Heart Attack

12

Lennox

"Jesse?" I called out as I stepped into his flat for the first time. "I'm here to pick -" I didn't have time to take the place in when a tornado of pink barrelled towards me. "Amelia? What happened to you?" I asked as I took in her outfit. She was wearing a pink skirt with matching leggings, a glitter unicorn shirt with bows on her shoulders. But the worst part was... her ears were pierced. Amelia was the definition of a tomboy. She would never have chosen these clothes or the earrings. She clung to my leg. I leaned down to pick her up when a voice said.

"Doesn't she look adorable?" Lily appeared in a revealing pink dress.

"Where is Jesse?" I said through gritted teeth.

"He had to go to the office." It seemed like she didn't notice my mood. "Left her with me. We did a little makeover." That barbie bitch smiled.

Rage and disbelief coursed through me. He left Amelia with her?! While he knew Jake couldn't stand her, didn't trust her. Apparently, he had been right. Oh, he was so going to regret this decision. I put Amelia on the ground. My hands shook.

"Go get your things, sweetheart. And put on your headphones for me." She nodded but her lips pouted as she walked towards another room.

"You pierced her ears!?"

"At least now people would know she's a girl. The poor girl won't know her identity when she grows up like that."

Amelia came back just in time before I knocked miss anorexia barbie unconscious. I quickly picked her back up, resting on my hip.

"She won't be coming here again!" I snarled. I didn't care if this put me in her bad book. I couldn't care less actually. I charged out the front door with Amelia clinging to me like I was her lifeline.

Twenty minutes later, I was barging through JL Green Key office building with Amelia still in my arms. I ignored the receptionist who tried to stop me and pushed the door to his office open with my foot. It bounced off the wall with a loud bang.

"I'm sorry, sir." The receptionist piped up behind me.

"It's okay, Lana." He smiled at me, but it fell when he took in my expressions. "Lennox, what's wrong?"

I was vaguely aware of others in the room but my attention and fury was on him. I was literally trembling with anger.

"Jake trusted you with Amelia. He trusted her to you, and you just left his daughter with her?! You know Jake can't stand her. He doesn't trust her and look what she did to her." I gestured to her clothes. "Amelia hates pink and all that girly stuff. And look -" I pushed aside one of her headphones. "She had her ears pierced. Something Jake had said on multiple occasions he didn't want. Nor Amelia. How are you going to explain that to him? How are you going to make this right?!"

"Uhm, maybe we should give you two a moment."

That's when I saw it was Charlie and Kevin in the room. I smiled at them as they stood up from the chairs on the other side of Jesse's desk.

"Charlie, Kevin. Good to see you." I kissed their cheeks. "Amelia can't wait for her playdate with Ryan."

"Yeah." Kevin chuckled a little. "Ryan won't stop talking about her. And he is literally counting down the days for when he will see her again."

"He doesn't have to wait too long. I'll see you on Sunday." I smiled. He gave a smile back before walking out of the office.

Charlie glanced between me and Jesse. "Hey." He said softly, placing his hand on my arm. "Why don't I take Amelia for some cake in the break room. Then you and Jesse can talk in private."