Again, I felt like she was spoon-feeding me information. I prodded her to continue, “What did the letter say?”
Her eyes brimmed with tears, and I couldn’t stand it. I reached out, and Lex came into my arms willingly. I held her to me, searing the moment into my mind. She began to sob.
“Lex, what happened? Did someone hurt you?”
If someone had, I would kill them.
She shook her head. “No. No one hurt me.”
I rubbed her back as she cried, and slowly she calmed down. When she pulled back, I saw the heartbreak on her face. “I’m so confused. It was easier when I was far away. I could keep you out of my mind. But you’re here and…”
No. No. No. She needed to finish that sentence. A hell of a lot hung on that sentence. “I’m here and what?”
“Dad told me to leave you. That, in time, I would understand why. He said it was his last piece of fatherly advice.” Her voice caught, and she closed her eyes. “I was so confused, Drake. So confused. And I simply reacted. I wasn’t thinking. I wasn’t myself. I just did as he asked.”
The air left me in a rush, and I couldn’t quite catch my breath as I tried to process the words. Ike wanted Lex to leave me? I stared speechless at Lex. I was barely able to ask, “What?”
“I know Dad loved you. I had just lost him. And the letter. It was too much. I reacted. I was emotional. And I regret everything.”
Stay calm. Lloyd told Lex to break up with me? That made no sense. “Do you have the letter?”
She sniffed and pulled it from her back pocket. It was soft and worn. Really worn. It looked like it had been refolded thousands of times. Through a couple of sniffles, she said, “Every time I felt weak and wanted to call you, I read the letter.”
It had been read a lot. “Can I?”
“Yeah.”
I unfolded the letter; it was short.
My darling Alexa,
You have always meant the world to me. I’ve been struggling with something that I need to tell you. I couldn’t find the words while we talked on the phone. I hope to take you to the cabin and tell you during your next visit. But if that time doesn’t come, I’ve written this letter. I have to protect my little girl.
I know you love Drake, but you need to listen to me.
Drake is not the right man for you. I know this comes as a shock, but I need you to trust me on this. As your dad, I implore you. End things with him. It will be for the best. I know this doesn’t make much sense, but I need you to do as I ask. Do this one thing for me. In time you’ll understand why. This may be the last piece of fatherly advice I can give you.
I love you, Alexa, with my whole heart.
Dad
The air left my lungs for the second time, and I felt nauseated. I checked the date of the letter. Lex’s actions all made sense now. “This makes no fucking sense.”
“Why?”
I swallowed, unsure how to tell her. But if we were going to have a chance, there was no holding back. “This was dated two weeks before he died.”
“I know.”
Do I tell her? I ran my thumb along her jaw, debating. Her blue eyes searched mine, pleading, and I knew I had to. “A month before that, while you were at school, we’d gone to his cabin for a few days to hunt.”
A faint smile emerged. “I remember. It had been in September. He had a good time. You guys got a moose.”
I took a deep breath. “Lex, that weekend I asked your Dad for permission to marry you. He gave me his blessing.”
A million emotions flew across her face—shock, joy, sadness. Hopefully this knowledge would change our future. I still wanted her to wear my ring, have my last name, be mine in every way. We just needed to find our way back to each other.
Lex grabbed onto me, desperate. “What? You did? He did?”
“Yeah. I’ve never lied to you before. And I never will. That letter wasn’t written by your Dad—I don’t care what anyone says. You know he would’ve said no if he didn’t agree. And if I’d done something wrong, he would have told me about it. I’ve been nothing but faithful and loyal to you. I swear it.”
I would have done anything to wipe away all Lex’s pain, absolutely anything. Continuing, I said, “He wouldn’t have asked me to take care of you with his last breath. You know I was there. He said, ‘Take care of my Alexa. She’s going to need you.’”
“He did?” Her voice was soft, and she closed her eyes. We had both suffered needlessly for the last two years. If only we’d talked.
“Yes, he did. I swear it. I didn’t tell you because when you came home for the service I just wanted to support you. And then you were gone.”
She clutched my shirt. “What have I done? Oh, Drake, what did I do?”
“Nothing that can’t be undone.” I hope. If only she’d give us a chance.
Lex held me tighter.
I had her back in my life now, and I would never let her go.
Chapter Five
Drake
The sun dipped below the horizon while we sat, holding each other. We didn’t say much, just sat and soaked up the moment. I have Lex in my arms again. She’s here. So many fucking times I’d wondered if it was truly over between us. Hoped to hell it wasn’t. She shivered and burrowed into my chest a little deeper. This felt right. She was mine to protect and watch over again. Truly mine.
“Let’s get out of here,” I said.
“It is getting cold. I just don’t want to leave. I’m scared you’re going to want things to be over.” This vulnerability wasn’t like Lex. She was usually strong and self-assured.
I waited for her to look up at me. The last rays of the sun were nearly gone, and Lex’s face was illuminated like an angel’s. Fuck, she was gorgeous. When her eyes met mine, I leaned closer until we were a breath apart. “That isn’t going to happen. From the moment I helped you change your tire on the side of the road, you held my heart.”
“Drake…”
Just a small taste. Only a small one. What we had was still fragile. If I rushed it, it could shatter us forever. I pressed my lips to hers, savoring the feel of her warm lips against mine. Her lips tasted of vanilla. Pure fucking heaven. Before the kiss could deepen, I pulled back. “Do you feel it?”
“Yes.”
“When things get tough, we hold on to this feeling. We fight like hell to never lose it.”
She pulled me closer. “I’m all in.”
Thank fuck. I let out a breath and held her tight. The letter from Lloyd confused me. He’d approved of me asking Lex to marry me. And he hadn’t been a man to go back on his word without giving you a valid reason. Secret letters and shit weren’t his thing. The handwriting was a man’s, but the words weren’t his. I was sure of it.
Someone had fucked with our lives.
But why?
Somehow, I would get to the bottom of it. But first, I needed to get Lex somewhere safe. She shivered in my arms. Against her forehead, I whispered, “Let’s get out of here.”
“Sounds good.”
Hand in hand, we walked to her truck. “Where are you staying?”
“I’ve been camped out on Teagan’s couch—I came into town, and they left. It feels like I’m cramping their style. They locked the bedroom door. I told Teagan today at the bar I would find somewhere else to stay, and she said that was great. I thought about asking Mom if I could stay there, but with all the changes she made, I don’t think I can do it. I might check into the hotel or go stay at Dad’s cabin. I just don’t know if I’m ready to go out there.”
When I heard about the B&B closing down, I knew Lex would be upset. Irene had nearly gutted the place. It was like she wanted to erase all the memories. Lloyd’s belongings had been auctioned off. It hadn’t been about the money. It had been about Raquel dealing one final blow to Lex. Bitch. And the cabin had been special to Lloyd and Lex. As a kid, she used to go up there with him and help him work on it. Together, they’d restored it to how it had looked when his grandparents built the plac
e. I got why it would be hard to stay there.
The breeze blew, and Lex shivered again, tucking her hair behind her ear. I wasn’t ready to be without her. I could offer my place, but that was likely something Lex wasn’t ready for. She needed somewhere safe to process everything. The letter was still going to be an issue to overcome, mentally. But at least we were going to do it together.
It hit me, and I stopped, pulling Lex up short. “Why don’t you stay at Mom and Dad’s? They have the extra space, and you love it out there.”
For a second, her smile grew, but just as quickly, it dimmed again. “I couldn’t do that. They must hate me after what I did.”
I brought her hand to my lips. I have Lex. She is mine. I took a deep breath and focused back on the situation. “No, they don’t. You’re like a daughter to them. They never stopped loving you. I think they knew we’d find our way back to each other somehow. Mom already called when she got the newsletter.”
Within an hour of Lex leaving the Red Onion, the Red Hot Twiner Tellings newsletter landed in everyone’s email box. According to the Twiner sister, Lex and I were back together. Hollis had tried to break us up. The story was complete with pictures of me carrying Lex up the stairs to my place and us getting in her truck together to head to the Doogle house. And of course, Hollis leaving the Red Onion sporting a bruised jaw. I’d managed to avoid being in the newsletter for two years. Within a day of Lex being back in my life, I was in it again. Life was fucking great.
Hell, in this town, you couldn’t take a piss without someone knowing.
Lex groaned. “I’ve been avoiding checking my email. Is it bad?”
I chuckled. “They’ve got pictures, according to Mom. I haven’t looked.”
“I bet Raquel is going to be mad.” She leaned against her truck door and laughed.
Her sister was a piece of work, acting as if she was better than everyone else. “Has she reached out?”
“No. She’ll track me down tomorrow, I’m sure. Once she finds out Hollis comes from money, she’ll swoop in and try to control that, too. Just wait.” Her fists were clenched at her side. Lex was a firecracker when she got pissed off. With a huff, she released some of the building energy. At some point, she would explode.
Finally, she nodded. “It’ll be fine.”
“It will be. And if she pisses you off too much, we can put food coloring in her mouthwash again.”
Lex laughed out loud, and I smiled at the memory. When Lex was a senior, Raquel had borrowed a pair of Lexi’s shoes and ruined them. In retribution, Lex put green food coloring in her mouthwash. That shit stained her teeth for a while. She looked like she had mold in her mouth. Disgusting.
Lex giggled. “Oh, man, could you picture her at a function with moldy-looking teeth?”
“Classy.”
Things were getting easier between us. She touched my chest and I loved it. Soon I’d get to feel her fall apart in my arms. I grew hard just thinking about being insider her again. Down boy. Just a little more time. “I missed this.”
“Me, too.” The breeze picked up. In her tiny little shorts, Lex had to be cold. “I’ll follow you to Mom and Dad’s house.”
“Okay.” She opened the door but stopped before getting in. For a second, she looked down and kicked at a rock on the dirt road. “I’m scared, Drake.”
I pressed in closer and kissed her jaw. “Me, too. But… I would risk it all for you.”
She wrapped her arms around my waist; it felt so fucking right to have her in my arms. I wanted to lay her down and make love to her underneath the Alaskan sky the way I had so many times before. But we needed to take things slow.
And we needed to figure out who the hell did this.
Sweetly she murmured, “You’re worth it all, too, Drake.”
I closed my eyes as I held Lex, relishing her words.
Chapter Six
Drake
We were almost to my parents’ place when my phone vibrated.
Moochie: Glad things are working out. I’ll let you know when we’re having the next card night.
Me: Great. I’ll be there.
We pulled up to my parents’ place out in the country, about fifteen minutes from town. They had a large spread. My two brothers and I each had a hundred acres my parents had given us. The only stipulation was that if we ever wanted to sell it, family got to make the first reasonable offer.
It was heaven on earth.
In Alaska, you could go from a populated area to dense forest in the space of a quarter mile. Summers were beautiful, but winters were brutal. It took a strong person to survive this place.
As I got out of the truck, I checked for my brothers’ vehicles, but it looked like they were gone. They’d been there earlier to help Dad load some furniture. Mom had probably shooed them away when I texted her that I was bringing Lex out to stay with them.
Mom came out on the front porch as I hurried around the truck to open Lex’s door for her. She smiled at me. “Thanks.”
When I got to her door, I saw the warmth in her eyes that had always been there. There was no doubt that Lex owned me, body and soul.
Before I took her hand to help her out, I checked the back seat and the bed of her truck. There was nothing. “Do you have any bags?”
“Oh, no! Everything is at Teagan’s. I need to run over there and get some clothes.”
Lex started to climb back into her truck, but I put my hand on her elbow. I could tell her mind was going in a million different directions. “I’ve got something you can wear, or Mom will. We’ll get your stuff sorted tomorrow.”
“Alexa, oh, I have missed you so.”
I should have known Mom wouldn’t wait for us to get to the door. She pushed me to the side and had Lex in her arms in a bear hug in a nanosecond. It was the best fucking feeling in the world to see them together. Lex’s hug was just as fierce as they held on and whispered to each other. They’d been close. Really close. Lex had been the daughter Mom never had. And in some ways, Mom had been a mother figure for Lex.
To be honest, I liked Irene just fine as long as she didn’t meddle in my and Lex’s business. But Lex and her mom were different. They didn’t see eye to eye on much of anything. There had been many times I’d shown up to catch Irene criticizing Lex for not wearing enough makeup or dressing up enough. It pissed me the fuck off. Lex was perfect as she was. No changes were necessary.
Did Irene write the letter?
I hoped it wasn’t her. But I couldn’t rule her out. Too many times, she’d made insinuations about Hollis and Lex in front of me.
Mom ushered Lex toward the front door. “Come on in. I hope you’ll stay with us until you find a place. This place needs more women.”
“I’d like that. But I don’t want to impose.”
Mom reached the top of the stairs first and turned around with her hands on her hips. Oh man, I knew that look by the cock of her head. I’d received it many times growing up here.
“Alexa Marie, get that thought out of your head right this instant. You are family and will always be family.”
“I like the sound of that.” Lex glanced my way and gave me a breathtaking smile.
Mom ushered her inside. “Have you eaten yet?”
“No, but that’s not necessary.”
Mom clapped and tucked a piece of blonde hair behind her ear. “Perfect. I’ll get something prepared while Drake gets you settled. Drake, take Alexa upstairs. She can sleep in whichever room she wants.” We started up the steps when Mom called, “Drake, are you going to stay the night?”
“Yeah, I am.” There was no way I was leaving here until Lex left with me.
“Perfect. I’ll call up when dinner is done.”
We made it to my bedroom door. Lex’s cheeks were a little red as she touched the doorknob. Many nights we’d spent in here, making love when my parents were away. When I moved out, after Lex graduated high school, she stayed with me at my place.
“This feels like old times.”<
br />
I rubbed the back of my neck as images of Lex spread beneath me flashed through my mind. Fuck, I was going to have to take a cold shower tonight. “I could never forget a moment we spent together. Not one.”
She gasped and pressed her lips together. Without responding, she opened the door to my bedroom. I watched as she walked in the room and looked around. If something had changed, I wouldn’t notice. Mom had been insistent on keeping our rooms as they had been when we lived here. She wanted to make sure we felt welcome to come home whenever we wanted. I only stayed out here when Dad needed help during the winter. I helped chop wood, clear the snow so Mom could drive, make deliveries, and help some of their elderly neighbors who weren’t quite as mobile as they used to be.
Lex walked over to a framed picture of my brothers and me. “How’re Hayden and Kane?
It was probably smart to change the subject. “They’re good. Hayden’s still flying planes and helps Dad. His business has grown a lot over the last couple of years. Hayden has three planes and has hired a second pilot. Kane’s still doing the executive hunts and hates people in general.”
It was amazing how different my brothers and I were from each other. I had never been afraid of relationships and wanted the commitment I’d seen in my parents my whole life. Hayden wanted the freedom to be with whom he wanted when he wanted. And Kane… who the hell knew? He kept his shit close to the vest.
She set the picture down with a laugh. “Kane is probably counting down the days until he can go hide in his cabin in the woods.”
Kane loved the harsh winters. If it were up to him, he’d live off the land and only visit us sporadically. “Yep. He came back from a hunt today. I’m surprised he hasn’t stranded some poor bastard in the woods.”
Being a guide up here paid well. And it allowed Kane to hide away from the world more often than not.
Lex laughed. “Me, too. And I bet Hayden is sad that the tourist season is coming to an end. Have you met his flavor of the summer?”
“Come to think of it, I haven’t. He hasn’t said anything about a girl this year.” That was odd. Normally, Kane and I couldn’t get him to shut up about his bachelor life.
Intoxicated By You_An Exposed Hearts Novel Page 4