16

"His only with you because of a business deal that he's about to close. For that to happen, he needs to be married, and that's where you come in."

Those words won't stop ringing in my head. I have to stop thinking about it, but how can I when I get to see him every day, and it hurts so much? Hazel insisted we spend the night at their place, which we did. I don't know about Xavier, but I slept in his old room.

"Good morning, Mom," I told her, earning a wide smile from her that quickly turned into a glare when I got my milkshake from the refrigerator.

"Okay, okay, I'm putting it back," I said and sat down.

"Good girl. Let's go have our normal breakfast, and then you can have your ridiculous breakfast," she scrunched up her face as if it was something disgusting.

"Good morning, Mr. Romano," I told him as I pulled out a chair for me to sit.

"Good morning, Alexandria, though I prefer you call me Dad. What do you think?" he asked me with a smile on his face.

"I think it's okay, Dad."

I decid