"Then make her listen," Marlena chimes in. "If she's hurt it's because she cares. I could see it when she looks at you. It reminds me of when Troy and I met. How we hated to be apart, and even in a crowded room, we were all we could see."
"I don't get why Cooper hates the idea of us so much. If it was your daughter, would you want me with her?"
"Considering my baby girl is little more than twelve hours old, I think you're a sick motherfucker and I should kick your ass," Troy says in a threatening tone. "But if my baby girl was say fifty and I was dead, that's a different story. If she was lucky enough to meet a guy like you," he pauses to kiss her head. "Someone kind and caring. A good friend. And loyal. The SOB better never look at another girl. If she met someone that was as destroyed over her as you are over Lexi. Yeah, I think I'd be okay with it. If she eventually meets a guy like you, I'd think my daughter is lucky."
"Sorry guys. She really is beautiful. But I have to go find Lexi."
"Go get her!" Marlena calls after me.
*
Before leaving the hospital, I visit the gift shop again. I pick up a teddy bear holding a heart between its paws that reads "Be Mine'. I know it's left over from Valentine's Day but the message speaks volumes. That's what I want. I want to make Lexi mine. Permanently. I race straight to her mother's house. I don't know if she's home, or even if she still lives there, but it's a starting point.
Cooper's car is parked in the driveway. Great. He's probably trying to convince his mother to chain Lexi to her bed. I'll have to go through him first. I don't care. She's worth it. Maybe then he could man up and confess that he lied.
Cooper answers the door and looks at the bear in my hand.
"You're too fucking cheap to buy a bear that's not on sale? That speaks volumes, Noah."
"No asshole, read the shirt. It says 'be mine.'"
"Yeah, I know how to read."
"Can you call her to the door, please. I need to speak to her."
He shakes his head and crosses his arms over his chest. "No."
"Look, I don't care if you want to stand here and listen to every word I have to say to her, but since you fucked it up, I need to fix this. And she won't answer my calls, so please. Help me."
"I can't. Even if I wanted to, I don't know where the hell she is." He puffs his chest out like he wants to intimidate me. "Thanks to you, Lexi took off. We don't know where she is or when she plans on coming back. If she plans on coming back."
"If?" I must have heard wrong. The clamp around my heart squeezes a little tighter. "What do you mean she took off. Where is she?"
"I just told you I don't know."
"Then call her and find out."
"Like I didn't think of doing that three days ago. She won't pick up her fucking phone or return a phone call. Not mine or my mother's."
"You are such a dumb-ass Cooper. I hope making me look bad was worth losing your sister."
"I didn't fucking lose her. But if anything happens to her, I'm coming after you."
"Me? Maybe if you would've listened, if you gave me a chance to explain instead of going on the attack, you would've realized we had something good."
"Don't lie to me."
"Lie? Wouldn't dream of it. That seems to be your specialty."
Cooper cocks his arm back, I know it's coming, but I also know his style. He uses might and brawn. I'm quick and nimble, I can avoid him. Just as his fist heads for my face, I step to the side, bring my knee into his midsection, and pull him down by the shoulders into my knee.
"What we had was real. And we deserve the chance to see where it can go. I'm going after her. And I won't come back without her."
"Like you know where to look."
"I do. How about we make a deal? I find her, and you tell her you lied about me and give us your blessing."
"And if I don't."
"Don't make me choose between you man, because I'm going to choose her."
"Fine. You find her, not only will I tell her the truth, I'll pay for your fucking honeymoon if it works out."
"Deal." I stick my hand out to shake on it.
Chapter 17
Lexi
I don't know what I expected. I knew better than to fall for Noah York, party boy. I fought it. I fought it hard. Until he crashed through every wall, every layer of cement I built up between us. And when everything I used to protect myself from him came crumbling down, I allowed his strong arms to catch and protect me from the falling debris. Sheltered in his arms, nothing could harm me. Nothing but him.
Damn him.
I pull the covers over my head and turn away from the window. Stupid, useless blinds suck. No matter what I do the sun still finds a way to poke through the slats and creep in.
My stomach roils from the smell of sausage sizzling in the kitchen. I wonder if today will be another day spent throwing my guts up. The good news, is in four days I've lost ten pounds. Even my strictest regiment of diet and exercise doesn't work this well.
A knock sounds at my door. He knocks at the same time every morning. Almost to the second. As much as I want to ignore him, I can't. I feel too guilty. I had nowhere to go, no one to turn to, and he took me in. Thrilled I turned to him, he paid for my trip and took the week off of work. But all I've done since coming to sunny California is hide away in this room.
"Alexis, honey. It's time to talk."
"One minute," I answer forcing myself to sit up on the side of the bed. I'm weak, and the room is spinning. I close my eyes and summon my strength before forcing myself to stand. I trudge over to the door and try to hide behind a smile. It shouldn't be too hard, I did it for years after my father left. Up until Noah, when the forced smile turned real.
"Sorry I'm not much fun, Dad," I say staring at the other man who destroyed my life.
He reaches out and runs his hand over my hair. "You need to shower, baby girl. You've barely left this room since you got here."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. I want to be here for you. I'm thrilled that when you needed someone you called me. And like I said, you can stay here for as long as you want, but we'd like to get to know you. We'd like for you to get to know us."
He's right. That's what I told him the trip was about, spending time with him and Stephan. But my father knew the instant he saw my red, puffy eyes, that this trip had more to do with running away from Noah than running to him.
"Stephan made Belgium waffles with whipped cream and topped with a delicious, homemade blueberry syrup. It's one of his specialties." Of course it's a blueberry topping, just so I can be reminded of the delicious blueberry champagne. And Noah. Always Noah.
I nod. "I'm not really hungry."
"That's hogwash. You haven't eaten more than a few bites since you got here. Besides, Stephan's the cook of the house, and I hate to say it, but he does get a little temperamental when we have company and they don't eat his food. Just get cleaned up and get out of this room."
"Okay." I give in because I don't want my father getting mad and kicking me out. Then I'd really have nowhere to go. Here, on the opposite side of the country I know I won't break down and go home to my mother and brother. I know Cooper is going to lace into me about Noah, and I hate myself enough already. I don't need to be reminded of what an idiot I was to believe he actually cared. Nor will I give in to the unyielding need to see Noah. At least here, I can hide away in my room and pretend I'm getting over him.
Once I'm showered and dressed, I make an appearance in the kitchen. Stephan's at the stove, and it looks like he's doing a million things at once. I watch in silence as he turns the sausage, stirs what I assume is the mouthwatering blueberry topping, and flips the waffle machine. He doesn't even look the least bit flustered. I'm reminded of Noah. My father avoided the kitchen at all costs, and Cooper's lucky he could boil a pot of water. Noah impressed me with his skill in the kitchen, but I can see already, he's a novice compared to Stephan.
As I'm lost in thought, wondering if one week with Noah is going to haunt me f
or the rest of my life, Stephan's quick movements pull me back to present. In a matter of seconds, the removes a waffle, spoons the syrupy topping on it, and covers it with whipped cream.
"This, my dear is the recipe to mend a broken heart," he says with a twinkle in his soft brown eyes.
I give him a sad smile.
"Okay, truth. It won't mend it, but while your mouth and stomach start the trip down this road of intestinal orgasm, all you'll be able to think about is how delicious this is. Now go eat," he orders.
I take my plate to the table and sit when my father joins us. Stephan sets his plate up much like mine, only he adds a couple of sausage links.
"Just the way you like it," Stephan says handing the dish to my father.
I try not to stare as my father leans in and gives the man at least a decade his junior, who also happens to be his fiancé, a peck on the lips. This is the first time I've seen them show any kind of affection to each other. I'm not weirded out. I thought I would be. Not because they're gay, but because one of the gay men in this couple is my father.
My father sits next to me at the table, and we wait for Stephen to prepare his own dish.
"Don't wait for me, eat. It's much better while it's still hot."
My father leans over and whispers, "He's a little bossy when it comes to food."
"That's because food is my specialty. I don't tell you who to hire for the set of your shows, you don't tell me how to serve my food."
Turns out Stephan is a chef by trade. Now, he's more of a chef to the stars. He's been on four televised cooking reality shows and won two of them. He has four big name clients that he prepares meals for on a daily basis, in addition to the other lesser known clients that he caters for. I'm blown away.
"Shows? What shows?"
"I'm a producer. It's one of the reasons I moved out to the west coast." He produced the two reality shows that Stephan won. This is a shock. I remember him working in an office. I didn't know what he did as a kid, and once he left I didn't care. "A lot of things changed over the years, honey. When I lost my family, I decided to throw all I had into following my dreams. Because I had nothing left, and if I didn't dream big, I don't know if I would've made it."
"Why didn't you ever say anything?"
"Because we spoke and saw each other so seldom, when we did I wanted to focus on you and Cooper. Not on me."
"You act like it was all so hard for you, but wasn't leaving your choice?" I don't mean it to sound as bratty as it comes across. I'm trying to understand and give him the benefit of the doubt, but some things just don't add up for me.
He puts his hand on mine. "Who and what I am wasn't a choice. It is what it is. But living a lie, that was a choice. I chose truth, Lexi. And I'm sorry that it hurt you. I did my best to minimize the pain you had to deal with. But if I knew for one second the hateful things your mother drilled into your head, I would've fought for custody. You and your brother were always my priority."
Tears fall from my eyes. I don't mean to cry or make him feel bad. They aren't tears of happiness at hearing his confession. I'm an emotional wreck, and I don't know what the hell I'm feeling, or why I'm crying, but my father takes me in his arms, and holds me. I hold on tight to him, because this is the first time in years my father is here for me, and I don't want him to ever leave my life again.
*
"Okay, my dear," Stephan says as he places the last dish in the dishwasher. "Are you ready?"
"For?"
"A make-over of course."
"I don't know."
"Lexi, you are the only girl that I will ever have the opportunity to primp and pamper. Plus, you're the daughter of two gay men. You will be made-over, and made-over regularly, so get used to it."
"Okay," I agree.
A strange feeling spreads through me as Stephan leads me through the master bedroom to his bathroom. Apparently the master bedroom has two separate bathrooms in it, a his and hers, or in this case, a his and his. I like Stephan. And not just because he referred to me as his daughter. He's warm, and funny, and I can see how happy he and my father are. They aren't putting on airs or pretending to be something they aren't.
"Oh, and by the way, since your father and I are both so busy, we're looking to hire a pool boy. One is coming for an interview this afternoon."
"Should I not go out to the pool?"
"Hell, no. You should be out there ready to order him around. Make sure he can take direction well."
Once Stephan is done pinning up my hair and piling on a pound of make-up, he allows me to look in the mirror. My mouth drops. I can't believe how good I look.
"How did you do that?"
"I didn't do much. You're a beauty, I just hid some of the blotches you've given yourself crying."
I look down.
"It's okay. We all go through it. I had a major heartbreak a few months before I met your father. I thought I'd never get over it. And your dad told me how often he cried after splitting from your mom. He really did love her you know."
But I don't know.
"And he loves you. He talks about you and your brother all the time. He's so happy you're here."
"Thank you for allowing me."
"Allowing you?" Stephan crosses his arms over his chest like I just insulted him. "Alexis Sutton, do you think your father and I bought this big house for just the two of us? You have a permanent room here. You are family, and if you ever thank me for allowing you to be part of our family again I'll . . . I'll . . . Well I'll ask Cooper to be my maid of honor instead of you."
I'm all out laughing now. "Really? You want me to be your maid of honor?"
"Damn straight. Let Cooper serve as the best man. We girls need to stick together. Now, go change." Stephan hands me a bikini. I look at it with my mouth open. There's a lot less to it than anything I'd ever pick out for myself.
"If the boy gawks at you, then he's the right boy for the job. I can't hire some queen that might try and steal your father away."
"Okay." For the first time in days, I'm not even close to crying.
Chapter 18
Noah
Cooper and I have been sitting next to each other for the last hour and a half, not saying a word. I won't tell him where we're going. All he knows is that we're flying into Los Angeles International airport. He has no idea who we're going to see once we get to the other side of the country. I bought the tickets and told him if he wanted to see Lexi he should meet me at the airport.
I called her father last night, confirmed she was with him, and asked him to keep her there using any means necessary. I used the 'you owe me one' card, and he agreed. We also agreed it would be better if my coming surprised her. I worried if she expected me, it would give her time to rebuild those walls that existed between us. I wonder if she'll see the irony in the situation, that a little over a week ago, I helped them reconnect, and I'm praying with all my might, that he's doing the same for me.
"You're sure she's there?" Cooper finally asks.
I nod. "I am."
"But you won't tell me where there is?"
"Once we get there you'll have more questions. Questions that I have no business answering. But it has to show you that I've been listening and paying attention to her if I know where she disappeared to and you don't."
"It shows that you've played her, is what it shows."
"Come on Coop, you know me better than that."
"Do I? I thought I did. Clearly I was wrong."
My body is vibrating with anger and tension. I'm ready to snap. I know I shouldn't get into this now before I see her, before I have a chance to pour my guts out to her, but I need to understand why he sabotaged me.
"Why do you hate the idea of us together so much? I thought you'd be happy. That you'd know I respect our friendship so much I would never hurt her."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Bullshit. First you spent years telling her I drag you out to go hunt pussy."
"That
had nothing to do with you and Lexi. And for what it's worth, I didn't say that to her, I said it to my mother. I was so sick and tired of hearing how I was a good for nothing womanizing bastard just like my father, I told her it was you. That you were dragging me along for company."
"How come you never told me?"
"Cause I'm not a girl. Why the fuck should I complain that my own mother hates my fucking guts, especially to you, with your perfect fucking life."
I'm brought back to the moments before Lexi and I entered the cafe, when she confessed that her father made her feel worthless. I'm understanding now, it wasn't her father at all, and that all the bullshit affected Cooper just as much as Lexi. She threw herself into diet and exercise. He threw himself into girls.
"Did you ever tell your father what was going on?"
"He didn't give a shit. He moved away. Moved on. He didn't want us in his life anymore."
"According to your mother?"
"And the fact that he never bothered with us."
"Who told you he didn't want you in his life, was it him? Did you ever reach out and ask him?"
Cooper shakes his head. "No. I wasn't going to give him the chance to tell me he didn't give a shit."
Okay, I need to change the direction of this conversation before I let something slip, and get it back onto Lexi. "You told Lexi I called her names; that I said she was fat and disgusted me. Why?"
"Because you were too chummy. You think I didn't see how she'd hear you were coming over and go fix her hair and make-up. Or how you'd always flirt with her?"
"I didn't flirt, I just paid attention to her. What was wrong with that?"
"I didn't want you together, okay?" he explodes. "And then I saw you pulling some shit move on her, telling her how you were going to steal her away from her boyfriend and she was walking on air telling me she was going to marry you someday. I couldn't let you hurt her. She was a dumb kid looking for someone to show her a little attention, and you were a prick just like me, looking for the next girl to fuck."
"I swear, Cooper. I'm a hair away from kicking your ass. Watch how you talk about her and my intentions toward her. She was never a girl to fuck. Not then, not now."
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