“No, he got bored, even though all I did was provide for him. Gave him comfort and support after his dad died!”
I jabbed a finger into Grant’s chest, eyes blazing. “You’re a sick sonofabitch if you believe that! You knew he was vulnerable, and you exploited that! Turned him into some… toy! You used him and made him believe he was worthless! But you know what?” I lowered my voice and leaned in. “You didn’t win.”
Grant said something I didn’t hear over Noel’s growls.
“Yeah, that’s right. You lost, Grant. As much as you tried, you didnotbreak Alex! He’s stronger than anyone I know.”
Grant glanced between us, sneering. “You’re just as pathetic as he is. He probably gave you the same sob story he gave me.”
My vision became red. “I saw Alex for who he was the very first time I met him. I saw through all his pain and knew there was a heart of gold underneath, just by the way he cared for his dog. And so did a lot of the other people around here.Everyonearound here feels luckyto know Alex because there isno onelike him!” I pointed back at Alex. “That man gave me more with the pennies in his pocket than anyone has ever given me before, and he did it even after you’d taken everything away from him! He is the finest, most loving man I know, and if you so much as lay a single finger on him or even look at him again, you’ll regret the day you ever met him.”
Grant opened his mouth as if to say something, but I silenced him with a glare.
“Get the fuck out of my clinic,” I growled. When he didn’t move, I raised my voice. “NOW! Before I call the cops!”
Noel growled at him as he past, but Alex kept a firm hold on her collar.
I let out a breath as soon as the door shut, turning my back on Alex, unable to meet his eyes. I was far too raw and emotional to risk looking at him yet.
Roxy’s whimper broke through the quiet, and it shattered my resolve. Knowing what that man had done not only to Alex, but to that sweet, innocent pug had my entire body trembling with rage. Tears welled in my eyes, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to handle even a second of seeing the aftermath of what that man had done to Roxy. Without so much as a passing glance at Alex, I left.
29
I slumped onto the couch as soon as I was inside my house and Noel had jumped up next to me, refusing to leave me be alone. She must have sensed how upset I still was after Gra… no. I didn’t even want to think the asshole’s name.
Something about seeing him, about having a face and a voice to put with the image of that monster I’d conjured up in my mind had made everything so much worse. He wasn’t as handsome as I’d envisioned, but he didn’t have any horns sprouting from his head either. He was just… normal, and that had made it all too easy to picture Alex finding comfort in him after his dad’s death.
What really made me angry now, though, was how I could picture everything that had happened to Alex in vivid detail. I could see it all in my mind’s eyes, clear as day. How that asshole had manipulated and controlled him for years. How he’d hit him and hurt Roxy. I’d seen with my own eyes how quickly Roxy had cowered at just the sight of him and the fear in Alex’s eyes too. It made me physically ill. I fucking hated his ex, and I’d never truly hated anyone.
It couldn’t have been more than fifteen minutes since Noel had cuddled up next to me on the couch before she bolted to the front door, whining enthusiastically and wagging her tail. I was already heading toward it before I heard the knock. As soon as I opened it, Roxy ran in to greet Noel, and the two dogs headed straight for the living room. Alex just stood there, hands in the pockets of the coat I’d bought for him, back straight, looking both nervous and determined.
“Why’d you knock? You know you’re—”
“Did you mean it?” he interrupted.
I blinked. “Sorry?”
“What you said to Grant about me. Did you mean it?” he repeated.
“Uh, yeah, I meant it. Every word,” I said.
“Even the part about me being a decent man?” he asked in a broken voice. “After how I hurt you?”
I furrowed my brows. “I didn’t say decent, Alex. I said you were the finest man I knew, and yes, I absolutely meant that.”
“But I walked away from you. I… chose something else over you, even though I knew…” He let out a breath and dropped his gaze, shaking his head.
I stepped outside and folded my arms over my chest just to keep myself from reaching for him. “You stood up for yourself and your right to make your own choices, which was the right thing to do.”
“No. It wasn’t. I should’ve told you about the job and that apartment,” he said.
I nodded. “Yeah, I agree you should have, butnotbecause you needed my permission to make that decision. What job you do or don’t do is not my decision to make. I’m just here to support you. The same goes for where you live. My feelings for you are the same regardless. It was my mistake to assume…” I trailed off, not wanting to say the words out loud.
“That I cared for you?”
“No, I know you cared. At least a little.”
I didn’t want to guilt him into coming back, but I also knew we needed to be honest. The truth was that even if Alex had been in a healthier place when we met, I still needed to give him time to catch up to how quickly I had dived into things if I wanted there to be a real chance for us.
