Page 13 of Saved By My Buyers

“It shouldn’t still hurt, but does it?” I ask, wondering how hard her mother pinched her. “I wonder if it’ll be bruised.”

“Mom doesn’t do anything half assed,” she says softly.

“She uses her whole ass, huh?” Bronwyn asks, snickering.

They giggle together, and I sigh, glad that Dolly isn’t crying anymore.

“Okay, so you know I finished moving into the city, right?” I ask, and the girls focus on me as they nod. “I still have to travel for work, but I’m here for at least two weeks until that happens. I want to be made aware of how you’re doing. If you don’t answer, I’ll bang on this front door until you answer. Is that clear?”

“All I hear is growling,” Dolly grumbles, and Bronwyn surprises me as she pretends to howl.

“You’re both so mean, God,” I gasp. “I want a once a week dinner or standing ice cream appointment. It’s non-negotiable, but you can bring the new stepsister if you want.”

“Gee, thanks for including me,” Bronwyn mutters. “Why dinner or ice cream?”

“Because there are times when you’re sad that only ice cream will do,” I say sagely. Dolly nods, because it’s true.

I took her out for ice cream when she found out her mom was getting remarried, and as much as she tried to hide the cut on her cheek, I still saw it. Lucia is a fucking menace. I hate that Dolly is going to live in this giant house with her and a man I know nothing about.

I mean, don’t get me wrong. I know everything I was able to find out through my job, but he’s pretty squeaky clean.

Gareth Davies is a cardiologist at Sinai-Grace Hospital, has a perfect medical record, and seems to be well liked by his patients. There’s no evidence of malpractice either.

I still don’t really like the guy. Gareth is five foot nine, in his late forties, and has a slight paunch in his stomach. The man looks as if he used to play football, and now his body is slowly running to fat.

Lucia gazed at him during the wedding ceremony as if he hung the moon, but apparently still had time to terrorize her daughter as well.

“How come you know all of this girl stuff? Are you gay?” Bronwyn asks, bumping into my body so I’ll scoot over. For such a little person, she has a ton of attitude.

Rolling my eyes, I move over, easing Dolly between us. I glance over to make sure she’s okay with it, but she just rests her head on the tree trunk with a smirk. I don’t want her to think I took Bronwyn’s words to heart, because I don’t care what anyone thinks.

I’ll always fight to be a part of her life in some way.

“Dolly taught me,” I say honestly. “Her dad was my best friend from childhood. My sexual orientation is none of your business, though. I took her on trips to the zoo and to the diner whenever I was in town. I didn’t live in Florida anymore, but I visited often.”

“I was rude, sorry,” Bronwyn says before jumping to the next topic. “So where were you when Dahlia was living alone in New England, huh?”

“What?” Dolly asks in surprise.

“It kind of slipped out,” I say. “I was pissed off that you were upset, but Bee figured it out mostly on her own.”

“It’s Bronwyn,” Bee sniffs.

“It’s a mouthful,” Dolly teases as they laugh. “My name isn’t that long, and I still have a terrible nickname. Be happy it’s not ‘Winnie’.”

At the evil glint in my eyes as I look over at her, Bee groans. “Ugh, fine. I see your point.”

We spend the next half an hour hiding before I walk them to the house to clean up Dolly’s makeup, and I wait outside. Lucia finds me leaning against the side of the house, answering work emails while I waited. I’d much rather her attempt to pick a fight with me than Dolly.

“Congratulations Lucia,” I say, pocketing my phone. I dressed for the occasion in a navy-blue designer suit. There was no way I was going to have her throw me out for not having the right attire on.

I already am crashing the wedding as it is. My invitation somehow got lost in the mail.

“You’re not supposed to be here, Jack,” she hisses, looking around as if someone can hear. Everyone is partying and drinking in the tent, so she’s not going to find anyone around. It’s why I walked the girls up to the house. It’s been an hour since the wedding ceremony ended, and people are already drunk.

With this many random people in the backyard, I don’t feel as if it’s safe for the girls to walk alone. Even though I’m not looking at either girl like that, I can admit they’re both beautiful. There are bathrooms set up outside and at the pool house for the guests, and no one is supposed to enter the house.

Still, I’m feeling twitchy. There was no way I was going to miss this stupid wedding. For Dolly.

---