by Tessa Teevan
“There’s some welcome mixer or something tonight. I guess last night was just an unofficial gathering,” I respond, really not caring to go mingle with anyone.
Biting her lower lip, she frowns at the ground. She sighs before looking up at me. “Jace, this is your ten-year reunion. You can’t go missing events just to hang out with me. I’ll be fine on my own for a few hours.”
“At the risk of sounding cheesy, I really don’t care to spend time with anyone else. We only have today and tomorrow before the weekend is over. I don’t want to waste any of that time,” I reassure her.
Before she can respond, her cell phone beeps, indicating that she has a message. She holds her finger up to me in the “one sec” gesture as she plays with her phone. As she reads the message, a huge smile lights up her face and she shakes her head at whatever the sender has written. She quickly types back a reply and puts her phone back into her purse.
“Sorry about that. I’m still waiting on some information for an account at work, so I have to check my phone constantly.”
“Ahh, everything at work going okay?” I try to say as casually as possible. No way was that text message was work related—or else Alexa’s the happiest employee on the planet.
“Oh, that wasn’t work. That was just my friend, Brady, checking in on me to see how everything was going,” she says, flushing a little bit.
Ooookay. Chill out, Jace. It doesn’t mean anything, I tell myself as I wonder why in the hell this Brady guy is making her laugh and flush at practically the same time. It’s probably stupid, and I don’t know if she’s even thought about dating again, but part of me hoped that this reunion might bring up old feelings and maybe, just maybe we could try things out. It never crossed my mind that some other guy might’ve gotten in there before I had the chance.
I’m about to respond when she speaks first. “Seriously, you should go to the mixer, at least for a little bit. I’ll feel terrible that you came all this way to meet up with your old friends and then decide to skip it just to hang out with me. I’ll just go back to the condo and do some reading on the balcony until you’re ready for me. That will give me time to call Brady and catch up with him, too.”
I’M PROBABLY terrible for doing this, but watching Jace’s reaction at the mention of Brady is extremely amusing. It just dawned on me that he has no idea that Brady bats for the other team. I really shouldn’t exploit his jealously, but it’s irrational, so I don’t mind messing with him for a little bit.
“Hmm, trying to get rid of me so you can talk to another guy?” he asks, struggling to keep his tone light.
Toying with the necklace that’s resting against my collarbone, I decide how I’m going to answer him. “Well, I can’t exactly talk to him when I’m around you, can I? We usually talk every day, and well, obviously you and I have basically been together since we woke up this morning. I need some Brady time, so I’ll do that when you’re at the mixer.” I smile innocently at him.
As we get to the car, I notice him gripping the keys tightly in his hand. He opens my door and I slide into the seat before he closes it. A moment later he gets in and starts the car without saying a word. He pulls out of the parking lot and heads towards the highway. Part of me wants to roll my eyes at his pouting and the other half feels bad for messing with him. It’s kind of cute that he’s jealous after such a long time. I should probably tell him the truth about Brady so I don’t get the silent treatment all the way back to the condo.
I’m about to spill it when Jace surprises me by talking. “How about this? We’ll go back to the resort and I’ll go to the mixer for a little bit just to make an appearance. Let’s both go pick up one movie each to watch tonight and then meet back at my place, say, around nine-ish? I know I won’t want to be there long.” He winks at me.
“Sounds good to me. What do you want to watch? Titanic, The Notebook, or Pride and Prejudice?”
Jace groans at my movie prospects. “I guess that means I’ll be getting Apocalypse Now, Friday the 13th, or Alien?” he jokes.
“Really? How many times did you try to get me to watch Alien in high school? I fell asleep every single time. So if you’re goal is to sedate me, then by all means, rent that one,” I tell him.
We fall into a playful banter as we drive back towards the condo, joking about the horrible movies we’ve made the other watch. Jace reminds me of the time that his dad made us watch The Ice Cream Man and I almost choke on a sip of water when I recall the creepy guy using real eyeballs in the rocky road.
“Why your dad would show that movie to an impressionable fifteen-year-old girl is beyond me. I was terrified every time I heard the ice cream truck after that!” I shudder from the memory of the ice cream truck driver who was obsessed with children.
Jace laughs and then takes my hand in his. Intertwining our fingers, he brings my hand to his thigh as we pass the rest of the drive in silence. We pull up to the condo, and when Jace parks, neither of us makes a move to get out. Finally, I reach for the door handle when he places his hand on the back of my neck. A rush of tingling shivers runs down my spine as I turn to face him, catching my breath when I see the fiery heat in his eyes. He pulls me to him and kisses me with a passion I wasn’t expecting.
Before I can react, his tongue is dancing with mine, and we’re devouring each other. The way his tongue caresses mine so expertly sends a flood of erotic thoughts to my mind. A few moments later, he pulls away from me and I can see the lust burning in his eyes. He gives me one more quick peck before exiting the car. I follow, trying to gracefully get out, knowing that I need to explain about Brady.
Coming around the car, he grabs my hand and pulls me towards the elevator. He presses the up button, and we wait in silence for the doors to open. Getting on the elevator once it appears, I notice the air is filled with tension. I let go of his hand and hit the emergency stop button. Jace starts to protest, but I hold my hand up to silence him.
Moving towards him, I decide to put him out of his misery. I press my body against his, wrapping my arms around his neck, and I struggle to contain the moan developing in my throat as I feel every hard inch of him pressing into me.
“Just so you know, Brady is my best friend, and I couldn’t live without him.”
Jace takes in a deep breath and closes his eyes as I watch his eyebrows furrow.
I get on my tiptoes in order to give him a kiss as I grab his chin with my hand. “Jace, Brady is my co-worker and the best friend I’ve had in a very long time. He’s the one who helped me realize that moving on from Tyler was okay. I don’t think I’d be as strong as I am today if it weren’t for him.”
Jace swallows hard and looks anywhere except at my face. “Umm, I’m glad you had someone to comfort you when you needed it,” he says quietly, completely unenthusiastic.
“Jace, Brady is gay. I love him, and his boyfriend is an amazing guy. No need for the whole jealousy act,” I tell him.
I watch my words sink in, and a look of relief softens Jace’s previously stern look. He wraps his arms around me, and I can’t help but fall into his embrace.
“I’m an idiot. So that’s what you meant by saying you’d hook me up with Brady,” he whispers into my hair. “I’m sorry for the caveman act. It’s just been so hard knowing that you’ve been with someone else for so long. When I saw that you had a guy from back home that was clearly making you happy, something inside me went crazy. I promise you, I’m not normally a jealous guy, but Alexa, nothing is normal for me where you’re concerned.”
I move to release the elevator stop button, and we’re silent until it stops and opens up on my floor. I don’t want to leave, but lingering will make this moment even harder. Getting up on my toes, I give him a quick kiss.
“Tonight?” he whispers as my mouth connects with his.
“Tonight,” I confirm before stepping off and losing sight of him.
Tonight…
THREE HOURS later I’m walking towards my car in the parking lot of the clu
b where the mixer was held. I’m annoyed that I even came to this stupid thing and listened to all the guys relive our baseball glory days. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happier than anyone to talk about how we made it to State, but tonight my mind was only focused on Alexa. The whole night my mind was wondering what she was doing, where she was, what she’s thinking. I have to admit that I’m scared to be away from her because I’m terrified that she’ll break down with thoughts of her husband. We haven’t exactly talked about it, so I have no idea how long she’s grieved, if she’s ever dated since him, or if she’s even willing to yet. I realize that it’s probably going to be a hard conversation, but it’s one we have to have.
I’m probably rushing things but we only have tonight and one more day to pack in a decade’s worth of catching up. Sure, we touched on old feelings yesterday, which was probably for the best, but we have to talk about this…thing, this connection between us.
I’m about to get in my car when I spot Mallory leaving the club. I groan as she walks towards me, and I know I can’t be an asshole by hopping in my car and peeling out of the lot like I want to. Stopping a few feet away from me, she looks down at the ground. She’s silent, so I’m not really sure what she’s thinking.
“Mallory, now’s not a good time. I’ve got to get out of here,” I tell her, hoping she gets the hint.
She lets out a deep breath before she responds. “Look, Jace. Umm, I don’t know if I’ll see her again, so…would you…would you mind telling Lexi I’m sorry? I was out of line and cruel. It’s stupid, I know, but I’ve always had a chip on my shoulder since high school and how everything went down, and I’ve never gotten over it.”
Her words soak in and I try to decide how Alexa would respond. “Mallory, it’s fine. I’ll pass the message along. I appreciate it, and I know she will, too. And listen, don’t beat yourself up over it. Unresolved feelings from high school seems to be the theme this weekend. It probably wasn’t even fair that I was dating you when I had feelings for someone else, so I guess I can somewhat understand why you’d be bitter over that.”
“Thanks, Jace. I know I don’t deserve you to be so understanding, so it means a lot to hear you say that. I really do hope things work out for you both. I tried to ignore it, but you two were always drawn to each other. Again, I’m sorry, and I wish you both the best.”
She gives me a quick hug before walking back inside. Shaking it off, I climb into my car and finally head back towards the condo. After what seems like an eternity, I pull up to the building and park. I shoot her a text asking if she’s ready. She pings me back almost immediately, telling me to meet her at her condo. I do so, and she answers the door with an apologetic smile and a sleepy-eyed Ava hiding behind her legs. Spotting me, she suddenly moves from behind Alexa and is instantaneously attached to my lower legs.
“Uncle Jace! That’s what my mommy told me to call you. She said you’d come see Aunt Lexi and me! Wanna watch Finding Nemo?” she fires at me.
Before I can respond, Alexa is laughing at what I assume is the sight of a toddler clinging to my knees, begging to experience Dori with me. I bend down and pick Ava up, settling her in my arms. I give her tummy a quick tickle.
“Who is Nemo? And why do we need to find him?” I ask her as we walk down the hallway into the living room.
She looks at me in horror before turning towards Alexa.
“Aunt Lexi, he doesn’t know Nemo! Why doesn’t he know Nemo?” she asks, horrified that I’m pretending to not know the Pixar film she’s obviously wild over.
Entering the living room, I plop Ava down on the couch. I sit next to her as Alexa puts the movie in and then sits in the recliner.
Ava beats me to my protest. “Aunt Lexi, Mommy said this was a double date, so you have to come sit by me ‘n Uncle Jace.”
Alexa cocks her eyebrow at Ava and questions her. “If this is a double date, who’s my guy?”
Ava frowns at her question. “What do you mean? Uncle Jace is your date, silly!”
Her aunt, now looking extremely confused, asks, “Ooookay, so who is your date then, Aves?”
Ava rolls her eyes and sighs with exasperation. “Uncle Jace. Mommy said we were both on a date with him tonight and that I had to watch movies and be really good so that you could get some…something tonight. I think she meant popcorn, but I don’t think we have any. Oh well, can you still tell her I was good enough for you to get some?”
Alexa chokes as I’m struggling to squelch my laughter. Damn Sierra. She’s even got her kid on this shit. I know Alexa’s horrified, but I can’t help but laugh at the idea of a four-year-old telling her aunt that she needs to ‘get some.’
Alexa joins us on the couch, and Ava moves to settle between us.
“Sorry, Jace, but Jeremy’s parents ended up having other plans, and since I was here, I was the designated babysitter.”
Ava ignores us as she oohs and ahhs as the movie plays, but it’s not long before her eyes are drooping. Alexa gets up to take her to bed, but the little girl protests.
“Uncle Jace can tuck me in.”
Alexa shrugs, so I pick Ava up and head towards her bedroom. Her head rests against my chest as she begins to sing Cee Lo’s ‘Forget You.’ I have to laugh because she is definitely a Banks child. I tuck her into her bed and turn the light out before she calls out to me.
“Uncle Jace?” her sweet voice asks.
“What’s up, Ava?”
She sighs before answering. “My mommy says that you’re the best thing that could happen to Aunt Lexi. She’s been sad for a long time, and I like seeing her laugh with you. Daddy says that’s ‘cause you’re hot, but that’s scary. If you have a fever, you need to go to the doctor and get a shot like I do. I’m happy we’re friends, Uncle Jace,” she says as she lies back on the pillow. I give her a quick kiss on the forehead before leaving the room.
I stand outside of her bedroom for a moment to collect my bearings. I’m imagining that Alexa and I are a family and I’ve just tucked our firstborn into bed. It’s nuts, I know, but I can’t help it. Regaining my composure, I head back towards the living room.
Alexa smiles at me before asking, “Did she go down okay?”
I laugh as I recall Ava’s words. “Yeah, she’s down for the count. She thinks I have a fever and said that I need to be checked out by a doctor.”
Alexa places her hand her hip. “Well, Heaven forbid I let you walk around with an illness. You sit your ass down and I’ll take care of you.”
We spend the next few minutes like idiots, playing doctor, and not even in a sexy way. Soon she declares that I’m completely healthy and can go on about my day. I decide to just jump into the hard topics before letting her turn on some stupid romantic comedy chick flick.
“You’re so good with Ava, and it makes me think about all the times you mentioned having a big family. I have to say, I’m surprised that you made it to twenty-seven without having at least one,” I comment.
Alexa pulls at the sweatshirt strings on her chest and doesn’t look at me. She sits in silence for a few minutes, and I know it’s best not to push her.
“When we first met, one of the things we bonded on was the fact that we both wanted large families. Ty was an only child, and he’d hated it. I loved kids, as you know, so I always figured the more the merrier. We seemed to be on the same page with that, and it was just another thing that made me fall in love with him.” I keep my face still at the mention of her having kids with another man. My chest tightens, but I mentally tell myself to calm down.
I swallow hard and ask, “So what happened? You guys were together for a pretty long time.”
Alexa hesitates before she answers me. “This isn’t something I’ve ever discussed with someone, not even Sierra, so I don’t exactly know what to say.”
She gets up and heads out onto the balcony, and I watch as she leans her forearms on the metal railing. I follow her but keep my distance just in case she needs it.
“You’re right, you
know? I always wanted kids. When we first met, Ty did, too. It wasn’t until after we got married that things began to change. He was an only child, and his mother was exceptionally clingy. Without going into detail, some things happened a few years ago and she ended up in psych hold for three days. She was finally diagnosed as being bipolar, but the damage was done. Ty did so much research and saw that the disease could be hereditary. He became so afraid of passing those genes on that he decided we needed to hold off on having children. That’s all that mattered to him. He didn’t like the risk. He played it safe. And look where that got him.” She whispers the last part so quietly that I can just barely hear her.
She pauses at the thought, and I just nod in her direction as I wait for her to continue. She swallows hard before she continues the story.
“He kept saying that he just needed more time to come to terms with his mom’s illness, but every time I’d bring the subject up, he’d completely shut me down. In the last year of our marriage, I finally began to resign myself to the fact that he was never going to change his mind. I stop asking about it and he never mentioned it. Don’t get me wrong, we still got along just fine, and we were happy mostly. There was just this weird cloud hanging over us and we chose to ignore it.”
“Wow, I can’t imagine,” I offer, really not knowing what else to say.
On the one hand, I know how badly mental illness can mess with a person, but at the same time, I can’t imagine having a woman like Alexa and not starting a family with her.
She gives me a small smile. “I could hardly fathom it myself. It was really hard, because I understood where he was coming from, but he wouldn’t listen to any of my reasoning. Babies can come with any number of medical problems, and you can’t anticipate them, but he didn’t want to hear it. After two years of this standstill, I finally told him that I thought that we needed to talk to someone,” she says, pausing to take a drink of her water.
