Until You

by Cristin Cooper

  “You are.” She blushed. Sometimes she felt like a thirteen-year-old in her first boyfriend-girlfriend relationship. Although, she still didn’t know if she was actually a girlfriend. In high school she had one boyfriend for three months, and contrary to what people thought, she rarely dated. She had to rely on Jason to walk them through this, but he seemed to be struggling just as much as her. All she knew was she enjoyed her time with him and Benji and didn’t want it to stop.

  “Hey, I just tried calling you,” someone said from the front door.

  Alexis leaned her head around Jason to see Stan walking towards her. “Oh hey.”

  Jason looked over his shoulder to Stan then back to Alexis with a scowl. “Why would he call you?” he whispered.

  She didn’t have time to answer before Stan stood next to their table. “You want to go to dinner?”

  “I…” She looked at Jason then back to Stan. “Actually, I think I have plans tonight.” At least she hoped so. Pizza, movies and Jason and Benji sounded like a good idea.

  “Do you think you could cancel? I’ve been apartment hunting, and I wanted to get your opinion on a couple of places.”

  “Sorry, man. But we have plans,” Jason inserted, not sounding the least bit sorry. “You should probably get someone else’s opinion,” he said with a gruff voice.

  Ooookay. Jealous Jason was kind of scary…and sexy. To make his point, Jason leaned over and kissed her—good. Like toe-curling good then left to help a customer.

  “So…you guys are together?”

  She looked over at the counter where Jason stood glaring at them then back to Stan. “No idea.”

  “Well, I guess maybe you can help at another time?”

  “Yeah. Sure. I should have time next week.” Jason might not like it, but considering they hadn’t defined what they were, she wasn’t about to ruin a longtime friendship.

  Chapter Eighteen

  March 2016

  Jason

  “You’re just going to let her sit there and wait for him? Or should I say you?” Kami asked as she passed him a finished drink then began working on the next order.

  With his heart trying to beat out of his chest, he said, “Who? What?” a little too loud, drawing attention from Alexis sitting at a table near the entrance. With the way she kept looking at him then the door with her foot tapping, he figured she was as nervous as him.

  Kami rolled her eyes and shook her head in disappointment. “Alexis.” She nodded her head toward the girl he feared losing. “She’s waiting for you…or Belakor.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he growled feeling the tension build in his neck and shoulders from the stress.

  “I just spoke to Alexis, who’s meeting Belakor here.” Kami dead stared Jason waiting for his reply, but what could he say besides he regretted asking to meet? A part of Jason hoped he’d been wrong, but the moment Alexis stepped into his store his stomach dropped. Alexis was Nysterie.

  Last week, he was all set to tell Alexis everything but then Stan happened. That guy had called her multiple times and texted her at all hours of the day and night. Jason had been with her when she received some of them.

  This morning, in a fit of panic, he decided to wait at least until he they were on good solid ground. In his head, he reasoned it shouldn’t be a big deal. They were online friends, but in their real lives, neither spoke of the gaming part of themselves.

  “I can’t believe you would invite her here then keep her waiting. You think you could be a bigger douche, because I don’t believe you can.”

  “Kami!” he warned startling his customer. “Sorry,” he mumbled to the person in line. “I’ll talk to her but not here and not now,” he grumbled.

  To his relief, things slowed down enough that he could take a break. He’d been keeping an eye on Alexis as she looked back and forth between the door and her phone. Kami was right. He was a big douche. A douche who hoped Alexis would forgive him.

  He set a Danish and her favorite drink on the table before taking a seat. She looked at him with wet eyes but put a smile on her face. “Thanks.” She took a bite and mumbled, “I didn’t think you were working today.”

  Swallowing back the guilt, he told her he had paperwork to do which he did but he always had paperwork to do. “How did your job go in California?”

  She shrugged. “Fine. Glad I can eat carbs again,” she said as she took another bite.

  “Is everything okay?” he asked unsure if he wanted to know the answer.

  “Yeah. I’m just… I don’t know what I am.” She gave him a humorless laugh. “I think I need to spend some time with the Menden boys.” Her grin widened waiting for him to respond.

  “The Menden boys would love to spend some time with the McHenry girl.”

  Smiling cheek to cheek, she opened her mouth to speak, but her phone rang. She held up a finger. “Hold that thought.”

  “Hey, Tyler, what’s up?”

  Her smile faded and her body tensed. “Is she okay? What hospital?” Nodding her head, fear replaced her humor. “I’ll meet you there.”

  Pushing back her chair, she looked around dazed. Jason took her hand to get her attention. “Is it Katie?”

  “Yeah. She’s in the hospital with contractions.” She pressed her lips together and fought back the tears. “What if… it’s too soon.”

  “Hey.” Jason pulled her into his arms and held her tight against his chest. He wanted to tell her everything would be okay. “Let me drive you.” She nodded as tears slid down her cheek.

  By the time they reached the hospital, Alexis’s parents were there along with Katie’s father and of course Tyler. He wouldn’t leave her side. “They’re giving her fluids and something to stop the contractions, but all we can do right now is wait and see,” Tyler relayed.

  “I’m sitting right here. Stop talking about me like I can’t speak for myself.” Jason tried not to smile, but he had never seen Katie get so feisty, especially with Tyler. Not that it changed his suspicions about their relationship. In fact, when he walked into her hospital room, he knew for a fact that whatever Tyler felt for Katie, the feelings were mutual.

  “It’s dinner time, why don’t you guys get something to eat in the cafeteria and if we hear anything, I’ll call,” Tyler offered, but it was more of a demand.

  As everyone shuffled out of the room, Jason checked the time and realized he was late picking up Benji. He said goodbye to everyone then asked Alexis to walk him out to his car.

  Since they arrived at the hospital, his body ached to comfort Alexis, but he didn’t know if she wanted to publicize whatever they were. She hadn’t made a move to touch him, so he didn’t touch her. He saw the ridiculousness of the situation. Two grown adults acting like pre-teens, but it didn’t seem the time or place to discuss their relationship status, or if they were ready to go public.

  Once out of sight of her family, Jason reached for Alexis’s hand at the same time she reached for his. Walking to his car, she leaned her head on his shoulder. “Thank you for coming with me.”

  “Don’t thank me. I want to be here with you.” He always wanted to be there for her.

  “I’ll call you when we know more.”

  He put his arms around her holding her tight, feeling her heartbeat against his chest. “Call me anyway,” he mouthed against her lips.

  Chapter Nineteen

  April 2016

  Alexis

  “Happy birthday, dear Benji, happy birthday to you.” Kneeling on a chair at the head of the table in her parents’ home, Benji bounced with excitement as everyone sang to him.

  After Katie had been put on bedrest, Tyler moved her out of the condo and into Alexis’s parents’ home so Tracy could take care of her. Since then, her parents’ home had become a hub of activity. Tyler practically lived there when he wasn’t working. And at least once a week, Jason and Benji stopped by to visit Katie. Since Alexis spent a lot of time there entertaining a bored Katie, it gave Alexis and
Jason a chance to hang out.

  When Alexis found out it was Benji’s birthday this week, she and her mother planned a party. A surprise for not only Benji, but for Jason. With as many hours as he had to work lately, he hadn’t had time to plan anything.

  As Benji stuffed his face with cake, Jason mumbled under his breath, “You guys spoil him.” But Jason didn’t seem the least bit upset about that fact.

  “He deserves it,” Alexis and her mother said at the same time.

  “Thank you for doing this.”

  “Don’t thank us. This was fun, plus we need the practice. We plan to celebrate many more kid birthdays in this house.”

  While Benji played with his new toys with Jeff and Tyler, Alexis told Jason she needed to talk to him. She had been dreading it all day knowing how he would react. “You’re making me nervous,” he stated. She dragged him upstairs to her old bedroom under the guise of needing his help getting a box down from a shelf in her closet.

  Once she closed the bedroom door, she got straight to the point. “Stan is moving in with me temporarily until he finds an apartment.”

  Jason looked skeptical. “He has no other place to go? Nowhere? He has no other friends? You’re the only person who could take him in?” he asked, sounding more sarcastic with each question.

  “I know you don’t like him, but he’s my oldest friend.”

  “Who’s in love with you,” he stated. She thought that debatable, but she understood where he got that impression. She had wondered a few times also.

  “I’m sure he does love me like I love him. Friendly.”

  “I don’t like it.” She didn’t think he would.

  “I’m sure you don’t.”

  Sighing, he slumped on the bed and stared up at her. “Well, you’re not the only one with crappy news.”

  Alexis sat next to him and braced herself to hear something awful. It ended up being worse than she imagined.

  “Sandy called me today. I haven’t heard from her since Benji was a month old.”

  Her stomach dropped. “What did she want?”

  Releasing a heavy breath, he faced her. “To see Benji.”

  “Are you going to let her?” Please say no.

  “I don’t know.” That wasn’t a no.

  “Is she here? In Portland?”

  “No, but she will be next week, and I agreed to meet with her.”

  Alexis wanted to scream no at all of it. At Sandy contacting Jason, to him meeting with her and to Sandy seeing Benji.

  Feeling frustrated by the situation, it dawned on Alexis that she and Jason were frustrated about the same thing. Neither had a say in what happened in the other person’s life but wanted to.

  With nothing else to say, Alexis stood holding onto Jason’s hand. “We better get downstairs before someone comes looking for us.”

  Before she could open her door, he asked, “Can you come over tonight?”

  “I wish, but I have a test tomorrow morning, and I still need to study for it. I have to be careful. I almost got a B in one of my classes last term.”

  “Well, we can’t have that. Another night then.” Jason gave her a kiss that left her wishing she didn’t care if she got her first B.

  Alexis opened the door and led the way back to the party. As they reached the kitchen, Alexis overheard her parents talking. “You saw it, right?” her mother asked.

  “I did. We knew this could happen with as much time as they spend together,” her father replied.

  “I know. I just wasn’t ready for it.” Her mother’s voice trailed off.

  Alexis knew they were talking about Katie and Tyler. Since Katie moved in, it became more evident that she and Tyler felt more than friendship for one another. Neither had publically admitted it at least to them.

  “Katie and Tyler?” Jason asked overhearing the same conversation. She nodded. They looked over at Katie lying on the couch with her feet propped on Tyler’s legs as they laughed about something.

  “It’ll all come out eventually,” he stated.

  Looking at him, she wondered if he meant more than Tyler and Katie’s relationship.

  Chapter Twenty

  April 2016

  Jason

  Jason knelt in front of Benji and gave him a hug. “I’ll be back in a little while, buddy. Be good for Alexis.”

  He smirked and looked up at her with a mischievous grin. “I will.”

  “He will,” Alexis verified with a similar look on her face. Jason had heard them whispering earlier and wondered what she had planned. He had no doubt they would have fun and wished he could stay and hang out with them instead of meet with Sandy. But the sooner he got there, the sooner he could come back and spend time with his two favorite people.

  The moment he walked into the bar he spotted her sitting at one of the booths looking as gorgeous as ever, and he wasn’t the only one who noticed. But unlike the men staring at her, he didn’t see the beauty in her. Not like how it seemed to radiate in Alexis.

  Taking a seat across from Sandy, she gave him a nervous smile. “You came. I wasn’t sure you would.”

  In no mood to chit-chat, he got to the point. “I’m here. What did you want to talk about?”

  “Wow. Okay. Well, I guess I’ll get right to it. I know I gave up rights.”

  “I’m glad you remembered,” he muttered as the waitress came by to take their drink orders.

  Once they were alone again, she went on. “I would like to see him.”

  He stared at her in unbelief then shook his head. “It’s been three years,” he pointed out.

  “I know,” she said exasperatedly. “Believe me, I remember.”

  “No. You believe me,” he said harshly, startling her. “I’m the one who has been there for him since he was born. I was there for every feeding, diaper change, late night, illness, bad day and good day. I kept a business going while trying to figure out how to take care of a newborn. I felt every single one of those days.”

  She pressed her lips together. “Point taken.”

  Jason had drunk half his beer before he spoke again. “Sandy, he doesn’t know you. I can’t just let you see him without knowing your intentions.”

  “Well, I got a recurring role in a TV show, and I thought when we go on hiatus this summer I could come back for a few weeks and spend some time with him.”

  “So you want to just come in and out of his life when it suits you? I don’t see how that would be good for him.”

  “You don’t have to tell him who I am. I could be your friend or something. I just want a chance to get to know him. I’m in no position to take on a kid. That isn’t my desire, but I would like to meet him. The three of us could spend time together, like go to the zoo or… I don’t know. Kid stuff. Something fun.” Kid stuff? Was she for real?

  He shook his head with frustration wishing he knew what to do and wishing Alexis were here with him.

  “I need to think about this before I make any decisions.”

  “I understand.” He didn’t think she did. “I’m heading back to Los Angeles in the morning, but I’ll be back in July. That should give you enough time to decide.”

  She stood and stared at their drinks then opened her purse fumbling with her wallet. “I’ll take care of it,” he said. The sooner she was away from him, the better. Plus, he needed another drink.

  He watched her leave and wished there was some book that could tell him the right thing to do.

  By the time he returned to Alexis’s condo, it was late and she had already put Benji to bed in her room.

  As if Alexis knew Jason needed her, she took his hand and led him to the couch where they cuddled. She listened to him tell her about his concerns. Though Alexis didn’t comment or give her opinion, he felt her body tense and could see the apprehension in her eyes. When he said he was thinking about letting Benji have contact with Sandy, she began chewing on her nails. Jason knew she wouldn’t be thrilled with the prospect, but he also knew Alexis would support any deci
sion he made.

  When he finished, he pulled her onto his lap so he could have her close while wishing she was a permanent part of his life. He wanted a partner, and not just because of Sandy. He noticed how well they worked together, especially when it came to Benji.

  Jason leaned in to kiss Alexis when he heard Stan clear his throat and make some excuse to get something from the living room. “I really hate that he lives here,” he whispered, trying to keep from getting angry.

  “I know. But with him working at night and me at school during the day, I rarely see him. Plus, I somehow always end up at your house on the nights he doesn’t work.” She raised her brows at him.

  He smirked. That was no coincidence. Stan had his work schedule on Alexis fridge letting Jason know what nights to make sure she was at his place. It didn’t always work out since she refused to come over the evenings before a test so she could have some quiet study time but it didn’t keep him from trying. If it were up to him, she would be at his apartment every night but for now he would settle for the one to two nights a week.

  “It’s getting late. How about you sleep over, that way you won’t have to wake Benji.” Jason stared down the hall toward Stan’s bedroom then back at her and nodded. He’d like to stay alright.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  April 2016

  Alexis

  With Benji cuddled in her arms and Jason sleeping beside her, her mind raced with all the what if’s.

  What if Sandy wanted not only Benji, but also Jason?

  What if Sandy came back permanently, what place would Alexis have in their lives?

  What if Jason decided to try to work things out with Sandy?

  With a sick feeling in her gut, she rolled out of bed making sure not to jar Benji.