by Lexy Timms
Alex winced and a look of regret passed over his face. “I’m sorry. I’ll talk to him when we get back and explain.”
“It’s okay.” Jamie rested her head against the leather head cushion. “After thinking about it, I didn’t really want to go on the date after all. I’m not that attracted to him.” Had she said the last part out loud? Shit!
“Really?”
“Really.” Dammit!
Alex grinned. “Good.” He instantly composed himself. “I mean, good to know. I don’t have to feel bad for ruining your plans.”
Jamie fought the urge to laugh. She almost never saw Alex lose his facade like he did right then. She would be an idiot to not enjoy the moment. She settled back to wait for the plane to land.
Their destination was Philadelphia. Alex had grown up in the suburbs just outside the city in a middle-class neighborhood. “I can’t believe they haven’t moved,” Alex murmured as a limo took them to their hotel. “I’m a billionaire for shit’s sake. Just because I don’t want to spend time with them doesn’t mean I wouldn’t give them money.”
Jamie said nothing. She wondered if he’d ever offered, or was he embarrassed they hadn’t moved. Before she started working for him, she had Googled his name and found nothing on the Internet about his family. She had assumed back then that his money bought privacy. It could buy everything else, so why not?
Alex had reservations in a penthouse suite at The Rittenhouse Hotel. There were two bedrooms, but the thought of sleeping so close to Alex sent a thrill through Jamie. She set her bags down in her room and unpacked. The place was ridiculously lavish.
She walked around, viewing the expensive details and furniture. When she went into the large connecting parlor between the bedrooms, she found Alex on the couch, his head in his hands.
“I don’t know if we should do this.” He looked up, the fear evident in his eyes. He looked like a teenage boy, lost and afraid.
“You’ve come all this way,” Jamie murmured quietly, yearning to reach out and wrap her arms around him. She hugged herself instead. “You can do this.”
“I don’t know.”
“He’s your father and he’s dying. If you don’t, you’re going to regret it for the rest of your life.”
Alex nodded and stood. “Let’s get this over with then.” He straightened his tie and as he slipped his jacket on, his face grew unreadable again.
It tore Jamie to bits. She knew what he was feeling inside and wished she could take it away. She also knew she shouldn’t be here. This was going to ruin any chance of her ever having a relationship with anyone else ever again.
You didn’t fall for Alex Reid and pick up the pieces to move on. You left them scattered in the wind, your heart shattered and broken for the rest of your life.
Chapter 11
The limo sat waiting outside when they stepped out of the Rittenhouse. Alex directed the driver to take them directly to the hospital. The ride grew long and silent. Alex kept his head down, texting on his phone and going through his messages. Jamie, on the other hand, stared out the window growing more and more nervous as the seconds ticked by. Images of Alex yelling at Mark, or freaking out beside his father’s bed flashed through her mind. What if this was a huge mistake? He would blame her if things went sour. She wouldn’t blame him, she was the one who pressured him to open the door to the past and go see his family. She crossed her fingers and hoped for the best. Deep down she knew this was the right thing to do and Alex needed this as much as his family did. Nerves were letting her worry. She bit her lip and continued to stare out the window as they pulled up to one of the entrances of the concrete, grey-stoned hospital. Ironically, clouds had filled the sky and it looked ready to rain.
Alex went to reception and asked for his father’s room. In the elevator, Alex reached for her hand and slipped his fingers between hers. He said nothing and neither did she. The lift's door opened, and Jamie saw Mark pacing in a waiting room on his father’s floor. He froze when he saw them.
Alex hesitated on the elevator, squeezing Jamie’s hand so hard it hurt. She made no attempt to pull away.
The two brothers stared at each other without speaking or moving. Jamie finally stepped forward, afraid the elevator door would shut and take them back down to the main floor.
“Hey, brother.” Mark spoke first and cleared his throat. He nodded at Jamie. “Hi Jamie. Nice to see you.”
“Mark.” That single word, full of emotion, and yet hard as stone.
“Dad’s waiting for you.” Mark stuffed his hands into the back pockets of his jeans. “He can only have one visitor at a time. It’s 203.”
“I know the room.” Alex’s voice was stiff, hard as steel. He dropped Jamie’s hand like it burned him and headed down the hall, leaving Jamie alone with Mark.
Jamie sat down in one of the waiting room seats. She blew a long breath out of her mouth. The tension in the room could be cut with a knife, it was that thick. She’d heard that term before but never fully understood it until that moment.
“Thank you for getting him here,” Mark said as he sat down beside her.
Jamie nodded. She didn’t know what to say. Part of her was angry at the teenage Mark for not sticking up for his brother.
He watched her intently for a moment. “So, he told you about everything, then?”
“Yes,” she said finally. “It’s quite a story.”
“I’m glad he swallowed his pride and came. It wasn’t right for him to ignore Dad all these years, but at least he’s pulling through in the end.”
Jamie frowned. “That’s what you think? That this is Alex’s fault?”
Mark looked at her in surprise.
Jamie ignored the look. “If your father really wanted him around, then why didn’t he come and apologize? For a father who spent time in the military, why the hell did he play favorites? You’re the good son, right? Can do no wrong?”
Mark’s brows furrowed together. “What the hell are you talking about? There wasn’t any favoritism!”
Jamie glared at him. Of course he wouldn’t see it as favoritism. Her sister would react the same way. They were blind to the mistreatment. “Alex told me everything. I honestly don’t blame him for staying away when your father was so awful to him.” She shook her head, disgusted. “His own father! Testifying against his son at the trial.”
“Because Alex deserved it!” Mark’s voice rose. “He nearly killed a kid!”
“He fought someone his own age to protect an innocent girl! Regardless, your father shouldn’t have sided against him. You think he would’ve done the same if it was you?”
“Yes!” Mark shouted and then lowered his voice. “Because what Alex did was wrong! It wasn’t noble like he wants you to believe!” Mark shook his head, staring at her with angry, dark eyes. “You know what? You should stay out of our family business.”
“Why? Because you and your father have spent so many years believing the tale you’ve told you can’t see it any other way? You can’t admit that maybe you were wrong? Too proud to apologize super-boy?” She stood, annoyed she had thought he was a sweet person. He played the part to use her to get Alex here.
“Shut the fuck up!” He seized her arm and clasped it painfully.
Suddenly, Alex appeared out of nowhere. He grabbed Mark by the collar, his eyes blazing as he threw him against the wall. He was in Mark’s face instantly. “Don’t ever touch her again,” he hissed, his voice deadly quiet. “Or I’ll kill you, I fuckin’ swear it.”
Jamie glanced up to see the nurses at the nurse’s station stand up. One lifted a phone, probably to call security. “Alex, Mark, both of you, calm down.” She reached for their arms and tried to pull them apart. Mark shook her off with a snarl, which angered Alex even more.
“Alex? Mark?”
“What?” both men shouted at an older, pale-faced nurse.
“Your father doesn’t have much time,” she said quietly. “He asked to see both of you.” She looked at them st
ernly. “I suggest you behave yourselves for a few minutes.”
Mark took a deep breath and stepped away from his brother to follow the nurse.
Alex grabbed Jamie’s hand and pulled her with him. Jamie let out a shaky breath. Tempers were running high and this didn’t look like it was going to be the happy family reunion she had hoped for.
Alex’s father looked incredibly frail, but his eyes, the same bright blue as Alex and Mark’s, were still alert, just like his sons’. He stared tiredly at both of his sons and then slowly wandered over to Jamie. He managed a smile, but even that simple move seemed to exhaust him. “You must be Jamie,” he wheezed. “I’ve heard so much about you from… both of them.”
“Dad, rest,” Mark said. “Don’t strain yourself.” He moved forward and reached for his father’s hand.
“It’s too late for that, son.” He waved his hand away. “I don’t have much time now. But I needed both of you here.” He breathed shallowly as he gathered his strength. “I made my peace with Alex. But I need both of you to promise me now that any issues with me won’t stop the two of you from having a relationship in the future.”
The brothers glared at each other and for a second Jamie was sure they were going to start arguing.
“Promise.” Their father’s voice was so faint that it was barely audible. “Please.”
“Fine,” Alex said. At the same time Mark said, “I’ll try.”
“Good.” The man closed his eyes, his breathing erratic. “I’m tired now.”
“Dad…” Mark whispered. “Wait.”
The nurse stepped forward. “How about we let your dad rest now?”
Mark nodded and headed out of the room with the nurse.
“Dad?” Alex leaned close to his dad’s ear. “I—I’m sorry. For everything.”
His dad smiled weakly, the effects of the drugs and cancer taking its toll. “You’ve nothing to apologize for. You turned out better than I ever could have imagined.”
Alex sharply sucked in his breath and a tear ran down his face. Jamie touched his arm and he pulled her close to him, his shoulders shaking.
They sat at the hospital in the room with his father, not talking, but holding hands and watching the monitor and his father’s shallow breathing. The doctor had explained that his father would slip into a coma now and probably not wake again. Alex nodded and asked a few questions. He had gone to the nurse’s station to make sure the medical bills and everything were covered as well. Mark came in sporadically and returned later in the evening with his wife. They made brief introductions and sat silently.
Alex pulled Jamie out into the hall to go for a walk while Mark and his wife stayed with his father. “My father gave me a letter,” he said as they walked down the stairs to the main floor to grab a coffee. He stopped on the second to last step. They were alone in the stairwell. “My mother passed away a little over ten years ago,” his voice cracked as he spoke. “That’s the last time I saw them. I swore I’d never come back.” He covered his face with his hands. “Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!”
She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and held him as he cried. She let her own tears fall silently down her own face. She wished she could take his pain.
Finally, Alex inhaled a long breath and stepped back. He wiped his face and smiled sadly at her. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay.” She used the back of her hand to erase her own tears. “It sucks. I get it.”
“Yeah. It sucks.” He frowned and reached for his phone in his pocket. He checked the messages. “It’s over.” He turned and headed back up the stairs to his father’s room.
“Are you sure you want to stay here tonight?” Jamie asked. They were back at the hotel suite despite Mark’s half-effort invitation to join him at their childhood home.
“I’m sure.” Alex sat on the couch, his voice scratchy from crying. He was turning the envelope from his father over and over in his hands.
“Do you want something to drink?” The bar in the room was stocked.
Alex shook his head and motioned for her to sit by him. He pulled her close when she sat down and rested his head on her shoulder. “All I need right now is you.”
Jamie stroked his hair. “What did the letter say?” she asked gently.
“Everything.” He let out a shaky sigh. “He tried to apologize and explain everything. He was sorry things had turned out as they had. He pushed me too hard and wished he hadn’t, but he also said he was glad he did. He worried I had turned down a dark path I couldn’t leave. He thought pushing me hard would motivate more. He said his father had done the same to him. That’s why he joined the Navy and then moved up the ranks so fast.” His breath hitched, but he continued. “He agreed to testify against me so they wouldn’t try me as an adult. If they tried me as a minor, then my records would be sealed when I turned eighteen, and I could have a fresh start. Everything he did, he did for me, and I had no idea. And I ignored him.” Fresh tears burned Jamie’s shoulder.
“You had no way of knowing,” Jamie said. “You made your peace with him. It’s okay.”
Alex shook his head. “It’s not okay,” he moaned. “I could’ve had more time with him if I really tried, but I…” He groaned and sat up, burying his face in his hands. “Again, this is all my fault.”
She lifted his chin and forced him to look at her. “You can’t change the past, Alex. All you can do is help the present and the future. And the best way to do that is to get back in touch with your family. Re-establish your relationship with your brother.”
“I’m going to try. For my father.” Alex pressed his lips tightly. “You can be damn well sure of that.”
It was after three o’clock. Neither of them went to bed. They stayed sitting on the couch, waiting for the sun to rise. Alex put his arm over the back of the couch and Jamie settled in against his shoulder. Slowly she drifted off, listening to the strong, steady beat of Alex’s heart.
Chapter 12
“I’ve already made arrangements with the crematorium,” Mark said stubbornly. “It’s all taken care of.”
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Nope. There’s a brief ceremony in a couple days at Spurr’s Funeral Home. Dad wanted closed casket. He’s going to be buried beside Mom.”
Alex nodded. He wore a golf shirt and dark blue jeans. He looked the rich businessman even without a suit. Mark, on the other hand, wore jeans and an old Queen t-shirt. They looked the same and so opposite at the same time.
Alex’s handsome face was pale and the dark circles were still in place from the night of restless minimal sleep. Jamie resisted the urge to put a comforting hand on his arm and instead tried to look busy with rearranging his work schedule so he could stay for a couple more days. However, she had actually sorted things an hour ago and really had nothing more to do than eavesdrop and field angry text messages from her family. They’d magically come out of the woodwork to complain that she wasn’t helping Christine anymore. Mainly her mother… and Christine. Jamie chose to ignore them for now.
“I’d like to pay for the funeral and burial,” Alex offered. “It’s the least I can do.”
“He never wanted a dime of your money before,” Mark snapped. “What makes you think I’d want it now?”
“I never said you did,” Alex said. There wasn’t any anger in his voice, just resignation. It was going to be a long time before the two brothers reconciled their differences, but at least Alex was trying to be civil. “It’s only fair since you made all of the arrangements.”
Mark hesitated and when his wife purposely coughed loudly, he rolled his eyes. “Fine. You can pay for half. Dad already had most of this taken care of when Mom died. Not that you’d remember,” he mumbled. He grabbed a beer out of the fridge. “Oh, and Dad wanted you to say the eulogy at the funeral.”
Jamie’s head popped up the same time Alex said, “What?!”
“His words, not mine.” Mark smirked and clapped Alex on the back. “It’s all yours, man.”
“I haven’t spoken to him in… what the hell am I supposed to say?”
“I’m sure you’ll think of something.” Mark’s tone sounded gruff, like he couldn’t quite muster sympathy. Jamie knew he was trying to stay civil as well, though. He had greeted them kindly when they came that morning and offered them coffee and breakfast. He clearly had a rough night as well and the strain from the past twenty-four hours was showing.
Alex rubbed his forehead. “Okay.” He sighed. “I’ll do the eulogy.”
“Good.” Mark moved around the small kitchen toward the back door. “I don’t know about you, but I need a break. I’m going to go and take a quick nap and then make the rest of the phone calls.”
Alex nodded. “If there’s anything you need me to do…”
“I’ll take care of that myself. If you get bored, there’s TV in the living room and there’s a bookshelf in Dad’s study. Feel free to help yourself to anything in the kitchen. We’ll be putting this place up for sale in the next few weeks, after the will’s read.”
“All right,” Alex said, forcing a smile. “We can stay here if anyone calls or shows up.” Flowers had already been delivered several times from local florists. “Jamie and I will be able to keep ourselves occupied for some time.”
Mark nodded before leaving with his wife. Alex waited until he was gone before he turned to Jamie. “I’m going to go for a drive.”
“You don’t have a car here.” Jamie wasn’t sure it was a good idea. He looked like he was about to fall over.
Alex opened a small wooden box hanging by the door and pulled out a set of keys. “Nothing ever changes here,” he muttered.
“Do you want me to come?”
“You do whatever you want.” He stepped outside, and then swore loudly. His head popped through the screen door a second later. “Sorry. I didn’t mean that.”
