Page 21 of Saved By My Buyers

“I really like that your first reaction to going on a date with me is to kiss me,” I whisper back. “I have to get dressed, because Jack doesn’t like to wait.”

“He does have a tendency to be impatient,” Bee says with a grin as she pulls away from me. “I’m going to get changed too.”

Nodding, I leave to walk to my room, a smile permanently on my face as I slip inside my bedroom to quickly change into dark-washed jeans with a rip in the knee, a long-sleeved navy T-shirt with a snarky expression, and converse shoes.

Frowning at my long curls, I decide to twist the front pieces away from my face and pin it back. I want to look cute for Bee without falling on my face because my hair keeps me from seeing where I’m going.

Humming under my breath, I open my door to find Bee walking down the hallway.

“Ready?” I ask, falling into step with her. Bee’s pinkie links with mine as she nods.

“Daddy said he was pulling in soon, but I told him we may miss his homecoming,” she explains as we walk.

I really hope we miss him.

I don’t know if I’ll ever feel comfortable in his presence again. Just the thought of his name makes my skin crawl. The weekend it happened, I spent more of it puking. When Bee came to find me on Monday, I hadn’t eaten at all, and mostly bile was coming up. God, that was awful.

“Okay,” I say softly, forcing myself to breathe. “I hope they don’t mind that we’re going out.”

“I doubt it,” Bee says with a shrug. “We had no idea what time they’d be home.”

As fancy as this neighborhood is, there’s not a gate to keep people out. As we step outside the front door, Jack is pulling into the driveway as Gareth’s driver follows him. While Gareth can drive and often does, he hires a service for longer drives or being picked up from the airport.

I can’t fault him for it, I’m sure leaving your car for a month at the airport isn’t something anyone wants to do.

“Is that going to be a problem?” Jack asks as he rolls down the window. He bought an SUV with all weather tires when he moved to Michigan, intent on making it easier for me to climb into.

He called me tiny and joked that it just made sense not to get a ton of glances for having a lifted truck.

I reminded him that I shouldn’t have such an impact on his life, and he rolled his eyes and told me it was far too late for that. I know he moved to Michigan for me, so my comment was thoughtless and dumb.

“I don’t think so,” I say noncommittally because I’m not sure.

Mom and Gareth step out of the hired car with tired smiles and Bee and I wave at them. My ‘hello’ is a lot more lackluster than hers, because I don’t trust my mother’s logic or responses anymore.

“Who’s that?” Mom asks, and Jack gets out of the vehicle to say hello. My purse is a crossbody, holding my phone and ten bucks in case of emergency.

With Jack, I never need back up cash. He always treats me from the moment I get into his car. He says since he’s in charge he's paying for everything.

“Oh, hey,” Mom murmurs. “You’re going out together?”

There’s a weird vibe between them, but I nod timidly.

“We didn’t know when you’d be coming home today,” I explain. “Jack invited Bronwyn and I to spend the day at the ice rink and then get some food.”

“That’s nice, but why invite my daughter?” Gareth asks gruffly.

“I invited them because they’re practically inseparable lately,” Jack says. “Hello Gareth and Lucia. Welcome back. I’ll have them home at a decent hour. I have a business trip coming up soon, and I get withdrawals if I don’t get to see Dolly before I leave.”

“I’ve never understood why you insist on doing this,” Mom sighs. I’m not sure what “this” is, but it feels as if she’s about to pick a fight. “She has a male figure in her life now, Jack.”

Oh, ew. Nope. I may throw up in my mouth. My finger slips from Bee’s as I make a fist, my nails curling into my palm to keep me grounded.

“Gareth, I’m sure you’re a perfectly nice person, but I’ve known Dolly since she was born practically. I’m always going to be around as her friend to make sure she’s doing well,” Jack says politely. “It’s as simple as the grass being green and the sky being blue.”

“Yes, I see,” Gareth mutters. His blue eyes are squinted as he gazes at Jack, making me shiver despite the warm sun against my skin.

“Daddy?” Bee asks, eyes wide. It’s clear this man is her world as she questions him. “I said it would be fine, because I figured you’d show me all the photos later and tell me all about your trip. Was I wrong?”

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