All for Maddie (33 page)

“You didn’t have to do it that way, Alex. You didn’t have
to force me to live with you to get to see Maddie. You know that.”

“I did have to, Whit. Would you have let me see her any
other way?”

He was right. Had he not been dirty about it with setting
me up with fallacious pictures, I would have never in a million years let him
see her.

“No, I guess not.”

“Can we get past this? Will you bring Maddie and come
home, Whitley? I will do whatever I have to do to make this right. I promise
you that. I will never make another decision about anything without consulting
with you first. Please, Whitley. Come home, I need you. I need my baby girl.”

“My dad is going to kill you. Why did you do that?”

“I had to. Whether you come back to me or not. I had to
make it right. For you. I owe you that. I wouldn’t blame you if you never
talked to me again, but I owe you that.”

“He’s still going to kill you. Take Maddie back to the
house. I have to go talk to him.”

“You’re coming home?”

“We’re going to talk about it. I don’t know.”

Alex kissed me and I was sure I’d just made him the
happiest man on earth. He’d made me pretty happy too. Trying to hide the smile
as his tongue darted between my lips was virtually impossible.

“Go to your daughter. She’s going crazy over there
waiting for you,” I said, pulling away.

“Maddie, come here!” he called, squatting to one knee as
she ran full force into his arms.

I walked away smiling to find my dad. Taking a deep
breath, I tried to think of what to say to my dad. Nothing was coming to me,
nothing at all. I hated Alex for the last year for all the lies that he had my
family believing, and now I wished he’d kept them between us. My dad would
never understand.

Maybe I shouldn’t try to talk to him with an ax in his
hands. He was still very muscular and the muscular bulges with every swing,
chopping the wood intimidated me even more.

“Dad?” I cautiously spoke. He stopped for just a second
to turn and look at me with disgust. I’d only seen that look a couple of times
in my life, one being when he’d found out that I was pregnant with Maddie. His
little Maddie that he loved more than anything. He continued to chop the wood,
ignoring me.

“Daddy, I love him.” I didn’t know what to say. Nothing I
said was going to make him understand.

“How can you love him?” he asked, bringing the ax down
with great angry force, leaving it stuck in the bottom stump.

“I don’t know. He’s a good man. He really is.”

“What the hell is wrong with you? He raped you. He forced
you to live with him. He faked pictures of you being unfit. He tricked you into
signing over custody of Maddie. He made you out to be crazy. How can you love
him? GODDAMNIT WHITLEY, WAKE UP!”

I jumped when he screamed his last sentence.

“He didn’t have to come to you, Dad. He did that for me.
He confessed all of that for me, not you, not Maddie, for me. He wanted to make
it right. He screwed up. He screwed up a lot, but that doesn’t change the fact
that I love him. Maddie loves him and he loves us. Can’t you understand that,
Dad?”

“No. No, Whitley, I can’t. Do what you’re going to do,
but don’t expect to have my blessing.”

“What does that mean, Dad? You don’t want to see us
anymore? Are you writing us out of your life if I choose Alex?”

“You’re writing me out of your lives if you choose Alex.”

“Are you giving me an ultimatum? You don’t want to do
that, Dad,” I threatened. Surely he wouldn’t write Maddie out of his life.
Would he?

Taking a deep breath, I walked away after he retrieved
his ax and continued his job at hand, telling me that he was done talking to me
without words.

Nerves were jumping all over the place in my body as I
drove the golf cart back to the house to meet Alex and Maddie; my family.

Finding the two of them packing zoo animals in a duffle
bag, I smiled from the door. Maddie was on a cloud. She was so happy that her
daddy was there and that she was going home.

“Can I have a monkey, Dad?” Maddie asked, placing the
monkey collection in a zip lock bag before packing them away for the trip.
Everything had to be kept separated. The animals couldn’t be in the same bag.

“A monkey? Hmm, I don’t think monkeys can live outside
the zoo.”

“Uh-huh. They live in Africa and that’s not a zoo,” she
assured him. He smiled.

“How do you know that?”

“Mommy read it in a book. His name was Jingo and he lived
in Africa.”

“Okay, but we can’t have a monkey in our house. How about
a little kitten?”

Maddie’s shocked eyes turned to look at him. She needed
to make sure he was serious. He was, oh lord.

“For real?” she asked.

He laughed. “We have to make sure it’s okay with Mommy
first. If Mom says yes, then yes. We’ll get a kitten.”

“Mommy says yes,” I finally spoke, extremely happy that I
was allowed to be part of a decision.

“Yes!” Maddie called, doing some sort of happy dance,
shaking her little butt and swinging her arms.

Alex stood from his cross legged position and came to me.
“You okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine. Stay here tonight.”

“I’m not sure that’s such a good idea, Whit.”

“We don’t have to go up to the resort. We’ll stay back
here. We need to talk, Alex. I can’t just run home with you.”

Alex nodded. “Alright.”

We spent a quiet evening on my side of the resort. Alex
grilled hotdogs and played with Maddie nonstop. She giggled so many times;
happy that her dad was there and with the attention she was receiving from him.
Alex stared at me with a look of pure love every chance he got. I was sure it
was love. I could see it in his eyes. I stared back with a weak smile, not sure
what I was doing. I wanted to go home with him. I wanted it more than anything.
Should I? Did that make me weak?

Alex sat on the couch after Maddie had her bath and he
grabbed a quick shower. I cleaned up the kitchen and listened to him
interacting with Maddie about the book that he’d brought with him.

Why the hell was I so nervous? Oh, yeah, because Maddie
was going to fall asleep and leave me alone with him, I decided as I quickly
shaved my legs. Geesh, why was I shaving my legs? I should drink something.
God. What the hell? This was just Alex.

Maddie deserted me quicker than I expected. She was sound
asleep, already carried to her bed when I emerged from the bathroom in shorts
and a t-shirt. Alex smiled and reached his hand toward me when I stopped,
contemplating on what to do.

“Come here,” he softly spoke.

Taking his hand, he pulled me to his lap. “I’m afraid of
you, Alex.”

“Please don’t be, Whitley. I swear to God, you never have
anything to worry about. I’m going to spend the rest of my life making you the
center of my universe. I promise.”

“I need to know what you did with her.”

“I didn’t do anything with her. She kissed me and that
was it. I promise.”

“You kissed her back. I watched you.”

“I did, Whitley. I’m not going to lie to you, but that
was it. It was stupid and I can’t even begin to explain why. I guess it just
comes from being a bachelor for so many years. That really hurt you, didn’t
it?”

I looked away from him. It did hurt. It hurt worse than
anything he had ever done. The thought of another woman being in his arms made
me sick. “If you ever do that again, I swear we’re finished.”

“I won’t, baby. I swear. I don’t want anyone but you and
Maddie.”

“You let us leave. You never called Maddie once.” Okay,
maybe that hurt worse than the kiss.

“Whitley, I have made more fucked up choices with you
than I have ever made in my life. I’m sorry. I thought it was best for you and
Maddie. I thought it was what you wanted.”

“You’re kind of an idiot. I love you. Maddie loves you. I
was ready for you to come get us after a week. You should have never let us
leave.”

“You were so mad, Whit. You wouldn’t have stayed.”

“You could have come after us,” I pouted, turning back to
him.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry for everything.”

And just like that we were a couple again. I felt weak in
the knees when Alex separated my lips with his tongue. Moaning in his mouth, I
slid my hand behind his neck, and through the back of his hair.

“I love you, Whitley,” he whispered hot words to my lips.

“Take me to bed, Alex,” I responded, standing and leading
him by the hand toward my room.

“Did you sleep with Jaron?” Alex asked, quietly closing
the door. I smiled, wanting to tell him yes, show him how it felt.

“No. I tried. I couldn’t do it,” I confessed as he
grinned and pulled me close to him in a kiss. I’m not really sure what went on.
You’d think that we would have had this explosive, emotional love thing going
on. It was far from it. Alex practically ripped my shirt off, and I frantically
tugged at his.

Sliding out of my shorts, I watched him removes his
jeans, instantly feeling aroused when I saw his erect shaft, ready for action.
“Taste me, Alex,” I begged in some sort of whimper. Damn, I needed to be touched.
I didn’t mean standing up. I kind of wanted to lay down first. Alex had other
plans. He dropped to his knees, lifting my foot to the bed as his mouth circled
my throbbing clitoris.

Continuing to torture me with sucking, licking, swirling,
and whatever else Alex seemed to be magically manifesting sent me spiraling out
of control.

“Alex,” I panted.

“Hmmm?” he responded, sucking ridiculously hard on my
pulsating nub. I was going to come. I needed to come.

“I need to lie down. I can’t do this standing up.”

He tossed me toward the bed and slammed forcefully into
me, sending my eyes to the back of my head.

“Look at me,” he demanded, taking me. All of me: my mind,
my body, my soul, and now my eyes. We stared deep into the depths of each
other’s spirit as we made love. Alex held himself up, holding my wrists to the
sides of my head, giving me all of him as I returned the gesture, surrendering
all of me.

“Are you ready?” he rasped as I moaned again, feeling the
build an overdue pleasuring orgasm.

“Yes,” I replied, closing my eyes. I had to.

“Open your eyes, Whitley.”

I made some sort of whimpering noise as I stared at him,
arching my back and trying to break my wrists free from his hold. He wouldn’t
let me. He held me, stared at me with love and lust, frantically pumping in and
out of me until he crashed one last time, sending us both out of control. That
was the most emotional thing I’d ever felt, both of us coming to our breaking
point while our eyes stayed locked, entranced with one another.

“I love you,” Alex whispered, reducing his pace and
moving slowing in and out of me.

“I love you.”

My dad held true to his word. He called about every day
or so, but never spoke to me or Alex. He asked for Maddie and hung up once she
was finished talking, which was usually two or three minutes. If he wanted to
see her, he sent me a text and asked if they could come and get her for the
weekend. I always said yes and let him come and get her, wishing to God he
would talk to me. He wouldn’t. He was bitter and didn’t understand my decision.

Other than the fact that my dad had gone almost three
months without talking to me, I was happy. I was so happy except for the whole
cat deal. I let Alex take Maddie to look at the kittens from an ad in the
paper. They didn’t come home with a kitten they came home with a cat. Maddie
wanted the big cat and not the little ones.

Alex swore he didn’t know the cat was expecting. We
didn’t have a cat. We had four cats. Maddie refused to let us give any of the
kittens away. Alex refused too, right after the guilt trip of her asking us how
we’d feel if somebody took her away. We both knew how that felt, and we’re now,
not so proud, owners of four cats.

We agreed to let my dad and Dana take Maddie the weekend
before Christmas. They would bring her home Christmas Eve morning and we were
celebrating with Alex’s family that night.

Maddie looked out the window every time she heard a car
door even though we both told her a million times that Papaw wasn’t picking her
up until two. She was standing on the sofa, waiting and holding Mystic with
Paws, Boots, and Fluffy, purring for her attention at her feet. Yes, Maddie was
a cat lady. They kept the Gremlins away. I swore she was never going to forget
about those things.

“PAPAW!” she finally yelled, jumping from the couch.

I went to the door and handed my dad her backpack as he
picked her up into a full blown hug. He really missed her, and I missed him. I
smiled a weak smile as he nodded and I kissed Maddie.

“Wait, I have to tell my dad goodbye,” she remembered,
squirming from my dad’s arms and into her own dad’s.

Alex hugged her. “I love you. You call me before you go
to bed, okay?”

“I will,” she promised and was off to spend the weekend
with her grandparents.

I closed the door behind them, feeling sad. I was glad
that my dad was there for Maddie, I just wished he’d be there for me too. I
needed him in my life. I needed the resort and the river in my life. I hadn’t
been back there since Alex had come for us. I missed it.

Alex moved one of the cats from the sofa and pulled me to
his lap, sensing my gloomy feelings.

“It’s not always going to be this way. He’ll come
around,” he promised.

“No, he won’t. It’s been almost three months. He’s not
going to crack. He’s too stubborn for that. He won’t give in.”

“Yes, he will. Let’s go do something. We’ll get out of
the house for a while. Do you want to go Christmas shopping?”

“For what?” I laughed. “We have a whole garage full of
toys.”

“I know, but last night when we were watching television,
there was this
—
”

“NO!” I interrupted. I didn’t need to hear what Maddie
saw, instantly saying she wanted it. She didn’t need anything else.

“Rats,” he whined.

“I have a final to study for,” I reminded him. I needed
the quiet time at home. I really didn’t want to go out.

That’s what I did. I studied on my laptop in front of the
television with four cats cuddled up next to me. Alex worked in his office
until around seven.

I moved the cats to the floor one by one when the
doorbell rang.

“Oh,” I said, not expecting pizza. “Hang on,” Turning to
see Alex, taking his wallet from his pants.

“Hungry?” he asked. I was hungry as soon as I smelled it.

With my legs over Alex’s we sat on the sofa and consumed
almost a large pizza, just the two of us while we laughed at the ridiculousness
on television. I assured Alex that we would not be spending that kind of money
on a sweet sixteen birthday party for Maddie.

“We might,” he smiled. Knowing Alex, we would.

“Let’s go sit in the hot tub,” he beckoned moving my feet
from his legs.

“It’s cold out there,” I protested, gaining a look, the
same look that Maddie gave me when I said something absurd.  

“Take your clothes off and come with me,” Alex demanded.

“You said we would discuss all major decisions,” I
teased.

“I didn’t mean that. We can discuss all decisions except
for the one that,” he determined.

I undressed and just as Alex rose to come to me, I darted
around him and out to the hot tub. Holy hell, it was freezing out.

I laughed as Alex tiptoed, running naked to the hot tub
too. “Are you laughing at me?” he asked as I leaned into his chest, nestled
there with a kiss to my head and a smile on my lips.

“Not necessarily you, just your shriveled up package.”

“It’s not shriveled up anymore. That changed as soon as
you backed your naked ass up to it.”

“Hmm, I don’t believe you,” I stated, moving my hand
behind me, gaining a moan as I stroked him in my hand.

Alex and I made love in the hot tub and then snuggled in
bed together, watching a Christmas movie.

“Why does she always call your phone?” I whined siting up
so that Alex could answer his phone.

“She likes me more,” he replied, grunting after the elbow
to the stomach.

“Hey, baby. What are you doing?”

I listened to the one sided conversation until he hung
up. “What the hell? You didn’t let me talk to her,” I complained, and then
smiled when my phone rang.

“She had to call yours,” he smiled.

I listen to her busily talk, telling me how much fun she
had at the resort Christmas party and all the presents that she had gotten from
her friends there. Jaron bought her a star gazer, whatever that was, something
to do with it emitting stars all around her room and ceiling. She was bringing
it home so she could show her dad, forgetting that she had a mother too.

“I have to go now. Papaw is going to read a Christmas
story in front of the fire place and Nana made us hot chocolate and popcorn.”

“Okay, sweetie. I will talk to you tomorrow. I love you.”

“I love you too, bye.”

<><><> 

Christmas Eve was absolutely perfect. Had my dad been
there it would have been the best Christmas ever. Of course, Maddie got more
than enough for five girls, let alone one. She and Trenton both got enough
Barbie paraphernalia to open a Barbie store. It was bittersweet. Maddie was
growing into Barbies. I wanted her to still want the Dora dolls and preschool
toys.

Alex never let go of my hand. Had someone told me that
this man could ever be this attentive, I would have deemed them foolish. Alex
Wesson was crazy in love with me and even more in love with his family.

“This one’s for you, Mom,” Maddie said with a sneaky grin
and her hand behind her back.

I looked around at the smiling faces and then at Regan
when she took my drink from my hand. I was going to need that.
Holy
Christmas bells!

Alex dropped to one knee in front of me pulling Maddie to
his lap. She smiled the cutest smile ever as he counted to three.

“Will you marry my daddy?” she asked when he got to
three, opening a deep purple box with the shiniest diamond I’d ever seen in my
life.
Oh my God!
It was huge. 

“Whitley, will you be my wife?” Alex asked, hesitating at
the end of my finger with the ring.

“Say yes, Mom,” Maddie called, breaking the silence with
laughter.

“Yes,” I replied sliding to my knees in front of him with
our daughter sandwiched between us. “Yes, I will marry your daddy,” I said,
kissing her cheeks.

Connie wiped a tear and took Maddie’s hand, moving her
away from us. Alex pulled me towards him and kissed me, really kissed me, more
than I would like for him to be doing in front of our daughter. I finally had
to push his face away with my hand.

We drank spiked eggnog and played with the girls. Alex
never took his eyes from me. I was sure that I had just given him the best
present I could have given him. And I was pretty happy about it myself. I
didn’t want to follow the Wesson tradition and spend the night there anymore. I
wanted to take my man home and make love to him.

“Do you like it?” Alex asked, joining me in bed as I
gazed at the rock on my hand.

“I love it. I couldn’t have picked out a prettier one had
I tried,” I assured him, moving into his arms.

“Maddie picked it out,” he confessed, moving me from his
chest so that he could look at me.

“Maddie knew about this and never told me?” That shocked
me. Maddie didn’t keep secrets.

“I enticed her with a day at the zoo. I let her dominate
the controller,” he teased, kissing my ring finger and then my lips. I placed
my hand on his cheek, holding him back.

“We’re not doing this in your mother’s house,” I assured
him.

“Why? Because you can’t be quiet?”

“I can be quiet.”

He snickered. “No, you can’t.”

“I can too, what do you mean by that?” I asked as his
fingers slid through the elastic of my panties. I wasn’t stopping him. I didn’t
want to stop him. I wanted the intimacy, the feel of his body on mine, and I
wanted him inside me.

“You are so noisy in bed,” he accused as I lightly
moaned, feeling his fingers do what they did oh so well.

“I am not,” I whimpered as his tongue parted my lips.

“Get out of these,” he whispered to my lips, tugging on
my panties. I raised my hips and helped. “You have to be quiet,” he warned,
thrusting two fingers deep into my core. Fuck. That was going to be easier said
than done.

“Go down on me,” I whispered.

“No, I need to be able to cover your mouth.”

“Please,” I begged, writhing my hips into his fingers. He
was the one that started the whole female ejaculation thing. He should have
known I wasn’t going to be happy with one time.

He grumbled as he licked, sucked, and kissed his way down
my body as I raised my knees, exposing myself for him.

“Hmmm,” I instantly moaned as his tongue slipped through
my wet slit.

Alex was right. I couldn’t keep quiet, but in my defense
it was mostly his fault. The way his tongue flicked back and forth on my clit
and then the sucking caused me to lose control. He stopped. Damnit, he stopped.

I moaned again as I tasted myself on his lips and then
looked down as he penetrated my swollen nub with the head of his hardness.

“Ahhh, fuck, fuck fuck, hmm, right there baby,” I begged,
feeling a mind blowing orgasm from deep within. It wasn’t the one I was hoping
for, but that one was quickly forgotten when I felt the mind blowing sensations
going on deep in my body.

“You ready?”

“Mmm,” I mumbled with a nod.

“Come to me, baby,” he coaxed, giving my aching clitoris
one hell of a work out.

“Ahhhhhhhhhhh,” I called out, briefly before his mouth
took mine, covering my satisfaction and thrusting deep into me.

Alex held himself up, staring down at me with the most
emotional eyes I’d ever seen on him. Propelling in and out of me, I held my
hand on his chest, needing to touch and feel him.

“I love you, Whitley,” he whispered, bending to kiss my
nose.

“I love you too, Alex,” I replied, looking deep into his
soul. That was once very hard for me to say. I loved saying it now. I loved
hearing it, and I loved the way he made me feel, the way he made Maddie and I
the center of his Universe.