Butting In
Chapter 57
Addison’s POV
I was painting one of the posts on the front porch when I heard, “Hey! Hey, stop, you heard me
talking to you. You need to stop! You can’t come over here. This is private property.”
I assumed it was Garrett coming over here before I turned around. I already knew that Phillip
was going to prevent Garrett from coming over here. But when I turned around, I saw his SUV
pulling out of the driveway and quickly driving away. My eyes widened in surprise to see
Holden struggling against one of the security guards and one of the painters.
“Holden?” I asked as I put my paint cup down and ran over. They let go of him and stepped
back. I saw the security guard pull his phone out and knew he was already sending a text.
“It’s me,” Holden said, opening his arms wide for a hug. I was surprised by how tall he is now. I
had to remind myself that it had been five years since I saw him last. He was almost as
formidable as Garrett was now.
“I missed you, Holden,” I told him as I broke the hug. I felt so guilty about not contacting him. I
didn’t want to slip up and admit that I was pregnant or had given birth to Garrett’s child. He
would have told Garrett. I was terrified of him trying to take Corbin away from me at the time.
“I missed you too, Addison,” Holden replied. He looked at me carefully as if trying to figure out
a puzzle. I knew he had questions, but he seemed like he was afraid to ask them. I would give
him a little time to come around to get up the courage to just come out and say it. I also knew
security had already informed Phillip we had a guest. One that looked enough like Garrett to
cause Phillip to be concerned. I am sure he will be out here soon. I motioned over to the
rockers on the porch, and we sat down to talk.
“How’s school?” I asked, keeping the mood light.
“It’s good. I only have one more year to go before I graduate. I will be glad to get out and start
my business,” Holden replied.
“Still want to be a game developer?” I asked. He had loved playing games when he was younger, and there was good money to be made in that field.
“Yes, I’ve already started my first game,” Holder replied with a smile. “I have learned a lot and
completed all of my required computer classes. I will be taking a tougher coding course this upcoming year. I am already working on a game now. I have taken coding classes before, but I want to make sure not to depend on someone else to realize my vision. I am very hands–on
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with my project, from start to finish. I want to make sure that there are no bugs or issues when
I go to release it. I am already speaking to potential investors about going into business with
me,” Holden was excited as he told me about his game.
“How far along are you in your game?” I asked. I’m genuinely interested in his game. Holden
had great ideas when we were still in high school. I already knew that he was going to be
successful.
Each family member was given a small amount from their grandparents‘ insurance policy.
Once it was all said and done, each family member was given one hundred thousand dollars.
The grandparents had told them that it was a way for them to save it for a rainy day or use it
to start a business of their own when they bought it years ago. The Pearsons had used their combined funds to pay off their home seven years ago.
Each of their children had their money put into a trust they could not touch until they were
twenty–four. That was the age their parents and grandparents had decided was old enough to
make good decisions. Holden made no secret that he was planning to use his to achieve his
dreams of being a software developer. I was always impressed at the head for business he
had, even at sixteen years old. He was smart, and he was focused. He was a good guy and very attractive. The problem was that I was already in love with Garrett before Holden got a crush on me. He tried to hide it, but I knew. Garrett did too, and it had pissed him off.
“I am about eighty percent complete with it. Would you like to play it sometime?” Holden
asked.
“I would, but won’t your girlfriend be upset? You might want to invite her over as well,” I agreed.
“I’m not dating,” Holden said before hesitating. He then continued, “I was actually hoping that I could ask you out once I learned that you had come back. But Garrett told me you were engaged, which I now see is true. He also mentioned that you and he had,” Holden flushed a
little and stopped speaking.
“We did,” I replied stiffly. I wondered if he knew about Corbin. I didn’t want to go there right. now, but Holden is his uncle. I have to assume that the cat is out of the bag now. “Garrett is right. I am engaged. Phillip is here and is probably going to show up any minute. He’s working on building the new gazebo this morning before the heat gets too much. I wanted to restore the backyard to what it was when Mom built it.”
“I wasn’t trying to upset you, Addison. You are still one of my best friends. It isn’t my place to interfere, but there was an argument this morning at home. I know Garrett was planning on speaking to you today, but he left. He got furious at Valerie, and after they argued, he left. Mom and Dad are pretty upset. We all know that he is still injured. He can’t fully take care of
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Butting In
himself. Things between Valerie and him have been strained for over five years now. Things will be difficult between them for a while,” Holden told me. I could hear he was upset, but he didn’t ask me any more questions.
We sat there quietly, rocking in the chairs on my front porch. There was a comfortable silence between us. Holden was a good friend. He was staring off in the direction his brother went. I was curious about what had happened next door this morning, but I didn’t ask. I kind of suspected what happened. Valerie was the only girl in their family. Both Tandy and Russell doted on her. She was spoiled and always had been. She is all about appearances. She was always focused on looking better than her friends. Having better clothes, shoes, and purses than her friends had. I was honestly surprised when I heard that she testified against Tammy.
Later, I realized she only did it because Tammy was no longer useful to her. She did it because her parents had asked her to, and she liked to stay on their good side. Tandy let that comment slip after Corbin was born by telling me Garrett was still furious with Valerie. She was worried about the fact that Garrett was still holding a grudge. She then skipped around the subject when I asked her why. They have always treated her better than they did the boys. I couldn’t understand why.
Don’t get me wrong, they loved all three of their children but were the hardest on Garrett. Pushing him to be the best. To follow in his father’s footsteps. To play football like his grandfather and great–grandfather. I guess that is just how it is here in the South. The oldest are pushed harder than the rest of the children. The eldest is expected to fit a mold that is almost impossible to achieve. That’s neither good nor bad. It’s just how it is. Most never get the love and appreciation they yearn for by striving for it.
Phillip came around the corner a minute later. I suspected that he had been standing just out of view, listening to our conversation. He was worried about Garrett and probably thought that Holden was Garrett. Phillip has always been a very confident person. He didn’t need to be validated. He knew his value, but things changed yesterday after Garrett arrived. Phillip has always been a little possessive, but he is off the charts now.
Phillip had removed his t–shirt again, probably because it was boiling out there. I couldn’t stop myself from giving his chest a quick scan. He was very attractive, and he knew it. He didn’t try to hide his smirk from me as he crossed the yard to climb the steps. He had a tool belt on. He was building the new gazebo, as the old one had been torn apart and loaded into the dumpster in the driveway. The tool belt he wore had tugged his jeans down a little, making his cut even more apparent.
My eyes stayed on him the whole way to me. I couldn’t seem to break them away from him. His muscles rippled with every step, and I caught myself right before I bit my lower lip. He
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Butting In
knew what he was doing to me. As he walked towards me, his smile grew. I think he could tell
that it wasn’t Garrett when he came onto the porch, as there were differences between them.
Holden stood up as Phillip walked up to stand next to me.
“Holden, this is my fiancé, Phillip Briggs,” I said with a smile.
“Phillip, this is Holden Pearson. He’s a good friend of mine. He and Kate stood by me in high.
school. They were my only true friends, I told Phillip.
“Nice to meet you, Holden. Sorry about your welcome here. That was my fault. My men
thought you were Garrett. They have orders not to allow him over here. I am sure you can
understand why,” Phillip said as he shook Holden’s hand.
“Yes, I heard why this morning. Addison is a good friend, and I admit I still have a crush on her.
I have yet to meet someone as sweet as she is. Now that she is engaged, I guess I have to
give up on that dream,” Holden said with a wistful smile.
“Addison, I just wanted to run over here and apologize. I am sorry for my involvement in
Tammy’s plan against you. I was going to apologize sooner, but you left. Oh, hello, my name is
Valerie Pearson. I don’t believe I have met you yet,” Valerie said as she sashayed across my
porch with her hand out towards Phillip. I didn’t bother to hide my eye roll. I knew why she was
there. She saw Phillip and couldn’t get over here fast enough.
“No need to introduce yourself. I’m Addison’s fiancé. That is all you need to know,” Phillip shut
her down quickly. I wanted to smirk at her, but I held it in.
“Tammy’s plan against me? You mean the video?” I asked. I thought that was just Tammy.
“No, not that, Addison. Apparently, Garrett still has a burr up his ass over the fact that me believing Tammy’s lie was what led him to turn his back on you, back when you were fifteen,” Valerie replied as she kept running her eyes over Phillip’s chest. She totally missed my look of
shock. What in the heck is she talking about?
