Alex blinked at Brielle’s announcement, his gaze shifting over to the couple on the porch then back to his guest. “Your parents?”
The blonde nodded and glanced down to the shattered glass at her feet. “I broke your glass, I’m sorry.”
He snapped into action at that. “Oh, gosh, no that’s okay; I have plenty.” Then he moved over to her and gently scooped her up into his arms, doing his best to not step on the shards. “I’ll have Mrs. Morenci sweep it up,” he spoke of his housekeeper that was in the back room doing some laundry.
Brielle leaned into his chest, lifting her bare feet some into the air. “Did I get any on my feet?”
Alex glanced toward the doorway then figured her parents would probably come inside on their own, so he started for the living room and gently set her onto the sofa. “Let me check your feet.” He crouched before her and took hold of her ankles, carefully checking her skin over for any signs of glass or small cuts. “I think you’re good.”
Brielle smiled and touched his cheek. “Thank you.” Then she stiffened and a frown fell over her features.
Alex glanced behind him to see her parents stepping down into the room and he rose to his feet. “Um, hello; I’m Alex.” He stepped forward and reached a hand toward the couple.
“Nice to meet you; I’m Joshua Madison.” Her father stepped forward and took his hand, giving it a firm shake. Then he moved back and smoothed a hand to his wife’s back. “And this is Chloe, my wife. We’re Brielle’s parents.”
“It’s good to meet you.” Alex gave Chloe’s hand a shake then stepped back again. “Would either of you like something to drink?”
“Oh goodness, water would be great, thank you,” her mother requested, offering up a smile that touched her eyes and made Alex see the resemblance between her and her daughter.
“Okay, I’ll um,” he glanced over to Brielle then back to her parents, “be right back, then.”
They nodded and he slipped from the room and down the hall to the kitchen. He’d just gotten the glasses from the sink when Brielle scurried into the room to join him.
“I can’t believe they’re here!” She hissed, folding her arms over her chest and pacing back and forth in front of the refrigerator.
Alex shut the cabinet and juggled the two glasses, looking to her. “How did they find you?”
“I have no idea!” She threw her hands up into the air then folded them over her chest again. “And what are they doing here? The last time I saw them was three years ago and my mother told me not to bother ever coming back.”
He winced at that. “Maybe they’ve had a change of heart.”
Brielle snorted. “My mother doesn’t have a change of heart.”
Alex wasn’t sure what to say to her because he didn’t know the whole story. “Well, maybe Lily called them.”
“No, she’s never met them and she doesn’t even know their names. Besides,” she brought her thumb up and bit at her thumbnail, “she wouldn’t do that to me.”
“Were they that horrible to you?”
The blonde sighed. “It wasn’t that they were horrible, but they aren’t supportive and they don’t make you feel good about yourself.” Her blue eyes clouded over. “And if they’re here, then they want something. They wouldn’t just show up out of the goodness of their hearts.”
Alex knew where she was coming from; his father had done the exact same thing to him. “Alright.” He set the glasses on the counter then moved and intercepted Brielle as she paced back and forth. Taking hold of her shoulders, he met her gaze. “I’ll ask them to leave; if they’re only going to upset you then I don’t want them here.”
“What do they even want?”
He sighed and drew her into his arms, holding her close. “You want me to go ask them? I can tell ‘em you went upstairs to lie down.”
She buried her face in his chest. “How did they even get past the gate?”
“That’s a very good question and one I intend on finding an answer for.”
Brielle sighed and hugged him close. “I’m sorry, I had no idea they were going to fly across the country and show up unexpected.”
“Hey, it’s not your fault.” He rubbed her back and kissed her head again before peering down to her face. “You wanna go hide out upstairs?”
“No,” she pulled back from his arms and smoothed out her shirt then ran her fingers through her hair, “I should go face them; I can’t make you do it alone.”
“I have no problem doing it alone.”
Brielle shook her head and her hand found its way to his. “No, I’ll be okay, but thank you.” She kissed his cheek.
Quickly, he turned his head and caught her mouth with his, gently drawing her closer to him.
The blonde blinked when he caught her off guard, but allowed herself to be pressed against him, shivering at the feel of his lips against her own. She knew this was the last thing they needed to be doing, but at that very moment she didn’t care. Alex was being so wonderful and taking care of her and when she was close to him and around him, she felt so safe; like he would never let anything happen to her and right now that’s what she so desperately needed. Her best friend had just left her and her parents had shown up out of the blue; Brielle was feeling very vulnerable and unstable and she needed to draw that strength from somewhere.
His mouth nibbled hers and he snaked a hand up to the back of her head, giving a slight murmur in his throat. The velvety feels of her lips was intoxicating and she tasted like sweet apples and it spurred him on, causing him to deepen the kiss and slowly pull her under, taking her into the depths of the moment. It felt so right to be holding her and touching her and kissing her and he never wanted it to stop, but knew her parents were waiting and that caused a groan in his throat and he forced himself back.
Brielle’s eyes slowly fluttered open and she drew her bottom lip into her mouth.
“I’m sorry; I couldn’t help myself,” Alex spoke softly, reaching up and brushing some of her silky hair from her face, his fingers grazing her cheek.
She caught his hand and placed a soft kiss to his palm. “S’okay.”
Alex grinned at that and brushed his lips across her forehead. “Okay, you ready to get back in there?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be, I suppose.”
He chuckled low. “If they upset you, just let me know and I’ll ask them to leave.”
“Okay, you can throw them out.”
“And I will. Let me just get them some water first and we can go back in there.” Quickly, Alex filled the two glasses with ice then water from the door of the fridge, then together the two headed back down into the living room where they found Brielle’s parents seated on a sofa talking low amongst themselves. Alex passed out the drinks then he and the blonde took up the love seat across from them.
“You have a beautiful home,” Chloe mused as she peered around the room. “I’d love to see the rest of it.”
Alex shifted his gaze to Brielle then back to her mother. “Well, thank you; I did all the decorating myself.”
“You have quite a unique taste.”
“I try not to be like everyone else.”
“It definitely shows.” She studied a painting over the fireplace then took another drink of her water.
“So,” Alex cleared his throat some, “may I ask how you two got past the gate at the bottom of my driveway?”
Joshua and Chloe exchanged a look and Joshua’s crisp, blue eyes turned toward the other male. “The gate was open,” he shrugged some, “we just figured you left it open during the day.”
He frowned at that. “Huh, something must be wrong with it. I’ll have to call and have it checked out.”
“We’re sorry if we’re intruding. We wouldn’t have just come on up here if we’d known you always buzz people through.”
“No, that’s alright, you didn’t know.”
Chloe smiled appreciatively and Brielle resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She was dying to ask them what they were doing there; better yet how they’d found her. And what it was they wanted exactly, because she knew her parents and showing up like this was not something they did unless there was an ulterior motive. “So, um…Chloe,” she began, insistent on not calling them ‘mom’ and ‘dad’ because she didn’t feel they deserved it. “You’re a long way from Virginia.”
Her mother looked a little surprised at being called her name by her daughter, but she didn’t let on. “We wanted to see you, dear.”
“Really? Because the last time I saw you, you told me never to show my face again.”
A look passed over Chloe’s face. “I was angry, Brielle. You wouldn’t even listen to us, so intent on doing what you wanted to do, no matter what anyone else thought.”
“Well, it’s my life, shouldn’t I get to decide it,” it was rhetorical and she wasn’t expecting an answer.
Her mother sighed. “Can’t we put all that behind us and start fresh? Your father and I thought you’d be happy to see us.”
“Are you serious?” She could feel the anger starting to boil. “After you basically disown me and I’m nearly living on the streets for three years, you want to just waltz back into my life like everything is right as rain? It doesn’t work that way, mother,” she spat the name out like it was poison in her mouth.
The older woman flinched. “We didn’t know how to find you, sweetheart. You’re father and I have been looking for you for more than a year now.”
Brielle’s eyes darted to her dad and he nodded. “We really have, Rie,” he used his own personal nickname he had for her, “but it’s not so easy to find someone who doesn’t have an address.”
“So, you think I should just forget what happened and welcome you back into my life?”
They shared a glance and her mother fiddled with the water glass in her hand. “We know it might be difficult and take some time, but we were hoping you would.”
A frown settled over her features and she looked off for a moment. “I don’t believe this.”
“Brielle, we’re your parents,” her father spoke.
“I’m well aware of that.”
“We just want you in our life again.”
Her clear eyes flashed in his direction. “And why is that?”
Chloe sighed. “Brielle, we love you. You’re our daughter and we want to be there for you.”
The younger woman bit her lower lip and glanced over to Alex; she was at a loss with what to say. On one hand, she wanted to yell and tell them how horrible they were and she wanted nothing to do with either of them, but on the other hand, she wanted to just stop the fighting and move past it all, and maybe making amends would help with that.
Alex reached over and rubbed her back, directing his gaze to the couple across from them. “I don’t know exactly what went down between you guys, and it may not be my place to speak up, but I’m going to. Brielle’s had a pretty rough go and she’s dealing with a lot right now. I’m sure your intentions are nothing but good, but the stress it’s causing her isn’t good for her. She needs a lot of stability and a low stress level and I know you don’t want to upset her. So maybe the best thing to do right now is just let her think things over. You’ve said your piece so let her digest it and give her some time to figure out what she wants.”
Brielle could have kissed him again. Glancing to him, she sent him a silent thank you and looked back to her parents.
“Well, of course,” Chloe nodded and glanced to her husband then to her daughter, “we didn’t mean to come into the picture and upset you, dear.”
“Not at all,” her father agreed.
“So, we’ll just go and give you some time.” Her mother rose from the sofa, motioning to her husband to join her.
“Okay, thank you.” Brielle stayed in her spot, she had no desire to hug or receive one.
Alex stood though and shook her parents hands again then showed them to the door. Chloe touched her daughter’s head as she passed and Joshua gave her shoulder a squeeze. They both promised to give her a day or so before calling again then finally allowed Alex to walk them out. He returned a few moments later and sank back down next to her.
Reaching a hand out, he gently massaged the back of her neck. “You okay?”
“Thank you for saying that to them.” She melted at his touch then leaned her body against his and settled into his embrace. “I can’t believe they’re here.”
“You really think they want something?”
“Why else would they show up completely unannounced?”
He shrugged, his hand rubbing small circles on her back. “Maybe they’re telling the truth, maybe they’ve been looking for you for awhile now.”
“I don’t know, but it makes my head hurt just thinking about it.”
“You want to take a nap?”
“No,” she shook her head, “maybe later.”
“Mmkay.” He pressed his lips to her temple.
“Hello, hello,” Denise’s voice called out a few moments later as she stepped down into the living room. “Alex, honey, your gate isn’t working properly.” She set her handbag onto a chair then sank down into the one next to it. “It wouldn’t close when I left today and was still open when I got back.”
“I know, I’ll call the company in a bit,” he replied, his arm still around the blonde, holding her in place when she tried to sit up away from him.
“Alright, good.” Denise’s hazel eyes darted between the two of them. “Everything okay?”
Alex and Brielle shared a glance. “Brielle’s parents showed up unexpected and she doesn’t have a very good relationship with them, but we handled it. Right?”
The blonde gave a nod. “Yes, Alex was wonderful and we finally convinced them to leave.”
“Oh, honey,” Denise pouted at her, “are you alright?”
“Yeah, I’m okay.” She finally was able to pull from Alex’s embrace and sat up, smoothing her hair out. “I was very surprised to see them and it just makes me think they want something.”
“Well, what would they want?”
Brielle bit her bottom lip and shifted her gaze between the mother and son. “That’s what I’ve been trying to figure out.”
“Do they know about the baby?”
“They probably do. I’m sure they saw me on TV or something thanks to the paparazzi and that’s how they found me.”
“How would they have found where I live?” Alex questioned.
She shrugged. “They could have hired a private detective.”
He sighed and ran a hand over his face. “You’re probably right.”
“You didn’t ask them?” Denise was watching the couple with a slightly surprised expression.
Brielle drew up a shoulder. “The conversation didn’t really go well and Alex asked them to leave before we could get there.”
“Good,” she scowled, “I don’t want anyone upsetting you.”
Alex slipped his arm around her and gave her a squeeze. “I’m not gonna let that happen.”
Brielle smiled then gave his leg a pat. “I think I’m gonna go upstairs and take a nap; all this excitement is catching up to me.” Then she turned to Denise. “Did Lily get off okay?”
Denise smiled and gave a nod. “She did; said to tell you she’ll call you later tonight.”
“Good, I’ve got so much to tell her already.” She chuckled low. “Okay, going now.”
“Okay, babe.” Alex squeezed her shoulder then watched her stand. She touched his cheek very briefly then bid a goodbye to Denise before disappearing from the room to head up the stairs.
Denise watched her go then turned back to her son. “That poor child; I didn’t realize she was estranged from her parents.”
“Yeah, I don’t know the whole story, but she wanted to move to New York City and her parents didn’t want her to go, so they told her if she left she wasn’t to come back.”
“And now they’ve seen her on the television and want back in,” Denise finished the story, knowing full well what was going on; she’d been in that same spot with her son and his father.
Alex nodded some and rubbed his jaw. “You think they showed up cuz they want money?”
“That’s a big possibility. They may think you and Brielle are in a relationship and they may be able to get something from you, rather it be money, attention, fame.”
“Great,” he sighed and slouched some into his seat, “like we don’t have enough shit going on already.”
“Alex!”
“Sorry, sorry,” he apologized.
Denise shook her head some then fixed her gaze onto her son. “So, while we’re on the topic of all the craziness going on; how about we discuss you and Renee?”
Alex gave an inward grown and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Do we have to?”
“It’s not something you can escape, I’m afraid.”
“Fine,” he breathed out in a heavy sigh, lowering his hand and looking at his mother. “What do you want to discuss?”
Denise weighed her options; she had her own opinions on Renee’s announcement, but she didn’t want to barrel right into them, especially if she knew her son the way she did. Step lightly had to be her motto when it came to Alex; his stubbornness and ability to push right back forced it. Her son was famous for trying to prove you wrong and if he was told don’t, he’d make damn sure he did; no matter the consequences. “Renee wants to get married before the baby is born?” When Alex gave a silent nod, she continued, “How far along is she?”
“Hell if I know.”
“Alex.”
He sighed and rubbed his face. “She said she’s been to the doctor; they did one of those pee-in-a-cup tests and confirmed it.”
“Alright, so six to eight weeks then it sounds like.”
He shrugged, his gaze wandering to the large windows that looked out over his vast front lawn. He could already feel that craving for some Jack in the back of his throat. Alex knew he shouldn’t want to drink, especially after his night, but it was there and slowly growing stronger. Soon it’d be a raging need that he’d have to quench and he racked his brain, trying to remember if he’d drank all the bottles from the other night.
“Alexander, are you listening to me?”
His mother’s voice cut through him and he turned, a guilty expression covering his face. “Sorry, Mom, I spaced for a minute.”
“I’d say so.” She sighed heavily and studied her son, pressing her lips together until they formed a thin line.
One eyebrow rose. “Don’t even start with me, don’t you do it.” He knew that look better than any of her others. It was that, ‘You’re doing something you shouldn’t be and I’m trying to decide if I should bring it up’ expression she always wore before they got into a huge debate or an even bigger argument.
“I just worry about you,” she spoke in a softer tone, trying to keep her voice calm and his feathers unruffled.
“You don’t need to worry; I’m just fine,” he lied, this time being rather successful at not letting the guilt chip away at his heart.
“Now that, I know, is a lie. There’s no way you’re ‘just fine’ after finding out you’re having two children, each with a different woman. And one of those women is trying to pressure you into a marriage you’re neither ready for or want at the moment. And now, the other’s parents have shown up after being estranged for who knows how many years. You’re not fine, Alex; I know you’re not.”
He frowned at his mother, hating the fact that she was right. “What am I supposed to do? Kick Brielle out; marry Renee, tell Renee to take a hike? Of course I’m not ‘fine’, but I’m doing the best I can be considering.”
She sighed and smoothed her fingertips over the arms of the chair. “Honey, do you still want to marry Renee?”
“Not as soon as she wants me to.”
“But you still want to?”
He drew a shoulder up. “Why wouldn’t I? I love her; I see a future for us.”
“Do you really mean that, or are you trying to convince yourself it’s the truth?”
His eyes flashed at Denise. “What are you saying?”
“Alex, don’t get upset with me,” Denise held a hand out, “but things change, sweetheart; people change, feelings change, situations change. And sometimes, the things you think you feel or want to do aren’t really what you want deep down.”
“You think I’ve changed my mind about Renee?”
Denise wet her bottom lip, knowing she needed to choose her words carefully. “I think that I’ve seen the way you and Renee interact and it’s not like it used to be.”
“Well of course it’s not; look at everything I’m dealing with!” He exploded suddenly, waving a hand about the room.
“Exactly, darling, and that’s not the way you want to enter a marriage.” He paused at that and she knew she hit a mark. Taking a breath and sending up a silent prayer, she continued, “It only takes an instant for something to happen that changes how you view your future and it only takes one tiny incident to change your path in life; nothing’s constant and there are no guarantees. If you want to marry Renee, deep down underneath everything that’s going on, you still love her and want that future together; you share the same outlook on what your lives will be, then I’m not going to step in your way. But darling, with all the stress from Brielle and her baby and now Renee’s baby, if your feelings are changing, then that’s okay too. If you feel you aren’t able to make the kind of commitment to Renee that a marriage is, then you know that marrying her wouldn’t be right. You need to speak up.”
Alex sighed and rubbed his forehead. At the moment, he didn’t know how he felt about Renee; but he knew he wasn’t ready to marry her, or if he even wanted to. His mother was right; he needed to say something before it got out of hand and Renee was dragging him down the aisle, or he was leaving her standing there waiting on him to show when he knew he never would. But it wasn’t going to sit well with the dark haired beauty and she was not going to let it go without a fight; which the tattooed man didn’t know if he had the energy to deal with.
“I’ll think about it,” he finally relented, lifting his head and meeting his mother’s gaze.
She smiled tightly; it hadn’t been what she wanted to hear, but he wasn’t balking at the idea, or causing an uproar, so it was better than nothing. “Alright, dear, and you know that you can talk to me if you’re feeling stressed or need some advice.”
“I know,” he smiled at that and it reached his eyes, “and I appreciate that. You’ve been a good mom to me over the years.”
“I could have been much better.”
“Don’t say that, you did the best you knew how.”
“I know.” She sighed some and fiddled with the fabric of the arm chair. “I just want you to be happy, Alex; that’s all I’ve ever wanted.
He watched her, feeling the guilt starting to set in at hiding his drinking and he hated himself at the moment. “You’ve done a good job, Mom; a real good job. I am happy.”
“That’s a lie.”
He sighed. “I know; but what’s going on now isn’t your fault, it’s my own. And now, I need to be the one to fix it.”
“Can’t you even let me try to help?”
“What are you going to do? You can’t talk any sense into Renee or keep Brielle from running off if she thinks she’s messing up my life, or perform some kind of miracle so the two of them can at least stand to be in the same room together.”
Denise chuckled low. “I handled myself just fine yesterday. I thought Renee was going to explode when Brielle and Lily came back to the house.”
“I’m sure you did.” A grin tugged at his lips. “Brie says she’s just ignoring Renee; says she isn’t going to let her get under her skin because then she’ll have won.”
“That’s a good way of looking at it.” His mother smiled. “I wasn’t sure I was going to really like Brielle, but I think I was wrong. She’s darling and so sweet and just has this…” she trailed off, trying to figure out the right words to describe it.
“Innocence and vulnerability?”
Denise mulled that over and nodded. “You could say that; it makes you just want to take her in your care and keep her safe.”
“Yeah, it really does.” He sighed some and a tiny grin flittered over his face as he pictured the blonde. There was something about her that captivated him and he couldn’t explain what it was or why. Things seemed so easy when she was around and he didn’t feel like the weak and scared drunk, he felt like he was strong and needed and could do anything. She needed his strength, but she was the one that was providing it to him. He chuckled at that realization and felt his cheeks flush at the look his mother sent his way.
“What?”
“Nothing.” Shaking his head, he rubbed his warm cheek and cleared his throat. “So um, I should call the gate company and get someone out here to fix it.”
“You should, that way no other estranged parents wander up the drive.”
Alex knew it was a joke, but couldn’t help but think about his own father appearing again. He felt a punch to his gut at that and tried to push it from his mind. “I think I’m gonna go check on Brielle.”
“Alright, son.”
He pushed himself from the couch and tugged up his pants some then moved over to Denise and kissed her atop her head. “Love you, Mom.”
“Love you too, baby.” She squeezed his hand then watched him go, her head falling against the back of the chair once she was alone in the room. Her instincts told her he was drinking again and she knew better than to question him on it; once was enough and if she tried for more, it’d send him running and there’d be no way for her to help him. So she needed to ease into it, maybe place a call to his sponsor who could drop by ‘unexpectedly’. Whatever route she took, he could have no idea it had been her or who knows the repercussions it might cause.
When that thought hit her, Denise turned her head toward the archway that led to the stairwell. She could put the wheels in motion, but maybe she wouldn’t need to do anything more. She’d seen the way her son and Brielle had been sitting when she’d arrived back from the airport. And she wasn’t blind; she’d seen the way he looked at the young woman when he thought no one was watching. Brielle had the same expression in her eyes when she observed Alex. Not to mention, the kiss on the piano bench she’d nearly interrupted. Neither one had seen her and she’d hightailed it out of there faster than a rabbit running from a fox. This might be just what Alex needed to work through his drinking; a silver lining around a cloud so to speak. Because something was happening between the two, slowly but surely, and though the situation wasn’t the best, Denise couldn’t help but smile.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Here's another chapter, enjoy! And as always, thanks for all the feedback! :)
