Betrayal (43 page)

“Okay, I give, you can be the chef.”

“Thank you,” Alex said dryly. “Is that a promotion or a demotion from butler?”

“I’ll let you know after I eat the soup,” Cassidy called back.

“You just wait for dessert,” Alex gloated quietly.

“Oh, I will be waiting with bated breath,” a voice answered from the distance.

The agent shook her head and laughed. “Oh no,” she thought silently to herself, fully aware that Cassidy expected a comeback. “I’m not giving it up that easily.”

Dylan was sitting on Cassidy’s lap watching another movie while Alex fussed about in the kitchen cleaning up from their dinner. “Is your ear any better, sweetie?” Cassidy asked as she tenderly brushed Dylan’s hair to the side.

“Kinda,” he answered quietly.

“Do you want to go upstairs?” He shook his head no.

Alex stopped in the doorway and watched in silence as Cassidy kissed the small head against her. For a moment she was
frozen. It was a simple moment. Alex realized as she watched the two people she loved more than anything, it was all the simple moments that seemed to matter to her now. Every minute with Cassidy and Dylan was an adventure; an adventure that had more meaning and held her interest far more than any crime she had ever solved. The last weeks and the last days had driven home with crystal clarity to the agent that Cassidy and Dylan were the center of her world. She never wanted either to doubt her love, honesty or her commitment. They had almost lost each other more than once already. Alex still struggled to grasp the responsibility she felt to keep this family safe. “Hey,” Alex called softly. “I brought some dessert.”

“Dessert, huh?” Cassidy asked as she laid her head on top of her son’s.

Alex made her way slowly to the couch and set down a small pastry box on the coffee table. “Yeah. I got something special for you both.” Dylan looked up to Alex and she winked at him. Cassidy looked at the agent curiously. Alex reached in the small box she had placed on the table and pulled out an even smaller box. She looked at Cassidy and smiled and then looked at Dylan. “This is for you, Dylan.” He accepted the box and opened it slowly. “That’s a Saint Alexander Medal.” He pulled the small, slightly tarnished silver medallion from its home. “See, it’s a tradition in our family. Nicky and I both have one. This one belonged to my grandfather Papas. When I was old enough my mother gave it to me.”

“What do you do with it?” Dylan asked.

Alex smiled and pointed to the small piece of silver in the boy’s hand. “You don’t have to do anything with it. It moves from each parent to their child. That’s just how it works. I was hoping you would accept it from me.” Dylan was still a little confused. Alex chuckled slightly. Her palms were sweating and she was unsure exactly what the perfect words were now. She took a deep breath and pulled another small box out, this time from
her pocket. She looked at Dylan and smiled. Then she looked at Cassidy. “See, I kind of hoped that you and your mom, well,” Alex took another deep breath and looked at Cassidy. Cassidy immediately felt her body begin to go weak.

“Alex?” Cassidy’s voice faltered.

“I know it’s not the most romantic thing, Cass, but it isn’t just you and me. It’s all of us together.” Cassidy covered her mouth with her hand, understanding clearly now where Alex’s thoughts were headed. “I know that you tease me about wanting to do all the boring stuff, but the thing is…nothing is ever boring with you. I love you both and I want to do all of it. Everything.” The agent paused and looked at Dylan who was listening carefully, but with evident confusion. “Dylan, you know I love you,” he nodded and Alex pointed to the small medal that was still in his hand. “I never thought that I would have a son or a daughter to give that to. Now, I have you. I was hoping you would be my family.” He looked at the agent and his eyes grew wide. “What I mean is,” she stumbled slightly on her words. “I would really like it if you would give me permission to ask your mom….well,” Alex was sure that she had never been so nervous. She didn’t dare face Cassidy yet. “See Dylan, your mom’s dad isn’t here. So, that makes you the man in her life. And, you are the biggest part of her. So, would it be okay if I asked your mom to marry me?”

Dylan’s mouth fell open and he nodded. “You’re gonna get married?” he asked hopefully.

“Well, that sort of depends, I guess. I mean I bought vanilla cake…well, actually cupcakes,” Alex said, turning to Cassidy whose tears had begun a swift descent over her cheeks. “Hoping that your mom would say yes.” Alex opened the small box and put it in Cassidy’s hands. “Maybe it is crazy, Cass, but I don’t want to wait to ask. I don’t need to think about it. I never want to lose you or Dylan. There is always uncertainty for me at work, with my parents, but not here, not with you. I want…”

Alex’s rambling was stopped abruptly by a smiling school teacher’s kiss. “Yes,” Cassidy barely managed to whisper.

“Did you say…”

“Yes,” Cassidy repeated cupping Alex’s face in her hands.

“I ummm….I…” Alex looked to Dylan who was bouncing just slightly in spite of his aching ear. “I mean…I guess then…” Alex took the ring out and tried to put it on Cassidy’s finger. Cassidy guided her trembling hand. “I mean…you know….If you don’t like…”

Cassidy smiled and kissed Alex again. “Rambling.”

“It’s an emerald.”

“It’s beautiful, Alex.”

“It was…”

Before Alex could finish her thought Dylan interrupted them. “So when are you gonna get married?” he asked.

Cassidy laid her head on Alex’s shoulder and chuckled. “I don’t know, Speed. I guess we’ll have to think about that,” Alex said.

“Alex?” he asked a bit tentatively.

“Yeah, Speed?”

“Does this mean I am really your son now?” he asked, pointing to the medal.

Alex took a seat next to Cassidy and pulled Dylan to sit between them. “Dylan, you don’t need any medals or any rings to be my son. I just wanted to make sure you wanted me to be part of your family as much as I want you to be part of mine. I wanted you both to know that you are the most important part of me. So, that’s why I gave you the medal.” He nodded and rubbed his ear. “Still, hurting?” Alex asked. She could see his reluctance to answer. “Too much for a chocolate cupcake before bed?” Dylan smiled but Alex could tell he was reaching his limit. She looked across to Cassidy and sighed. “How about we save that for tomorrow?” He nodded again. “All right, come on.” Alex motioned for Dylan to climb onto her back. “Let’s get you some rest.” She stopped momentarily and turned to look
at Cassidy who was following close behind. “I know it wasn’t exactly the most…”

Cassidy looked at her son resting his head against Alex’s shoulder. “It was perfect,” she whispered. “Let’s go, I am still waiting for dessert,” she winked.

Cassidy was sitting on the bed playing with the ring on her finger when Alex finished tucking in Dylan. The agent stopped and caught her breath. Cassidy’s eyes were glistening with tears and Alex could feel her own misting now. “I hope you like it.” Alex could see Cassidy’s lips curl into the hint of a smile, but the teacher did not respond. “Cass?” the agent called gently as she made her way to the bed. “Hey…”

“I would marry you right now if I could,” Cassidy said softly.

“You would?” Cassidy nodded. “Cass, are you okay?”

“I can’t believe you. The way you asked with Dylan…”

“Yeah, I’m sorry. I probably should have thought about…” Cassidy’s kiss quelled any speech or possibility of thought for the agent. “What was that for?”

“It was perfect, Alex, every minute of it.”

Alex took Cassidy’s hand. “Do you recognize it?” Cassidy searched the agent for her meaning. “It was your mom’s.”

“Alex, this is Mom’s emerald? From my Nana’s ring?” Alex nodded. “How did you? When did you…”

“When we were staying at Nicky’s,” Alex said.

“How did you get…”

“When your mother was telling me about her bed, how you always wanted it but he didn’t…she told me about the ring. She said she offered it to him but he didn’t want it.”

Cassidy closed her eyes. “It’s the only thing I wanted that was Nana’s.”

“I know. I asked her if I could have it to…”

“You asked my mother if you could marry me?” Alex shrugged. “When we were staying at Nick’s?” The agent shrugged again. “Really?” Cassidy was amazed.

Alex laid back on the bed, guiding Cassidy along. “I didn’t really have to ask. It was all over my face, I guess.” The admission caused both women to giggle. “I love you, Cassidy,” the agent said softly. “More than I think you can understand.”

“I understand, Alex.”

“You do?”

Cassidy climbed over the agent and looked down at her. “Yes, I do.”

“I imagined I would do something more romantic,” Alex confessed.

“It was incredibly romantic.”

“Yeah? That’s what you dreamt of? Little boys with ear infections and some insane woman rambling on her knees?”

Cassidy chuckled. “No. It isn’t at all what I imagined.”

“I’m sorry, Cass, I wanted it to….”

Two fingers pressed firmly to the agent’s lips. “It was more romantic and more meaningful than any daydream I could ever have.” She moved closer to the agent and searched Alex’s blue eyes. “I love you, Alex.”

Alex closed her eyes as her lips met her lover’s. The tenderness in Cassidy’s touch felt like the soothing sensation of cool water on a warm day. Gently, it carried Alex along. At the same time it produced a fire within the agent that she was certain could never be fully extinguished. As Cassidy’s lips traveled over the agent’s throat, Alex moaned and arched her back. “Cass…”

Cassidy’s hands gently lifted the agent’s T-shirt and began to explore the softness of her breasts. “I want you, Alex.”

Alex felt a shiver of excitement pass through her and pulled Cassidy back to her, kissing her passionately. “You have me, Cass.”

Cassidy pulled back slightly and looked into Alex’s eyes. “I don’t have words.”

“You don’t need any.” Alex swiftly but tenderly pulled Cassidy over and underneath her. Softly, more softly than Cassidy could have imagined, Alex let her kisses travel across Cassidy’s neck and throat, lingering gently but insistently. Deliberately and gradually Alex allowed her hands to explore her lover. “You are everything to me, Cassidy.” She looked into the teacher’s eyes as their bodies moved perfectly in time with one another. “Everything,” she whispered in Cassidy’s ear.

It was difficult for Alex to believe that they could grow closer, but each time she felt Cassidy willingly give herself over, she fell deeper under the spell that seemed to bind them. Making love to Cassidy was as tender as it was passionate, and it was powerful. Alex found herself wishing she could lose herself here. “Don’t let me go,” Cassidy begged as her body began to tremble and quake. “Alex….”

“Everything, Cassidy,” Alex assured. Cassidy held onto the agent tightly, needing to feel the safety of Alex’s arms as a new rush of emotion and physical sensations pounded over and through her. “Je t’aime,” Alex whispered as Cassidy’s body finally submitted fully.

Tears fell swiftly between them. Cassidy held Alex’s face in her hands and searched her eyes in silence. “No words,” she finally repeated.

Alex smiled.
“Tu n’as pas a dire un mot. Je veux juste t’aimer
. (You never need to say a word. I just want to love you).

“I hope you know that I want to give you….”

The teacher’s words were met with a soft and simple kiss. “Everything. You give my life purpose. You’ve given me everything…Cass?” Alex asked as Cassidy’s head came to rest on her chest.

“Mm?”

“You’re sure, right?”

“That I want to marry a butler?” Hearing her lover’s response, Alex let out a relaxed chuckle. “I’m sure, Alfred.”

“Thank you, Cass.”

“For what, love?”

“For giving me everything.”

Cassidy moved herself slowly over the agent. Her eyes sparkled as she offered Alex a seductive smile. “
Pas tout a fait, Amour
(not quite everything, love).” She kissed Alex and whispered in her ear. “
Mais, je te promets, je le ferai
(But I promise, I will).”

Alex closed her eyes and reveled in the feel of Cassidy close to her, kissing her, touching her, loving her. “Everything,” she whispered with a new understanding of what that word meant.