This Cruel Love

“Jax, nice to see you bothered to turn up today. Are you here for business or pleasure?”

Jackson rolled his eyes and pushed past Cill to make his way to his office, holding my hand firmly in his as he did.

“Come on, angel. We won’t be long.”

“Angel?” Cill smirked. “And here I was thinking you didn’t do pet names. Do you have one for me?”

“Yeah, pain in the ass.”

“I think I prefer Cill. Sounds more… deadly… unpredictable. Like I could flip out at any moment.” He wiggled his eyebrows at me like a fool.

My phone started to buzz in my pocket, and when I pulled it out I could see my dad’s face smiling back up at me.

“You should get that,” Jackson said, and released my hand. “I’ll be in the office when you’re finished.”

I bit my lip, feeling nervous and hesitant.

“The sooner you speak to him, the sooner you can move on.”

He was right, of course. I couldn’t avoid my parents forever.

“Hey, Dad. What’s up?” I tried to sound breezy, even though I felt like a swarm of bees was attacking my insides.

“Sweetheart, we haven’t seen you for ages. Why is that? When can we see you, darling? Your mother and I are starting to get worried. Has that Justin got you on lock down or something?”

He sounded the exact same as he had the last time I’d spoken to him. A happy, jolly dad, with nothing but pride for his family. I don’t know why I’d expected anything different.

“Justin and I broke up, Dad.” I waited for the cheer or congratulations from him. I knew he wasn’t Justin’s biggest fan. Truthfully, I was surprised Gloria or Mick hadn’t spilled the beans about my new situation. They usually loved to share news, but they must’ve kept this gem to themselves. First time for everything, I suppose.

“I’m sorry to hear that, sweet pea. All the more reason to come and see us then. You need family around you, RiRi. How are you holding up?” His comfort surprised me. I hadn’t expected sincerity.

“I’m okay. I think it was probably for the best. Plus, it’ll save you an arm and a leg on weddings this summer.”

He gave a low chuckle. “That’s true. Your brother is certainly going all out with his wedding. Cassie was ordering doves the last I heard. She wants to release them during the ceremony. All sounds ridiculous to me.” I could just imagine my level-headed dad rolling his eyes at Cassie’s flighty, absurd ideas. She was kind of unique.

“It’ll be a day to remember that’s for sure.” I didn’t like to ask if it was still on. Dad obviously wasn’t privy to the same gossip that I was.

“So, what are you doing with yourself, RiRi? What’s taking up so much of your time that you’re too busy to see your old folks?”

I toyed with the idea of telling him I’d met someone else, but it just didn’t feel right. I was sure my dad would see it as a rebound thing, and I didn’t want that. Not to mention the small problem of Jackson’s dad and the whole suicide thing. Instead, I went with the safer option.

“I’ve been working, Dad. I’m doing some fundraising for a local charity. You know, drumming up support and getting the word out.”

“Well, I haven’t heard anything about it, so it sounds like you could do with a bit more help from your old dad. Get your hard work recognised and on the map round here. What charity is it?”

Yep, Mick and Gloria had definitely kept quiet. I hesitated, not sure how much I should reveal about the extent of my involvement with Jackson. Yet again, I played it safe.

“It’s a charity supporting mental health and homelessness. It’s a new venture, so you wouldn’t have heard of it.”

“That sounds great, sweet pea. Why don’t you pop by the office on Monday morning? It’s the annual shareholders meeting and there’ll be a lot of potential investors you can schmooze over my complimentary breakfast. Not to mention a much-needed catch up with Travis and me thrown in.”

Hearing his voice made me realise how much I’d missed my folks. I needed to see them. I should’ve made more of an effort recently. I’d become so preoccupied with Justin’s drama, I’d neglected the two people who loved me unconditionally, despite their past misgivings. I could look beyond that. I had to. They were my mum and dad. No matter what’d happened in their past, it was none of my business. I owed them forgiveness. They were only human, after all.

“Okay. I’ll do that. Have a skinny latte and a muffin waiting for me.”

“Blueberry? Consider it done.”

We said our goodbyes, and when I hung up the call, I had to admit it felt like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders.