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“How the hell did you know that me and your dad didn’t marry for, shall we say, the typical reason?” she’d asked.
“I overheard you both once talking about it,” I’d replied.
“And you kept the information to yourself until the time you most needed to use it. God, you are your father’s daughter through and through.”
She’d then gone on to try to chip away at my resolve to marry Dax, feeling certain I’d otherwise regret it. Keeping her tone soft and poignant, she’d tossed a bunch of questions at me:
“Won’t you feel sad standing at that altar when you realize how non-special that moment is to you?”
“Wouldn’t you rather plan a wedding you’re elated to be throwing rather than one that’s a necessity?”
“Do you really want to raise children in a home where their parents feel nothing for each other?”
“You won’t get the proposal you dreamed of, Addie. You won’t experience that moment where the man you love gets down on one knee and asks you to spend your life with him. Won’t you lament that at some point?”
There were more questions where those came from.
I hadn’t addressed any of them. I’d merely repeatedly stated that my mind was made up. Eventually, she’d let it go. But I didn’t for a moment believe she wouldn’t give it another shot.
Snapping me out of my memories, Alicia unclipped her seatbelt and said, “I wonder if anyone has bothered calling the cops to report Thaddeus’ stunt.”
“I doubt it. They’ll know the sheriff won’t do anything about it.” I exited the car and did a long stretch.
“One thing’s for sure,” began my sister, meeting my eyes over the hood of the car, “Dax won’t take too kindly to the damage here. Oakengrove is his now.”
My stomach did an annoying somersault at the sound of Dax’s name. He’d emailed me earlier to say he’d be at my house sometime within the next hour or so.
“Maybe he can get through to Thaddeus,” added Alicia as we made our way to the rear of the vehicle.
Using my key fob, I opened the trunk. “Maybe.” But I wasn’t hopeful.
Thaddeus was too used to people bailing him out of trouble. I knew from what I’d seen in Blaise and others like him that a lifetime of not facing consequences could erode a person’s moral base. Thaddeus might fear Dax enough to better his ability to escape detection, but he likely wouldn’t alter his behavior. At least not initially, anyway.
“Stranger things have happened,” said Alicia as she snatched two bags. “Like you getting married to an old flame as part of a pact.”
Not wanting to discuss that in public, I said, “Let’s just unload the car, shall we?”
“Sure.”
I grabbed a bag. “Appreciated.”
“Hey, need a hand over there?” asked a male voice.
I froze, and my sister quietly groaned in an exasperation I shared. Looking behind me, I forced a smile for our neighbor. “We got it, thanks.”
But Jenson strutted over, his smirk as slimy and cocky as always. Ugh.
He often “helped” us, using any opportunity to enter our home, essentially ignoring our boundaries and invading our personal space like we had no right to it. Which was why my smile wavered when, ignoring my response, he came to my side. “Really, it’s fine,” I told him.
Using his thumbs, he gestured at himself. “What kind of man would I be if I let two ladies struggle?”
“It’s genuinely no struggle,” Alicia assured him, clutching the handles of her bags tightly, as if he might otherwise rip them from her.
Disregarding her statement, he grabbed the last two bags from the trunk and then closed it. “Lead the way,” he said, still smirking.
Locking my car with the fob, I subtly exchanged anI’m gonna stab him one daylook with Alicia. She let out a low grunt.
As we crossed to our front door, I said, “You can just leave the bags on the doorstep.”
