Page 80 of On the Line
“A friend?” Her father said, dubious.
“He’s a teammate, actually. Brent Jean. He and his sister own an activewear company called FLEX.”
“Oh, we’ve heard of that!” Her father said. “We actually reached out to be initial investors, but that Brent kid is stubborn. He wanted to pour all of his own money into getting it off the ground, and he couldn’t be persuaded otherwise. We would’ve liked to have that one under our supervision, especially with the way it’s taken off.”
Lexie’s eyebrows drew together as she studied her father. They had wanted to invest in FLEX? And Brent blew them off?
She always knew Brent Jean had a good head on his shoulders.
“Brent’s got a great head on his shoulders,” Mitch said as if reading her mind. Freaky shit like that happened between them all the time, and she’d long since gotten over the shock of it. “He’s got business and finance degrees from Michigan State, so he definitely knows what he’s doing.”
“Well that’s great to hear,” her mother said, her tone indicating it was anything but. Her parents hated nothing more than when a solid, lucrative investment opportunity slipped through their fingers. “And I take it you’ve seen an excellent return on your investment?”
“Yes ma’am,” Mitch said, throwing a little of his country boy twang into the words, making Lexie smile.
“That’s good,” she said, spearing a piece of asparagus with her fork and pointing it in Lexie’s direction. “This one always needed someone to take care of her. She’s got expensive tastes, so it doesn’t surprise either of us that she’s dating a professional athlete.”
What the fuck?
Lexie’s cheeks burned in embarrassment, and she sputtered, desperately trying to come up with a way to defend herself without causing a huge scene in front of Mitch.
This is exactly what she had been afraid of. When her parents looked at someone, anyone, all they saw was what that person could do for them. It didn’t matter who they were. They could be the pope or a serial killer on death row. Her parents would still only wonder what they could get out of the relationship.
A trait they’ve mistakenly assumed they passed onto their daughter.
Lexie, once again, opened her mouth to speak up for herself, but Mitch beat her to it.
“With all due respect, Mr. and Mrs. Monroe, Lexie works her ass off. She doesn’t need me to take care of her. She can take care of herself just fine.”
“Are you sure about that?” Her father asked. “We raised the girl. I think we know her a little better than you do.”
“I’m going to have to disagree with you there. You didn’t raise Lexie. She raised herself. And somehow, despite the fact that you are two of the most self-centered and money-hungry human beings I have ever met, she turned out perfect. Kind, hardworking, incredibly loyal, doesn’t take shit from anyone. And none of that is thanks to you. In fact, she is who she isin spite ofwhoyouare and how she grew up.” Mitch stood and swung his arm out, gesturing at her massive condo with its floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out over the Detroit River. “You think you had any part in this? No. She pays for this all on her own, with money she earned on her own merit. So forgive me, but I don’t think you know your daughter at all.”
“Actually, she has a trust fund she’s had access to since she was twenty-one,” her father said smugly.
True, Lexie thought. And Mitch knew it.
But while she may have access to it, she hadn’t touched a single penny. Mitch knew that too, but he also knew her parents wouldn’t believe it if they told them, so he wisely didn’t press the point.
Once she entered her late teens and started college, Lexie did everything she could think of to wriggle out from under her parents’ thumbs. Turns out, the trick was streaking naked across Michigan State’s campus in the middle of the day at the end of her senior year.
After they bailed her out of jail and paid to make the whole thing go away, they asked why she did it, and what it would take for her to get her act together.
She told them plainly: “I want my trust fund.”
By then, she didn’t need it. She’d already signed the contract with the headhunting agency and made more than enough money to finish school and relocate to Detroit. It just happened to be the only thing they could still hold over her head, and they would’ve continued to do so until she was thirty.
Thankfully, they signed off, and Lexie walked away from them, a very rich young woman.
“Mitch…” Lexie said, reaching for his hand. At that moment, she didn’t know who she was more embarrassed by: her parents, or him.
He pulled away. “No, Lex. They need to hear this. They need to know that the first time you ever went home with me, you told me you don’t believe in love. And they,” he said, pointing at her parents, “are to blame.”
“Now you listen here, young man…” Her father started, rising from his seat as angry red splotches rose from the collar of his shirt, spreading across his neck and face. “I don’t know who you think you are but you don’t get to speak to me like that in my daughter’s home. You’re a guest, and this is family business.”
“That’s what you don’t understand,” Mitch said, shaking his head. “Iam her family. Brent, Berkley, Amelia…weare her family. You two are just a sperm donor and an incubator.”
Her parents reared back as though they’d been slapped.
