LAURA
“You shouldn’t be on your feet, Laura,” Mom called from the kitchen, speaking directly to me this time. “Go sit down.”
I rolled my eyes. Was she tired of gossiping?
“Someone has to set the table.”
“I’ll do it,” Alex volunteered for what had to be the sixtieth time since we’d arrived.
“No.” I wasn’t going to change my mind so he might as well stop asking. “You barely let me do anything at home. You keep that up and I’m going to fade away!”
In my periphery, I caught the both of them exchanging glances at my slightly raised tone. I scowled, my previous amusement at the both of them getting along now replaced by annoyance. Since when had they turned into best friends anyway?
To be honest, when I’d first introduced them to each other five months ago, I’d been worried that it was going to be awkward seeing as I’d spent some time here during our split so Mom knew about everything. I’d expected her to lay into him a bit and I’d been worried about Alex having to go through that–even though he would have deserved it–but Mom had been surprisingly accommodating and once Alex had gotten over his fear of her, the two had gotten along really well.
I’d just finished setting the table when they brought the food and placed it around.
Alex held out my chair, made sure I was seated comfortably, before he dropped into his chair beside me. Mom smiled as she watched us, impressed, and I couldn’t fight back my own smile. She did that whenever Alex did things like this around her. From opening the car door for me to holding a door open for me, refilling my glass of water without me having to ask him, little things like that.
If only she knew how much of a princess he made me feel like.
Just last month at his mother’s house, he’d carried me bridal style up the stairs because he hadnt been comfortable with the thought of me stressing myself trying to climb them.
Conversation flowed easily as we dug into the meal. It wasn’t until I’d almost cleared my plate that I realized there was someone missing.
“Mom, where’s Jo? I didn’t see her when I came in.” I asked, looking around.
Mom glanced up, her eyes moving to the window. “She’s probably out seeing as her dog isnt home.”
I blinked. “Jo has a dog?”
“Yeah. You don’t know?”
“No. I didn’t even know she planned on getting one. When did she get it?”
“Two weeks ago,” Mom told me. “That was the last time you guys visited. You should have seen it.”
“We did see it.”
I turned to Alex, shocked. “We did?”
He looked like he was holding back laughter. “Yeah, but you must have been very distracted for you to not remember.”
His emphasis on the word ‘very’ and the mischief dancing in his eyes had me squinting as I tried to remember what could have had me distracted the last time we came here. Like a light bulb going on in my head, I remembered being so turned on and complaining all through the drive here that I needed some sort of relief. He hadn’t agreed to stay back because he refused to arrive at my mother’s a minute late, so he’d had to bring me off in the car outside, protected only by the tinted windows.
My cheeks flamed.
Now I could remember hearing a dog bark but I hadnt actually seen it. I’d still been floating in post-orgasmic bliss, although seeing my mother had cleared it up real quick.
“Yeah, thoroughly so,” Mom agreed and Alex coughed, looking down as he battled with the laughter that obviously wanted to escape and Mom who remained thankfully oblivious, turned to him with panicked eyes, her tone alarmed. “Are you okay?”
Alex nodded, clearing his throat. “Yeah, no worries.”
I glared at him as he wiped the corner of his eyes, going back to his meal and deliberately avoiding looking at me.
“Anyway,” Mom said, steering us back to easy conversation. “I think it’s a good idea she has a dog. Would you want to get a pet?”
Turning to Alex expectantly, I waited for him to take the lead. I’d never thought about it before.
He shrugged. “My mother has a dog and he hates my guts. But then again, he’s particularly grumpy so I’m hoping it doesn’t extend to other dogs.” he polished off the last bite of his chicken and sat back. “I have no experience with any other specie to speak of.”
“What about you, Laura?” She turned to me. “Would you want to get one?”
“I’m not sure,” I answered distractedly, my mind drifting away at the mention of Alex’s mom.
The tension in the air the first time Alex had taken me along for their monthly dinner had damn near killed me. She’d welcomed me stiffly and had spent more time ogling my belly than trying to talk to me. While it wasn’t clear to me yet whether she approved of me or not, one thing was for sure–she was wary of me. When she looked at me, there was this question in her eyes like she didn’t quite know what to make of me and I wasn’t going to lie; it made me uncomfortable as hell. But those monthly dinners were something I was willing to sit through for Alex.
I perked up, remembering something I’d always wanted to ask but kept forgetting. “That reminds me,” I started and they both turned to me expectantly. “You never told me what happened the first time you met.”
Mom’s brows lifted. “What do you mean? You were right here.”
I shook my head. “No. Before that–”
“She’s referring to the day I dropped her off when we got Derrick arrested,” Alex cut in, watching me. “That’s what you’re talking about, isn’t it?”
Derrick was one topic we tried our best to avoid because of the effect it had on Alex. Even now, I could tell he was trying to be as nonchalant as he could about it.
“Yeah,” I said softly.
Alex sloushed in his chair, throwing his head back on a self-depreciating laugh. “I ran.”
My brows flew up in my head, surprise and amusement filling me. “You did?” He nodded, laughing and I turned to Mom to see her smiling. “And you let him?”
“What? Should I have chased after him?”
Unable to hold it in anymore, I burst out laughing. I tried to get myself under control but imagining my mom running after Alex’s car as it peeled down the street had me cackling so hard, Alex had to pat my back gently while Mom gently chided me to take it easy.
While Mom and Alex cleared the table and did the dishes–Alex volunteered to do the entire thing but Mom was adamant, claiming it was her house(look who said I got my stubborness from my father)–I sat on one of the patio chairs, tilting my head back as the cool breeze brushed across my cheeks.
The past few months had been a dream.
Things with Alex hadn’t gone back to the way they were; they’d gotten better. I now knew that he was a hotelier and had a chain across different states. The hotel where we’d met was also his. This was information I should have known before getting in a relationship with him, but ours wasn’t like any other. We’d done it backwards. Getting to this point from the start had been a hectic process, but it was all worth it.
Our relationship wasn’t the only thing that had progressed.
My mother’s reaction to me telling her about Derrick was one I would never have dreamt of even in my wildest dreams. She’d quit smoking. I’d been floored. When I asked her why, she said she’d been so scared that she’d come so close to losing me, but then remembered that I had to live with that fear everyday of losing her and it wasn’t fair, neither was it a nice feeling.
At first id thought it was easier said than done.
But by the next week, she had already joined a support group where she attended meetings twice weekly. Now that she was coping better without however, she went just once a week.
I was so proud of her, and because Alex believed she needed the company, he’d suggested we started spending more time with her. She was happier now, her color brighter and she’d even gained some much needed weight.
The quiet sound of footsteps had me turning and I found Alex coming towards me. “I knew you’d be out here.”
Of course he did. This was my spot.
I was about to smile and say something witty when I noticed that his shoulders were tense and there was a lot of apprehension rolling off him. I frowned. “What’s wrong?”
He shook his head, simply extending his hand to me and I took it, no questions asked. That was how much I trusted him now. A smile touched his lips as he seemed to realize it too.
Gently assisting me up and off the chair, we walked hand in hand. The silence was comfortable so I didn’t question it even though it clearly looked like there was something on his mind.
All of a sudden, he stopped walking and before I could turn and ask him why, he was already on his knees, a small velvet box open in his hand with the most beautiful ring I’d ever seen sitting inside.
My mouth fell open and tears sprang into my eyes.
Alex smiled and he was so fucking handsome, he drew my attention away from the masterpiece of a ring. “Marry me.”
I laughed wetly. “You’re not asking but telling me?”
His smile transformed into a grin. “can’t risk you saying no, love.”
I laughed again, tears escaping out the corners of my eyes. He sounded and looked so confident, but I was familiar with his tells now and knew he was nervous as hell which was why his left eye was twitching like crazy.
“Put me out of my misery, woman.”
Heart filled with joy, I threw my hands around him. “Of course I’ll marry you!”
He wasted no time sliding the ring onto my finger, dropping a kiss on it before kissing me on the lips. Then he hugged me as much as my belly would allow.
Over his shoulder, I saw Mom standing at the back door, smiling and wiping her eyes with tips of her fingers.
She mouthed, “He’s one lucky man.” and I smiled. He was, wasn’t he? Then her smile grew warm and she mouthed, “I love you.”
“I love you, too.” I mouthed back.
A sigh of pure contentment escaped my lips. Could life get any better then this?
Few months later when our baby girl graced us with her presence, I found out that it could.
THE END