Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad by Scarlett Rossi
Chapter 133 -

Весса.

After a week of silence, Neal had decided that apologizing profusely was the best way to get me in a better mood. Not that I was paying attention to his efforts. I had chosen to pretend that things were okay, but secretly, I was keeping an eye out. There was no way that I was letting the situation go. If something was up, I was bound to replace out.

"Becca, look at these necklaces," Dad said. My dad's new wife was currently receiving pampered treatment on the other side of town while I helped him replace a gift for her.

Looking at the multicolored beads with silver trim, I smiled at his choice. "It's beautiful, Dad. She will love it."

He seemed to ponder for a moment before pulling out his wallet and handing cash over to the plump brunette storekeeper. She was more than helpful as she threw in a pair of matching earrings on his purchase in a small pink box, wrapping it with a bow.

I loved how everyone here was so happy and helpful when you spoke to them. It was a nice contrast to how things were in the States. Most of the people I had met there were less than friendly with their judgmental looks and vague answers. Knowing that my children would be growing up in a place like this was comforting. They would be taught the hygge way of life, and it was honestly how I wanted to live.

Walking further down to the next stall, pushing the two seat stroller with both Dahlia and Alessandro tucked safely inside, we looked at all of the offerings.

There were a variety of different things at the market, from fresh produce to handcrafted furniture, even clothing and other handcrafted jewels. The list was endless, and as I meandered around, I found that I lost track of my father who had been looking around himself.

Turning around, I glanced over my shoulders to look for him when I noticed a blond-haired man with a black zippered sweat shirt and dark sunglasses staring at me. He stood out from the crowd as he leaned against a dark brick building with his hands in his pockets as people passed him by. There was no one around him, and the outfit he wore made him look dark and mysterious.

My heart raced with uneasiness over the man. I tried to tell myself I was overthinking it. That he wasn't watching me, maybe he was watching his kids or something.

"I'm just being paranoid..." I muttered to myself as I turned back around and let a heavy sigh escape me.

"Becca, there you are." My father's voice was comforting, and as I watched his smiling face, gray hair and silver glasses come into focus. I felt safe once more.

"Hey, Dad. I was wondering where you went. Did you replace everything you were looking for?" I noticed a variety of colorful bags in his hand, and with them, a small bouquet of local flowers ranging in shades of pinks and yellows. My dad was such a romantic, and seeing them, I raised a brow and smiled.

"Do you think it's too much?"

Shaking my head, I grinned. "No, it's perfect. She's going to love it. Plus, she needs things to fill in your new house."

Giving me a sideways stare and a pointed expression to say he wasn't done with that topic, I laughed and kept walking with him through the stalls until the parking lot came into view.

The day had been wonderful. I enjoyed spending time with my father, something I hadn't been able to do in so long. With everything that had happened over the past year, all I wanted to do was enjoy moments like this, because if I'd learned one thing by losing Tally and James, it was that life was too short, and you never know when it will end.

Loading the children into the car, I thanked my father for helping, and then directed him to get in the car while I loaded the stroller. The moment that I collapsed it down, I went to lift it and the strange man I had seen earlier came frm out of nowhere.

"Oh gosh that looks heavy. Let me help you with that."

Shocked by his offer I stepped back, watching him load the stroller before closing the back of my hatch. I was speechless at him being present, and as he turned to me, I took notice of any features he had that could be useful in case something happened. "Thanks... for that."

"No problem. I hate to see a single mom struggling." Single? What the hell about me said I was single? Was it literally that obvious?

"It's appreciated." Trying not to make the situation any more awkward than it already was, I shifted my weight and quickly moved around him to make my way towards the drivers door. As much as I trusted my father driving, there was no way he was driving my car and in a country he wasn't yet familiar with.

As soon as I opened my car door, I glanced over my shoulder once more, and the man was gone. Quickly glancing around, I looked for where he had gone, but I couldn't spot him anywhere. The whole entire situation was completely odd, and what caught me the most, initially, was his accent.

"Is everything okay, Becca?" my father called out from inside the car.

"Yeah, sorry, I thought I saw someone I knew."

Climbing into the car, I closed the door and gave my dad a reassuring glance as he proceeded to look outside the car where I had once been looking. It wasn't easy to keep stuff from my father. He had known me my entire life, so lying wasn't easily accomplished.

However, my father didn't bother to pry anymore into the situation, and before I knew it, I was leaving the parking lot headed for our home. Allegra.

I hated lying to Becca, and the more I had to, the more it made me sick. Neal was getting too carried away with his bullshit, and after the argument they had between them, I was growing more wary of my brother's rash decisions. It was like he was completely becoming a man I didn't recognize, and there was no point in talking to him about it.

He refused to see that he was the one with an issue.

Laughter and small talk coming from the front door perked my attention, and walking from the kitchen to the hallway, I met Becca and her father, who were carrying fussy children and shopping bags. "Hey, do you need any help?" Becca glanced at me blankly before Layla came running down the hallway with a smile on her face. "Nope, they are mine." She laughed as she scooped up Alessandro and took Dahlia's car seat in one arm before turning down the hallway. Layla's happy voice as she spoke to the children trailed behind her. Becca and her father both laughed at how excited Layla was with the children. "She really is good with them, isn't she?" Becca's father said with pride. "Yeah, she is. She has been a huge support, and I'm grateful to have her. It's almost like having a younger sister," Becca replied as her dad wrapped an arm around her shoulder giving her a small hug.

"Well, sweetheart, I'm going to head back to the house."

Becca turned to her father, hugging him back as she sighed. "Okay, Dad. I will see you guys in the morning for breakfast, though, right?"

"Of course, I wouldn't miss it," he replied before turning, heading out of the house without another word.

The feeling of being out of place, and unwanted, never felt so strong as it did in that moment. It was as if Becca and I were strangers living together, and I hated it. I hated how when she looked at me it was as if she couldn't stand to be around

me.

"Becca, can we talk?" I breathed out softly, watching as she glanced up at me from the mound of bags in front of her. She didn't seem to like the idea, but with a sigh, she stood up and nodded. "Sure, what's going on?"

I was hesitant to say anything simply because I didn't want an argument, but crossing my arms over my chest, I decided to suck it up and get it over with. "I hate how things are between us lately. I miss spending time with you like we used to." She was staring blankly at me, and I could almost see the clock's ticking in her head from the look in her eyes she was giving me. It was as if she wanted the same thing, but at the same time refused to back down from everything that was going.

"I know, but I already told you I don't like being lied to or shit hidden from me. I'm not the same girl I used to be, and having a child forced me to grow up from the childish shit I was doing before."

Her reply wasn't what I expected, but then again, I wasn't sure what exactly I did expect. "So is this your way of saying we can't go back to that?"

"No," she quickly spat out as a smirk crossed her face. "I'm saying that we can try, but I'm not going to put up with the crap, Allegra. I want to know what the hell is up, and it would be in everybody's best interest if you got that into Neal's head."

A sigh of relief escaped me as I walked over to Becca and wrapped my arms around her, giving her a hug. "Thank you. I'll try and sort him out."

"Good," she replied as we pulled apart. "Help me put this stuff in the kitchen. We can unpack it together."

I didn't hesitate to help her as we lugged all of the bags into the kitchen and slowly began to unpack everything she had purchased. I hadn't realized that Becca was going to purchase the entire produce stand there, but she had countless amounts of vegetables and fruit to choose from.

More than likely part of her recent health phase she was going through.

"So, did you guys have fun?" I asked, watching as she scoffed with laughter nodding her head.

"Yeah, it was nice, but there are some weird people at that place."

I wasn't accustomed to Becca calling someone weird like that, and definitely not describing anyone as weird since we came to this island. She always said how nice everyone was and how happy she was that she'd moved here. "What do you mean, weird?" I looked for answers to her comment, hoping to gain clarity on what had actually happened.

Something must have happened, but I wasn't sure what it could have been for her to be calm. "Oh, it's nothing serious. Just my mind being overly paranoid."

"Paranoid?" I gasped, a little taken aback. "Becca, what are you talking about?"

She glanced up at me, shrugging her shoulders. "It's nothing. There was just this guy there... super cute, from what I could tell. I thought he was watching me at one point, and then when I was putting the stroller in the car, he appeared from nowhere and helped me."

Stopping in my tracks, my eyes went wide, and my mouth parted.

There was no way that was a random act of kindness. "What did he look like?"

Someone was watching her, and if that was the case, shit just got more complicated.