Steel Hearts - Patchwork Princess Ch. 01

"This isn't a Rom-Com, Teddy. We can't just write off the last decade as a comedy of errors, missing letters, and sliding doors. I'm damaged goods now, Teddy. Fucked in the head and the heart. So, I absolve you from whatever promises our families made so long ago. Go and live your life guilt-free knowing I don't blame you one iota for what happened to us," she smiled sadly. "We were only kids, Teddy. It's not like we had a passionate adult love affair. It was puppy love combined with family expectations. So, don't worry about me; I'll be just fine."

"I know what happened to you," he said softly. "I'm so sorry I wasn't there to protect you. I tracked down the guy who hurt you and ensured he knew why he was dying. I search for you everywhere, but I would never have known to look for Holly Haywood. I imagine that's why she did it. I have been in love with you since I was ten. I was sixteen when she sent you away. For me, it was more than a crush or puppy love or whatever you say to try to dismiss what we had. I want the life we were promised together."

"It's been too long, Teddy. I'm not that girl you knew anymore. Unfortunately, you can't just turn back time and go back to the scheduled programming. For all you know, I could be a lesbian now," she challenged, making him raise an eyebrow.

"But your not," he said knowingly. "I was too shocked to find you alive at your Nan's funeral to talk to you like this about us, and then you left as soon as you had signed over the house and contents to an estate lawyer. I heard you were back from Dean, but after your brush-off at the funeral, I thought maybe I should leave you alone. Only I can't do that. Every time I see you, I want you the same way I did all those years ago. So my first instinct is to want to protect you from anything else bad in your life," he looked into her eyes, trying to gauge her reaction to his admission. "Then I find out you have a stalker!"

"Bloody Nicky," she hissed. "Look, it's nothing, just a few creepy messages, nothing overly threatening. It's so innocuous that I doubt the police would look into it for me, which is why I haven't reported it yet."

"You haven't told the police?" he asked incredulously. "Then, let me add some security to the shop and your place. That's what we do these days, security. We're out of the MC scene. I mean, we still have friends and people we know in the scene, but we are one hundred per cent above board and legal," he struggled to explain how he had made the big push to be out and stay out, for her, after finding out she was alive.

"What sort of security?" she asked. After what had happened to her as a teen, she was overly security conscious. If he could help with that and make her bubble even more secure, she would be an idiot to turn it down.

"I'd like to see the messages you are getting before deciding on the threat level. I think a camera in the hall outside your apartment, a secondary locking system, and the key cards are good but easy to bypass. Plus, more of a male presence going to and from work," he considered out loud what security he would be happy with, disregarding what she would agree to him doing.

"It's a few messages, nothing to get a bodyguard over," she gasped.

"Show me," he said, holding out his hand. "I assume you have taken photos of them if you haven't received them digitally.

"They are texts and never from the same number because I block him each time," she sighed and handed her phone over. He typed rapidly on each text and then handed the phone back.

"I sent the text to myself, so you have my number now, and I have yours in case anything else unusual happens, okay," he looked at her seriously and waited for her agreement.

"Now, back to the other thing. I thought you were dead, so I haven't been a choir boy while you've been away, but I also haven't been in any long-term relationships. If Nicky can be believed, you barely date at all. It never lasts longer than a second or third date if you give someone that chance. So, here's what I am thinking," he paused, taking in the half-panicked expression on her face.

"I agreed to added security. That's it," Holly began to argue.

"I know, but I thought we could get to know each other again. Date, see if what we knew to be true when we were younger still is," he said, gently reaching out to take her hand in his. "We'll start from the very beginning, no expectations, well maybe one or two expectations," he admitted.

"I don't think it's a good idea to mix business with...." Teddy moved so swiftly that Holly couldn't prepare herself for the force of his kiss as he stopped her from talking. His mouth slanted over hers and his tongue ran the seam of her lips, not pushing to enter but probing to see whether she would let him in. Although, as far as first kisses went, it was good and comfortable, fuck who was she kidding? It was as hot as the guy kissing her, and if she didn't wake up from whatever spell he had her under, she was in danger of breaking all of her rules for this man. Not able to move back from him because of the headrest, she had to turn her head to break the kiss.

"Fuck," Teddy breathed heavily. "I have wanted to do that since, well, forever, and it was so worth the wait," he whispered and cupped the side of her face to bring her eyes up to his. "It has always been you, Holly. Always, you. So, give me a chance, okay?"

"You don't know what you're asking for, Teddy. I'm damaged goods. I'm not that little girl you used to let follow you around and hang out with at family barbeques anymore," she sighed and lowered her eyes.

"I'm not that kid who let you do those things either, and it was always me that wanted to follow you around and hang out with you at those family parties. So, think about it, okay? I know what I want. And while you're thinking about that, we will start on the new security for the shop this morning. We should probably include Carter in that conversation as she is your business partner," he suggested. He was happy to move on to the business of protecting her now that he had put the idea of rekindling their childhood relationship in her mind.

*****

"I hate to be the Debbie Downer of the group," Kris said in the zoom conversation, "But we have to nix the idea of a street party. It got too many moving pieces, and we couldn't guarantee your protection."

"I'll accept the personal risk. Is there a waiver you want me to sign?" Holly asked Teddy.

"The street party means that much to your business?" Teddy asked.

"Yeah, it could be the difference between staying open next year or shutting down after Christmas. But, of course, it could be before Christmas if the random covid lockdowns continue," she sighed. "No one is throwing fancy dress parties or masquerade balls. Nor will they over Christmas and the new year if this doesn't get better now that everyone can get the vaccination and boosters. But, on the other hand, Halloween may be the beginning of new things, and if we can manage to make it at least a little bit of a party, then we have more chance of still being open when things go back to normal or at least the new normal after a pandemic."

"I guess we could look at running a few scenarios," Kris grumbled, seeing the set of Teddy's jaw and knowing he had lost the battle of stopping this party before it began.

"Carter, you good with what's been proposed so far?" Teddy asked. He had noticed that the quiet woman had withdrawn from the meeting.

"If it keeps Holly safe, then, yeah. Do what you gotta do," she agreed readily.

"Okay, I'm done at your place, Holly," Kris said. "You couldn't be safer. But I'll leave the keys and instructions for the new secondary lock on the living room table. Then I'll head home unless you need anything else?"

"I didn't even know what I needed in the first place," Holly shrugged, knowing the question wasn't aimed at her but needing to say something rather than let Teddy run roughshod over her life.

"No, you're good. Go home and set up there," Teddy said evenly, making Holly look at him with a frown.

"What?" Holly gasped.

"If someone approaches your apartment while you're not home, we need to know, especially in a building where people can't even get to your floor without a key card to work the lift," he explained. "So, he's setting up the camera feed from the hallway outside your apartment to record in case we need it."

"It's only been a couple of text messages. So you don't think this is a bit of overkill?" Holly asked, not for the first time. "I mean, I'm all for good security. That's why I bought the apartment I did, but this feels way over the top, don't you think?" she appealed to her friends and Nicky, and Nessa made noises of agreement half-heartedly. Finally, however, it was Carter who spoke up, albeit quietly.

"Holly, I love you, but I think you might be wrong this time. If someone had taken the creepy messages seriously back when we were teens, things would have gone very differently," Carter said in almost a whisper while locking eyes with her friend.

"Okay," Holly said as she felt her gut sink heavily, then she sat back in her chair, spreading her hands face up as if surrendering.

"Messages when you were a teen?" Teddy grumbled. His voice sounded even deeper at that moment. "You never told me about messages back then."

"I was sixteen, I told my parents," Holly sighed. "The messages weren't threatening. But then, they thought it was just some boy with a crush. They said there was nothing to worry about because you were around a lot, and my father's men were too. But, if I went to the cops now, they would say the same thing they say to every other girl with a stalker. They can't act unless there is a real threat, and well, there wasn't one then, and there isn't one now."

"But what happened then could just as easily happen now," Teddy growled at her.

"I'm not sixteen anymore, Teddy," she scoffed and rolled her eyes. "I may like security around me where possible, but I am more than capable of looking after myself."

"I'm sure you could put up a fight, but I doubt you could take down a man determined to abduct you," Teddy said carefully. He didn't want to dismiss her abilities, nor did he want her to take unnecessary risks.

"Um, Teddy, now would be a good time to stop talking," Nicky interrupted the conversation. "She has her G1 patch."

"Someone gave you military training?" he narrowed his eyes at her.

"Ignore Nicky and just trust that I can look after myself. Keep talking and pushing me to do things I don't want to do, and then you'll find out how quickly I can remove all your added security and you from my life," Holly said evenly, even though it was a threat.

"It's your show," Teddy backed down, not wanting to risk her rejecting everything he had done and said since arriving at the shop.

"Well fuck," Scotty swore, his eyes widening as he spun to look at Teddy. His friend never backed down. It didn't matter if the argument was verbal or physical. It wasn't in his nature to take a backward step, and Scotty couldn't work out what had just happened.

"We'll do the install here at the shop tonight, so we don't bother you or your customers," Teddy said. "What time do you close up?"

"Around five most days, we stay open later on Thursday and Fridays due to that being when most of the hires go out," Nicky explained.

"Alright, we'll be back at five. We can always start the back if you have customers," Teddy said. "I'll take your car and have it checked for trackers and road safety." He still had her keys and had no intention of leaving her with the means to run away from him again.

"You think they would do that?" Nicky gasped.

"No," Holly hissed. "It's a few messages, not death threats. You can't take my car," she stood with her hands on her hips, her eyes flashing at him.

"Watch me," he shrugged and turned towards the back door. "I'm sure your friends would feel better knowing it was clean. Wouldn't you, Carter?" So he asked the one person who seemed to have some power over Holly's decisions about her safety.

"Holly, let him do the security job we agreed to. We both think it's better to be safe than sorry. This is one of those times. Teddy will come back after having it professionally detailed, and it will feel like a brand-new car," Carter said, adding an incentive. "You know how much you hate cleaning your car."

"Fine," Holly gave up as everyone watched her. "Just be back by five."

"I know what you did there, Teddy, and don't think you can use me to get your way regularly," Carter frowned at him.

"I hear you, but I can't always play fair to do what needs to be done," he shrugged and walked out of the back door whistling.

*****