Page 68 of Break Me, Daddy

“Maybe not. But Ivy has just as much right to worry about you as you have to worry about her. And you leaving isn’t going to stop her loving you.”

“I know.” She sighed, and his heart constricted at the misery on her face. “They don’t come inside our house and if they’re in the club, I don’t want Ivy to know about it. I don’t want her to worry.”

“About the club…”

Fire sparked in her eyes. “Absolutely not. We’re not going to hide out and stop living our lives, Holden. We’ll keep taking the back entrance, I’ll even keep you updated on when we’re working or playing. But I’m not taking Ivy away from her friends. She needs her people.”

It was, it seemed, the best compromise he was going to get. And if he was being honest, it was more than he’d expected to get from her.

“It’s a deal.”

Chapter25

Frankie

Staring at her reflection in the overly lit mirror that took up the majority of one dressing room wall, Frankie swallowed hard against a fresh wave of tears as she turned from one side to the other, running her hand over the swell of her tummy. Her usual size had been too tight to pull the zipper up on this particular dress, and even going up a size hadn’t helped as much as she’d hoped. Her stomach still poked out far more than it should, even if she sucked it in.

“That’s what I get for letting a man built like a fucking linebacker feed me,” she grumbled, giving her stomach another pinch.

Maybe that’s the real reason he doesn’t want to fuck you anymore. You’re getting too fat and he’s just too nice to tell you.

Her reflection blurred, and suddenly she couldn’t get the dress off fast enough. A sob burst out of her as she fumbled with the zipper, desperately yanking at it until it was loose enough to wiggle herself out of the clingy material.

When she was finally free, she dragged in a deep, shuddering breath as she sank down to the floor, pulling her knees up to her chest, pressing in on herself to try and ease the panic clawing at her insides.

God, what she wouldn’t give to have Lottie here with her. Reassuring her that everything was fine, that a little weight gain was normal andgood.

But once again, she was alone, because of her own selfishness. And even if she’d had the strength to pick up the phone and call, there was no guarantee Lottie would answer, not after the way Frankie had treated her.

“Miss? Is everything okay?”

The politely concerned voice of the saleswoman cut through Frankie’s self-pity, enough at least for her to sound somewhat normal when she answered back. “Yup, everything’s fine. I’m almost done here.”

“Do you need anything? Another size, perhaps?”

Fuck, no. She wasn’t sure she could handle trying on a bigger size without having a complete and total meltdown right there in the store. “No, I’m fine. Thank you.”

Whether the saleswoman believed her or not, she didn’t say, but a moment later came the sound of her heels thudding softly over the carpet as she walked away. Some of the pressure on Frankie’s chest eased, at least enough for her to drag in a breath.

In the end, she settled on a necklace and earring set with gorgeous pink diamonds that had been calling her name since she’d set foot in the store, along with a handbag in a similar shade of rose. Things that would fit even if she went up a couple sizes.

Watching the saleswoman carefully wrap her purchases calmed the last of Frankie’s nerves, and for the first time that day, she actually felt happy. Or, at least as close to happy as she’d been in months. Maybe after this she’d go by the spa and get a facial. Not a massage, not with the extra weight she was carrying around. But something she didn’t have to get naked for would perk her up even more.

With everything packed up in neat little boxes and bags, Frankie pulled one of her credit cards from her wallet and pressed it against the reader.

Declined.

What the hell?

Flashing a smile for the woman behind the counter, Frankie shrugged. Probably just a weird glitch in the system. She returned the card and tried another.

Declined.

A memory surfaced, of Lottie having the exact same issue with card after card at brunch one morning. For her, it had turned out that her father had all but run them into the ground financially. She’d tried selling her virginity to pay off his debts, but lucky for her, Braden had stepped in and saved the day.

Heart in her throat, Frankie tried a third card, swallowing hard against the rising panic when it flasheddeclinedyet again.

They’d really done it. Her asshole parents had actually cut her off. Left her with nothing save for the single trust fund in her name. Savings that would only last so long before she’d need to find some way to replenish them.

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