Page 22 of Scrooge

“He broke you. He broke your heart first, broke your body after that, and then threw you out like a piece of trash, bloody and bruised, but took your money and left your wallet broke too,” she spits out. It is true that our relationship turned physical. Jaryd wanted a submissive partner, and we all know that is not something I am. Not naturally and certainly not for him. But he wasn’t mature enough to know how to communicate and work on our relationship the right way. So instead, he threw a tantrum when he didn’t get what he wanted and used me as a punching bag. Even to this day, I think he expects me to walk back into his life and beg for forgiveness.

“Regardless, this is something I can do. This is something I want to do,” I tell her, staying calm. I see her take a few breaths and her shoulders lower, as the reality of the situation takes over, knowing I won’t change my mind.

“You have always been stubborn,” she murmurs, sighing heavily.

“I learned from the best.” I wink, making her chuckle as she takes a seat and gives me a small smile. The one where I know she has my back.

“I hope you know what you are doing.”

“I have no idea,” I say honestly.

* * *

“Why didyou let me drink so much last night?” I groan, rubbing my head that feels so heavy I just want to lean it on the shelf of Barbies we have on display and take a nap.

“Me? You are the one who grabbed that second bottle of red from the dollar bin at the liquor store last week,” Jillian says to me as she shuffles past. Clearly, the two of us are not seasoned drinkers and both woke up a little worse for wear this morning. The front door chimes, announcing a customer, and I stand up, blinking my eyes.

“Welcome to Tucker Toys,” I hear Dad say, and I turn around, trying to look alive. My eyes meet the intense blues I have been thinking about, and I have to cough through my gasp to cover my surprise.

“Hi, Sunflower,” Alex says with a smile that is as fake as my mother’s nails. I step toward him with my heart beating faster.

“Sunflower?” my dad asks, looking from Alex to me and frowning. I am caught off guard. I didn’t have time to think about how to approach my parents with this relationship. I hate the fact that I can’t tell them about it. If I did, I know they’d talk me out of it and not accept anything Alex offered in return.

“Dad…” I say tentatively, a fake smile now on my face too. Apparently, this is how we are doing things, so I am just going to go with it.

“This is Alex. Alex, this is my father, John Tucker,” I say with pride, although the feeling in my stomach from lying to my dad swirls so much I think I will dry heave. It’s either that or all the red wine last night, since both make me feel squeamish. I link my hand around Alex’s elbow, and he drops his arm and grabs my hand in his, squeezing. The move feels nice, supportive, like we are in this together.

“Mr. Tucker, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” Alex says, and I watch him turn on what I think is charm, but he’s incredibly stiff, and I am starting to understand why he needs a wife. I squeeze his hand back, offering support of my own.

“Alex and I met a little while ago and we’ve been seeing each other and spending some time together,” I tell Dad, smiling brighter as my heart thuds. He stares at me, confused. Probably because having a boyfriend has been the last thing I wanted after Jaryd and I broke up. The fact that Dad saw his youngest daughter broken and bruised did not go well. He has been extremely protective ever since, and now that a new guy is on the scene, he isn’t going to melt too easily.

“Hey, Alex, good to see you again.” Jillian comes up and smiles, acting like she knows him, although the evil glint in her eyes says anything but. I give her a warning look and she winks at me.

“Hi, Jillian. Good to see you.” Alex cottons on, and my father looks at all three of us suspiciously before he smiles, and my shoulders lower, knowing we have won him over. At least for now.

“Oh, well, call me John,” Dad says with a laugh and a kind smile, and I swallow harshly. “You look familiar. Do I know you?”

“Alexander Jackson. Of Jackson Enterprises,” Alex says, and my dad pales. That was enough to break the facade.

“Jerry’s son?” Dad asks. I know he and Jerry were acquainted, but the look on his face is one of shock. My grip on Alex’s hand tightens even more, and I feel his thumb brush against my palm, his support for me needed.

“Yes. That’s right,” Alex says, looking at me with a frown before looking back at Dad.

“Dad, I need your help out back. Do you have a minute?” Jillian asks him, picking up on the awkward tension, and I breathe a sigh of relief when he smiles back at us, albeit a little flustered.

“Work calls, I suppose,” Dad says, before turning and walking with Jillian to the back storeroom.

“What are you doing here?” I ask Alex as soon as they’re out of earshot, dropping his hand like a sack of cement. His brow furrows as he looks down at me.

“What do you mean? This is how we need to do things. I can’t just swing you about town on my arm and think the media will believe it,” Alex says, clearly feeling off-kilter as well.

“So what is this visit, then?” I press, putting my hand on my hip.

“Media got a tip-off from Laurent that I came here. Paps are outside, took a photo of me walking in,” he says, and my mind tries to catch up with what is happening.

“Oh, so this is courting? Just walking into a store?” I ask flippantly.

“No, but if we go stand near your amazing window at the front, they will no doubt get more shots of us together and talking,” he grits out, and I huff before he grabs my hand again and leads me to the front of my store. I guess I’ve already worn him out with my sass today.

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