Page 39 of The Bodyguard

“Right. Hank. Who wouldn’t even stick up for his little girl when people were teasing you. That’s why I stepped in at high school. I wasn’t going to let that shit happen anymore, but maybe what I forgot was to show you how to fight back.”

Fight back? Hadn’t I transformed myself? Hadn’t I gotten even with everyone who shit on me for being fat? I was the walking personification of fighting back. And he didn’t get to take that from me.

“Fuck you, Garrett. How is that for fighting back? I’m sorry I can’t be the woman you seem to think I should be. If only I had been…oh, I don’t know, a virtuous blonde nurse then maybe that would have been better for you. Only I guess that didn’t work out so well, after all!”

His face hardened then. “You’ve been waiting since you got back to get that shot in haven’t you?”

I hadn’t been. I didn’t think I had been. I didn’t want to hurt Garrett. I never wanted that. As many times as he’d hurt me.

I could feel my lips wobble and I knew I needed to leave. I practically sprinted for the front door. I threw it open and raced to my car. I hadn’t brought a purse or anything. Just the cookies.

The fucking cookies I made for Garrett.

So I had left the key fob in the center console. I fumbled with it to get the car to start, although I wasn’t sure why I was in a hurry. Because it wasn’t like Garrett was storming after me.

Why would he?