Daddy Issues

Part Nine: Black Lace Bra

I wake to the smell of bacon being fried and I smile, keeping my eyes closed. I could easily get used to waking up with Patrick making me breakfast, he's a man of many talents, clearly. I finally open my eyes and sit up in Patrick's bed, sinking into the cozy mattress. When I step onto the hardwood floor, my toes crinkle and I pull off Patrick's shirt that I slept in last night.

Whenever I don't bring my own PJs I find that sleeping in a shirt bigger for me is the most comfortable. I find my denim shorts on the floor, pulling them on and putting my black lace bra on next. My eyes scan the room for my shirt but I can't seem to find it anywhere.

"Hey, babe..." I walk out of Patrick's room with my bra and shorts on, wondering if I may have dressed out here last night. "Have you seen my tank top? The grey one with--"

I stop in my tracks when I see Patrick making eggs at the stove and Alex, Mr. Jensen, sitting at the table with his coffee cup to his lips. Both of their eyes fall on me and without a word I turn away and scurry back to the room.

That did not just happen. Why is Alex here? Patrick always said they weren't close, but he decided to come over for breakfast? It doesn't add up.

The bedroom door closes and I look to see Patrick standing there, pinching the bridge of his nose, "My dad just seen you shirtless..."

"I'm aware," I reply, taking a deep breath and folding my arms over my chest, "I didn't know he was here, Patrick. It's first thing in the morning, why... I mean, Jesus."

"It's not a big deal. It's no different than your bikini, right?" He flashes a charming smile at me and points behind him with his thumb, "I put your shirt in the wash last night, I spilled orange juice on it when I got a drink last night."

So I wasn't crazy, my shirt really wasn't around.

I smile at Patrick, "It's fine. I'm just embarrassed."

"Don't be, okay?" Patrick walks towards me and kisses the top of my head. He reaches on the bed and grabs the shirt I wore last night, passing it to me, "Wear this for now. Breakfast is ready."

As he walks back to the bedroom door to leave, I quickly stop him by asking a question, "Do you and your dad always have breakfast together?"

He shakes his head, "No... Not since I was younger, honestly. I wasn't really expecting him, he just showed up. But it's kind of nice that he's showing interest in actually being around me, so I can't complain."

Patrick seems happy that his dad is here, I'm happy for him but I can't help but wonder if there's something more behind his unexpected visit. Maybe he came by to tell Patrick the truth about what happened between us, that's possible.

As Patrick leaves the room, I stand still for a moment wondering how I'm supposed to face Alex after walking out in my bra and even after the conversation we had briefly last night. The way he admitted to me being on his mind since the night we slept together - it's inappropriate to say the least and being around Alex was awkward enough before that subtle confession.

I gather whatever courage I have to walk out of the room and when I return to the open concept living area, Patrick and Alex are already sitting at the small table, digging into their breakfast.

"Good morning," Alex says to me, his eyes glancing up from his plate.

I nod my head, returning an awkward smile, "Good morning. I'm sorry about earlier, Mr. Jensen. I had no idea you were here, otherwise..."

"Don't worry about it, Avery." He says simply, returning to his plate of food and looking over at Patrick who is stuffing his face with toast, "This is pretty good, son. I didn't know you could cook."

Patrick nods his head, "Mom taught me."

I haven't heard too much about Patrick's mom. I was curious to know what she was like, maybe that's where Patrick got his gentle nature or his blonde hair. I also can't help but wonder what kind of woman Alex had kids with, obviously someone he loved very much considering they had two children together.

Alex scowls at the mention of Patrick's mom and I make my way to the table, taking a seat next to Patrick. I look over at him as I grab a piece of toast for my plate, "Does your mom live in Manhattan?"

"Nah, she got a job opportunity in Pennsylvania a few years ago. But she comes by regularly," He explains to me, continuing to eat his food. I wonder if I'll ever meet his mom, but Alex seems uninterested in the conversation.

My eyes drift across the table as Alex changes the conversation, "I emailed Klaus Conrad today, waiting to hear back but I'm confident he will be more than willing to see you. I do suggest that you have some designs prepared and... Dress the part."

I look down at my shorts and Patrick's oversized shirt, wondering if that was a dig at my personal style. I know I don't dress high end but I can't dress like I have money when I don't. I try not to scowl at him, annoyed by the comment maybe more than I should be.

"Dad, sounds a little harsh." Patrick points out.

Alex shakes his head, quickly denying the fact, "I'm giving pointers, Pat. Showing up with jeans and a t-shirt won't get her a job. Take her to Macy's and get Joan to fit her for a Conrad original. He'll be thrilled to see someone wearing his own designs and it'll get you a foot in ahead of the rest."

"I can't afford a Klaus Conrad original," I interject, giving Alex a knowing look. He's very aware of my financial situation so there's really no need to rub it in my face.

Alex sets his eyes on me, narrowing them slightly as he turns his attention to his son, "I wasn't implying anything. If anything, Patrick should buy you the proper attire. I know quite well that he can afford it."

"Yeah, yeah. I can do that," Patrick nods his head with a smile on his face as he stands from his chair and pushes it into the table. He looks down at me before leaning in to peck my lips, "I'm gonna get changed and we can head out, okay?"

I nod my head slowly, forcing a smile.

As Patrick leaves the room, I silently go over my finances in my head. There's no way that I'll let Patrick buy something so expensive for me, I'm not sure if we're at that stage yet and considering that his father wants me to break up with him the last thing I would want to do is take his money and run.

I look at Alex, sighing softly, "I can't let Patrick pay for a Conrad original. It's too much, I really wish you wouldn't have suggested that, Al-- Mr. Jensen."

He doesn't seem the slightest big phased, "If he's that good of a boyfriend he won't have an issue. I was under the impression that you wanted this opportunity, therefore I suggest you take this gift from my son and leave it at that."

"And then what?" I whisper loudly, making sure that Patrick can't hear me but also loud enough so Alex knows he's upsetting me, "Then break up with him and run off with an outfit costing a few thousand dollars? Excuse me for not being cold."

His jaw tightens and before he can respond, Patrick comes out of his room eagerly. Alex stands from the table while looking at his watch and avoiding eye contact with me, "I have a meeting in an hour so I need to get going. We'll catch up later, okay?"

"Yeah, sounds good. Thanks for coming by, dad."

I watch as Patrick leads his dad to the door, taking a deep, quiet breath. Somehow Alex has managed to get under my skin by constantly pushing me to do things that I don't want to do. I feel like leaving Patrick would be hard enough, but taking his money before doing so would just make me feel worse.

If that's the game Alex wants to play, then he can say goodbye to his plan of me leaving Patrick because I have no intentions on doing so. If he has such a big problem with it then he can tell Patrick the truth, then we can see how that will play out.