I Have a Favor to Ask
Chapter 28
Addison’s POV
It is hard to believe that my baby is now two years old. We had gone to a local kid’s play
venue, but the paparazzi found us. Some even managed to slip inside by paying families to
have them enter with them. Thankfully, Evan is always cautious. He saw them taking pictures
of Corbin and me while I watched my son as he played. I kept him in the younger kids‘ area,
but sometimes, he would get knocked down by the bigger children. My uncle got my aunt and my grandparents out. I already knew that my grandfather and aunt would be angry. Bryson spoke to the rest of the paparazzi as we headed for our vehicles. He only managed to keep the
attention of half of them off of us.
Evan managed to get me to the car. He shielded Corbin with his jacket, but it ruined what
should have been a great day. I was angry and frazzled. I also felt guilty. I felt like his birthday
was destroyed by people who just wanted to exploit him. The time has passed by so quickly.
Corbin is my favorite person. He brings me so much joy. He is smart and kind, and I am so
proud of him. He loves his family, and they love him back. I was incredibly disappointed that
his day was ruined, but he had fun. He didn’t seem sad and liked that I sat in the back seat
with him as Evan drove us home. Bryson got in the front with Evan once we were all loaded
- up.
1 I bought additional sun shades for me to try to protect my son and prevent anyone from
getting his picture. I don’t know why they always assumed that Evan and I were together. Yes,
he was protective of me, but the three of us were close, Bryson included. They even called me
“baby sister.” Even after it was all explained two years and a half years ago when I passed out,
they seem to have forgotten that Evan and I are related. We leave them alone as long as they
don’t go too far. I will tell you that being followed wherever you go gets frustrating after a
while.
Evan wasn’t dating anyone yet, but Bryson brought a beautiful girl home a few months ago.
Her name was Kayla Morgan, and she was twenty–two years old. She was two years older
than me but two years younger than Bryson. I really like her. She has blonde hair and the most gorgeous eyes I have ever seen.
They were not precisely hazel and not exactly gray. Her eyes are a beautiful combination of
the two. I have never seen anyone with the same color before. They are quite unique. Bryson
told us that he was captivated from the moment he saw her. He quickly told us that he now believed in love at first sight. He saw her at an event about seven months ago. He had been
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I Have a Favor to Ask
conversing with another CEO and couldn’t catch her before she left.
He knew who she had been speaking to earlier, and it was his friend, so he asked him who she
was. His friend was happy to help, with one caveat. His one condition was that I go out on a
date with him. I still remember the unusual conversation we had that day. Bryson suddenly
surprised me by asking me to go out on a date.
“Why do I need to go out on a date for you to get her number?” I asked again. If Phillip Briggs was Bryson’s friend, how did I become involved? His friend should have been happy to help
him out.
“He saw your picture on my phone the last time I saw him. He thought you were cute,” Bryson
replied.
“Why in the world were you showing him my picture?” I asked, as I was still confused.
“I was showing him a picture of us playing with Corbin. I showed him a few pictures, and he was very interested in the one with just you and Corbin,” Bryson explained.
“So, he knows I have a son and still wants to go out with me?” I asked in surprise. Most
bachelors are not interested in single mothers. I was flattered, but I was not ready to date. Not
yet, at least.
“He does. He asked about you, and he is a good guy. He is one of the men on the ‘vetted‘ list that Mom and our grandparents have. We work very closely with their family, and Phillip is
going to be taking over his family’s business very soon. I like him for you, too. He is a good guy. He doesn’t date a lot, and he is attractive. Plus, he likes children. He didn’t seem off–put that you had a child. He even said that Corbin could come along on the date if that would
make you feel more comfortable,” Bryson said with a smile.
I haven’t ever been out, not on an actual date. It was a little off–putting to think about, as he had seen me, but I know nothing about him. My aunt knew I was worried about it, as I was
chewing on my lower lip, thinking. She was the next to speak up. She knew I was going to
blow it off, as I was actually busy.
“You need to have a night out. Your whole life is college, work, and family. You don’t have any
downtime. It wouldn’t hurt to go out and talk to him. If you don’t like him, you don’t have to go out with him again. Bryson is right, Phillip is a good guy. I have mentioned him to you before. I know you were waiting for Garrett to make it three years, but just going out means only that. You are under no pressure at all to do anything else. Phillip’s family has worked alongside ours for a long time. Phillip has a great deal of experience in construction and as a contractor, He is about to graduate with a degree in architecture soon and take over the company. He will
be taking the ARE exam after he graduates,” my aunt told me.
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That was impressive. He could have hired an architect to work for his company. Instead, he wanted to be able to do the work himself. I liked the fact that he wasn’t spoiled. He was willing to work hard to be successful on his own terms. I could understand the desire to do that very well. I liked to pull my own weight, as well. I also liked the challenge of designing and
creating. It seemed as if Phillip enjoyed that, too. It gave us something in common.
“OK, Bryson, I will go out with him, but he needs to realize that it is just a date. I’m not taking
Corbin with me. I don’t want him around people that I don’t know. If things go well, they can be
introduced later,” I agreed. At a minimum, he could be a new friend.
“Thank you, Addison! You won’t be sorry. He really is a good guy. I wouldn’t lie to you about
that. You are like my baby sister. I want what is best for you,” Bryson assured me before
picking me up and swinging me around.
When I cried out in surprise, Corbin headed over to see what was happening. He immediately
lifted his arms in the air once he saw that I was being swung around. He wanted to play, too.
Bryson quickly put me down before picking Corbin up. He turned him around in a circle, with
Corbin’s laughter ringing through the living room. Seeing how happy they were playing
together brought a smile to my face.
Bryson called and told Phillip I would go out with him this weekend. I was surprised at how
quickly he set everything up. I knew he had wanted to get her name and number. The date
started well. He came to pick me up and brought me a bouquet. There were a variety of
shades of pink in it, and I loved them. They were beautiful. My aunt smiled when she saw him
arrive with the flowers. She had them taken up to my room. I knew that she was the one who
had told him that I liked pinks and I also liked corals.
He did an excellent job with the bouquet. It had roses and ranunculus, with their delicate paper–like appearance. It even included three stargazer lilies, pink ones with the petals tipped in white, which were my favorites. The bouquet was quite large and had some occasional white and cream flowers added to it. It was absolutely lovely. The fact that he had a smaller
one made up for my aunt was an even nicer touch. He really was a nice guy.
He was handsome. He had sun–streaked blonde hair and soft brown eyes. He was over six feet tall but not quite as tall as Garrett. I suddenly had to pump the brakes hard. I didn’t want to start comparing Phillip to Garrett. It wasn’t fair to Phillip. He is clearly a good man. I had to remind myself that Garrett was not as good a guy as I thought he was. We had a history, and I knew him back when he was a good guy. I had realized that on one of the many nights I cried
myself to sleep.
If Garrett had shown how much he had changed and pushed it hard enough, he could have had Tandy come to speak to me. To ask me to meet, but that didn’t happen. She had told me.
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that he loved me and wanted me. That was why he was making these difficult changes in his
life. It had to be hard for him to go from taking what was offered to rejecting it. I bet it was even more challenging at his college. The Jersey chasers would be all over him like Tammy
had been.
I asked Tandy how she knew he wasn’t sleeping around. I learned firsthand how he could make a lie look like the truth. I wasn’t just going to believe it this time blindly. I knew how much she loved her Garrett and wanted us to be together. But I didn’t want her lying for him. I missed him too, but I knew he could have found a way to reach me if he loved me.
Tandy admitted that one of her friend’s sons was in the same frat house. He was the one who informed her of the fact that Garrett was doing what he said he was going to do. She was proud of Garrett. I was going to go three years without getting into a relationship or having s*x, as well.
Partially to be able to tell him I waited for him, and also to show my support. That should show him that I loved him enough to wait for him because all I ever wanted was for us to be a family. I was going to let Phillip know that at dinner. I didn’t want to start on the wrong foot. He was attentive as he escorted me to his car and opened the door for me. I hated to disappoint him. I just didn’t want him to waste precious time on me.
Phillip needed to find someone who loved him. I don’t know if I’m the person for him. Unless Garrett ruins everything, I hope we can be together as a family. Garrett’s actions will determine what happens between us in the future. I will just have to wait and see what happens. I didn’t
want my heart to break for a third time. I wasn’t strong enough for that.
