by Terra Kelly
His look became heated. “Who needs artificial when you have the real thing?”
Just then Lexie ran up to them. “I helped bake, Momma and Alex, want to see?”
Alyssa was speechless and unable to move. Alex bent down and whispered something in her ear. As she ran off, he stood and looked at Alyssa. “Just think about it, okay?” He leaned in and kissed her on her gorgeous lips. “I plan to be a part of your lives, I don’t plan to go anywhere.”
She smiled and felt a flush of excitement creep up her face. “Real thing, huh? You shouldn’t say those things in a public setting.” Then she leaned up on her tip-toes. “You don’t have a choice, I’m not letting you go anywhere.”
Stu walked over to grab herbs. “Oh, sorry about that.”
Alyssa just laughed. “You’re fine, Stu. We were just getting a couple things straightened out is all.” She squeezed Alex’s behind and walked to the front of the cafe.
Stu watched her go. “Women, you can’t live with them, and you can’t live without them.”
“Ain’t that the truth.” He walked up front to see what baked treats Lexie had made. He thought about what he said to Alyssa and shook his head. Was he ready to be a dad? Could he handle the responsibility? He knew he was not that young, but he had never had a serious relationship. Now all he could see in his future was Alyssa, Lexie, and maybe a little baby. Wow, to even think about having a baby was crazy. Just over a year ago he was enjoying the nightlife of L.A. He didn’t care about when he came home, what he did, or who he kissed. Now here he was staying at Alyssa’s house, talking about kids, and falling in love with sweet little Lexie. It’s amazing the different roads life takes you down.
He walked out to the dining room to find Lexie sitting on Alyssa’s lap. They were talking and laughing. He walked over and sat down beside them. Lexie looked up and smiled. “Alex, guess what I maked today?”
Alex put his finger to his chin, and looked up, like he was deep in thought. “Hmmm… a pizza?”
Lexie giggled. “Nope.”
“Hmmm… some pork shoulder like your momma likes?”
“No silly. I make my very own cheese danid.”
Alex looked surprised. “You did? Did you make one for your mommy or me?”
Alyssa laughed. “I asked her the same thing. Guess what she said? Nope. Can you believe it?”
Alex put his hand over his heart, then he fell back like he was wounded. “What? No cheese danish for us. I’m so sad.”
Lexie seemed sad, too. “Maybe we can go make more, then you can have some, too?” Lexie stood and grabbed both of their hands. She pulled them into the kitchen. “Aunt Anna, can I make momma and Alex a cheese danid?”
Alex and Alyssa both were trying to hold back their laughter. Anna could tell they both were trying not to laugh. “Well cutie, I just so happen to have dough left. Let’s make them a few danishes.”
For the next hour, Alex and Alyssa were told to sit on the barstools. Then Lexie stood on a step stool right next to them. She was chatting with them about the dough and how much she loves cheese danishes. Alyssa was soaking it all in, she loved how cute her daughter was. As she sat there watching Lexie, her mind reeled back to the conversation about kids with Alex. Did he want to have kids with her? She would love to have even just one more baby. She could remember when she was pregnant for Lexie and how she loved being pregnant. She had an easy pregnancy. Derek was a part of every moment of the nine months. She could see Alex doing the same thing. He seemed to be the type of man who was all-in when it came to relationships. She smiled and reached for his hand. How did she get so lucky?
Chapter 9
The week went by quickly and the cafe was very busy every day. With the holidays fast approaching, they had more out-of-town visitors checking out the cafe.
When the weekend arrived, they all agreed to sleep in some. Sunday morning Alyssa was lying in bed, snuggled under her covers. She could hear the wind howling outside and her two favorite people giggling just down the hall. She stretched, pushed back the covers, and put on a robe. When she looked out her window, she noticed it had snowed through the night. She loved this time of year. She pulled her robe tighter to her chest to break the chill that passed through her. As Alyssa walked out of her room, she knew the giggles were coming from Lexie’s room. She peeked in and just melted right there. Alex was sitting cross-legged on the floor next to Lexie as she shared a story with her dolls. Alex looked so interested and had a doll in his hand, too. At that moment, he looked up and saw Alyssa.
“Looks like sleepyhead decided to wake up.” Then he tapped on Lexie’s shoulder and pointed toward the door. “Did you sleep well, beautiful?”
Alyssa smiled. “I did.” She walked toward Alex and sat down in front of him. “It snowed out last night, did you see?”
Alex smiled. “We did. Lexie said when you get up, we need to go make a snowman.” He gave an unknowing look. “I have never experienced snow before. Well, I have experienced it but never played in snow before.”
Alyssa gasped. “What? Oh my word, you haven’t lived until you have made a snowman.” She looked toward Lexie. “Right, baby girl?”
“It’s fun. Do we have carrots for the nose?”
Alyssa grabbed Lexie and pulled her into her lap. “We do, cutie.” She kissed Lexie’s temple and looked up at Alex. “Have you both had breakfast yet?”
“Nope, we were waiting for you. Should we keep it simple? Then we have more time to play. Later we’ll video chat with my family.”
“Oh, how fun, I can’t wait to meet them.”
Alex reached up and touched the side of her face. Then he looked down and made a monster sound and tickled, little Lexie. Her giggles filled the small space. The sound of a child’s laughter was music to his ears. Alex then stood and reached down to help them both up. “How does a bowl of cereal sound? Simple and delicious.”
“Even better, let’s make warm, cozy oatmeal.”
Lexie jumped up and down. “Yes, yes, yes, homemade oatmeal with berries… yum!” She rubbed her belly and danced around with excitement.
They both laughed, and said, “Oatmeal it is.”
After breakfast they bundled up and headed out. The wind was almost too intense, but they were determined to make a snowman. They spent about an hour gathering up the large balls of snow for each body part. The snow was perfect and packed together just right. Once they had all three body parts stacked together, Lexie grabbed the carrot for the nose, and chocolate for the mouth, eyes, and buttons. They had found an old scarf and hat to place on him.
They all stood back to admire their creation. Alyssa looked at Lexie, and asked, “What shall we call him?”
Lexie smiled. “Jack, he looks just like a Jack to me.”
“Jack seems appropriate. Don’t you think, Alex?”
“I love it. Do you think we should make a girlfriend for Jack?”
“I cold,” Lexie said, looking up with sad eyes. “Can we make a girlfriend tomorrow?”
Alex bent down and picked her up and held her close to him. “Let’s go warm up and make hot chocolate. How does that sound?”
Lexie snuggled into Alex. “Yes, yum, hot chocolate!”
Alyssa was the last one to walk through the front door. She felt a chill pass down her spine and had a weird feeling like they were being watched.
Alex noticed her unease. He put Lexie down and walked toward her. “You okay?”
Alyssa glanced around but saw nothing out of the ordinary. “Yeah, I think so. Have you ever had that feeling where you’re being watched? I know it sounds silly, just my crazy imagination playing tricks on me.” She closed the door and walked into Alex’s embrace.
“Not crazy at all, love.” He bent down and kissed the tip of her nose. “Come on, let’s go warm up with some homemade hot chocolate.” He then bent down and scooped her into his arms.
Lexie came in the room at that moment and laughed. “Pick me up, too, Alex!”
Alex
shook his head. He put Alyssa down and reached down to grab Lexie. She howled with laughter as he held her out like an airplane and headed for the kitchen.
Lexie was sitting at a barstool as they prepared the hot chocolate. She was still giggling and talking about how much fun it was to be an airplane with Alex. Alyssa sat down next to Alexandra and rubbed her back. “Hey cutie, you want to meet Alex’s family today?”
“How? Are they here?”
“Well, they will be here in less than two weeks.”
“What for, Momma?”
Alyssa decided this was as good a time as any. She had to let Lexie know about Thanksgiving and Christmas. Her daughter deserved to celebrate two special holidays. She cleared her throat and looked up at Alex. Then she looked back at Lexie. “Honey, I need to share something with you.” She took a sip of her hot chocolate. “You know how we have talked about how Daddy died?”
“Yes Momma, you said, we were in a car accident.”
“Yes, we were, sweet girl. It made momma sad. So sad, she was afraid to celebrate the things that made her happy before the accident.”
“What does that mean, Momma?”
“Well, the holidays- Thanksgiving and Christmas- that we haven’t celebrated. It’s time to celebrate them again and time for you to understand how wonderful they are. They are the best time of the year. I’m sorry I kept this time from you.” Alyssa looked down at her cup of hot chocolate and watched the marshmallows move in circles.
Lexie put her hand on Alyssa’s arm. “Momma, don’t feel sad. I okay. Will you tell me about the special days?”
Alyssa had tears streaming down her face. “Oh Lexie, I love you so much.” She pulled her into her arms and held her tight.
A few minutes later they both felt warm arms wrap around both of them. They both glanced up into Alex’s kind eyes. “My girls needed a hug, I could feel it.” He bent and kissed them both on their cheeks.
Alyssa was still struggling to stop the tears from falling. She hiccupped and shared all about Thanksgiving. “It’s so much fun, you make tons of food, and eat it all,” she said, laughing. “You should wear pj’s all day, then if you’re full, you’re in comfy pants.” Lexie giggled. “Now, Christmas is different and I have a feeling Santa will make up for lost time this year.”
“Santa?” Lexie asked, sounding confused.
They spent the next hour sharing all about Santa and Christmas. When they finished, Lexie rose and ran to her room. She came back holding paper and crayons. “Momma, can you help me write my special letter to Santa?”
“Of course, sweet girl.” Just like that her Lexie was okay and ready to celebrate the holidays the way a child should. She knew she would still have moments of guilt flash through her, but for now, this was perfect.
Alyssa and Lexie were sitting on the floor in the living room next to the coffee table. Alyssa writing all the things that Lexie wanted to receive from Santa. A loud ringing startled them both. Alex was in the kitchen making dough for dinner. He walked over to the end table by the couch and grabbed his computer. He flipped it open and smiled. “Hi there!”
Lexie hopped up and went over to see what Alex was looking at. Alex sat down on the couch and placed the computer down in front of him. Lexie peeked at the screen, her eyes went big with excitement. “Your family, Alex?”
Alyssa rose and went to sit down next to Alex. She reached forward and had Lexie settle in between her legs. Alex made sure the computer was positioned to see all three of them. Connie said, “Oh my goodness, tell me all about your new friends, baby.”
Alex laughed. “This is Alyssa.” Then he tickled Lexie’s side. “And this cutie is, Alexandra.” He squeezed Alyssa’s hand. “That is my Mom and Dad, behind them is Isabel and Drew. How are you, Bro?” He placed his hand on Alyssa’s leg to calm her. “We were just talking all about Thanksgiving with Lexie.”
Lexie piped up. “Yeah, we wear pj’s and eat lots.”
They all giggled, Jim was still laughing, “That little one is smart.”
“She definitely is.”
“You’re stunning, Alyssa,” Isabel said. “Is it okay if we invade your town for a few days?”
Alyssa flushed from the compliment. “Thank you, Isabel. Alex’s place is lonely, so you have a place to stay. He is over here all the time now. If you need more space, Lexie can stay in our room?”
Drew laughed. “You have a place you rent, yet you don’t stay there? Sounds like what Isabel and I did for awhile. I know Joshua and Grant will be coming. Mom has pressured them into joining us. Should we bring anything special?”
“Some sunshine,” Alyssa said, chuckling. “I heard through the grapevine that you all don’t experience much snow?” She smiled. “We made Alex make a snowman with us today.”
Connie just gasped. “I better bring several layers of clothes. You played in the snow, Alex? You loved to make sand castles on the beach.”
Alyssa just grinned. “The cafe will be closed on Thanksgiving. So, we can enjoy a big dinner there and maybe convince Alex to wood smoke a turkey.”
Isabel just moaned and Drew pulled her close. “Well, I would say that is a yes from this gorgeous woman,” Drew said. “I want some of the dishes on your menu. Alex has shared that everything is homemade, even your bread?”
Alyssa looked at Alex and smiled, then looked back at the screen. “We have a pastry chef that makes all the sweet treats daily. The sous chef makes the bread and Alex takes care of wood-smoking all the meat. Since Alex arrived, the place is running much more smoothly. We’re looking to hire a few more people. I never expected the cafe to do so well, but it’s busy all the time.”
They continued to talk for about another 45 minutes. After they made all the plans for Thanksgiving, they all said their goodbyes. Lexie seemed bummed to say goodbye. “I want to talk with them more.”
Alex beeped her nose. “Well, perfect, because we will see them in ten days. Sound good?” Lexie hopped around and cheered.
“You doing okay, love?” Alex asked, squeezing Alyssa’s hand. “I know this is a lot to take in.” Alex wrapped his arm around Alyssa and pulled her to his side and kissed the top of her head. “We have to make sure we order extra items on next week’s shipment. I want to have everything for the fun dinner.”
Alyssa sat up. “I only have ten days, no more like five to decide what to make.”
After putting Lexie to bed, Alex was walking into Alyssa’s bedroom. He stopped in the doorway, leaned on the door frame, and watched her. She was on her bed, sitting cross-legged, and had her laptop resting on her legs. She was distracted since they hung up with his family. A few moments later Alyssa glanced up and smiled. “What?”
Alex laughed. “Just curious, what has you so distracted tonight? It doesn’t have anything to do with recipe searching, does it?”
Alyssa placed her laptop beside her, unfolded her legs, and stood from the bed. “Are you feeling lonely?” she teased. Then she traced a path down his chest with her palms. When she was at the button of his jeans, she heard a soft moan. “So, you were feeling lonely, mister?”
He grabbed her hands and kissed both palms. “I always feel lonely when you’re not near me. I have grown to enjoy your company.” Then he bent to kiss her sweet lips. “Your delicious scent...” he continued to kiss a path from her lips down her neck. “And your heart-stopping curves.” Then he placed his hands over her behind and moved them up her sensuous body. “I have an idea.”
She was at a point where it was getting harder to think. His touch always did things to her insides. The feeling of butterflies and increased heart rate was becoming a normal thing when she was with Alex. She moved in closer. “So do I.”
Alex laughed. “Not that idea, but I won’t say no to any of your ideas. How does it sound to work together on the menu? I would love to recipe search with you.”
She had a look of excitement, pulled away from his embrace, and ran over to the bed. She grabbed her laptop, sat down, and patted the
bed next to her. “Look what I have found so far. What do you think?”
He sat down and took the laptop from her. “Wow, you are serious about recipe searching? There must be fifty recipes saved? How many recipes do you plan on making?”
“I’m just trying to feel inspired. Let’s pick maybe, five recipes?”
“Five sounds like a good solid number with the addition of turkey, and several dessert options. We will have a delicious feast!” He closed the laptop and turned to face her. “Now, that seems like enough recipe searching for the night. How about we search for something else now?”
Alyssa was sitting at the kitchen island glued to her laptop. Alex was getting ready for his shift. Lexie was twirling around the living room watching her favorite cartoon. The house felt warm and inviting. She was enjoying the sounds filling the house. She could hear Alex in the shower and little Lexie singing as she twirled. As she watched a YouTube cooking video, she started to laugh. She could remember watching cooking videos with Derek. He would impersonate the host of the video and talk with a silly accent. She sat there staring at her computer, looking lost in thought. It was weird to have these memories and not want to cry. She missed Derek and always would. But today, she loved the memories that were being made, and the beautiful sounds that filled her home. She leaned back. “Hey, sweet pea?”
Lexie came running in the room. “Yes, Mommy?”
“What should we do today? Bake, go to the cafe, the library, or maybe the park?”
Lexie twirled in place as she spoke. “Hmmmm… will Alex be with us?”
“He has to work today.”
“Then the library!”
Alex came striding in the room. “Who’s going to the library?”
Lexie twirled toward him. “Momma and I, cause you working.”
“I haven’t taken her to the library in forever,” she said. “We should find fun books that share all about Christmas?”
Lexie hopped up and down. “Yes!” Then stopped jumping up and down. “We should send my letter to Santa today?”