Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad by Scarlett Rossi
Chapter 54 -

James.

The moment I received the text from Becca, my chest squeezed with the idea that something was wrong. We hadn't spoken in a few days, but that didn't change the fact that I cared for her. I had been doing exactly what she asked me to do. I was sorting out the issues with Allison.

Becca had been right when she told me I needed to sort my ex out. Allison had been nothing but a complication for Becca and I. I couldn't believe it took me being on the verge of losing Becca for good to realize I didn't want to. I couldn't lose her. The thought of it was too much to bear.

Pulling up to the house, I made my way inside and to my office. I had a virtual meeting I was to attend, and only a few minutes to prepare for it.

That was, until I got the text from Evette that the client was going to have to cancel.

"Shit. Of course, they are."

The client was more than annoying, and if I couldn't get them to agree to the deal I had provided, it was going to complicate things further for me. This was the only way I could get out from having to do business with the Russian. "Mr. Valentino..." my housekeeper said from my open office doorway.

Looking up at her, I thought she seemed very uncomfortable and fidgeted as if she had done something wrong. "What's the matter, Maria?"

"Sir, your ex-wife is at the front door," she replied, biting her bottom lip, completely unsure of what she was supposed to do.

I wasn't sure why Allison was at my home, but the last thing I wanted to do was to entertain her. I had thought I made it clear the other day when we met I wanted her to disappear and sort her shit out.

Yet, she was here for some ungodly reason.

Nodding my head, I stood and made my way down the hall towards the front door. As soon as I opened it, I took in the state of her and furrowed my brow.

"Allison. What are you doing here?"

Her hair was unkempt, and her mascara was running. There was a distinct smell of alcohol coming off her breath, and I was waiting for her to completely lose her mind. "Tally hates me, and I think I finally have hit bottom. Can we talk?" she said with tears in her eyes.

Letting out a heavy sigh, I looked at my watch and noted the time. Becca would be here in thirty minutes, and I didn't want her to see Allison. "You have fifteen minutes." Stepping through the threshold, she made her way towards the kitchen as I followed behind her. "The house looks so different since we were married."

"Yes, I had it changed after you left. Now, what do you want to talk about because I doubt the decor options I chose are the reason you're here?" Her eyes fell on me for a moment before she sighed and nodded her head.

"I know that I have been horrible for a long time, and over the last few weeks, I caused a lot of issues for you, James. I'm sorry for all of it," she whispered.

Allison wasn't the kind of person to apologize for anything, so since she was, this had my mind completely blown. Yet, I was also wary because this was far from normal.

"I appreciate you apologizing, but I still don't understand why you're here," I repeated, trying to make it clear apologizing wasn't a good enough reason for her to be here. There must have been something else she was up to, and I wasn't sure what it was.

She never did anything without a specific reason.

"I need help, James. I want to go back to rehab and try to get on the path I should have been on for the past few years. Tally won't even talk to me right now, let alone look at me. She has been staying at the beach house and blames me for messing her life up."

Hearing Tally was at the beach house made no sense to me. Usually, she told me when she was going there, but considering how things had been lately, I could see why she hadn't.

"I think that you going to get help would be good for you. You're not the same woman I used to know, and perhaps Tally being angry at you is a good thing. Getting help will make your relationship with our daughter stronger," I explained to her as I grabbed her a bottle of water from the fridge.

"I know, but will it be enough to fix things with us?" she asked, looking at me with hopeful eyes.

I knew she was up to something, and that question was the anchor for a lot of shit to unleash. Things that I wasn't prepared to discuss.

"No, Allison. There is no fixing us. I told you that when we got divorced."

"James, please," she begged. "Please, just let me get help, and we can fix things."

I wasn't sure what she didn't understand about me telling her no, but I was certain it had something to do with the fact that, before, she wasn't broke, but now, her money was almost gone.

There was nothing this woman could say to change my mind, and now was the time to make her go. Becca was going to be here any moment, and I didn't want Allison here when she got here.

"No, Allison. I'm sorry, but there is no way that I would give us a chance again. You didn't just cheat on me, Allison. Your betrayal broke me because you, at one point, were the only woman I ever could imagine loving."

She was silent for a moment as she took in what I was telling her, but just as the waterworks had been there, I saw the small spark of anger deep in her eyes.

"You don't think that anymore, do you?" she said in a more hostile tone than she had spoken moments ago.

"No, I don't." I shook my head. "Now, please, I need you to leave. I have another meeting starting soon. I can't be late for it."

"Are you really going to throw everything away for her?"

I wasn't sure how to respond to what she said, but it wasn't any of her concern what I was about to do with my own time and freedom. If I didn't end up with Becca, then that would be the choice Becca and I made. It would have nothing to do with Allison.

As much as I had once loved this woman, I couldn't allow her to be the one who dictated the outcome of my future.

"I'm not throwing anything away for anyone, Allison. I plan to create a fresh path and future with her, though. No matter who tries to stop it. It will happen."

Disbelief and hatred filled her as she looked at me. "You can't.... James, please, I love you."

Her twisted words of love and desire meant nothing to me now. Perhaps once upon a time I would have cared, but now there was no way I could.

The only woman who made my heart beat with a notion of love was Rebecca, and if I had to spend a lifetime making it up to her after everything she had been put through, then so be it. I would spend a lifetime chasing after her if that was what she expected of me.

"Allison, enough. I need you to leave."

Her eyes drifted from me to the door as soft, gentle knocking echoed down the hallway. "Is that her? She's your meeting?"

Clearing my throat, I narrowed my eyes at her, "Don't you dare."

"Why can't you see I'm trying to change, James?"

"Because, Allison, you have said you were changing many times, and after a while, one stops believing that shit could end up being true. I hope you do change and one day realize how much you have destroyed acting the way you do." My eyes cast down the hallway as I watched Maria walk towards the door. The only woman I wanted to love was just beyond the door, and I couldn't wait to see her.

"I'm sorry, James." Allison said, catching my attention. Turning towards her, I was caught off guard by her actions, and before I could realize what was going on, her lips were on mine and a small gasp escaped the entryway to the kitchen.

*****

Весса.

When I pulled up to James' house, I wasn't sure what I was expecting, but it definitely wasn't Allison's car parked in the driveway. Was this the meeting that he said he had?

As I knocked on the door, I hesitated, unsure of what to do. Should I leave and come back later, or maybe I should text him?

When the door opened, I had hoped to see him, but Maria, his housekeeper, greeted me. She smiled at me, but then it quickly fell as she looked over her shoulder with hesitation. "What's wrong?" I whispered, stepping through the doorway.

"He's in the kitchen, miss," she said before quickly disappearing.

Walking down the hall, I entered the kitchen, and the sight in front of me was one that I wasn't prepared to see. James and Allison stood in the kitchen kissing, and a gasp of shock escaped me as I stood frozen. James quickly pushed her away, wiping his lips. "What the f*ck did you do that for?"

Her eyes met mine and filled with tears and hatred. "This is your fault. Why can't you just leave us alone? We were fine before you got here and ruined everything!"

Looking between the two of them, I wasn't sure what to say, but when his eyes fell on me I saw the remorse. "Becca, it wasn't what it looked like. She planned this-"

"Stop," I blurted. "Was this the meeting you had?"

"Meeting?!" she shrieked before laughing. "We may not be married anymore, but I will always be his wife, you little homewrecker."

"Go f*ck yourself, Allison. You're a delusional snide bitch, and you and your daughter deserve each other."

"Wait-what?" James said, looking at me. "What happened?"

I was in disbelief at his question. Did he really not know, considering he was kissing her?

"Don't act like this with me... I can't do this shit. If you want Allison, then you can have her," I scoffed.

"I don't want her," he said quickly before grabbing my arm. "I want you."

Pulling my arm from his grasp, I looked at Allison again. "Then why is she here?"

"She came over unannounced-"

"Don't f*cking lie to her, James. You asked me to come over so we could talk about Tally." Allison mocked as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"No, the f*ck I didn't," he snapped at her. "Get out of my house, Allison."

"No!" she screamed. "This bitch will never be able to replace me!"

For the second time in the day, I watched one of the Valentino women charge at me. Only this time, I was prepared for what was to come. Before she could do anything, I swung at her and knocked her to the ground. There was no stopping because Allison had pissed me off enough.

Punch after punch, I hit her in her face as she clawed at me, screaming at me every name under the sun. James, though, had other plans and quickly wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me off her.

Before she could stand, though, I kicked out and hit her chest with my foot, causing her to stumble back into the table. "You're a spiteful bitch, Allison! I'm f*cking done with it all!"

The moment was quickly over. Allison tried to straighten herself as she wiped the blood from her nose and mouth. I never in my life had openly attacked someone before, but then again, I had never had someone push me the way she did. "Becca, what the hell has gotten into you?!" James yelled as he pulled me aside. "Why would you do that?"

"Are you f*cking serious right now?!" I screamed at him. "You know what? I'm f*cking done with all of this. To think I came here tonight to tell you I loved you... what kind of fool was I?"

Turning on my feet, I made my way towards the front door. I was done with the bullshit, but James wasn't ready to see that happen because I was quickly pulled back and held close to him. "Don't walk away from me," he said sternly.

Jerking myself from his grasp, I shook my head. "No... don't do that. You have no right to tell me not to walk away when you won't even fight to stay with me. When you won't even "

"Won't what, Becca?" he yelled again, causing tears to flow down my cheeks.

"Goodbye, James." I said without hesitation. "Oh, and by the way, your daughter is engaged to Chad... she was the girl he was cheating on me with, and she's pregnant."