A Chistmas Miracle
Copyright© 2021 by DB86
Chapter 21
Mr. Reynolds walked into the kitchen and regarded each of us individually. I slowly stood up. For a tense moment, I wasn’t sure what was going to happen.
His eyes met Lizzie’s. “We were worried about you,” he said.
“You didn’t need to be,” she replied. “I texted Mom and told her I was okay. That I was staying with a friend.”
He turned to me. “And you’re the friend, I assume.”
“That’s right,” I calmly replied.
Mr. Reynolds stepped back a few step without taking his eyes from his daughter. “What are you saying? That you want to be with this man here?” He pointed at me. “Is that it?”
“Please don’t talk about Nick like he’s not here.” Lizzie moved around the kitchen island to stand in front of her father, who was a full ten inches taller than her. “We came here tonight to tell you that I’m moving out. I’ll be looking for my own apartment, but in the meantime I’ll be staying with Nick. And yes, we’re involved. In fact, we just got back from a trip where we visited J.J. for three days.”
Maybe Lizzie was more like J.J. than anyone realized. She seemed to be provoking her father.
Mr. Reynolds looked like a bull ready to charge. He balled his hand into a fist and swung a punch at me.
I was prepared. I grabbed him by the shoulder, twisted his arm and dropped him firmly, face down, on the floor. I continued to restrain Mr. Reynolds with a knee to the spine, arm leveraged, a tight grip around his wrist.
I could dislocate his shoulder in an instant, and it took all my willpower not to do it.
“Are you all right, sir?” I calmly asked.
“No, damn you!” he shouted indignantly, but it was his ego that was bruised, not his body.
“I’m going to back off now.” I let go his wrist, rose to my feet and took two steps away.
Grimacing with pain, I lay a hand on my abdomen over the incision and bent forward slightly.
“Are you all right?” Lizzie asked.
I nodded. Truth was it hurt like hell.
Mrs. Reynolds had watched the scene in silent horror, both hands covering her face.
Mr. Reynolds rose awkwardly to his feet. “I told you not to contact J.J.!” he shouted at Lizzie.
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