by Terra Kelly
Alyssa waved goodbye. She opened the door to the truck and was bombarded with cheers. Lexie was clapping. “We off, Momma?”
“We’re off like a dirty shirt.” She looked at Alex. “They said to get, so here I am.”
“We hired enough help to take our places. They will be fine,” Alex said, looking in his review mirror. “Who has to use the bathroom? Who needs snacks? Anything?”
Everyone was ready to go and had every snack imaginable scattered around their feet. They drove for about ten hours each day and arrived in Freeland, Michigan after three long days. They found that they never tired of each other and never laughed so much before. Georgie had contacted their parents earlier, and they were both going to be home.
When the truck pulled into Sam and Zach’s driveway, they were both sitting in the living room waiting. Sam jumped up first. “They’re here. Oh my God, I’m so nervous.”
Zach rose and walked over to his wife. “Honey, Georgie already assured us that Alyssa is not upset at us. Let’s not get nervous now. Instead, let’s get to know our daughter again. I can’t wait to meet Alex and spend time with our granddaughter.”
Sam leaned her head on her husband’s chest. “I missed them all so much. I can’t wait to meet Alex either and hug Lexie like crazy.”
Georgie hopped out of the truck first. “Yes, home sweet home.” She walked up to her mom and dad. “I missed you both tons.” She then hugged them both at the same time.
Sam smiled and whispered to Georgie. “Everything will be okay, right?”
Georgie knew her mom too well and knew she was nervous. “Breathe and enjoy. They are excited to see both of you. Now, Maria and Kirk, not so much.”
Zach laughed. “I think we all agree on that one.”
Jax walked up behind them. “Agree on what?”
Georgie winked at Jax. “That it’s good to be home.”
Jax knew there was more to that, but planned to ask Georgie later. “Okay, so I must declare I cannot eat another cheesy poof.” She then rubbed her belly and made a fake gagging sound.
Alyssa was sitting in the truck with Alex. “Whew, this is huge and I have a stomach ache.”
“We know this is the easy part, you all miss each other too much. The Maria and Kirk trip, well that will be a different story. Just walk up to your parents and hug them. Let the rest speak for itself.”
Alyssa squeezed his hand. “I love you.”
“I love you more. Now go and see your parents. I’ll wrangle the little one.”
Alyssa took a deep breath and stepped out of the truck. She looked back at Lexie, then toward her family. Her mom was standing in front and had tears falling from her cheeks. Alyssa lost it and ran to her mom. “Oh Mom, I missed you so much.”
Sam tried to hold back her tears but the moment she looked at Alyssa they fell. When Alyssa ran into her arms, her world felt right again. “Oh my sweet, sweet baby girl. I missed you so very much. I love you so much.”
Alyssa leaned back and looked at her mom. “I never meant to be away for two years. I promise.”
Sam wiped tears off Alyssa’s cheeks. “Baby, let’s try to move forward from here. I wish I could take your pain away, but I think you have someone to do that now.”
Alyssa smiled. “Oh yes, yes I do.” She turned to her dad and hugged him. “I love you Daddy.”
Zach loved having his three girls back in his arms again. “I love you too, my sweet girl.”
Jax reached down to grab Lexie. “Guess who this is cutie?”
Lexie bent her head and nuzzled into Jax’s neck. “Gramma Sam and G-man.”
Everyone burst into laughter and Lexie looked startled. Alex noticed the look on her face first. “You got it cutie, G-man. Just like Aunt Jax taught you.”
Zach smiled. “Your Aunt Jax has always called me D-man, instead of dad. So, I think G-man sounds perfect.”
Lexie lit up a little. “Okay, G-man.”
Zach laughed. “Think the G-man can get a hug?”
Lexie leaned over to Zach. “Yes, I love hugs.”
Sam smiled and looked toward Alyssa. “Is she always this happy and loving?”
“Always, she is my light in shining armor. I don’t know what I would do without her. Or this man,” she said, reaching for Alex’s hand and pulled him close to her. “This is Alex.”
Sam and Zach both looked at each other, then back at Alyssa and Alex. Sam cried again, and asked, “Can I hug you, Alex?”
Alex went to hug Alyssa’s mom. “It’s wonderful to meet you both.” He put his hand out to shake Zach’s hand, but instead Zach pulled him in for a hug.
“We’re so happy to meet you too, Son.” Zach smiled at his daughter and Alex. “I hope you both understand how very sorry we are for everything.”
Alex grabbed Zach’s shoulder and squeezed. “Please, let’s go from here. I’m looking forward to getting to know you.”
“Maria and Kirk are a different story, they’re still angry,” Sam admitted. “Maria has been abrasive lately. So, I don’t know how your time with them will go.”
Jax sighed. “Well, we are all going together. Alyssa needs us and I don’t plan to leave her side. If Maria gets too bad, we can just take Lexie to the truck. Hopefully it won’t come to that, especially since they haven’t seen her in two years.”
Sam walked over to Zach and Lexie, and asked, “Do you have any hugs left for Gramma Sam?”
Lexie giggled. “I always have hugs.” She reached out and fell into Sam’s waiting arms. Sam held her so tight and didn’t want to let go. “Careful Gramma Sam, you may squeeze the stuffing right out of me.” They all burst into laughter and just leaned in for a group hug.
They spent the evening catching up and discussing the trip to North Carolina. At about 8:00 p.m. it was time for Lexie to crash. Alyssa combed her hair away from her face. “You ready to go to bed, sweet pea?”
“Yes Momma.” She then climbed onto Alyssa’s lap. “Can G-man and Gramma Sam read me a book?”
Alyssa looked at her parents and smiled. “I don’t know, you want to ask them?”
Lexie climbed off her momma’s lap and walked over to Sam and Zach. “Will you read me a book?”
Sam melted right there on the spot. “Definitely, sweetie.”
While Sam and Zach were reading to little Lexie. Jax, Georgie, Alyssa, and Alex were planning more wedding fun. Alyssa looked down the hall before she spoke, and admitted, “I almost introduced you as my fiancé.”
“Well that would have been fun, but I think Georgie and Jax would’ve been bummed,” Alex teased.
Georgie whispered. “Hell yeah, I want this to be a huge surprise!”
They heard footsteps and changed the subject. Alyssa looked at Jax, and asked, “So, hungry for a cheesy poof?”
Jax looked at Alyssa. “Really? Now that is just mean.”
Georgie laughed. “You are the cheesy poof queen on this trip.”
Jax threw a pillow at both her sisters. “I need to crash. First, are we ready for what Maria and Kirk throw our way?”
Sam and Zach walked into the living room, Sam smiled, “Who cares, Lexie makes everything better.”
“Uh oh, someone else has been put under the Lexie spell,” Alex said.
Zach nodded. “She is too damn sweet.”
Alyssa smiled. “That she is, that she definitely is. Honestly, the more I think about Maria and Kirk. I have decided, if they get too bad, we leave. We will try, but I will not surround myself with their negativity. Does that sound fair?”
They all agreed with Alyssa, then got some rest. After the long three days of traveling, they were all exhausted. Alex and Alyssa stayed in Alyssa’s old room. It was pretty much how she had it set up, but with a queen size bed instead of a twin.
Alyssa was changing into her nightshirt, and asked, “So, how is my man tonight?”
Alex sat down on the bed and pulled Alyssa in between his legs. “Better now. I missed holding and kissing you all day.”
Lexie leaned into her momma. “I can’t sleep in that room.”
Alex smiled. “Want to make a fun fort in here with us?”
Lexie looked up. “Really?”
“I will go get a few supplies, stand by.”
Alex bent down and pulled her onto to his lap. “Feels weird being in a new house?” Lexie just shook her head up and down. Alex pulled her close to him and hugged her. “Where should we set up the fort?”
Lexie looked around. “There,” and pointed to the corner by the bed.
“Looks like a perfect place for a fort.”
After Alex and Alyssa made sure Lexie was settled in her fort and surrounded by stuffed babies. They crawled into bed and snuggled up close to each other. Alex kissed her sweet lips. “This, everything, makes me happy.”
“You make us both happy.” Then they tangled themselves together more and fell asleep.
When they woke in the morning, there was a tiny foot sitting in Alyssa’s peripheral vision. She smiled and looked toward Alex who was still fast asleep. Lexie’s head was resting on Alex’s chest, somehow, she ended up laying perpendicular in between them. There was a light knock on the door and Georgie peeked into the room. Alyssa shrugged. “We gained a bed mate last night. Someone got a little scared.”
Georgie put her hand over her mouth to muffle the laughter. “If you could see you right now, it’s priceless.”
“Ha ha, laugh it up. I will get them up, give me a few.”
Georgie muffled her laughter and waved her hand in agreement as she headed out of the room. Alex stirred and then looked her way and laughed. “Well, I guess the fort was not good enough? You have a foot on the side of your face.”
Alyssa burst out laughing. “This could end up being a long two weeks, if she’s not into sleeping in new places.”
Alex and Alyssa were moving Lexie back to parallel. They both then got up from the bed. “I like morning hugs in bed better.”
Alex pulled her close. “Ditto, baby.”
Lexie stirred. “Momma? Alex?”
They both walked over to the bed, Alyssa sat beside her. “Right here, baby girl.” Lexie climbed up on Alyssa’s lap and snuggled into her side. Alyssa rubbed her back. “So, you didn’t like the fort Alex made you?”
Lexie moved her head back and forth. “No, Momma.”
Alex combed her hair away from her face. “It’s okay, cutie.” Then he bent down and kissed the top of her head.
Alex was holding Lexie, and Alyssa had her arm around Alex. They walked to the kitchen together, Alyssa smiled. “Good morning.”
Georgie was sitting at the table eating a bowl of cereal. “So, did you get any sleep last night?”
Alyssa laughed. “Surprisingly, yes.”
Jax walked into the kitchen and went straight to the coffee pot. She held up the pot, and asked, “Coffee?”
Alyssa sighed. “Yes, bless you.”
Sam and Zach walked into the kitchen. “Good morning.”
Sam hugged Alyssa. “What time are you heading over to Maria and Kirks?”
“In the next hour. I want to get this visit over with. Are you going with us today, Mom?”
Zach reached for the coffee pot. “No, we will stay here. I don’t think they like us very much anyways.”
Alex was helping Lexie with picking out a cereal. “My guess is, they don’t like very many people. I would imagine it may be safer to stay back?”
Alyssa had a look of concern on her face. “I’m not excited about taking Lexie, but I plan to be the bigger person here. They deserve to see their granddaughter. They have one shot though, then I’m done.”
Alex nodded. “We will be with you the whole way.”
Georgie took her cereal bowl to the sink. Then she turned and leaned against the counter. “Can we go now? I want the rest of this trip to be killer.”
“Sounds good to me,” she said, then turned to Lexie. “Hey cutie, want to take a little drive today?”
Lexie had just put a spoonful of cereal in her mouth. “Where we going?”
Alyssa knelt in front of her. “Your daddy, Derek? We will see his parents, your grandparents.”
She seemed curious. “Okay.”
Once they all ate breakfast, and Alyssa loaded up on caffeine, they headed out. About a block away from the Benson residence, Alex parked the truck on the side of the street. Alyssa turned in her seat. “Lexie, I need to share something with you. Your late father, Derek. His parents have not been very nice. They miss Derek a lot, so they have a tough time being happy.”
Lexie looked concerned. “Do you think they need a hug?”
All three sisters and Alex wanted to hug her. Alyssa agreed, “They definitely do, sweet girl, and I bet it may make them feel better. But I want you to know, if they get grumpy with us, we will have to leave. Okay?”
“Okay Momma.” Lexie snuggled her stuffed baby closer to her heart.
When they parked the truck in the Benson’s driveway, Maria and Kirk walked outside. Kirk had his arm around Maria and she had her arms crossed in front of her chest. Alyssa grabbed Lexie’s hand and walked towards Derek’s parents. It felt like ages ago when she first stepped foot on this property. She remembered holding Derek’s hand and laughing. He was so excited to introduce his parents to Alyssa. Many years ago, both of Derek’s parents were happy and always smiling. It’s scary how one moment can take that all away. Now here they stood on the steps to their home, looking somber.
Alyssa walked up. “We wanted to stop by and let you enjoy your granddaughter for awhile. I hope this wasn’t a bad time.”
Maria just huffed. “We have plans, so you can’t stay long.” Then she turned and went back into her home.
Kirk shook his head. “I’m sorry, Alyssa. It’s still not easy for her.” He then bent down in front of Lexie, and said, “Hi, I’m Grandpa Kirk. You have grown-up so much. You’re just beautiful.”
“Hi, Grandpa Kirk!” Then she surprised everyone and leaned in for a hug. Maria was standing at the end of the hallway. There was a flash of sadness that crossed her face, then just like that, she was angry again.
Kirk smiled. “Please, come inside. Would any of you like something to drink?”
Lexie asked, “Can I have juice, please?”
Kirk grabbed her hand, and they walked to the kitchen together. Maria walked out in front of Alyssa, Alex, Jax, and Georgie, and demanded, “Why are you all here?”
Alyssa sounded confused. “I wanted to make amends and let you see Lexie. I hoped you would want to see your granddaughter.”
Maria scowled. “Why do you have your entourage with you? Did you think I would do something harmful to you? I would hope you know me better than that.”
Alyssa just stared back at her, confused. “Maria, do you understand that I loved your son very much. I think about the accident and what happened every day of my life. I will continue to think about the day that changed me forever. I know I cannot continue living the way I was. I need to move on from here and that is what Derek would want for me. My life is with Alex, and he has accepted Derek as part of our lives, too. I’m sorry if you can’t understand that.”
Maria had a look of rage. “At least you can move on and continue on with your life. My son can’t, because you took him from me.”
Alyssa had a look like someone punched her. “You blame me for the accident? How dare you?”
“Well who else can I blame, you were in the car with him.”
“It’s called an accident. That means, no one is to blame. I don’t have to sit and listen to this nonsense. You live the life you choose; I will live mine. If you visit your granddaughter, well, that would be nice. I will let Kirk enjoy her for a bit longer, then we will leave. Hopefully one d
ay you will let go of the anger you hold dear.” She then walked passed Maria and went into the kitchen with Kirk and Lexie.
Kirk looked up with concern in his eyes. “Lexie wanted this banana. I hope that was okay?”
Alyssa walked up and placed her hand on his shoulder. “Of course, thank you. Is it delicious, sweet girl?”
Lexie giggled. “So yummy.”
Jax and Georgie walked into the room with fury in their eyes. Alex was fast on their heels. “Hey there, who got hungry?” He walked over to Kirk. “Hi, I’m Alex,” then he put his hand out for a greeting.
Kirk shook his hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Alex.” He then looked at Alyssa. “Should you go, I know Maria’s not happy.”
“We can handle her, you enjoy time with your granddaughter.” They ended up staying for another hour and then said their goodbyes.
Once they arrived back home, Alyssa took Lexie to her room. The rest of the family sat down and tried to absorb what had just transpired. Maria was someone who would be sad and unhappy for a long time. She was living in a state of denial with a lot of anger, and the two made a very dangerous combination.
Alyssa sat on her bed with her knees bent and her legs tucked into her chest. She had her head resting on her knees and was just rocking back and forth. Lexie was relaxing in her fort and talking to her stuffed babies. Alyssa was having a difficult time processing that Maria blamed her for the accident. The day was still clear in her mind and she knew it was just what it was called: An accident. If anyone was to blame that would be the truck that plowed into them. She wanted to cry, but no tears would fall. She felt sad for Maria, for her anger, and for the loss of a son. She sat like that for awhile until she heard the door creak.
Alex walked into the bedroom and found Lexie sleeping in her fort. But what concerned him more was Alyssa, she was in distress. He walked to the bed, went behind her, put his legs around her and brought her close to his body. He pulled her close to him and wrapped his arms around her. They sat like that for about ten minutes, then the other four family members came into the room. They knew Alyssa was struggling, they all got on the bed and engulfed her with love.