Fulfillment(68)

I sat there stunned for God knows how long then moved my gaze to Jessica. She was staring at the elevator doors, smiling fondly. I’m guessing her fondness was for the man who just angrily left the room. It pissed me off even more. Get that look off your face now before I hop over there and wipe it off.

I’d had just about enough.

“I’m so proud of him,” she said in awe. What?

I didn’t answer, but she continued to talk.

“He has come so far since the death of his parents and his brother. At one point I thought I would never again see the bright, intelligent, young man my best friend gave birth to and raised.” She turned to me and smiled. Best friend?

“Stephanie adored Bryce. She was always doting over him. He was her pride and joy. She loved all three of her kids equally, but Bryce had a special connection with his mother.”

I was speechless, so I sat there and continued to listen.

“Stephanie and I went to college together. She was a Social Sciences graduate and her philosophy on life was truly unique. We hit it off instantly. After she married Lindsay and gave birth to Bryce, her priorities in life changed, but her outlook never did. She was a fantastic mother, and Bryce was a real mummy’s boy.”

I smiled. Yeah, I can actually imagine that.

“She brought Bryce up to be passionate, outgoing, ambitious, and charming. All the qualities a young man would require to go far in life; she was so proud of him. But when she died, something in Bryce died too. His passion diminished, he was no longer outgoing, his ambition turned to determination, and his charm faded considerably,” she said sadly as she stood up.

She walked across to the grand piano and ran her finger along it. “Has he played the piano for you?”

“No, I’ve never seen him go near it. He has always played the guitar for me.”

She raised her eyebrows at me, knowingly. “He’s very good, isn’t he? This might break doctor-patient confidentiality, but he did just say ‘do what you have to, I don’t fucking care what it takes’, didn’t he?”

“He did,” I agreed.

“Well, he loves that you love watching him play the guitar. When he told me about the first time he played for you, he was beyond happy, he was boasting.” Oh! My! God! He told her about that. I’ll kill him.

I blushed.

“Oh, don’t worry. He didn’t give me the details.” Thank fuck. “Alexis, Bryce has come a long way over the years. But it wasn’t until he met you that he got that spark back. Whatever had died in him, you managed to resurrect. I have never seen a person so devoted, so in awe, so in love before. At first I thought it might be unhealthy, but over the past eight months I’ve come to realise that he absolutely adores you and wants nothing more than your happiness.”

Tears began to fall down my cheeks. “I know,” I admitted.

“If you’re not happy, he is not happy.”

“I know, I feel the same way.” I was sobbing again.

She came back to the couch and sat next to me, handing me a tissue.

“He is absolutely terrified of losing you. Not just physically but mentally. He knows what it feels like to lose someone both physically and mentally.”

I looked up at her. “Gareth?” I whispered.

“Yes, Gareth,” she confirmed. “Alexis, please let me help you get through this. I want to help you, not only for Bryce but for you. I have a deep respect for the woman who tamed Mr. Bryce Clark.”

I stared at her wide-eyed. “Okay.”

Dr Carrot-top Jessica was not all that bad after all.





CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Nate and Charlotte FaceTimed me the following day, and I had missed them terribly, only having briefly talked to them on the phone a couple of times since seeing them. I desperately wanted them to come home, but I had to gain a good frame of mind before I let them see me, and before I explained to them what had happened to me over a week ago. The good thing was, I had a positive outlook now and truly believed Jessica would help me get to the good frame of mind that I needed. It had felt nice talking with her and I looked forward to talking to her again. We had arranged to meet every day for the coming week, and I felt terrible that I had made the wrong assumption about her. A book’s cover did not always reflect its contents.

***

Bryce and I had made up when he returned after his false-imprisonment ploy. He had been right in doing it though, and he had the best intentions, so I could not stay mad at him. We were starting to get on each other’s nerves, however, and we would deliberately bait each other over the smallest things. I was starting to think it had more to do with sexual frustration than anything else.