Untold (Alex and Cassidy Book 5)
Page 41
“Uh…. Alex?”
“Until now,” Alex laughed. “Mackenzie will never let her live that down.”
“I’m not sure what this has to do with…”
“I was a little disappointed when we found out it was a girl,” Alex confessed.
“Really?”
“Not because I cared that we were having another daughter,” Alex said. “I just… Part of me wished that I’d asked to name Connor, Brian,” she explained.
Claire nodded.
“Cass? I’ll never forget it. She didn’t miss a beat. She just smiled at me and said, ‘What do you think of the name Fallon?’ I lost it for a minute,” she admitted.
“He was a good guy, Alex,” Claire said. “I know how much he meant to you.”
“He did. He was my partner,” she said. “I’ll never replace him.”
Claire nodded sadly.
“No one is replaceable. To tell you the truth, I think that’s part of the reason I didn’t want to do it anymore.”
“You mean, why you quit Carecom?”
Alex nodded. “I didn’t want to lose another partner.”
“I understand.”
“It’s kind of crazy if I think about it.”
“What is?” Claire asked.
“Well, having a partner is a lot like being married. It’s not the same relationship. There are a lot of similarities. You depend on that person to steady you, to let you vent, to make you laugh.” Alex smiled at Claire. “I never thought I would have a partner like Fallon again.”
Claire smiled, but Alex could see the disappointment in her eyes.
“Maybe that’s a good thing,” Alex said. “No one thinks it’s crazier than me,” she said with a chuckle. “I don’t say it. I didn’t say it to him. He just knew. I just knew. It was an unspoken understanding. Maybe you need to hear it. I know you think that we asked you to do this because Cass wanted it. That’s only partly true,” Alex said. “You’re my partner, Claire. When I leave this house, you’re the person I count on the most. The truth is, you haven’t let me down yet. I know you love Cass. I know she loves you. That’s different. She’s like the mom you lost. I get that. Me? I’m your equal.”
Claire shook her head. She wasn’t certain she’d ever feel equal to Alex Toles. “I don’t want to fuck it up.”
“You mean being Fallon’s godmother or being my partner?”
“Either.”
“You won’t.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“I know you. You don’t give up on anything you care about,” Alex said honestly. She reached into the crib and picked up her daughter. Alex smiled at Claire and handed her the baby.
“What are you…”
“If you ever doubted that I trusted you, you can stop right now,” Alex said. She started to walk away.
“Where are you going?” Claire called after her.
“I’ll see you downstairs,” Alex said. “With Fallon.”
Claire’s mouth fell open. She looked at the baby in her arms. “Your mothers are nuts.” Fallon gurgled. “Yeah, right there with you, kid.”
***
Alex walked down the stairs chuckling.
“Where’s Claire?” Hawk asked.
“Oh, she’ll be along any minute.” Alex made her way to Cassidy and put an arm around her.
Cassidy looked up the stairs and saw Claire making her way toward them. “You’re making her go to church and carry Fallon down the stairs?”
Alex shrugged.
“Evil,” Cassidy laughed.
Claire made her way cautiously down the stairs with her charge.
“Mom!” Mackenzie yelled.
“You want to get it or shall I?” Cassidy asked Alex.
“I’ll go,” Alex said.
“Mom!”
Cassidy shook her head. “Patience is not her virtue.”
Helen snickered. “Takes after Alexis.”
Dylan walked up and kissed Cassidy on the cheek. “Do you want me to drive Claire and Hawk over?”
“Sure.”
“Does that mean you are taking her back?” Claire looked at Cassidy hopefully.
Cassidy grinned. “Why? You looking for practice?”
“Me?” Claire’s eyes flew open. “Hell no!”
Cassidy laughed and took Fallon from Claire’s arms. “Go with Dylan,” she said. “We’ll see you there.”
“Yeah, why couldn’t you give me the one who can drive already?” Claire asked.
“Probably because I am leaving in the fall,” Dylan said.
“Exactly!” Claire said.
Cassidy rolled her eyes.
“Mom!” Mackenzie ran toward Cassidy.
“Yes?”
“Mom says I can go with YaYa.”
“YaYa and Grandma are taking the twins, Kenz. I thought you wanted to go with us.”
“Then, can I do with Dylan?”
“Dylan just left with Claire and Hawk,” Cassidy said.
Mackenzie sighed. “Well, can I go with Grandpa?”
“Grandpa left earlier. Why don’t you want to go with us?” Cassidy asked.
Mackenzie stared at her mother.
“Because she hates when I sing to Fallon in the car,” Alex said as she descended the stairs again. “I must be off key or something.”
“You sing old people music,” Mackenzie said.
Cassidy couldn’t help but giggle.
Rose put an arm around Mackenzie. “Come on, Kenzie. “We’ll squeeze you in between Abby and Connor. YaYa has that Ariana person you like on her iTunes.”
Alex stared at her mother in disbelief.
“What?” Helen said. “It has a good beat.” She offered Cassidy a wink and waved goodbye, shuttling her three grandchildren along.
“What just happened?” Alex asked.
“We’ve been out-hipped by our mothers, love.”
Alex shook her head. “Unbelievable.”
Cassidy kissed Fallon’s head. “I need to make a quick call before we leave,” she told Alex.
“Candace?”
“I sent her some revisions. I want to be sure she got them.”
“I’m proud of you; you know?” Alex said.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. I don’t know how you do it.”
“Do what?” Cassidy asked.
“Manage all of us and help Candace.”
Cassidy smiled. “I don’t always manage it, Alex. I don’t do any of it alone,” she reminded her wife. “I do love it—all of it.” She kissed Alex on the cheek. “I’ll be right there.”
“I’ll buckle in the wee one.”
Cassidy nodded. She heard Alex humming James Taylor to their daughter as she walked through the kitchen to the garage. “Old people music.” She laughed. “I’m not sure anyone can get old living with this brood,” she mused before lifting her phone. “Candace…”
***
“The jury heard closing arguments in the case against John ‘BJ’ Carter today. Carter is accused of killing forty-one women between 2005 and 2018. While he confessed to the killings, his lawyers have attempted to prove that he did not understand his actions at the time, laying claim to the idea that his fractured personality prevented him from understanding the difference between right and wrong.”
“Carter’s case is tied to another, isn’t that right?”
“That’s right. Marine Sergeant Gordon Daniels testified against Carter in court this week. Daniels plead guilty earlier this month to two counts of second-degree murder amid a slew of lesser charges in a plea deal that required his testimony against Carter.”
“Any sense of where the jury might be?”
“What I can tell you is that it’s unlikely John Carter will be seeing the outside of four walls in his lifetime. Even a not guilty verdict by reason of insanity is bound to see him confined to a state institution for the rest of his life. Something that is cold comfort for his victims’ families. There are still eight women whose remains
have yet to be found.”
“Unreal,” Jameson said.
Candace turned off the television. “He’s not ever getting out.”
“Neither are any of those women.”
“Forget about him, Jameson.”
Jameson shook her head. “That is one of the only things I will never be able to promise you,” she said.
Candace nodded. “Well, at least you can take comfort that people like Alex and Claire are out there.”
“I do.”
Candace smiled. Her phone buzzed. Speaking of. “Hi, Cassidy. Yes, I got it…”
THE END
OTHER BOOKS BY NANCY ANN HEALY
THE ALEX AND CASSIDY SERIES:
Intersection
Betrayal
Commitment
Conspiracy
Untold
FALLING THROUGH SHOOTING STARS
Coming Soon: ALL THE WAY HOME
BOOKS BY JA ARMSTRONG
THE OFF SCREEN SERIES (Addy and Emma)
Off Screen
The Red Carpet
Dim All the Lights
Writer’s Block
Casting Call
Intermission
Waiting in the Wings
Script Doctor
THE BY DESIGN SERIES (Candace and Jameson)
By Design
Under Construction
Solid Foundation
Rough Drafts
New Additions
Renovations
Building Blocks
Road Blocks
COMING IN JULY 2017: Campaign Trail
COMING IN NOVEMBER 2017: Commander in Chief
THE SPECIAL DELIVERY SERIES (Brooke and Tess)
Special Delivery
Small Packages
Handle with Care
Late Arrivals
COMING 2017: Best Practice
THE FIRST COURSE SERIES (Carrie and Devon)
First Course
Main Dish
COMING CHRISTMAS 2017: Sweet Things
Visit www.thebumblingbard.com for more information