All for Maddie

by Woodruff, Jettie

  “Home, I had a driver bring me. I’m driving home,” he assured me, opening my door.

  Great, I couldn’t wait.

  Alex acted like nothing happened as we ate lunch in the dining room. He even put on his fake face, kissed me once, held my hand, and slid his arm around my waist as I helped Maddie feed the fish, making sure they were only fed fish food.

  “I give a fish a chicken nugget,” she said, running to the table to her plate.

  “You can deal with it,” I said turning to Alex. He didn’t remove his hand as I turned, letting it brush across my midsection.

  I stepped away when my eyes met Jaron’s, shaking my head at the whole situation. Now I felt ashamed looking at him. What the hell?

  My dad hugged Maddie and me, shook Alex’s hand, and walked away. I hated knowing that he hated us not being there, I hated not being there, and I hated Alex.

  We rode in silence, well, other than Maddie talking about the pink cotton candy from the fair, the dirty pigs, the clowns, and something that I never did make out. A jerdimiss, whatever that was. She was out like a light before we ever made it the interstate. I stared out my side of the window, listening to the radio, turning toward Alex when he turned it off.

  “Do you want to talk about what happened last night?”

  My face was instantly flushed. No, I didn’t want to talk to him about walking in with Jaron between my legs.

  “I just don’t understand why you did that? Why do you care who I am with?”

  “I told you, you’re not going to be with anyone at the resort that knows your father. Were you hanging all over that thud while you were getting drunk?”

  “No, nobody would have even known he was there, had you not showed up.”

  “I don’t want you with that guy. How old is he anyway?”

  “I don’t know thirty-five, thirty-seven something like that. I’m not planning on marrying Jaron.”

  “Good thing, he’s a loser.”

  “Why is he a loser?”

  “He is almost forty and cooks in a kitchen. Did he forget to grow up?”

  “Whatever, Alex, not everyone is handed careers on silver platters. Not everyone has rich parents to give them that head start.”

  “Your dad is not hurting in the money department. I know how much he makes off of every head that comes in that place.”

  “My dad never handed me squat. I worked for my money. And furthermore who are you to tell me who I can and can’t be with?”

  “So we’re just going to have an open relationship?”

  “What the hell does that even mean? We don’t have a relationship. You are making me live with you because of Maddie. That’s hardly a relationship. Were you with someone last weekend?”

  He didn’t say a word.

  “Thought so,” I added when he didn’t answer. I bet that it was that blonde Kendall girl that was at his house. He brought her to the resort. There had to be something there.

  “Okay, let’s make a deal. We still don’t have to be in a relationship, but we’ll take care of each other’s needs.”

  I knew what he was proposing. I just couldn’t believe it. “Needs?” I asked the question that I already knew the answer to.

  “Yeah, the next time you need your pussy licked, I’ll be the one to do it.”

  Yup, I was being forced to live with a psychopath, but couldn’t help but notice the throbbing that had just woken between my legs. What the hell?

  “You’re absurd. I can’t believe you would even suggest something like that. NO! I would never do that. You’re never touching me like that. This isn’t about you and I being together. This is about you being a control freak.”

  “Suit yourself, but Jaron isn’t doing it either.”

  I was so mad. I couldn’t believe that he actually thought, let alone said it out loud that he and I were going to have sexual relations. I couldn’t talk to him anymore. I couldn’t even look at him. I reached over and turned the radio back on, letting him know of my intentions to shut him out the rest of the way home.

  He turned it off. “I don’t want you drinking around men anymore either, unless it’s me.”

  “Why, Alex? Regretting your decision of shooting me down last week?”

  “No, I’ve just seen you drunk enough times now to know what you like to do when you’re drunk.”

  I snorted. “You’ve seen me drunk three times. I hardly think that justifies your opinion of what I like to do when I’m drunk.” Yeah, so it was true.

  “Why can’t you just have a drink or two? Why do you think you need to get drunk every time you drink?”

  “I’m twenty-one!” I almost yelled. Jesus, what did he expect me to act like? Him?

  “I don’t care if you drink, Whitley. I care that you seem to get drunk when you drink. You seem to want to be a little reckless when you drink.”

  I was done. I leaned over and turned the radio back on.

  He turned it off. “Why can’t you just talk to me? Why do you have to get mad when I want to have an adult conversation with you?”

  I didn’t answer. I was ready to start screaming my head off. I didn’t want to wake Maddie. And, if I am being honest, he still intimidated the hell out of me.

  <><><>

  Things seemed to have gone from bad to worse. I avoided Alex as much as possible, as did he. He started working out of the house a little more, sometimes taking Maddie with him. Thank God for Regan; she was my escape. My only freedom from Alex. He never said a word when we met for lunch, shopped, or did things with the girls. It was the bar scene that he seemed to not deal with well. He never stopped me or told me no, but I could tell he didn’t like it.

  I did control myself and didn’t throw myself on him like I had the first time I had come home drunk, not that I did it often. It was only twice since I’d been there, and the one time that Regan and I stopped at Blue Moon for lunch. I did sort of go home drunk that day, but it was in the middle of the day. That didn’t really count.

  We ate supper together and took turns bathing and reading to Maddie. We talked about her and that was about the extent of it. I did kind of like having access to his credit card and stopped feeling guilty about that. He was making me live in his house against my will. He owed me an endless flow of money.

  Regan taught me a lot about fashion. I always checked out her styles when we were together. She didn’t dress like me at all. I was raised by a river on a campground: jeans, work boots, tees, and flannels were what I was used to. I quickly learned to love shoes and designer clothing. I still wore jeans a lot, especially since the weather had started to get cooler, they just weren’t my normal thirty dollar Levi’s from JC Penny’s. They were eighty and ninety dollar jeans from classy clothing stores.

  “Where are you going?” Alex asked, the week before Thanksgiving.

  “Shopping with Regan. I want to get Maddie and me a new outfit for dinner Thursday. What’s that?” I asked looking at the papers he had strung about the table.

  “I go sopping too,” Maddie decided. Crap, I didn’t want her to hear me say that.

  “No, you’re going to stay home and help daddy work. Mommy’s going to get her hair done and I can’t watch you.” I tried.

  “No, no, me go a sopping.”

  “We’ll go get ice cream,” Alex told her. That did it. She didn’t want to go sopping anymore.

  “I need you to sign this so I can drop it back off with the attorney,” Alex informed me.

  “Attorney? What is it?”

  “Forms to have Maddie’s name changed.”

  “Maddie’s name changed?” I didn’t want Maddie’s name changed. Why did he think he could just do that without discussing it with me first?

  “Yes, stop repeating what I say. Just sign it. I’ll take care of the rest.”

  “Why would you change her name? She knows her name now. She’s a Bradshaw not a Wesson.”

  “She’s a Wesson and I want her name legally changed.”

 
; “We’ll talk about this later. Regan will be here any minute.”

  “Sign your name, Whitley.” Alex demanded, standing up. I didn’t like his tone. I didn’t like him thinking he could just spring this on me and expect me to just jump through hoops for him.

  “No Alex, we need to talk about this. You can’t just have papers drawn up and expect me to do what you say. I need to think about this.”

  “There’s nothing to think about. She’s my child. She’s going to carry my name. I want it changed before she starts preschool next month.”

  “She’s your child? I distinctly remember being the one to carry her. I gave birth to her. I woke for the three o’clock feedings. I’m the one that sat up with her when she was sick. I am the one that—”

  “Sign the fucking paper, Whitley!” Alex interrupted my rant with a quiet, angry tone through gritted teeth.

  I signed my name, kissed Maddie on the cheek, and walked toward the sound of Regan’s car horn.

  Chapter 10

  “Ugh, your brother is impossible,” I told Regan as I slammed her car door.

  “Maybe we should end our shopping trip with a drink,” Regan guessed.

  “No, that will just make him worse. I’d rather go spend his money.”

  That was exactly what I did. I didn’t need everything I bought. I didn’t need the three pair of shoes, two purses, or the new winter coat. I spent out of spite. I would teach him. Not really, he didn’t care. He had never said one word about what I spent. I tried to spend enough to piss him off. It didn’t work. We had our hair and nails done, and I was home to cook supper by five o’clock.

  “I’ll see you Thursday,” I told Regan after our eventful day of shopping.

  I gave Alex a dirty look as he walked to the car to carry my bags. I didn’t need his help. I didn’t ask for his help.

  “You can just lay them on my bed. Thanks,” I said, picking Maddie up.

  “Let’s go make some spaghetti.”

  “I not wike it.”

  “Yes, you do. You love spaghetti.”

  Maddie sat on the island in the middle of the kitchen while I cooked and played with her. Alex locked himself in his room which was fine by me. I didn’t want him around me. He just forced me to sign over my name for his. I wasn’t talking to him. I also wasn’t looking forward to Thanksgiving dinner at his parent’s house. My dad and Dana would be there too, and once again I would pretend that Alex and I were this happy little couple and I would get to sleep in his bed. Great, I couldn’t freaking wait.

  Alex came out for supper and we spent the entire meal talking to Maddie and avoiding conversation with each other. I bathed her and put her to bed with a bedtime story before bathing myself and going to my room. I talked to my dad for a bit and then searched the internet for online schools. Maybe I did need to lose myself in something, anything. I would have loved to learn more about what Alex did. I was definitely intrigued by what he did, but I would never let him in on that little secret. That would mean spending time with him. I wasn’t that desperate, yet.

  Alex knew I was pissed. He apparently didn’t care. We never discussed the name change at all, not that it would have mattered anyway. It was done. Maddie would go from Madelyn Rae Bradshaw to Madelyn Rae Wesson as soon as the papers were signed by the judge. It was finished. I couldn’t change it if I tried. We spent the next few days ignoring each other until Thanksgiving morning.

  I bathed Maddie and pulled the top of her hair back with a cute little turkey barrette, put on her new dress and little black shoes. She was adorable. I sent her out to her daddy while I dressed. I too wore a short black pencil skirt with a white, very expensive cashmere sweater thanks to Alex’s credit card. I dried my hair, blowing it to part on the side and curled loose curls at the ends. I topped it off with makeup, perfume, long silver earrings, and three inch black stilettos. Turning to the full length mirror, I gave myself a snarl of approval. I looked good. I looked damn good. It was too bad I couldn’t go to that biker bar after dinner. I’m sure one of those guys was as good as Jaron in bed, if not better.

  “Mommy pretty too,” Maddie said as I emerged.

  “Wow. Yes, she is,” Alex said. “I mean, yes, mommy looks nice too,” he rephrased. I smiled. He couldn’t cover it up. I already heard the wow factor in his tone the first time.

  My dad was running late and was going to meet us at the Wesson’s. Alex put Maddie in her seat and told her not to go to sleep. She refused a nap and there wasn’t time to fight with her. I knew five minutes into the drive she would be out, and knowing Maddie, she would be a whiny butt for the rest of the day.

  I was right and Alex had to carry her in sleeping once we arrived, both praying that she slept for a while. Connie opened the door to a spare bedroom off the living room and Alex laid her down. He had to lay down with her after removing her coat when she woke. He rubbed her back and hummed while she decided she was still tired and fell back to sleep.

  I went to find Regan who already made me a drink of something. I was going to need it. I had to sleep in the same bed as Alex. Maybe I shouldn’t drink.

  My dad and Dana got there about an hour before dinner. Dana joined us in the kitchen while the men stayed away watching football. Trenton was in and out, but I think she liked the football game more than she cared about the cooking, drinking, and chatter going on in the kitchen. She reminded me a lot of myself at her age. She was quite the tomboy; Regan hated it.

  “Hey, Vince,” I said as he came in for a beer run.

  “I’m not talking to you.”

  “What? Why?” I asked.

  “Because I got elbowed for checking out your skirt. I’m not looking at you either,” he added, taking three beers from the refrigerator.

  “You weren’t checking out her skirt. You were checking out her ass. What color is her skirt?” Regan scolded her husband.

  Vince looked at me sitting behind the island. He couldn’t see my skirt nor did he have any idea what color it was.

  We all laughed as he put his head down and walked away, busted.

  I absolutely loved Alex’s family. They were so down to earth and I loved that they made my family feel so welcomed in their house. It was just too bad that Alex and I didn’t like each other, although you would have never guessed it. Alex was very attentive to me the entire day. He was actually driving me crazy. He even went as far as running his hand up the inside of my leg nonchalantly, while we talked around the turkey dinner. I moved my hand to his, picked it up, and moved it from my leg. It was unnecessary, nobody could see him. I didn’t want him touching me. I was still pissed about the whole name change that I had no say over.

  He even wrapped his arms around me when we were cleaning up the kitchen. I know it was the alcohol, but I actually pressed my ass into his crotch as he did. I was playing with fire. I had to sleep in the same bed with him. Maddie needed to be between us. Yes, that was the plan. I needed Maddie to keep me from the alcohol induced horniness.

  It was almost ten before we left his parents. Regan was drunk and yelling at Vince for something that happened three days before. I laughed, finding it hilarious, then again that was probably the multiple drinks that I had too.

  Maddie didn’t save me at all. Alex carried her to bed and put her pajamas on her while I sneaked into my own room for clothes. I talked to my dad briefly before we all said goodnight and turned in. I hadn’t seen Alex walk upstairs. I thought he was still with Maddie. Walking upstairs, I pulled the sweater over my head, leaving me in a black camisole, my skirt, and heels. I covered my breasts when I opened the door to find Alex in bed. Shirtless. Shit!

  His eyes scanned my body as I ignored him and walked to the shower. I pulled my hair back not wanting to wash it and took a quick shower, covering myself with lots of flannel. I didn’t speak to him as I crawled on to my side of the bed.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  Okay? What did that mean? I turned over to look at him. Damn, I couldn’t look at him. Why did I rol
l over?

  “I’m fine, why wouldn’t I be?”

  He shrugged his shoulders and looked at me with some shitty ass sexy expression. No, not sexy. It was the alcohol. That’s what it was. He made me change my daughter’s name without consulting with me first. There was nothing sexy about Alex Wesson.

  “I just know how you get when you’re intoxicated.”

  “I’m not intoxicated,” I lied, the room was spinning, just a little.

  “And you don’t have any other needs that need tended to?”

  What? Was he really suggesting…. No, surely not.

  “No, my needs are just fine. Thank you very much.”

  “We don’t have to have sex. You could just let me take care of the ache.”

  Well, hell, I didn’t have an ache until he said that. I instantly felt the pulsating and the dampness between my legs. I laughed, it was the only emotion that made sense.

  “My ache is fine too. Turn the light off.”

  “Would it make you feel better with the light off?”

  “Alex, you are not touching me.”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t want you to.”

  “I think you do.”

  “You’re crazy. Go to sleep.”

  “Let me see.”

  “See what?”

  “Let me touch your pussy and see if it needs to be satisfied.”

  “And how are you going to see that?”

  “Oh, don’t worry. I can tell.”

  I was frozen in shock when Alex came to his knees and removed the covers. I wanted to knock him off the bed and stop him. My pulsating sex wouldn’t let me. He stared into my eyes with a look that entranced me. I couldn’t stop him. I even raised my hips when he placed his hands in the elastic of my pants and slid them down. He smiled, I wasn’t sure if he was smiling at the fact that I wasn’t wearing panties or the fact that I shaved.

  He stopped looking into my eyes and moved them to my pussy. My heart was beating out of my chest, my breathing was erratic, and I just wanted him to touch me. He moved his fingers around my pubic bone, to my inner thighs, and then to my lips where he softly ran his fingers up both sides.