“Hello?”

“Hey, Mom,” Alex greeted Denise when she answered her phone. He was seated in a side courtyard scattered with stone picnic tables. It was vacant though due to the fact that it was nearly December and just a little too cold to enjoy lunch outside. A perfect place to seek solace and not be disturbed or eavesdropped on. And despite the chilly air outside, his steaming hot coffee would keep him warm. Besides, the fresh air would do him some good.

“Hey, baby,” she replied, sounding slightly hesitant. “Are you okay?”

Not really, but he couldn’t tell her that he’d drank himself into a drunken stupor and now was living the after effects. “I’m alright.”

“You sound a little off.”

“I’ve had an off week.”

She had to give him that. “You’re right. Look, I’m glad you called. I wanted to apologize for freaking out on you last night. That’s a lot for you to have to deal with and I should have been more sympathetic and listened to you. I’m your mother; I’m supposed to be there for you.”

He rubbed the bridge of his nose, hoping the Ibuprofen would kick in soon. “Thank you, Mom. I’m glad you feel that way, but I was calling to apologize to you. I shouldn’t have gone off like I did. You were just doing what you thought best.”

“And I still think that way. I know you may feel uncomfortable to ask this girl to take a DNA test, but baby, you have to protect yourself.”

“I know I do. But the baby won’t be here for like…eight more months…am I supposed to act like it’s not mine until we do a test? And what if it is? I’ve ignored it up till the results come in; how does one piece of paper change that?”

His mother sighed softly over the line. “Rather you spend the next eight months putting your heart and soul into this only to find out that it’s not yours. It’s tough, it really is. The situation you’re in is a very difficult and sticky and it pangs me that you have to go through this. No mother ever wants their child to have to deal with something as big or difficult as what you’re dealing with. You have to tread very carefully and you want to be there and do what you can, but you have to protect yourself first.”

“I know.” He rubbed his forehead then leaned over the table some. “But I really do think this baby is mine. And I want to help this girl. She’s going to come out and visit me in LA for a week or two and see what she thinks.”

Denise stayed silent.

Alex shifted his eyes toward the phone. “And I would like you to come out one weekend and meet her.”

“Oh, baby.”

“We’ll figure a way to do the test, Mom. But until then, I’m not going to act any different. And if…it’s not mine, then we’ll deal with that when we get there. But I’m going to treat it like the baby is mine, which means…he, or she, is your grandchild.” He chuckled low. “You’ve been telling me for years that you’ve wanted grandchildren.”

“I know,” she gave a low laugh, “but I was meaning with someone you would marry and have a relationship with.” A pause. “Speaking of which…have you told Renee yet?”

“No.” A sour taste rose into his mouth.

“How do you think she’s going to handle it?”

“I think she might try to kill me. I seriously do.”

“Well, can you blame her?”

“No.” He rubbed his head and frowned at himself. “We’ve always had an understanding in our relationship.”

“An understanding?”

“Yeah, like…if you need something and one’s not there…kinda thing.” He felt extremely weird telling his mother about this.

Denise gasped. “You had an open relationship?”

“Well, neither of us came out and said that…but pretty much.”

“Then she has no ground to stand on to be upset with you.”

“That was before we were engaged. Things got more serious once I put that ring on her finger.” He glanced around the courtyard as a crow cawed from some tree. “And I got some girl pregnant; she does have room to be upset.”

His mother gave a sigh. “I could never understand you kids.”

“I never understood myself either,” he agreed. “But um, I’m going to head back to LA as soon as I find out what’s going on with Brielle and talk to Renee. Then she and her friend are gonna fly out and join me.”

“Her friend?”

“She doesn’t want to come by herself and I can’t really blame her. She doesn’t know me and she doesn’t know the area. So her friend is gonna come with her and they’ll stay for a week or two.” He glanced to the phone again. “And you have to come out one weekend to meet her. I think you’ll like her and I think you’ll immediately take her under your wing. Once you see her and hear her story, you won’t be able to help yourself.”

“I don’t know.” He could hear the hesitation in her voice.

“Mom, come on…for me. Besides, Renee might despise me and I’ll need someone in my court.”

“Oh, I’ll come out there,” she relayed. “But I don’t know how much I’m going to like this girl.”

Alex sighed. “She’s really in a bad spot and she’s not taking care of herself. She passed out yesterday and had to stay overnight in the hospital because she’s dehydrated and exhausted. She has no money or job or place to live and I can’t just sit by and watch her life unravel knowing that she’s carrying my child.”

“Oh, no…” Denise breathed out. “Is she okay? Is the baby okay?”

“Yeah, they’re both alright, but the doctor said that she needs to really follow the direction her ob-gyn gives her. And I highly doubt she has one of those.”

“That poor child. Alex, you need to get her to a doctor right away.”

He smirked at her sudden change in demeanor. “What’d I tell ya? Under your wing.”

“Well, just because I have my reservations about this being your child doesn’t mean I want harm to come to her, or that baby.” She paused. “Why didn’t you tell me this last night?”

“I wasn’t in the mood and you were going on and on about this DNA test.”

“I understand.” She was quiet for a moment. “You know I love you.”

“I know.” He smoothed a hand over the cool stone of the picnic table. “I love you, too.”

“And I’m proud of you. You’re really stepping up to the plate here and underneath it all, you’re doing the right thing.”

He gave a small grin at that. “Thank you. I’m gonna try here, Mom. I have to.”

“And you know that I’ll help you with whatever you need. And as long as you are planning to do the DNA test, I’ll stop hounding you about it.”

“Thank you.” He relaxed some then rubbed his forehead, wishing the medicine would take the ache away already.

“So, we’re okay?”

“We’re okay. And, Mom,” he hesitated and wet his bottom lip, “I’m glad we’re talking again.”

“Me too, Alex.”

They conversed for a few minutes longer then finally ended the call. Alex sighed and set the phone on the table then leaned over with his head in his hands. At least one good thing had come out of this; he and his mother had made up. Could that be the silver lining surrounding the murky, black storm cloud that was hanging over his head? He hoped so because he needed something good right now. In the next few days he was going to have to tell Renee about Brielle and the baby and he just knew it wasn’t going to go well. Just the thought of having to do so was making him sick to his stomach; and his hangover was not helping him feel any better about it. But it served him right; he brought it on himself.

Frowning at that thought, he grabbed his phone, rose to his feet and headed back for the hospital doors.

~*~*~*~*~

Two days later, Alex was back in Los Angeles. They had released Brielle after just one night in the hospital with strict instructions to get plenty of rest, drink lots of fluids and see her ob-gyn. Lily had made sure the guest room was ready and even set up a little bell in case her friend needed anything during the night.

Alex had spent the rest of the evening with them before finally heading back to his hotel room and sleeping off the rest of his hangover. He felt much better the following day and had taken Brielle, Lily and Jordan out to dinner. Jordan had been slightly reluctant to let Lily travel with Brielle to California, but Alex assured him the two girls would be well taken care of and completely safe at all times. That evening, after returning back to the hotel, Alex had booked a return flight for the following morning then finally headed back home.

He had promised Brielle he would give her a call after he spoke with Renee and let her know how that went along with the information for their flight out. She’d given him a long hug before he’d left and wished him luck with what he had to do. Alex had found himself lingering in her embrace; feeling like the hug had been exactly what he needed at the moment; some comfort and encouragement. It had given him the strength to board the flight and run his conversation with Renee over and over in his head.

But now sitting here in his living room, facing her, he could barely even remember what he wanted to say. His stomach was churning and the pulse in his throat was throbbing so fast he was sure she could see it. They were seated on the couch and neither had said a word since Alex had asked her to join him on the sofa. He was staring anywhere but at her and she was watching him like she knew this was going to be something big.

Finally, Renee gave a sigh and broke the silence, “What’s going on, Alex? You asked me over here because you had to talk to me about something and yet you haven’t said a word in,” she conferred with her watch, “five minutes. What is it?”

He wet his bottom lip. “Um…”

She lifted her manicured brows, waiting for him to continue.

Alex sighed and finally faced her again. “Um…I got a phone call the other day…”

She watched him expectantly.

When she didn’t speak, he sighed and ran a hand over his face, trying to gather the strength. “Well…to make a long story short,” he paused and shifted some “well…I’m …going to be a dad.” There, he had said it. But now his throat was closing up with fear or her reaction.

Renee stared at him. “You’re going to be a dad?” She blinked some. “But how? I’m not preg-noooo.” Her eyes went wide.

He winced at the shock on her face, managing a small nod.

“You…you got some other girl pregnant?” Her brow furrowed. “Who is she?”

“You…you don’t know her.” He reached for her hand, but she yanked it away. “It was before we got engaged.”

“And that’s supposed to make me feel better?”

“No,” he shook his head, “not at all. I was just…explaining.”

“I think you need to be explaining about why you were screwing some other chick!” Anger was slowly filtering into her voice and it made Alex’s stomach take a dive.

“Renee, you know that we have an understanding.”

“Yeah, when we first started dating, before we got serious with each other!” She exploded, rising to her feet.

Alex shot up as well. “That’s not true; you know that neither of us has been completely faithful until we got engaged.”

“And just how the hell do you know that?”

He arched his brows. “I’m not stupid, Renee. I know that you’ve messed around on me when I’ve been out of town.”

“Only because you were fucken around on me,” she countered back with.

“So I’m right. We both messed around on each other, but I’ve been completely faithful since I proposed.”

Renee’s eyes narrowed again. “How am I supposed to believe that? You’ve been screwing around behind my back since the beginning of our relationship.”

A stabbing pain shot through his head and he pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose. “I take our engagement serious, Renee. I don’t know about you, but you’re the one I want to be with.”

“Heh,” she snorted before folding her arms across her chest and staring off in another direction.

“Look,” Alex reached for her, but she drew back, “rather you believe me or not, I’m telling you the truth. I haven’t been with another woman in any way since I proposed to you.” He waited until she glanced to him before adding, “I love you.”

Renee chewed the inside of her cheek, feeling her anger just boiling inside. This could not be happening to her. Her fiancé could not possibly be having a baby with another woman. “Who is she?” She finally spoke, her tone even despite how she felt.

“You don’t know her.” He motioned to the sofa. “C’mon, sit back down and let’s talk about this.”

“Who is she?” She wanted an answer and she wasn’t budging from her spot.

He finally gave up and sank back down onto the leather couch. “Her name is Brielle.”

“Where’d you meet her?”

“In a bar; New York,” he muttered, dropping his head into his hands.

“You just got back from New York, were you off fucken her again?”

His head snapped back up and he frowned. “No, Renee. I flew out to see her and find out what was going on.”

“So you lied about it being business meetings?”

He wasn’t sure how much longer he could hold his frustrations in. “Because I wanted to make sure of everything before I told you.”

“Yeah, whatever.” She rolled her eyes and reached for her car keys. “I’m out.”

Alex frowned. “You’re just leaving? We aren’t gonna talk about this?”

Renee’s eyes met his. “What is there to talk about? You got some chick knocked up then lied to me about where you were going so you could run off and see her. You’re probably lying about not messing around on me since you proposed.”

“I’m not!” He frowned and stood again. “I was trying to protect you!”

“And I’m supposed to believe that?”

“You can believe whatever you damn well want to believe, but it’s the truth,” he snapped at her, not able to hold his feelings in check any longer. “I didn’t go see her and mess around on you. I went to see her to find out what was going on! Her friend was the one to contact me and I wanted to speak to Brielle herself.”

Renee glared at him. “And what did you find out?”

Alex sighed. Here came the part he really dreaded to tell her. “That…she doesn’t have a place to live, any money or a job. She can’t take care of herself or the baby and she ended up in the hospital while I was there. She needs help.”

“And let me guess,” the angry brunette tilted her head, “you’re going to help her. You’re going to play Prince Charming to her Cinderella and save her.”

He frowned. “I’m going to help her, yes. She’s having my child, Renee. Of course I’m going to step in.”

“How do you even know it’s yours?”

Not this again. “I don’t for absolute sure, but I really think it is. And…with that chance that it is, I have to help her. If it turns out not to be mine, then I’ll deal with that when the time comes.”

“I cannot believe you are doing this to me,” she seethed at him.

“It’s not like I’m doing it on purpose,” he shot back.

She shook her head and fiddled with the car keys in her hand. “So what are you gonna do? You gonna give her money? Put her up in a place to stay?”

Alex ran a hand over his head. “Not exactly.”

Renee arched both brows. “What are you doing, Alex?”

He sighed and glanced off then back to her. “I’ve invited her to come out here and visit for awhile. See how she likes it before deciding if she wants to stay here until the baby is born.”

His fiancée’s face went completely red and he thought she was going to fling her keys at him. “You’re bringing that bitch out here! Seriously! That is bullshit!”

“I don’t have any other options, Renee. I’m not going to let her live on the streets…let my child live on the streets!”

“You don’t even know it’s yours!”

Alex frowned and turned away, trying to gather his control back so they could talk about this reasonably.

“You just want that whore out here so you can give it to her more.”

He blinked and whirled back to find her watching him with a taunting expression. “That is not even close. She was one night and I never saw or heard from her until her friend tracked me down.”

“Probably because they want your money. It was probably some scheme the two cooked up and you’re falling for it hook, line and sinker.”

“You’re angry,” he winced when she gave a frustrated growl, “I know you’re angry and I’m sorry for that. But she’s going to come out here, Renee. She needs help, she’s carrying my child and I have to step up. I can’t be like my dad; you know I’ve always said I won’t be that way.”

“Then put her up in a hotel room in New York. Give her some money and send her on her way.” She raked her fingers through her hair, pushing it from her face.

Alex sighed and rubbed his forehead. “I want to be there for my baby.”

“And what about me? Don’t I matter in any of this?”

“Of course you do.” He took a step towards her, wanting to reach out and pull her into his arms, but knowing she would probably slap him. “I don’t want to lose you, baby, and I want you to be there…I’m going to need your support in this. But I know this is hard and something you may not want to go through.” His shoulders drooped as he watched her. “But I’m really going to need you.”

Her brows drew together. “Don’t do that, Alex, do not guilt me into this.”

“Renee, I’m not trying to guilt you. I’m trying to be honest.”

She sighed and glanced to the side, chewing on her bottom lip.

Alex took a chance and moved closer, reaching out and smoothing his hand over her shoulder then down her arm. “I’m not asking you to become her friend or even have anything to do with her; I know that’s not fair to you. But I don’t want to lose you over this.”

“I…I don’t know, Alex.” She turned from his touch.

His face fell and he took a step back. “If you need some time to think this over, I understand.”

She was quiet for a moment then finally looked back to him. “When…are you bringing her out here?”

“I was going to see how things went with you first.”

“I need to think about this, Alex.”

He gave a nod. “I figured you might.”

She returned the nod and reached for her handbag. “I’m gonna go.”

Alex hated the heavy pressure that was settling in his chest. He was hoping that she wouldn’t walk out the door and not come back, but that fear was building and he thought it might be the case. “Are you…going to call me?”

Renee fiddled with her bag. “I don’t know…I just need to think about all this.”

“Okay.” He sighed and smoothed his hands on his jeans, feeling a need for a cigarette and an even stronger one for a drink.

She nodded and looked to him one more time before turning and exiting the room.

Alex sank slowly down onto the couch and put his head in his hands. His life was falling apart around him and all he could do was watch it shatter. How was this happening? He knew Renee would be upset, but he hadn’t considered she might leave him; all over one night’s indiscretions and the consequences. He was so stupid. So, so stupid. He could only hope that she would think on it and want to at least try to work it out with him. But all he could do was wait for her to decide and pray she came back around.

In the meantime…Alex rose from the sofa and grabbed his cigarettes from the coffee table. He pulled one out and lit it up then inhaled a deep puff, feeling it enter is body and soothe his frazzled nerves. He really wanted a drink, but after his latest binge, was sure it wouldn’t be a good idea. But he could handle one, maybe two. He wouldn’t let himself get out of control like before.

Heading for his kitchen, Alex quickly located the bottle of Jack Daniels hidden in the back of the fridge; even Renee hadn’t known it was there. She wouldn’t have cared though; the two often drank together though her choice of liquor was either wine or something cold and fruity. Grabbing a tumbler from the cupboard, he uncapped the bottle and poured the glass half full. Shoving the bottle to the side he surveyed the drink, feeling his inner conscience tell him that this probably was not the brightest of ideas.

Fuck that. He needed this.

Lifting the glass, Alex drank it in one breath then refilled it and did it once more. By the fourth and fifth refills, his conscience had quieted and all he felt was the warmth of the liquor and the sting as it went down. His throat burned and his eyes were watering and he welcomed it with open arms.

Soon the bottle was empty and with a frown, he tossed it into his sink. He needed another, had to have another. He yanked the doors to the fridge open and ravished through, coming up empty and swearing under his breath. Why hadn’t he bought two when he’d gotten that one? He should have known that he couldn’t stop with just one bottle. Where were his keys?

He spotted them on the counter and swiped them up. He’d just drive himself back to the liquor store and purchase another one; no, make that two more. Hell, maybe he’d get half a dozen. Right now they were the only comfort he had in all the shit that was messing up his life. They were the only thing that could keep him calm and ease the hurt that was inside his chest. He had to get more.

Wavering slightly, Alex grabbed his jacket from the coat rack and headed for the front door. He only had one thing on his mind; find more Jack D.