Page 64 of Fight for Me
“Yeah, it’s just... my dad,” she said, forcing the words past the sudden dryness in her throat. She held the phone up as if to show him the evidence. “I’m sorry, I have to take this.”
“Sure, of course,” Jake said, but Lexie felt his hand graze her arm as she brushed past him. “Lex? You’re a rock star, no matter what he says. Okay?”
Lexie felt her chest tighten painfully as she looked over her shoulder and met his earnest gaze. He meant those words; she could tell. And if he meant them... if everyone in this room meant them... then why did it matter so much what her dad might think? Taking a deep breath, she nodded and continued toward the quieter hallway.
“Hello?” she said, finally raising the phone to her ear.
“Alexis, this is your father,” Dr. Garrett Preston said curtly, as if she wouldn’t have already known. “I just got off the phone with Anthony Derricks, and he sadly informed me that Colton would not be joining us in Boston for Thanksgiving this year as the two of you are no longer together. I told him he must be mistaken.”
There was a heavy pause during which Lexie was obviously expected to confirm his assumption. Instead, she took the opportunity to slip outside into the quad, away from prying ears.
“No, sir. He is correct,” she said, waiting for the other shoe to fall. If there was one thing her dad loved more than reminding her she was a waste of space, it was telling everyone else that his daughter would one day be queen of the largest pharmaceutical firm in the southeast. In his eyes, it was her only redeeming quality.
“Do you mean to tell me you managed to screw up the one profitable decision you ever made for yourself?” her father asked, his voice a dangerous rumble, like the beginnings of an earthquake.
“I didn’t screw anything up, Dad. Colt wasn’t treating me right.”
“Wasn’t treating you right?” her father echoed. “That boy has professional drive, influence and name recognition. As long as he’s giving you the time of day, you should consider yourself blessed! You’re just like your mother, expecting the world when all you give is beans and peanuts.”
“He was cheating,” she pointed out, knowing this would carry no weight with a serial adulterer.
“And whose fault is that? If he had to relieve himself elsewhere it’s because you must not have been doing your job! I mean, seriously, Alexis, what else do you have to do?”
Lexie’s blood pressure rose, both from anger and embarrassment, as her father went on.
“As if that weren’t bad enough, I also received a magazine in the mail today with your name—myname—next to a photo of a man in dirty overalls who looks like he probably couldn’t make two and two equal four! You thinkthisis a more productive use of your time than supporting your husband?” he said, and Lexie could feel each word slice into her heart like shrapnel. “Am I supposed to be proud?” he asked. “Am I supposed to pass it around to the surgical staff? What am I going to tell your grandmother when I see her next week? ‘Your only granddaughter has decided making bricks is more worthwhile than finding a waynotto disgrace her own family.’”
Lexie could feel her hands shaking as her rage grew.
“Colt Derricks isnotmy husband,” she pointed out.
“A formality, at best!” her father snapped. “Everything was decided. If you’re not bringing Colton to Thanksgiving, there is no reason for you to attend. You contribute nothing to this family, Alexis. Quite frankly, your decisions up to this point are embarrassing. You failed to seek an honorable profession; the very least you can do is marry well. I have done everything I can to make that happen, but once again, you have made a mess of things.”
“I’vemade a mess? What about—” she started, but he wasn’t listening.
“I expect you to resolve your issues with Colton,” he snarled. “Tell him you were mistaken. Tell him you were hysterical. I don’t care what he asks for, you make thisright!”
Lexie froze on the sidewalk where she’d been pacing, and her hatred for this man filled her chest. Fathers were supposed to be heroes, protectors—but hers only cared about selling her to the highest bidder.
“How dare you—”
“The matter is closed, Alexis. We’ll speak again when you’ve come to your senses,” her father said. He hung up without waiting for a reply.
Lexie glanced down at her cell phone, her screen now black, and felt her control give way. She raised her arm, intending to hurl the device as far as she could, but someone grabbed her wrist before she could follow through.
“I don’t think you want to do that, babe,” Jake said, his voice calm as he slid Lexie’s phone from her hand and tucked it into his own pocket. He released her as she turned away.
Lexie let out a noise she’d never made before—somehow turning a lifetime of frustration and hurt into an audible sound that tore from her throat and disappeared into the empty air. “Nothing will ever be enough. Nothing!” she raged, hot tears already coursing down her face as she whirled around. He reached for her again, but she shoved him with both hands. “Don’t touch me!”
Jake held his hands up, palms out, and took a step forward. “Lex, it’s ok,” he murmured, as if approaching a wounded animal. When she didn’t step back, he closed the gap between them and folded her into his arms.
“He’s always... It’s just... I’m not...” she babbled, her hot burst of anger fading quickly into grief. She tucked her face against Jake’s neck and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out the world.
“I’m sorry, baby. I’m so sorry,” he said as he held her firmly against his chest.
Lexie felt her adrenaline start to subside. “He told me not to come home,” she managed, barely pushing the words past the enormous lump in her throat. “I think, ever.”
Jake stood motionless, and Lexie listened to every breath he took, deep and even, one at a time.
