His stomach sunk and he pressed his eyes closed. Alexis is Nysterie? He didn’t want to believe it and until he knew for sure, he couldn’t have Kami talking about it. “You can’t tell anyone about this. Not until I talk to Alexis first.”
Kami gave him a smirk that made his stomach twist. He had a feeling he would be paying for her silence.
Chapter Fifteen
January 2016
Alexis
Alexis couldn’t think of the words to describe what it felt like to watch her wiggly niece on the ultrasound screen. She laughed and cried holding her mother’s hand, feeling a mix of joy and grief. She was going to be an aunt, but Eric wasn’t here. Alexis found comfort with her mother knowing they were experiencing the same emotional roller coaster.
As she looked at the screen then to Katie, Alexis could physically feel Katie’s happiness, something she hadn’t seen in far too long. Sharing this moment with her was exactly what Alexis needed.
She needed something positive in her life. Especially after the past week.
After being stood up, Belakor asked for forgiveness but never mentioned meeting again. They talked, but like they did before, never bringing up Portland or the party. Then yesterday… her day started out bad and only got worse.
As she came out of her first class of the day, a guy who had been hounding her for weeks asked for her number—again. She said no again and instead of walking away he called her a stuck-up bitch. It wasn’t the first time that had happened to her, but it never got any easier to hear.
Then she went to The Coffee Pot to grab a drink before her next class but mostly to see Jason. Everything was fine until Katie walked in. His words, “I don’t want anyone to know about us,” repeated in her head along with the sound of panic in his voice.
Was she just someone he made out with? She hadn’t thought so. Not from the way he kissed her. And she had such a good time hanging out with him and Benji, she thought he did too.
Maybe she was overreacting. It wasn’t like she was ready to tell her friends and family anything. But only because she didn’t know what to say. She could declare him an amazing kisser, but she had no idea if he even wanted to see her again. Perhaps that was his way of letting her down.
The sound of her mother talking to Katie pulled her from her thoughts.
“We’ll see you later, sweetie.” Her mother kissed Katie on the cheek and said goodbye to Katie’s father, Phillip.
“See you at home,” Alexis said with tears still in her eyes.
After saying goodbye to her mother, Alexis went home to study then later that evening she logged into the game for her guilds regular raid night. She had hoped to talk to Belakor before it started but found out he quit their raid group that morning. According to the raid leader, Belakor said the twice a week raids no longer worked with his schedule. But she couldn’t help wonder if she was the reason for his disappearance.
Determined not to let stupid boys ruin her day she played her heart out and tried to concentrate on the good things in her life. Like how she was four months away from becoming an auntie. This baby could be her new focus.
A week later, Katie’s daughter did become her focus along with everyone connected to Katie.
Unbeknownst to Alexis’s family, Katie had received an amniocentesis the day of her ultrasound. She hadn’t said a word to anyone but Tyler and Phillip who went to her appointment to get her results. Today they found out Katie’s baby had Down Syndrome. Before they could even process the news, they decided to meet at Alexis’s condo and wait for Katie to come home.
A quiet stillness hung over them. Nobody knew what to say or what the diagnosis meant besides her baby would be different. Then Tyler and Katie walked in, and Katie seemed to fall apart right in front of their eyes. Tyler picked her up and carried her to her bedroom, closing the door behind him.
They went back to waiting in her living room. Her father turned on the television but didn’t watch it. The noise was better than the silence.
When Tyler came out of Katie’s room a few hours later, her father turned off the television.
“It’s true? She has Down syndrome?” her mother asked with worry in her voice.
Tyler nodded, looking exhausted with a wet spot and dark streaks on his shirt from Katie’s makeup. They had heard her cry and wanted to comfort her, but for some reason, they allowed Tyler to do it. Katie and Tyler had grown closer with each passing month. Even her mother had commented on how much Katie seemed to rely on him.
Then it hit her. Alexis realized that Tyler must’ve known something might be wrong. There was no reason for him to be in town today. He lived three hours away and usually only came to visit on the weekends. Alexis wasn’t sure how she felt about Katie talking to Tyler before talking to them. Eric’s family.
“Oh God.” Her mother stared down the hall towards Katie’s room. “Is she okay? Is the baby okay?”
“She will be. From what her doctor could see on the ultrasound, the baby looked fine. They’ll be doing more ultrasounds to be sure.”
Katie’s phone vibrated again with another text. Alexis lifted it and said, “Bridget and Billy have been calling every thirty minutes. Should I tell Katie?”
He took the phone and said, “She’s asleep. I’ll call them.”
“You’ve done enough today. We’ll call Bridget and Phillip and give them an update,” her father offered.
At the same time, her mother and father stood and gave Tyler a hug. “You look like you need some rest. Can I talk you into staying the night at our place?”
“I’m not leaving,” he said, leaving no room for argument.
“I didn’t think so. There’s some leftovers in the fridge if you get hungry. Jeff and I are taking off, but we’ll be back in the morning.”
As her parents walked to the door, her father thanked Tyler for taking care of Katie and their granddaughter.
Alone in her bedroom, Alexis called Jason. When she heard the sound of his voice, she felt herself relax and asked if he had time to talk. With a soft voice, he asked her what was wrong. When she finished telling him about Katie and the baby he asked, “Do you want to come over?”
She drew in a relieved breath. “Can I?”
“Yes, please. I want to see you. I’d come to you, but Benji’s sleeping.”
“It’s okay. Thank you, I’ll be there soon.”
As she walked past the living room, she noticed Tyler staring at his phone. “I’m going out for a while.” He nodded but didn’t seem to be paying attention.
She couldn’t explain why Jason was the first person she thought to call or why she felt like she needed him. Even though he had hurt her feelings, he had listened to her as she rambled on and on about the baby and her feelings. Most guys would’ve run and took cover but not him. He listened and responded as if her feelings mattered to him.
Walking into Jason’s apartment, she felt her worries and concerns ease away. She loved his small apartment. It felt homey for a bachelor pad. There were a few professional pictures of Benji but her favorites were the selfies of Jason and Benji that were plastered on his fridge. She loved their matching smiles.
His apartment had the typical guy entertainment system with different gaming systems in front of a comfy leather couch. It screamed bachelor pad except for the toy box in the corner.
Jason took her hand and led them to his couch where he sat in one corner then pulled her down to lean against him. He held her as she talked to him about her concerns for the baby and Katie and Tyler’s relationship. She also shared her fear that with the baby’s diagnosis, Katie would want to move to be closer to her mother.
By the time she managed to pull herself together, it was past midnight. “I’m sorry I kept you up, and you probably have to be up early.”
He lazily ran his fingers through her hair. “I do, but it’s okay. I don’t sleep much.”
Enjoying the closeness, she reluctantly sat up, but with an arm around her, he said, “Why don’t
you stay here tonight. You can take my bed, and I’ll sleep on the couch.”
When she began to shake her head, he placed his hands on her cheeks. “It’s not up for debate.” He took her hand and pulled her off the couch, guiding her to his bedroom.
After giving her a T-shirt and a pair of sweats, he kissed her cheek and said goodnight. Not exactly the goodnight kiss she wanted, but she’d take it. What he did for her tonight meant more than he probably realized.
The next morning, Alexis woke to the sound of Benji asking, “Lexis here?” She smiled the moment the bedroom door swung open, and Benji jumped on the bed.
“Good morning, Benji.”
With wide eyes, he asked, “You slept over?”
“I did. Your dad let me.”
He looked over his shoulder at Jason, who stood in the doorway with an apologetic smile then looked back to her. “Next time sleep in my room.”
She bit back a laugh. “We’ll see.”
“I’m sorry we woke you. We’re early birds.”
“It’s okay.” She enjoyed getting a glimpse of their life.
“I was just about to make breakfast if you’re hungry.”
“I am.” She climbed out of bed and took Benji’s offered hand as he tried dragging her out of the bedroom. As she passed Jason, she tugged on his hand and whispered, “Thank you.”
“He ran his hand down her cheek then pressed his lips to her forehead. I’m glad you came over.”
Her heart leaped with happiness. Wanting to repay Jason for his, kindness she asked, “How about I make you two breakfast?”
Twenty minutes later, they sat at the small kitchen table with three bowls of cereal with the lingering scent of burnt pancakes. “Sorry guys. Katie’s been teaching me how to cook, but I guess I still need to work on it.”
Jason chuckled and gave her a big smile. “It’s okay. We like cereal, right buddy?”
Benji nodded and said, “Yup. We also like pancakes.”
Chapter Sixteen
February 2016
Jason
“Dad?” Benji yelled from his bedroom. “Daaaaaaad,” he yelled again.
Jason sighed as he walked down the hall toward Benji’s room. He had been hyped up on Valentine candy and Jason had just managed to get him to lie down.
He opened his son’s bedroom door and poked his head in. “What is it, buddy?”
He lifted up a frayed pink heart with scribbles on it. “We forgot to give Lexis her Vanintine.”
Jason’s lips curved into a smile realizing his son just gave him an excuse to see her. “You’re right, buddy, let’s get your coat and shoes on and we’ll take it to her.”
Since the night she slept over, she began coming to the store on the days Katie didn’t work. She came to study, but more often than not, they talked and snuck kisses and at least once a week, she came over for dinner and hung out with him and Benji. But even with how much time they spent together and how much they talked, they never talked about them as a couple. He didn’t even know if they were a couple.
He wanted to ask her on a date for Valentine’s Day, but every single one of his employees asked for the evening off, so he ended up working the evening shift. He just hoped nobody else asked her out.
Both he and Benji were still in their pajamas when they knocked on Alexis’s door. Each anxious and excited for different reasons. When she opened the door wearing a faded Star Wars T-shirt and sleep shorts, he sighed in relief.
She didn’t go out.
“What in the world?” her voice rose in surprise. “What are you two up to?”
Benji handed her the crumpled heart, and she sighed. “Aww, come here.” She knelt down in front of Benji and pulled him into a hug. “Thank you. I love it.” Standing up she carried Benji to her fridge and asked him to help her hang it up. Right in the center where everyone could see it. “This is the best Valentines I’ve ever had.” She kissed his cheek then set him down. Looking at Jason, who still stood in the entryway, she gave him a small smile. “You guys want to stay? I had planned to watch The Last Airbender.”
“We’d love to,” Jason said so quickly he thought he might give her whiplash.
“Good, I’ll make popcorn, and we have brownies.” She held up a hand to keep them from commenting. “I didn’t make them. Katie did.” Jason chuckled as he walked to her and pulled her into a quick hug and kissed her cheek.
Benji asked, “What’s the Airbender?”
Alexis blinked and shook her head. “You’ve never heard of the Last Airbender?”
He shook his head with wide eyes.
“You’re going to love it. But first, let’s make popcorn.”
Jason watched as Alexis set Benji on the counter next to the microwave. She helped him push the buttons then began telling him all about The Last Airbender. By the time they sat on the couch with Benji between them, Jason had started to imagine what it would be like to have this every day.
Fifteen minutes into the show Benji climbed onto Alexis’s lap and fell asleep. Jason turned off the TV, leaving his son’s soft snores the only noise. “I was afraid you would be out on a date,” he admitted.
“Well, I did have plans.” She looked at him with a mischievous grin. “To help Tyler move into his new apartment, but he ended up hiring movers.”
“So that’s why Katie asked for the evening off,” he realized. “So he moved here. That doesn’t surprise me.”
Her smile fell, and he understood why. “Alexis, right now they’re just friends. Everyone needs a good friend.”
“I know. I really do, but every time I see them together, I see it. Katie might not realize it, but the way she talks about him and the way they are together…it’s only a matter of time before she falls in love with him. Just thinking about it...” Seeing tears in her eyes felt like a stab to his heart.
Jason leaned over and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “It kills me to see you cry. Is there anything I could say or do to make you feel better?”
“Kiss me. That always makes me feel better.”
With an arm around her back, he kissed the woman who was becoming to mean more to him than he ever imagined.
Chapter Seventeen
March 2016
Alexis
Once Katie said goodbye to the last baby shower guest, she slumped against the door and looked around the room with excitement and fear in her eyes. “Where am I going to put all this baby stuff?”
Alexis chewed on her nails while shaking her head. “I have no idea.” They looked at each other and laughed. “Thank goodness we have a few months to figure it out.”
Katie appeared distracted as she drew out her reply. “Yeah…”
“What time is Tyler picking you up for the concert?”
Katie shook her head as if she were pulling herself out of her thoughts. “In a few hours. We’re going to dinner first. What about you? Have any plans?”
“I think I’ll go find a quiet place to study that has fewer distractions than our messy house.” Or go to The Coffee Pot to see Jason and maybe study.
With a small smile, Katie nodded. “Thank you for the party; it was a lot of fun.”
Alexis gave her a hug and laughed at the feel of Katie’s large pregnant belly between them. “You’re welcome. Anything for you and Ms. Katie Junior.” Her belly bounced with her laughter. “Happy Birthday.”
“How was the baby shower?” Jason set her coffee down in front of her then took the seat across from her, but not before kissing her cheek.
“Fun. Katie won’t need to buy anything for the baby, and it’s always good to see Tyler’s mom and sisters. They make everything an adventure.”
“Wow. Just a few more months,” he remarked.
“I know. I’m so excited to finally be able to hold my niece.”
“Has Katie said whether or not she’s going to keep living with you?”
“No, but I hope so. If Tyler has a say then it’ll probably be no. Back in October, he made it crystal
clear he didn’t like her living with me because I partied too much.”
He tilted his head and asked, “Do you?”
“I don’t know. Do I?” She looked at him with a grin. “Since I see you more than my friends, you tell me.”
He gave her a cocky smirk. It was true. She came to The Coffee Pot almost every day and spent at least one evening with him and Benji. Since she spent the rest of her week nights studying, she didn’t have time for her other friends even her online friends.
With her afternoons taken up with Jason instead of studying, she no longer had time to raid. It wasn’t a big loss since she lost some of her love of the game when Belakor quit raiding.
“After my Halloween and birthday parties, I can’t blame him. They did get out of hand.”
“He’s probably cooled off by now.” She raised her brow in question.
“Not when it comes to Katie. Speaking of, Tyler’s mother invited me and Katie to stay with her during Spring Break.”
“Are you going?” His concern made her smile. They might not talk about their feelings, but she knew he liked her and enjoyed spending time with her.
“No. I have to fly to California for a few days for work, but I had a few other reasons not to go.”
“Oh yeah? I hope one of them is me.” He was her biggest reason, but the other was Belakor. The last time she logged into the game, he was on. They began talking like old times then out of the blue he asked to meet her—here at The Coffee Pot of all places. She agreed but made sure it was at a time Jason wouldn’t be here. She didn’t want to explain to him her friendship with Belakor. At least not yet. Not everyone could understand how a person could be friends with someone they’ve never met in real life.
Until You Page 7
