[WS02] Taming Alex (9 page)

She laughed. “You are so funny.” She sat up and looked back at him. “If you'll retrieve
my bag from the front hallway, you might just get to smell
me
.”

He jumped up and grabbed her bags. She went into the bathroom, closing him out as
she quickly rinsed off again, this time using her own shampoos and conditioners. She
even went as far as spraying herself with her body spray. Then she donned her sexiest
underwear, put a silk shirt and a jean skirt on, and walked out to see him eating
a bowl of cereal in bed. He looked just like a kid stuck at home watching cartoons.
She laughed at him.

“What?” He looked up at her and smiled. “You know, I had plans of taking you out somewhere
soon.” He frowned. “Of course, maybe we'll plan that for when we can drive into Tyler,
since Mama's is really the only place in town for food.”

“I'd like that.” She came and sat next to him. He was wearing his jeans, no socks
and no shirt, and he looked damn sexy. She leaned over and looked into the bowl. “Is
that Fruity Pebbles?”

He smiled. “Yup, you'd be surprised at how healthy these things are.”

She laughed. “Really?”

“Do you want some?” He held out his bowl. “I think there's an old movie on tonight.”
He patted the spot next to him. She sat next to him and took a bite of his cereal.

“Cold cereal and an old movie sounds good.” She took another bite. “You know, it's
been a long time since I had cereal in bed while watching TV.” She smiled as the Wizard
of Oz came on.

“I love this movie.” Grant took a bite of the cereal. His eyes were glued to the set
and Alex felt her heart shift for a man who ate cereal in bed while watching one of
her favorite movies ever.

Later that night, as she was getting ready to drive home, he pulled her close and
kissed her until her toes curled.

“What do you say to going out with me to The Rusty Rail next Thursday?” he asked as
they stood on his front deck. Thursday nights were karaoke nights at the Rusty Rail,
the only bar and dance place in town. Alex always loved going to the Rusty Rail, but
hadn't been there since her break up with Travis.

“Sounds good.” She knew it was time to show everyone in town that she'd moved on.
Even the prospect of seeing Travis with Savannah didn't shake her like it would have
if she wasn't going to be with Grant.

While she drove home, she thought of her time with Grant and, for once, her future
actually looked good. She still may not know what it was she wanted to do or be in
life, but she knew she was going to enjoy every moment of their time together.

When she walked in the front door, it was just past midnight. Every light was off
in the house except for Haley's. She knocked lightly on her sister's door and went
in when her sister answered.

“Hey.” Alex walked in and sat at the end of her sister's bed. Haley was sitting on
top of her comforter, a book in hand, her long, dark hair tied back with a twist.
Lauren and Haley had been blessed with their father's green eyes. It wasn't that Alex
didn't like having their mother's brown eyes. She just wished she could remember more
of her mother so she could see it when she looked in the mirror.

“Just getting home?” Haley set her book down and smiled. “We took bets if you were
going to stay the night. Looks like I won.” Her sister crossed her arms over her chest,
a satisfied smile on her lips.

Alex tilted her head. “Seriously? Why would I stay there? I've never spent the night
with Travis.”

“Yeah, but…” Haley scooted closer to her sister and laid a hand on her knee. “Grant
is no Travis.”

Her sister was right. The only reason she'd never stayed the night with Travis was
that she'd actually wanted to be home instead of wrapped in his arms. She wanted to
stay at Grant’s, snuggled up next to him, waking up in his arms.

“Earth to Alex.” Haley shook her knee, causing her to blink and realize she'd been
daydreaming about being with Grant.

“Sorry, I guess I'm a little more tired than I thought.” Alex rubbed her eyes and
yawned.

“Sure you are.” Haley smiled and winked.

Alex got up and walked to the door. “Good night.”

“Alex.” Haley waited until she turned back. “Next time, stay. You won't regret it.”

That night, Alex had a hard time getting to sleep. Her body was worn out from the
long day at work and the hours of making love with Grant, but her mind just refused
to shut down.

She kept running over lists. Lists of how Grant was different, better than Travis.
She wondered why her mind was feeling unsettled about taking the next step with Grant.
It wasn't as if she was moving in with him. They’d been together a few times now,
and they were enjoying each other. She knew Grant would never cheat on her. There
was no way Mr. Goody Two-shoes would do anything like that, even if he had changed
a lot since she'd used the nickname for him. He was still Grant underneath, and she
knew he wasn't capable of something like that.

He was kinder and more caring than anyone she'd ever dated. He walked her to her car,
opened the doors, and always leaned in and kissed her, telling her to drive safe on
the way home. She smiled and turned over in bed, trying to get more comfortable. She
wished he had a cell phone, so she could text him, but she knew he was putting off
getting a phone. Maybe she would just swing by and pick one up for him. It could be
an early birthday present.

She sat up in bed and gasped. She didn't even know his birthday. She rushed to her
bookshelves and searched through her yearbooks. Pulling out one after another, she
saw picture after picture of him, but none of them showed his birth date. Feeling
frustrated, she walked over to her laptop and flipped it open. She knew he didn't
really get into technology, but maybe it was out there somewhere on the web.

She pulled up Facebook and was shocked to see a picture of him and a dark-skinned
girl smiling at the camera on what appeared to be his personal Facebook page. She
relaxed when she remembered what he'd said about his ex, Terry. So, this was the kind
of girl he'd dated? She looked at the dark-haired beauty. Her dark curly hair hung
past her shoulders, and her skin glowed in the sunlight. Alex flipped through a few
more pictures. There were only a dozen, but she stared at each one, taking in every
detail of his transformation from chunky Grant with glasses to hunky Grant with a
well-toned body. There was a picture of Grant with another man, a large bodybuilder
type who looked a great deal like Terry. She realized it must be Sam. She felt a little
sad looking at the pictures of the three of them. She could tell Grant had really
looked up to the man, and she wished she'd had the opportunity to meet him. Then she
looked at his sister, Terry, and wondered what she'd gone through, losing her only
sibling.

Taking a chance, she used Google to search Grant’s name. Narrowing down the search,
she typed in Fairplay and was shocked when a professional website came up: Holton
Legal Advice. She clicked into it and saw an image of Grant and his father. The site
looked new since some of the links weren't up and running yet, but from what she could
tell, they were running an online business to help people file simple legal paperwork
such as wills. She spent almost an hour going through the website. By the time she
shut down her computer, she knew several things more about Grant, including that his
birthday was less than a month away. Perfect. She could drive into Tyler and buy him
a new cell phone and have a wonderful excuse. After all, with an online business like
that, he needed to be connected.

Closing her laptop, she jumped back into bed with a smile on her face. She was going
to buy Grant a cell phone, and the next time she went over to his place, she was going
to spend the whole night with him.

B
y the end of the week, word had spread throughout town of the little scene behind
Mama's. When people walked into the diner, they either smiled or chuckled at her.
She'd known for some time that the small town had a thing for gossiping about her,
and she'd never shied away from it before. This time she wished people would just
leave her alone.

She hadn't seen Travis or Savannah in a while, and she hadn't really heard any gossip
about the two of them either. It was almost as if they weren't really an item. People
in town knew why she'd broken off the engagement, and they also knew that she was
currently seeing Grant. But for the most part, most of the gossip around town was
about what she'd done to the two of them.

She had hoped that with the county fair starting at the end of the month, people would
have found something else to talk about and the gossip would have died down a little.
But on several occasions that day at the diner, she'd overheard her name and had turned
to see someone laugh or chuckle at the story that was being told.

By the time she drove up the long driveway at the ranch, she was beat and it wasn't
even noon yet. She'd made it halfway up the drive when she spotted Lauren walking
next to her horse, Tanner. At first she thought about just slowing down and waving
then continuing up the drive, but her sister shocked her by hunching over and throwing
up.

Alex hit the brakes and rushed to her sister's side. “What is it? Are you alright?”
She held her sister's hair back as she continued to throw up all over her own boots.
Then Lauren leaned up and gave her a weak smile. Alex reached over and felt her sister’s
forehead. “Oh, honey, you're sick. I'll go get Chase.”

“No!” Lauren grabbed her arm, stopping her. “I'm fine. I'll be okay.” She smiled and
took a water bottle from her saddlebag and rinsed her mouth.

“Lauren, you probably have heat stroke or something. You know better than to…” Lauren
interrupted her by laughing. “What?” Alex felt like stomping her foot in frustration.
Lauren never thought about herself. Her older sister had always given up everything
she'd wanted for Alex and Haley. She'd probably worked out in the sun all day since
sunrise and, knowing her, hadn't eaten much or taken any breaks. Alex mentally thought
about tattling on her to Chase. After all, she'd seen a huge change in her sister
since the pair had let everyone know last year that they'd married almost eight years
ago.

“What?” Alex dropped her hand that was still on her sisters. “What's so funny?”

“You. This.” Lauren motioned around the field, then towards the house. “Me. Chase.
Everything.” Alex stood in shock as her sister turned in circles, hugging herself
as she laughed.

“Okay, definitely heat stroke. I'm taking you home right now.” She grabbed for her
sister's arm.

“Alex.” Lauren took her by the shoulders and smiled at her. “It's not heat stroke.
I'm pregnant. Or at least I think I am.” Her sister's smile got bigger as she waited
for the words to sink in.

Alex's mind stopped. Her vision actually grayed around the edges so that all she could
see was Lauren's face. Her sister's sea green eyes almost glowed in the sunlight.
Her dark hair blew in the light breeze and her cheeks were a dark pink. A baby! Lauren
was having a baby. Chase and Lauren were having a baby.

Then she grabbed Lauren by the shoulders and pulled her into a hug so strong that
by the time she let go, tears were falling down both of their faces. “A baby?” Alex
smiled at her sister. “You're having a baby?”

Lauren nodded her head with a smile. “I think so. I took a test and it said positive.
Besides, I'm late and you know that whole thing about morning sickness. Well, for
me, it's evening sickness. I've been sick the last three evenings in a row. By the
time dinner time rolls around I feel better. I've been sneaking out here the last
two nights with Tanner to get out of letting Chase know what's going on. I'm a coward.”

“Why?” Alex stepped back and frowned. “Don't you want Chase to know? Doesn't he want
kids?” she asked.

Lauren quickly shook her head. “Oh, no. He absolutely wants children. We've been trying
since he moved in last year. It's just…”

Alex smiled. “You wanted to be sure first?”

“Exactly.” Lauren grabbed her sister's hand and started walking with her and Tanner
towards Alex's car. “Now that I'm almost positive, I want to tell him in a special
way.”

Alex smiled. “I can help you out there.” She stopped by her car and leaned in to grab
her cell phone. “Leave everything to me.” She punched a few buttons and made some
calls. By the time she hung up, Lauren and Chase had the most romantic place in town
all to themselves that night. A few close friends had dropped everything without any
questions and had made themselves available to help out.

At eight that night, Alex had Chase drive her into town under the pretense that she'd
forgotten something at the diner and had such a headache that she couldn't see well
enough to drive. It in part was true, since she'd spent almost three hours preparing
the surprise. Her new brother-in-law hadn't complained about the drive. Instead, he'd
helped load her into his truck and had driven her the ten minutes into town.

“Maybe you can run in and get my purse. It's just behind the counter. Jamella said
she'd leave the front door unlocked for me since she closed up early today. She might
be in the back, but…” She signed and leaned her head against the glass. “I'm seeing
double right now.” She closed her eyes to emphasize it a little more. When she heard
him sigh, she almost chuckled. No doubt he was thinking of how he'd look carrying
a woman's purse back across Main Street. But then the car door opened, and he darted
out in the light rain that had started falling. He ran across the street and in through
the front door of the dark diner.

Quickly getting out, Alex rushed to the back door and watched with Jamella and Willard
from the kitchen window as Chase stood motionless inside the front door.

Lauren stood in front of a small table, right in the middle of the dining room. White
candles lit the entire room, making the boring diner look like the most romantic spot
in town. A cream-colored tablecloth covered the round table, and white flowers and
rose petals covered almost every inch of it and the floor.

“What?” she heard Chase say. Then he smiled and walked slowly forward. They watched
as he pulled Lauren into a deep kiss. “This is a nice surprise.” He pulled back.

“I hope you like it,” Lauren said in a soft voice.

“I love it.” He looked around, then a small frown formed on his face. “But why? Our
anniversary isn't until the spring. It's not my birthday, or yours.” He smiled a little.

“Well, it's…” She watched her sister's shoulders rise and fall. “It's just that I
took a test today and I passed.”

Chase's eyebrows shot up. “Test?”

Lauren nodded. “A pregnancy test.”
             

Alex watched Chase's face from across the room. Everyone was peeking out the window,
holding their breath. They all jumped a little when Chase let out a large “Whoop”
and then rushed over, picked Lauren up off her feet, and swung her around several
times.

Laughing, Jamella whispered. “Let's leave them to their moment. We have work to do.”
She pushed on Willard's arm and patted Alex's hand.

Grant showed up a few minutes later dressed in a black suit and looking damn sexy.
“Why did I have to wear this and come down here?” He pulled at his tie and frowned
a little. “And why did I have to come in the back way?” He looked a little irritated.

“Because…” She grabbed his arm and tugged him towards the window and pointed out front
where Chase and Lauren were dancing. “They're having a baby and we're serving them
dinner.” She motioned towards the kitchen where they were working hard making wonderful
food. Willard and Jamella had pulled out all the stops tonight.

Grant looked out the window at Chase and Lauren as they danced slowly in the dimly
lit room, swaying to music playing from the old jukebox. His sour face turned soft
and by the time he turned back to her, there was a large smile on his face.

“Really?” He nodded to the open window. “They're having a kid?”

She smiled and nodded, wrapping her arms around his neck as he pulled her closer.

Just then Haley rushed in. Her hair was in tangles and her shirt was partially untucked.
“Where are they? Am I late?”

“What happened to you?” Alex pulled back and frowned at her sister.

“Flat tire,” she said as she tucked in her shirt.

“That's the second one this week.” Alex frowned.

“I know. Chase told me to replace all four tires the first time, but…” She trailed
off and shrugged her shoulders.

“They weren't cut were they?” Grant started to walk towards Haley.

“No, just old and bald.” Haley smiled. “Am I late?” She rushed to the window and peeked
out. “Oh, look at them.” Haley smiled, then turned to Alex. “We're having a baby!”
It came out a little loud, and they heard Lauren and Chase laugh from the front room.

Less than a minute later, Chase walked through the swinging door. “Everyone might
as well come out front. We can hear you all back here, anyway.” He chuckled.

“Oh no,” Alex grabbed Haley's arm as she started walking towards the door to head
out front. “This is your night, just the two of you. I mean”— she smiled—“the three
of you now.”

“What if it's the four of them?” Haley asked, earning a pinch on the arm from Alex.
“I'm just saying…,” she whispered.

“Go on out there. We'll bring your food in a minute,” Alex said, pushing Chase out
the door. Then she turned to everyone in the kitchen. “Okay, we're going to make this
a night they won't forget.”

Two hours later, Alex looked over at Grant and smiled. “It was perfect, wasn't it?”
She leaned on the table, looking across it at Grant. He'd removed his tie and unbuttoned
the first few buttons of his white shirt. His dress coat was flung over the back of
the chair, which he sat backwards in.

He smiled at her and her heart skipped a little. “Yeah, you have a real talent for
putting events together.” He reached over and took her hand.

Everyone had left for the night except Willard, who was still in the back cleaning
up. After Lauren and Chase had left, there had been enough food left over that Grant
and Alex had sat down to a quiet meal themselves. Alex considered it their first real
date. The lights were low and the music was softly playing. Grant looked extremely
handsome in his suit, and she was wearing one of her favorite dresses. She smiled
across at him.

“Speaking of putting things together…” She leaned on the table tilting her head a
little. “Why didn't you tell me you were starting an online business with your father?”

He rolled his eyes and groaned, then took another swig of his beer. “Because it's
not up and running yet. It was just an idea I ran by my father years ago on the phone.
I didn't know he would hire a company to pull it all together.” He smiled. “It does
look good though.”

“I think it's a wonderful idea.” She smiled as he leaned forward a little more.

“Really?” he asked.

“Well, sure. I mean, just think of how many online users there are that need simple
things like help updating their wills.” She sighed. “I think it's a very smart plan.
Maybe I can help out.”

He shook his head then smiled as he held out his hand. Just then there was a large
crash as glass from the front window of the diner sprayed over the both of them. Grant
quickly tucked Alex's body behind his, but not before glass shards flew into her face
and hair.

Oh, what fun that had been. It had felt so good to hear the glass shatter. To feel
the adrenaline. To hear and see the destruction. Maybe this was the key? Maybe now
they would stop?

If not, there were other ideas. Other plans. Other ways to prove to them that they
had screwed everything up. Besides, it was too much fun to stop now.

The headlights hit the white line as the car headed down the street towards Grant’s
place. Why stop now? A smile slowly spread. There was so much more to destroy. After
all, they'd be busy for a while. There was plenty of time for a little more destruction.