Page 29 of The Alpha's Assistant & The Dom Next Door
If my daughter ever asks me about her mother’s suicide, I’ll tell her that her mom had a disease and couldn’t help herself. But Mary’s suicide wasn’t an impulse. It was meticulously planned, and from the start, it involved trying to kill Jennytoo.
I’m fucking sick of people using their problems as an excuse to destroy other people’s lives. It’s not their fault they’re sick, but letting a wound fester never helps it heal, and when your sickness can harm a lot of people, it’s irresponsible not to try to get a handle onit.
“I know exactly what you mean. I had a few people close to me act a lot like that. The stuff Shayla’s doing is familiar to me … and that’s why I’m soworried.”
The blush is back. It’s so damn cute that I pause for a moment to just look at her. But it still makes me a little sad. “Wow, you’re really not used to people giving a shit about you outside your parents,huh?”
“No,” shemumbles.
“Well, get used to it.” I look at her right in those soft brown eyes and see her blush deepen as she struggles to keep eye contact. It’s adorable … but right now, I’m deadlyserious.
She just stares at me, managing a nod but nothingelse.
I take a deep breath, compelled to explain myself. “People like Shayla try to isolate you from any support system so they don’t have to face real pushback for their actions. It’s calculated. I don’t want a person who thinks and acts like that in my neighborhood, causing problems for you and yelling so loud she scares my kid. So unless you tell me to fuck off and let you deal with it all yourself, I want to be your backup. The person you go to if there’s aproblem.”
I see her hesitate, and I understand that hesitation more than she probably thinks. Every time someone offers me a deal that seems too good to be true, I’mskeptical.
She chews her full lip nervously, and I wish to God I could just take her into my arms and tell her that she’ll be all right from now on. That I’ll take care ofher.
Instead, I let the offer stand, and let her consider it undistracted for awhile.
“I … would feel safer if I had someone close by I could go to,” she finally says, and I struggle to hide my relief. “You’re right … she’s only gotten worse over time. I really didn’t feel safe today while she was in myhouse.”
“Then your instincts are good. There are very few things more dangerous than when a person like that realizes you won’t take their shit anymore. Some get scared off, but others fly off therails.”
She pales then, and I realize that I’ve touched a crucial nerve. “She was reaching for me when you banged on the door,” she murmursbreathlessly.
Fuck.
“Okay,” I reply gravely. “In that case, I’m gonna have to insist. If she starts causing you any kind of trouble again, showing up uninvited or anything like that, then you come to me. Allright?”
She swallows, guilt and hesitation clouding her face. After a moment she takes a deep breath and it clears, and she smiles softly in relief. “Thankyou.”
Chapter5
Emmeline
My phone beeps again, and I see that I have another message. Shayla has been calling. She’s been calling all night. But it doesn’t matter anymore, because I’mprotected.
Carl is making everything better. Well, not everything. I’m sure I have years of therapy ahead of me from dealing with that harpy, not to mention what happened to Mom and Dad. But that’s all right, because if Shayla causes any real problems beyond just whining, I have someone I cancall.
The bestsomeone.
If I had a little crush on the guy before, it’s at ridiculous levels now. I left his house smiling, and I feel like I’m floating two inches off the floor just thinking about it as I move around mykitchen.
The phone beeps—another message. I make myself green tea withhoney.
The phone beeps—I don’t even look at it as I sip my tea. It beeps again twice before I finish my first cup. I pour myself asecond.
My thoughts are preoccupied with Carl. The warm glow I feel drowns out any anxiety over making Shayla angry. He cares.He wants to protectme.
He even called me cute and said he’s attracted to me! How did I get so lucky?It’s always possible that he’s messing with me, but he just doesn’t seem thetype.
No, there’s no room in my heart right now for fearing Shayla or worrying about what she’ll do. My stomach’s doing little flips, but the apprehension is mixed with wildexcitement.
What if Carl asks me out on adate?
The thought of it leaves me sitting there daydreaming while my second cup of tea goes cold. I never dated much as a teen, and not at all once I decided to join a convent after junior college. Now I’m left wondering ... what would being with Carl belike?
