Alec laughs emotionlessly. "Nah, that was your abusive, lousy parenting."
Anger flashes in James' eyes. "You fucking—" He raises his hand and Alec flinches back.
Dominic steps in front of Alec. "You need to leave," he says dangerously. “Now.”
I grab Alec's hand and he squeezes it tightly.
James' furious eyes land on me. I don't move, just meet his eyes.
"Feel free to let yourself out," I tell him, bleeding the emotion from my voice like Alec did.
James scowls for a moment before turning back to Alec.
"Iwillsee you at the annual event," James says shortly before opening the door and walking out.
Nobody says anything until we hear a car drive away.
"Are you okay?" Dominic asks Alec, putting a hand on his shoulder.
Alec doesn't respond as he pulls his hand out of mine and silently walks off.
Chapter 13 ~
Rory ~
The kettle whistles loudly. Dominic reaches up and grabs two cups from the cupboard.
"English breakfast with a teaspoon of manuka honey and a few drops of lavender," Dom tells me as he prepares Alec's tea.
"Won't that be ridiculously sweet?” I question.
Dom leans back against the bench, his dark chocolate eyes meeting mine.
"Yeah but trust me when I say, he knows when you don't put the honey in," Dom tells me.
I smile softly. "You know him really well," I say gently.
A faint smile graces his lips. "I do," he murmurs.
I hesitate momentarily before saying, "I'm sorry if—"
That's as far as I got before Dom starts shaking his head, knowing what I'm going to say.
"You have nothing to be sorry for, Sweetheart." Dom breaks our gaze to pour Alec's tea and the other cup.
He doesn't say anything else.
I go to the fridge and get the milk, handing it to Dom who knows how much Alec has.
When he's finished, he hands me both cups and I realise Dom made me one.
"Thanks," I murmur. Dom's lips press against my forehead for a few seconds before he pulls back.
I smile, a blush creeping up my neck. I turn and walk out of the kitchen.
I realise the error in holding two cups when I get to the door and can’t knock.
“Alec?” I call out.
