and control my jealousy.”

Sadie sighed, her shoulders slumping with a mixture of relief and exhaustion. “James, I need some space. I can’t be around you when you’re like this. I hope you can figure things out, but until then, you need to leave. I can’t have you being an asshole. This is my business and place of work. I need to look after the kids here. They can’t see outbursts like that.”

I nodded, feeling defeated but also determined to confront my own demons. I turned and walked away from Sadie, the weight of my actions heavy on my shoulders. I knew that if we were going to have a chance at happiness together, I had to change. Not just for her, but for myself as well. This was a clear sign of that.

As I approached my car, the weight of our exchange hung heavy on my shoulders. I turned to look back at her, and for a moment, our eyes met. I could see the sadness in her gaze, a reflection of the complex emotions that had been stirred by my actions. Her halfhearted wave, so different from the warmth and connection we usually shared, shattered my heart a little.

With a heavy heart, I waved sadly at Sadie and turned to get into my car. The engine roared to life, but the distance that had grown between us felt like an insurmountable chasm.

As I drove away, the pain of our parting lingered, a reminder of the complexities and uncertainties that defined our lives. The road ahead was filled with challenges, but the ache in my heart was a testament to the deep connection I had discovered with Sadie, a connection that I was determined to protect and nurture, no matter the obstacles that lay in our path.

As I drove away from the daycare, the remnants of our argument still hung heavily in the air. Her words echoed in my mind, the weight of my jealousy and irrational accusations settling on my conscience. I couldn’t shake the realization that I had pushed her away, potentially risking the budding relationship that meant so much to me.

I tried to focus on the road ahead, my mind whirling with thoughts and regrets. Things were getting complicated in my brain, confusing me, which might have been why I wasn’t as focused on the road as I should have been. As I approached an intersection, I nearly got into a fender bender with another car because I didn’t look both ways. My heart raced, and I slammed on the brakes just in time to avoid a collision.

Breathing heavily, I pulled over to the side of the road, my hands trembling as I clutched the steering wheel. The near miss had snapped me out of my troubled thoughts, and a startling revelation began to take shape in my mind. One I hadn’t considered until then.

Sadie’s words had hit me hard, especially her declaration that she hadn’t been with anyone else for over a decade. The timeline couldn’t be a mere coincidence, and as the pieces fell into place, I felt a growing sense of shock.

Gregory was my son.

The realization struck me like a lightning bolt, and I couldn’t believe that I had missed this for so long. The bond between us had always been there, but I had attributed it to our connection during my time in Cancun. Now, it was clear that the connection ran much deeper, through our shared bloodline. The son I didn’t know existed until this very moment.

With my mind racing, I wondered how I could address this newfound knowledge with Sadie. The truth had a way of surfacing at the most unexpected moments, and I knew that I had a lot to make up for, starting with mending the rift I had caused in our relationship.

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