The Model: A Workplace Romance

by Layne, Harlow

  Standing, I moved in front of Lexie. “I know you have questions, but I thought you’d be happy for me. This is no way to greet your daughter-in-law, and if you’re going to continue, we’ll pack our stuff back in the car and head back to LA.”

  Tears filled my mom’s eyes before she turned to my father and glared at him. I felt like I’d walked into a parallel universe. My dad didn’t act like this, and my parents never fought.

  Until today.

  “You will stop,” my mom gritted out. “Lexie is a beautiful girl who our son loves. Didn’t you see how happy she makes him until you opened your mouth?”

  “I never meant to cause any problems.” Lexie’s voice sounded shaky, and I knew her eyes were already wet with tears.

  “Sit down, son, and talk to us. I promise I won’t say any more to upset…anyone.”

  Turning around, I saw Lexie wiping away a tear from her cheek. “I’m fine. Please, sit down.”

  I did as I was told, only this time I nearly pulled Lexie onto my lap.

  “Lexie and I met on a shoot, and we hit it off, but we didn’t see each other for another few months. We were both working and ran into each other in Hawaii. After that, we stayed in contact. The best pictures in my portfolio are the ones Lexie has taken. She’s crazy talented, and she’s helped me so much already in my career.”

  My dad’s forehead scrunched up. “So, you married her to further your career? That’s not like you.”

  “And this is not like you. I love Lexie, and she loves me. That’s why we got married.”

  Lexie’s hand started to tremble as she sat forward. “I love your son very much, and everything he’s said is true, but there’s more.” She let out a shaky breath, and a serene smile crossed her face. “I’m pregnant, and while normally I wouldn’t think I need to clarify, I’m going to. Ryder is the father.”

  “You’re going to be grandparents,” I interjected.

  “Really?” My mom’s eyes shined with happiness. “You’re full of surprises today.”

  Lexie looked over at me with only love in her eyes. She had for some time, but each time still knocked me on my ass when she looked at me like that. “He’s good at that, isn’t he? When he proposed, I was more than a little shocked.”

  I only hoped she wouldn’t mention how she was hesitant for us to get married. With the way my dad was acting, I wasn’t sure how he’d take the news.

  “Was it romantic?” my mom asked wistfully.

  I wished we had a better story to tell her than me asking her after I found out she was pregnant, and her pulling me out of breakfast for me to get down on one knee. It definitely could have been more romantic. Maybe next year, I’d ask her to marry me all over again and have a trip planned for us.

  “He asked me every day for three days until I said yes. I couldn’t ask for a better proposal than all the ways Ryder told me he loved me.”

  “He’s always been a sweet boy.” My mom gave us a watery smile.

  “He’s the best, and I’m sorry you weren’t there for the wedding. Maybe later we can have a reception or something.”

  My mom jumped in her seat. I loved seeing her so happy and accepting of Lexie. “Oh, if you need help with anything, I’d be happy to help.”

  “We’ll definitely need help with a baby on the way and how busy our work schedules are.” I’d love to get my mom down to LA after the baby was born. I needed to ask Lexie when we were alone when the due date was. It wouldn’t look good if I asked in front of my parents even though my mom did know that we weren’t talking for a while there.

  The oven buzzer went off in the kitchen, making Lexie jump. I hadn’t realized how wound up she was until then. I thought maybe my mom had put her at ease at least a little bit.

  Jumping up, my mom rushed to the kitchen. “Dinner’s ready,” she called over her shoulder. “I hope you like lasagna.”

  “Who doesn’t?” Lexie answered as she followed after my mother. “Do you need any help?”

  Going to help set the table, I followed behind and watched as Lexie’s hips swayed. I was going to have to convince her to have sex while we were here, or I was going to be walking around with a permanent hard on the entire time.

  “No, dear. You’re a guest in our house. Besides, you’re carrying my grandbaby, so you sit back and relax.”

  “I’ve got it.” I kissed my mom on the cheek as I passed by to get the plates down.

  Placing a plate down in from of Lexie, I kissed the top of her head. Lifting her head to look up at me, she spoke quietly so only I could hear. “Is this what I can expect from you?”

  “This, and so much more. I’m going to spoil the shit out of you.” After my mom uncovered it, I took the pan from her. “You’re going to love my mom’s lasagna. It’s the best I’ve ever eaten.”

  “He’s being kind. I’m pretty sure he’s only ever eaten mine.”

  I shook my head as I sat the pan down. My mouth was salivating at the smell. “I’ve had others, and I choose to only eat yours now.”

  My dad sat down and cut himself a big piece and flopped it on his plate. Before anyone else could get their food, he was already shoveling his food into his mouth. Lexie didn’t seem to notice how rude he was being, but my mom sure did. With him acting so strange, I had to wonder if everything was okay between him and my mom. I knew her being sick had been hard on them both, but I thought things were looking up. Was he acting like this because there had been bad news at my mom’s last appointment? I’d have to get her alone to ask her if she was still feeling okay or if this was all an act.

  After both my mom and Lexie had a piece on their plates, I dug in. I had restrained myself long enough. It had been too long since I’d had a good home-cooked meal. I’d either have to work out extra while we were here or remind my mom I couldn’t eat like this every day, but for now, I’d enjoy it.

  Lexie let out a low moan that shot straight to my dick. If she kept that up, I’d never be able to leave the table.

  “I have to agree with your son. This is one of the best lasagnas I’ve ever had.”

  “Thank you, dear. I’m glad you like it. It’s a recipe that’s been handed down generation after generation. I’ll share it with you before you leave so you can make it for Ryder. I’m sure he’d love it if he could eat it more than once a year.”

  I would, but I couldn’t afford to eat like this regularly. My mom seemed to forget that when I was home.

  “I’d like that. I love to cook, but it’s lonely cooking for one, so most of the time, I order out or have my assistant bring me something to eat.”

  “You’ve got your own assistant?”

  “Mom, I told you Lexie has her own company. She’s famous for her photography. You should see the amount she negotiated for the job I did in Vegas.” I wouldn’t mention how much she made on the few pictures she sold of us together in Rio.

  “So you’ll be living in LA now?” my dad asked with an annoyed tone.

  “That was always the plan. I’ve been saving up so I could afford an apartment that isn’t in a bad neighborhood. I want to base my modeling in LA and not around the world.”

  “My place isn’t big. Only a studio apartment since I didn’t think I needed more room, but now I’m going to have someone come in and add another bedroom or two and a bathroom.”

  “I thought you said it was small?” My dad’s brows rose like he’d caught her in a lie.

  “Well,” Lexie started hesitantly, “I only did a small portion of the second floor since it was only me, but there’s room for more. I was impatient and didn’t want to wait any longer before I moved in.” Her gaze turned to me. “Maybe if you want, we could even put in a gym so you can work out at home.”

  I chewed my bite of food slowly. I didn’t feel I had the right to tell her what she could and couldn’t do with her money. Our dynamic had changed so much in the last week, and we were still trying to find our places. It was strange to think that I was planning on staying here for the next
month and then was going to hit the road again, but now I had a wife and a baby on the way. I had no idea what I was going to do, but I knew I couldn’t keep traveling the way I had.

  “That would be great, but expensive. Plus, I know you never planned for that to be your forever home.”

  “It’s not, but who knows when a place will open up at the beach and have everything I need, so I’ll make this place be what we need, and if you want a gym, it’s a possibility, that’s all I’m saying.”

  “We can figure it out later.”

  For the rest of dinner, my mom gushed over Lexie. They became fast friends, and I knew my mom already considered her a daughter. Nothing had changed with my dad. He was still acting out of the ordinary, and I wanted to find out why. I wasn’t sure if I should corner him or my mom to find out what was happening. Deep down in the pit of my stomach, I felt something was off, and when I woke up early the next morning to go for a run and found my dad sleeping on the couch, I knew my intuition had been right.

  Slipping out the front door, I ran longer than my normal thirty minutes. I couldn’t get the picture of my dad on the couch out of my head—or the way he’d acted the day before. My arms and legs kept pumping, pushing me faster. When I arrived back at the house, it had been a little over an hour. My legs felt like noodles as I leaned forward with my hands on my knees and tried to catch my breath. I spotted movement inside and saw it was my dad folding up the blanket he’d slept on. I hoped everyone else was asleep because we were about to have a serious talk.

  Quickly I stretched as I kept my eye on my dad moving around inside. No one else seemed to be up as I walked in. He was at the counter, pouring himself a cup of coffee and jumped when he heard the front door close, causing him to spill his coffee on his hand.

  “Shit,” he hissed. Moving over to the sink, he held his hand under the water.

  I went to the fridge, pulled out a bottle of water, and drank half of it down in one slug. Leaning my hip against the counter, I waited. Every minute that went by, I got madder as he kept his back to me with his hand under the water. I knew he didn’t burn himself that bad and was only trying to avoid me.

  “Enough.” I finally gritted out. “Turn around and face me like a man.”

  Letting out a defeated sigh, his shoulders slumped, and he turned to look at me. “Son, it’s not—”

  “Don’t lie to me. All day yesterday, you acted like an entirely different man than the one who raised me. I tell you I’m in love with the woman of my dreams and we’re married, and you treated her like shit.”

  His posture straightened. “You didn’t use those words.”

  “Would it have mattered? No, I don’t think it would have.” I let out a disappointed huff. “Well, she is the love of my life. I love her more than anything, and I won’t let you continue to treat her like shit.” I looked over at the couch and then back at him. “Why were you on the couch?”

  “We should probably sit down.” He picked up his coffee and sat down at the kitchen table. His eyes were haunted as he looked at me over the brim of his cup. Shakily, I made my way over and sat down on the opposite side of him. “You don’t want any coffee?”

  “I’m trying not to drink any while Lexie’s pregnant. She loves coffee and can’t have any, so I’m supporting her the only way I know how.”

  “That’s…” he gulped, “admirable of you. I can see how much you love her.” He gave a small nod. “Your mom and I were going to talk to you after dinner last night, but then you revealed a new wife and baby, and we thought we should wait until today.”

  “Wait for what?” I finished off my bottle of water and crushed the plastic in my hand.

  Sad eyes that matched my own looked back at me. “Your mother and I are getting a divorce. I moved out a few weeks ago and—”

  Jumping up, my hands went to my hair and pulled at the strands. “Why didn’t she say anything when I talked to her?”

  “Because she knew you’d blow off whatever job you were on and come running home.”

  “Damn right, I would have.”

  “And it wouldn’t have made a difference. She asked me to move out, and I had to respect her wishes.” His hands wrapped around his coffee cup as he looked down at it with a pinched face.

  “What did you do to make her ask that of you?” My mother wouldn’t have asked unless he’d done something unforgivable.

  “That’s between your mother and me.” His voice was hard, like it wasn’t his fault he was in this situation.

  My body slumped in the chair. “Where are you living?”

  “A couple of towns over in—”

  There were only two things I could think of that would make my mom demand he leave and for him to live so far away. “Did you cheat on her?”

  He let out a disappointed noise, and when his eyes met mine, they were full of tears. “It wasn’t planned, but that’s no excuse. I lost my way for a short time, and I betrayed your mother. Along the way, I found a woman who—”

  Shooting up from my seat, I towered over him as my eyes narrowed into slits. All I could see was red. There was no way for me to hold back my contempt for him. “I don’t want to hear about her. How could you do that to the woman you loved while she was fighting for her life?”

  Thunderous steps pounded down the stairs as I glared at my father. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought he’d cheat, let alone when my mom was battling cancer.

  “What’s going on?” My mother’s quiet voice broke our stare down. She moved between us, and the moment she saw my face, hers crumpled.

  “Oh, Ryder, I didn’t want you to find out like this.”

  Pulling her into my arms, I hugged her shaking body. “I knew something was wrong yesterday, but when I saw him sleeping on the couch this morning, I knew.”

  “Now that he knows, I’ll be one my way. I know you’re mad at me, son, and it may take you a while to forgive me, but when you do, I’ll be here.”

  My voice was hard as stone as I gritted out the words. “When that time comes, will you be accepting of my wife?”

  Lexie came up behind me and lifted her hand to rest between my shoulder blades, and with that simple action, she took a little of my anger away. My body melted into hers. I wasn’t sure when she came into the room, but until she touched me, I didn’t know how much I needed her by my side.

  “I…I hate to break this to you, but she might be after what little fame you have.”

  “Ryder’s fame as you call it isn’t little.” Lexie stepped around me and moved between us. “Not only is he gorgeous, but he’s extremely talented and has a heart of gold. Everyone that works with him can see that, and they gravitate toward him. He’s going to be big, but I can assure you, I’m not here to ride his coattails.”

  I wanted to laugh at the notion. If anyone was using someone in this relationship, it would be me. I was sure when news got out about our nuptials there would be plenty of people who would think that I had married Lexie to further my career. But I knew that if they saw us together, their opinion would change. There was no denying how much we loved each other or our chemistry.

  “I’m not sure how to explain it to you for you to understand, Dad.” His name came out like a curse. “Lexie isn’t using me. I have nothing that she wants. In fact, after we were married, and I thought about it, I was surprised she didn’t ask me to sign a prenup.”

  “What?” she questioned like it was the most absurd thing she’d ever heard. When she turned, the girl who had just been defending me was glaring at me with her jaw tight.

  “While I don’t know how much money you have, I do know it warrants a prenup. It only makes me love you more that it never crossed your mind to demand one and that in a world where couples barely last, you have faith in us.”

  Her eyes softened and filled with tears. “Oh, hell, not now,” she murmured. My mom slipped to my side, knowing I needed to comfort my girl. Holding my arms out, Lexie stepped into me and buried her face in my chest. �
��I’m sorry. This isn’t about me. I wanted to help you, and now I’m a mess.”

  I kissed the top of her head before I looked over to where my father stood. He had a look of regret on his face. I wasn’t sure if it was from what he’d said about Lexie or if it was ruining what he had with his wife. “You’re what’s important. Why don’t we go upstairs so I can get cleaned up, and you can get some rest?”

  Lexie turned her head in my mom’s direction. “He thinks I can’t do anything now that I’m pregnant. It’s both infuriating and incredibly sweet. From one minute to the next, I’m never sure which one will win out.”

  My mom patted her arm as she looked up at me with complete and utter love in her eyes. It was the same look she gave me every time I did something that made her proud. “He’s only doing it because he cares. I didn’t raise him to think women were inferior.”

  “No, ma’am.” I knew they were both better than me in almost every way.

  My dad cleared his throat from beside the front door. He’d already slipped his coat on unnoticed. “You’ve got my number when you’re ready to talk.” With a chin lift, he opened the front door and didn’t look back.

  I turned with Lexie in my arms as we watched my mom lock the front door and then started to clean up the already clean kitchen. Leaning down, I spoke against her ear. “Why don’t you head upstairs, and I’ll be up there in a few minutes? I want to make sure my mom’s okay.”

  She leaned back, her hands first going to my shoulders and then to wrap around my neck. Her thumbs rubbed back and forth in a soothing motion that made the morning a little less shitty. “Are you okay? I know how much you love your mom.”

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my mom falter for a moment before she started pulling items out of the refrigerator to make breakfast with a smile on her face. Maybe she’d be better off without my dad. Maybe they’d been unhappy for a long time, and I’d been too wrapped up in myself to realize. “If she’s okay, I’m okay. What about you?”

  Lexie scoffed. “I’m not letting what your dad said get to me. I know our truth, and that’s all that matters.”