“Thank you and have a good day,” I say to Brea and Sara. I take Emma’s hand as we walk to her car.
“So you had company at the house, huh?”
“I’m afraid so. I guess I should have changed the locks on the doors.”
“Is she planning on staying there, Alec?”
“Baby, I have no idea. She said she wanted money and I left. She’ll sell anything of any value in there that she finds, including Raelynn’s things.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I’m not sure.” I open her car door for her and she gets in. “I’ll meet you at home and we can talk about it,” I say as I close her car door for her.
I follow Emma to her house and use my key to open the door. I smile when the door opens with the key. “Look at that, a perfect fit,” I say, holding the door open for Emma to walk through.
“Did you think it wouldn’t fit?” She laughs.
“I think I’m just excited to finally have a house key, that’s all.” I close the door behind us and lock it.
“You do know that you could have had a key to my house anytime you wanted it.”
“I have never needed one until now. So this is perfect timing, thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Do you want to sleep while I go and get the kids from school?”
“We need to talk about what the attorney said today.”
“Is it bad news?”
“No.”
“Good, then we can talk later. Go take a nap and I’ll get the kids from school.”
“Are you sure you don’t mind? Emma, I don’t want to put you out.”
She gets her car keys and her purse and leans over to kiss me. “I have to get James anyway, so it’s no bother, but I’ll need your school’s car pass to pick her up. They won’t release her to me without it.”
Florida schools require all car riders to have a car pass to pick up their children from school. It’s a car tag that hangs from the rearview mirror with the child’s name written on it. Florida is the only state that I know of that requires this.
“It’s in my car. I’ll walk you out to get it and thank you so much.”
Chapter Two: Betrayal and Marriage
Emma
I pick up James before Raelynn since James’ school gets out first. Alec reluctantly agreed to take a nap since he has another shift at the hospital tonight. Hoping that Alec can get some sleep, I decide to take the kids to the park before going home.
“Hi, Emma. I thought daddy was picking me up from school. Hi, James,” Raelynn says, fastening her seatbelt.
“Hi, Raelynn, your daddy is still asleep. He worked last night, and he has work again today. I thought we could go to the park. How’s that sound?”
“Yay,” both kids yell.
Once we are home, I make lasagna and a salad for dinner, while the kids sit at the table to do their homework. I hear the shower running and I know Alec is up. The kids and I set the table and make some sweet tea for dinner. I walk into the bedroom to make the bed, and I am surprised to see that Alec has already made it.
I hear singing as I walk past the bathroom door and stop to listen to it. Alec is singing Luke Bryan’s “I Don’t Want This Night to End.” I stand there listening until the door opens and Alec is standing there in a towel wrapped around his waist. His hair is wet and mussed and water droplets are on his chest. I look at his eyes, then look down at his chest, abdomen, and the towel — oh, God, that towel! — and then my eyes slowly travel up his wet body. He smiles and says, “Is there something you want, Emma?”
“Um, uh, um, I heard singing,” I stutter and walk quickly down the hall to the kitchen. I stop only when I get to the sink. I place my hands on the sink and look out the window. I try to get my breathing under control and lick my dry lips.
The timer on the oven goes off and I shake my head to try to clear it of Alec’s body, glistening in water, covered only by a towel. Lucky towel, I think to myself.
“Smells delicious in here.”
I jump at the sound of Alec’s voice. “I’m sorry, Baby,” he says, wrapping his arms around my waist. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
He smells of spice and musk. I take a deep breath and rest my head against his chest. He kisses the top of my head and whispers, “I think I could get used to this.”
“This is nice.”
Raelynn and James run past the kitchen, yelling, “Yuk, they have cooties.”
I lean forward and turn around and smile. “They must be talking about you. If you are going to be staying here, we’ll need to take care of your cootie problem,” I say, trying to hide my smile. Alec is standing there barefoot, wearing jeans and a tee shirt. His hair is wet and unruly.
“Sorry, Emma, but they said, ‘Yuk, they have cooties,’ not ‘He has cooties.”’
“They did, didn’t they? I guess we’ll just have cooties together.” I lean in and kiss him.
“I like that plan.”
I remove the lasagna from the oven and set it on the stove. “Salad is already on the table if you want to find our kids and start eating.”
“They are probably hiding under the beds or something.”
“Probably, just keep your cooties to yourself.”
“I’ll try and that really does smell delicious.” He smiles and walks to the table. “Come on, kids, dinner’s ready, and don’t forget to wash the nasty lil’ germs from your hands first.”
I follow Alec into the dining room and place the lasagna on the table. “That’s how you get our kids ready for dinner?” I smile.
Raelynn and James both come skipping down the hallway.
“It worked, didn’t it?”
Alec pulls out a chair and lifts James into it, then he pulls out Raelynn’s chair, and then he pulls out my chair before taking a seat himself. We have salads first and then the lasagna. We talk about what the kids did at school today, how Alec’s night went at the hospital, and James’ birthday party on Saturday. When I mention it’ll be at Max’s parents’ house, Alec doesn’t seem to mind.
“Do you think your parents, brothers, and sister will want to come with their kids?”
“Do you think that’s a good idea? Maybe you should check with James’ grandparents first. It may be a problem for them. You know: Their daughter-in-law moving on with another guy and his family.”
“I didn’t think about that, but really, I can’t imagine they would mind.”
“I would double check with Danny and Cheryl first, and then I’ll call my family and invite them. I’m sure they would love to come.”
“It’s gonna be a ninja party, huh, momma?”
“It sure is, James, and there’ll be a jump house there, too. Raelynn, I think you’ll have fun in the jump house.”
“I like jump houses.”
Once the kitchen is cleaned up, Alec and I bathe the kids and tuck them in bed. James takes the bottom bunk and Rae takes the top bunk. I am surprised that Alec and I have the same bedtime rituals for the kids. Bath, brush teeth, prayers and then bedtime.
Once we are sure both kids are asleep, we talk about Molly showing up at the house and everything the attorney said. I tell him that I would like for him and Rae to stay with us until we figure out what to do. I also confess I don’t like the thought that Molly can show up at his house whenever she wants.
“I’ll need to go by the house and get some clothes for Raelynn and me.”
“She’ll also need some of her toys and things. I want her to feel at home while she is here.”
“Emma, you don’t need to do all this. My parents’ house is big enough for us. We can go there.”
I think about what he says and I wonder about that. We have never made love and I wonder if this will be weird. Will we sleep in the same bed? Will we make love for the first time with the kids in the next room? What will James think of seeing a man in my bed?
“Emma?”
“I’m sorry, what?”
“What are you thinking?”<
br />
I take a deep breath as he watches me closely. I’m not sure how to voice my concerns to him.
“Are you thinking about sleeping arrangements for us?”
I nod and swallow, without taking my eyes off his.
“Emma, if Raelynn and I stay here, I think you and I need to remain in separate bedrooms. Legally I am still married and I don’t want anything to jeopardize the divorce. Most importantly, I don’t want to confuse the kids.”
“That’s right, and there is the problem with the cooties we still need to take care of,” I say to lighten the conversation.
He pulls me closer to him and I rest my head on his chest. “Do you think bug spray, mouthwash, or something like that will kill cooties?”
“I don’t know, you’re the doctor.” I giggle.
“Right, I’ll look for cootie spray at work tonight.”
Alec kisses the top of my head and I snuggle closer to him.
“I’ve been needing a bedroom suite for the spare room anyway. Maybe we can go shop for one this week.”
“I’m off tomorrow and Wednesday.”
“We have taekwondo tomorrow, but we can look Wednesday.”
“Sounds good, roomie. Walk me to the door, I have to get going.”
“I hate that you’ll be working all night.”
“Me too, swing shift used to work for me, but now that I have you, I would rather only work dayshift.” Alec stands and he pulls me up with him. We walk to the door with my arms wrapped around his waist.
“Lock up and call 911 if you have any problems; then call me on my cell phone.”
“Alec, I’m a grown woman and this isn’t my first time staying home alone.”
“I know, but I want to make sure my family is safe. I love you, and call me if you need me.”
He called us his family and I want to cry. My nose tingles and I rub it to make it stop. “I will and I love you, too. Be careful and have a great night.”
“I will. Make sure you lock up, Emma.”
I shower before getting the kids up for school. I decide on a white sweater dress with black heeled boots. I leave my long blond hair down and straight. I am shocked when I walk out of the bedroom and Alec is home. He is in the living room talking to Raelynn about staying with us for a while. He speaks very sweetly to her and tells her how much he cares for me and James. I don’t interrupt, and I stay back and listen to their conversation. Rae asks will I be her new mom, and I can’t hear what he says. I clear my throat before walking in the room where they are.
“There you are.” I smile as I walk over to Raelynn. “I didn’t expect you home so soon,” I say, smiling at Alec.
Alec stands and kisses me. “I rushed home after work. I even had time to stop by the house to get some things first. You look gorgeous.”
“Thank you, I hope you got the taekwondo uniforms for tonight?”
“Yep, it’s the first thing I grabbed.”
I sit down beside Rae and give her a good morning hug. “Raelynn, would you and your dad like to stay here with James and me for awhile?”
“Can I sleep in James’ room?”
I look back at Alec and he has a raised brow. I ask Rae, “Do you want to sleep in James’ room?”
“Yep, he’s going to be my brother.”
“Well, then, yes, you can sleep in his room,” I say and then add, “Raelynn?”
“Yes, Emma?”
“Raelynn,” Alec says, clearing his throat. “Don’t tell anyone about James being your brother, just yet.”
“Ok, daddy. Can I wake up my brother, now?” she asks, as she stands up and skips out of the room.
I look at Alec and he looks at me. “What just happened?” I ask.
“I think Rae just proposed to you for me.”
“Either that, or she just adopted James into your family.”
“I’m good with either of those.” Alec stands and walks out of the room.
I stand there and I try to figure out what just happened. I decide I better go and get James ready for school. When I walk into James’ bedroom, Alec is standing at his closet. “What do you want to wear today?” Alec asks while looking in the closet.
James walks over to his closet and Alec picks him up so he can see his shirts. I stand back and watch as Alec lets my son select his clothing for school. Rae watches.
“Daddy, James should wear a Batman shirt.”
“James, do you have a Batman shirt?”
“Um… it’s right here.” James picks up the Batman shirt and looks at it.
“You should wear that shirt, James,” Rae says, excitedly.
“Ok, I like Batman.”
Alec puts James down and removes the shirt from the hanger. He slips it over James’ head and smiles. “James, you are definitely cool.”
I walk further into the room and smile. “That is very cool, but I think you may need some pants with that to be really cool.”
James looks down at his bare legs and Rae screams, “He’s naked, he’s naked!” before she runs out the bedroom, laughing.
We all laugh. I lift up James’ Batman shirt and look at his Spider-Man underwear and say to Alec, “You go and get her dressed and I’ll finish up in here.”
“We’ll meet you in the living room when you’re done,” Alec says.
“Ok, and please let her know he isn’t naked.” I laugh.
Once James is dressed and he is brushing his teeth, I go and make some oatmeal and toast for breakfast. We all eat together as a family and it feels right. I tell Raelynn that I’ll pick her up after school, just like I did yesterday. I also tell Alec; it’ll give him some time to do some running around today or to get some much-needed sleep.
Alec insists on dropping the kids off at school since I am picking them both up. I make it into work a little early and for the first time, I beat Sara and Brea. Brea comes in first, wiping off her shirt with a napkin. “I thought breastfed babies didn’t spit up,” she says.
“They do, but not as much as formula fed, if that makes you feel any better.”
“You mean, this could be worse?”
I walk over to her and see a small wet spot on her black sweater. “Yeah, that’s nothing.”
“You’re here early. Wait? Why are you here early?” She stops and looks at me. Her long red hair is pulled up into a high ponytail.
“No reason, I had some extra time this morning.”
“James didn’t have school today?”
“No, he had school. Alec dropped him off for me.”
“He did?” She beams. “Isn’t he a great guy?”
Sara walks in last and also looks surprised, “Am I late?” She is wearing a black pencil skirt with a white blouse. Her blond pixie haircut perfectly suits her small petite face.
“No, I’m early, and don’t ask.”
“Dr. ‘McDreamy’ took James to school this morning, so she had a little extra time,” Brea says.
“If I were you, I would have stayed in bed with him a little longer this morning. He’s one good-looking man.” Sara laughs.
“He worked last night and shut up or I’ll go home sick.”
“Ok, ok, sorry. I was just teasing.” Sara looks over at Brea and asks, “What did you call him? Dr. McDreamy?”
“The name suits him.” Brea smiles.
We all laugh and enjoy a cup of coffee together before the phones start ringing. Angel stops in around lunch time with her wedding photo album. She hands all of us a large envelope; I am shocked to see several 8x10 pictures of James in his suit and tie. Angel also has pictures of Alec and me and James, and of me and Alec. Some are poses and some are just taken randomly of us dancing and eating dinner.
“Angel, thank you. These are beautiful.”
“Doesn’t James look handsome in them?” Angel asks.
“Yes, he does; he looks so grown up.”
“How is he?”
I look at Angel and smile. “He’s good; he is getting so big.”
“I feel
bad I didn’t get these to you sooner. Mason and I couldn’t decide what pictures we wanted to order from the wedding, so we ordered them all.”
Brea speaks up and asks, “You guys bought all of the pictures from your wedding?”
“It wasn’t my idea, but if you remember, we missed most of the reception.”
“That’s right, something about Mason wanting to get the honeymoon started,” Sara says as she walks closer to Angel.
“That’s right, I was lucky that he stayed long enough to cut the cake.” Angel laughs and sniffs, “Who’s wearing Victoria’s Secret, Hello Darling?”
“I am, but I put it on early this morning. I’m surprised you can still smell it.” I say, smelling my arm to see if I can smell anything.
“It smells good. I love that stuff.” Angel grabs her purse and photo album and walks to the door.
“Wait.” I hand Angel and the others invitations. “James has a birthday on Saturday, and he wants to invite everyone to his party. If you don’t want to come, I understand.”
Angel smiles and says, “And miss my buddy’s birthday? Count this as my R.S.V.P.”
“Ours, too. Arturo and I will also be there.”
“I’ll be there, too,” Sara says, opening the party invitation. “I always wanted to be surrounded by ninjas,” she jokes, holding up the ninja invitation.
Alec
I text Emma to tell her I am already up, and I’ll get the kids from school. I swing by my house first because I want to get some more clothes for Raelynn and me. I slowly walk into the house not sure what to expect. I call Molly’s name, hoping that she is not here. The large TV in the family room is gone; I am not surprised. I walk throughout the house and look for other things that are missing. The TV in my bedroom is also missing. I take some pictures in case my attorney needs them. I already know that it was Molly. When she is back in the house, things start coming up missing.
I pack some more clothes and some extra toys for Raelynn. I also pack up anything of value that is left in the house. Everything else, Molly can have.
On my way to get the kids from school, I call Mason’s sister, Madison. She is one of the best Realtors in the area. I make an appointment to meet with her to put the house up for sale. I’ll be one step closer to being able to move on.
Broken Lives Page 3
