Love Story

Chapter 11

Valleri walked into the kitchen silently, had Daddy said something else to David that he wasn't telling her? She jumped when she saw Daddy sitting at the island.

"Oh Jesus Daddy, you scared me"

"Is he gone?" He asked without a sliver of emotion.

"Who?" She asked pouring her orange juice.

"Valleri don't take me for a fool, I know that Jones boy was here, both this morning and last night, which of course can only mean one thing" he looked up at her over his cup of coffee. "He spent the night, and you disobeyed me"

"If you're going to beat me can you just get it over with?"

"No, I'm not going to do that"

"I thought you said if you caught me with him you were-"

Why was everyone acting so weird? David was acting strangely and Daddy was being....nice."

"I won't have to worry about you with him anymore"

"Why?" She asked putting her glass down.

"You've got one of two choices Valleri, there will be no negotiation. I've been thinking about this for a long time now, and I've decided to act on it."

"And what two choices are these Daddy?"

"One, you go to school at CMU" he paused and Valleri just stared at him.

"Or?"

"Or you marry Parker Morgan."

Her jaw fell open. "Excuse me?"

His facial expression didn't waver. "Pick one"

"No!"

"Then I'll pick for you" He pulled a small box out of his pocket and slid it across the island to her.

"Are you still drunk!?" She shook her head "I'm not marrying Parker Morgan!"

"You don't have a choice anymore. I gave you one and you blew it.

"Fuck you"

"It's done Valleri, Parker and his family will be here this afternoon"

"THIS AFTERNOON?!" She shrieked "HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN PLANNING THIS!?"

"Long enough"

She shook her head. "I hate you” She turned on her heel and walked back up to her bedroom slamming the door. She was furious with Daddy and hurt by David, but she still wanted him here. His attitude had flipped like a switch this morning, something just didn't make sense; something happened, something both David and Daddy were keeping from her.

She washed up at the sink, too afraid to take the bandages off without David here to help.  She pulled her hair back in a ponytail. It was when she was doing her makeup in the mirror that she remembered David's chain hanging off her neck. He hadn't taken it back, then she noticed a blue shirt draped over her desk chair.....she walked over and picked it up, holding it out in front of her. It was David's.

Valleri frowned, but if this was David's shirt, then....and then it dawned on her. This morning when he'd left he had picked up the shirt from the floor....her shirt.

Had he done it on purpose so he would have to come back? She slipped it on carefully buttoning it down the front, and unbuttoning the cuffs, rolling them up to her elbows; it smelled like him; familiar and comfortable.

She pulled on her favourite jean skirt, and left her feet bare.  Walking into the kitchen she was greeted by three unwelcome (in her opinion) faces.