by Lietha Wards
“No, Alex, she’s fine.”
“Then why did you feel the need to stop there?” he asked suspiciously.
“We’re friends, Alex,” he said abruptly. His brother’s insinuation was outlandish. He didn’t see Angel that way, and it was obvious that she was still in love with Alex.
His brother studied him for a while. “That never gave you an excuse to stop by before when no one else was home.”
“You, of all people, have no right to be jealous.” Seth let his voice rise, something he rarely did.
Alex took a draw off his cigarette and tossed it on the road. “Yeah,” he admitted, looking down the driveway at the house. “Is she all right?”
“She was upset. She said you two had a fight.”
“Ah hell,” he said in exasperation, then nodded.
“Stay away from her, Alex. This thing isn’t easy on her, and she’s too damn sweet.”
“Yeah, I know she is. You’re right.” He flicked a concerned glance at his younger brother. “Is she really okay?”
Seth took a deep breath. There was no mistaking that Alex cared about her. There was genuine worry etched in his expression. On closer inspection, it looked as though he’d lost a little weight, and from the dark shadows under his eyes, he wasn’t getting enough sleep. “She is. I told her I’d check on her tomorrow before work.”
“I didn’t mean to yell at her. She got me riled.”
Seth just nodded. “I’ll see you at home.”
“Yeah.” Alex started the engine as Seth drove away. He turned the truck around in the middle of the road, cast one more glance at the house, and then followed his brother.
***
The next morning, Seth stopped and checked in on her. He’d phoned her parents the evening before and told them that she’d been having some problems and not to treat her like an invalid, but that she needed to remain in bed for the next few days.
“I feel better,” she said as he entered her room.
“You’re still staying in bed another day, Angel,” he said with a determined look.
“Oh darn.” She gave him a mock frown.
She spent another half an hour listening to him telling her what her limits would be for the next few days after he allowed her out of bed.
“Also, I’m setting you up for an ultrasound on Friday. I want to make sure he’s growing normally.” He held his hand up, seeing the expression on her face. “Don’t worry. It’s normal to do this in the first trimester, and since you weren’t here then, we’ll do it now. Aside from that, you aren’t gaining much weight.”
“I haven’t been eating well,” she admitted.
“That needs to change,” he said with a determined look.
“I know. I’ve been taking my vitamins.”
“You still need a balanced diet.”
“I’ve lost my appetite,” she finally admitted.
“All right, then I’m setting up an appointment for you to see a dietician. Maybe she can help you with a healthier diet.”
“Okay.” She gave him a slight smile.
Seth leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. “Get some rest, honey, and don’t worry. Everything’s fine.”
“I will.”
The next day, she got a clean bill of health from Seth. He told her that she could get out of bed, but couldn’t do any heavy lifting or housework of any kind. She asked Priscilla if she could take her to town so she could visit her friends. Priscilla had bent over backwards for her since she’d been home. There was no mistaking how excited she was to become an aunt. She’d insisted on taking Angel’s meals to her and doted on her constantly. It was a side of her sister that she’d rarely seen, and she loved her more for it.
Her first stop was at the office, where everyone mobbed her with hugs and questions of how she was enjoying college.
“Of course you’re coming back here when you’re done, right, Angel?” asked Jason. “We could always use another lawyer here. God knows Adriana has been harassing me for a vacation.”
Angel laughed. “I’ll put you at the top of my list. However, I warn you, my father has five prestigious law firms picked out already that he was going to stick me in.”
“You leave your father to me,” Jason said with a sly grin.
“I don’t want to know. You’ll sue him over something ludicrous so he’ll give in.”
“Maybe,” he chuckled.
“Does anyone want to get something to eat?” she asked. “I’m starved, and I have to run and see Matthew this afternoon.”
“I have a date with my husband,” Margo told her.
“Adriana is on her way,” Jason said. “I’ve been promising her lunch today for a week.”
“I’m free,” Red told her with a grin. “As always.”
Jason laughed. “For the next hour, anyway.”
“It’s good to be your own boss,” Red replied. “My treat, anyway.”
Angel smiled. “Great, then.”
About ten minutes later, Angel realized again that Reidsville was a very small town. They entered a popular restaurant and the first people they saw were Alex and Lucy, who sat at a table with their son, Max.
“We can go somewhere else, Angel,” Red said as he spotted the couple.
“No, I’m all right. It’s been several months, I should be over him,” she replied, turning to face him. “First heartbreak, right?
“About the same as he is over you.” He glanced over her head and saw Alex’s eyes on Angel. However, he kept that to himself. After Alex had threatened him, he’d honestly thought the man was on his way to the altar with Angel. Who wouldn’t be? She was gorgeous. He wasn’t a man who wanted to settle down yet, but if he was, Angel would be at the top of his list. Unfortunately, the feeling wasn’t mutual. He was fine being friends with her, though. She looked good on his arm, and it did wonders for his ego when he walked down the street with her and drew attention from other men. Not only that, she didn’t expect anything from him. After getting to know her, he was glad for that.
The maître d’ came up then and led them to a table on the opposite side of the room from Alex. However, that didn’t stop the man from getting up and coming over to them. Angel groaned, and Red fixed his eyes on the large cowboy walking in their direction.
“I can stop him,” he spoke low with a glint of amusement.
“You can try,” she whispered back. “But a train couldn’t stop that man.”
“True.”
Alex surprised her by shaking Red’s hand and saying hello as if hell had frozen over and forced him to be polite. “I was wondering if you wanted to dine together.” His eyes went to her face.
“It’s up to you, Angel,” Red said. Either way, he didn’t mind. He liked Alex, but he didn’t want to make Angel uncomfortable.
Angel could feel Alex’s gaze on her and finally lifted her eyes to his. Then she glanced at the other woman, who waited patiently for Alex to return. “Would she mind?”
“No,” he said without hesitation.
Could she do this? Could she sit there and pretend she didn’t hate either of them?
“Afraid, kitten?”
Her eyes snapped back to his and read the challenge there. He was so darn smug! “No, I’m not.” She started to rise, and before Red could help her, Alex pulled her chair out for her. She wasn’t going to act like a helpless waif. Not only that, she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of thinking that she was running from him. However, whatever nerve she had summoned up evaporated when she sat at the table with the beautiful woman. Alex introduced them again.
“The paralegal, right?” Lucy asked lazily, running her eyes over her.
Angel could see contempt in Lucy’s dark gaze, but she wasn’t going to let on that it affected her. “Yes.” She directed her attention to the woman. “And what do you do?”
“I had other interests, I didn’t finish school,” she answered, turning her eyes to Alex with a sickening flutter of her lashes. Then she waved
a dismissive hand. “I’m between professions.”
I just bet you are, thought Angel, then she turned her gaze on Alex. “So, where did you two meet?”
“Princeton,” they said in unison.
Angel brought her eyes back to the other woman. “What did you major in?”
“Lots of things,” she said with a tone that held a hidden meaning. She shot another smile at Alex, who didn’t look the least bit moved by it.
The server came and took their orders. It was a good thing he arrived just then; Angel felt like throwing up. Nothing about this woman made sense to her. Lucy primped up to the nth degree, and Angel was certain that Alex referred to women like her as “useless prospects.”
For the rest of the hour, she engaged in polite conversation with all of them, but she studied the other woman like a textbook. It was hard to concentrate because she was still fighting that sinking feeling of heartbreak, but she was determined not to show it. When dinner was over, she finally shifted her gaze to Alex, and found his eyes fixed on hers. He had an odd look in his eyes and she couldn’t quite interpret it. Red and Lucy continued a conversation that she’d lost track of, but it was mostly about Lucy anyway. She mouthed the word ‘what’ at him, but he shook his head subtly and turned away.
She finally figured it out later that evening. It was if Alex was trying to show her something instead of telling her. Not once did he voluntarily touch Lucy, yet when he and Angel were together, he had touched her constantly. None of it made sense. Even if it were a marriage of convenience because of the child, he would at least tell her—wouldn’t he? Alex wasn’t one to beat around the bush, but he never explained himself either. She sighed. This whole thing was beyond her.
She lay in bed staring at the ceiling, thinking about it. Then her phone suddenly rang and she nearly fell out of bed. When something jerked her out of deep thoughts, it sent her heart racing. It was practically pounding in her ears, and she took a deep breath to try to calm herself before she answered the phone. “Hello?”
“Angel.”
“Alex, you shouldn’t phone me.” So much for calming her heart rate.
“I wanted to talk to you.”
“You had time to talk to me, but you didn’t.”
“I know.”
She finally realized that his voice was slurred. “Alex, have you been drinking?”
“A touch,” he said with some amusement.
“You don’t drink,” she said with sudden concern. “Where are you?”
“At home. In my study.”
It was a relief to hear him say that. At least he wasn’t driving. She lifted herself up and looked at the clock. It was almost midnight. “You should be asleep, it’s late.”
“I haven’t been sleeping much.”
More than likely that hot little number was keeping him up half the night. Her gut twisted at the thought. “That makes two of us.”
“I miss you.”
Oh, God. She couldn’t do this. “Alex, I’ve got to go.” She hung up. Thankfully, he didn’t call back. However, she was worried about him, so she picked up the phone and called Seth.
***
Seth knocked on the door of his brother’s study. Getting no answer, he let himself into the room. Alex had passed out on the couch, an empty whisky bottle on the floor beside him and the phone on his chest.
Angel wasn’t wrong in worrying about him. Alex wasn’t a drinker by far. He’d gotten raging drunk with his friends on his eighteenth birthday and was so wretchedly sick he never touched hard liquor again after that. Something was killing him inside, and Seth knew it had to do with his new fiancé. She had something on him that he couldn’t discuss with anyone.
Seth walked over, pulled the afghan off the back of the couch, and began draping it over Alex, but then he spotted a piece of paper tucked in his brother’s fist. His eyes went to Alex’s unconscious face, then back to the paper. If he respected his brother’s privacy, he would leave it alone. He actually twisted away for a moment, but his resolve was short lived. He easily freed the paper from his brother’s hand and slowly opened it. It contained a short message in their father’s handwriting.
Alex,
I know nothing I can say can get you to forgive me. Please remember that my family is dear to me, and I’m sorry.
Pop
Seth was taken aback. First off, his father never apologized for anything. Second, what could he have done that was terrible enough to merit it? He flipped over the paper. There was no other writing of any kind. From the worn creases where it had been folded and unfolded many times, it had been read often—and it was old. He set it on his brother’s chest and quietly left the room, his concern deepening. Whatever was bothering Alex was enough to make him drink liquor to forget it. He’d have to try to talk to him again. Right now, though, he needed to let Angel know that Alex was okay.
Although they never shared their personal relationships, Seth had always thought that he and Alex were as close as brothers could get. Their father was hard on them at times and took a switch to them when they deserved it. Being rowdy in their younger years meant they deserved it often. He smiled to himself, remembering some of the trouble they’d gotten into together.
Their mother had the patience of a saint and never disciplined them. She never had to, though. She had the power of a motherly look that told them they had taken something too far. It was hard to believe a little five-foot-nothing of a woman could bring both her hulking sons to their knees with a glance.
As for their father, Alex was much like him in many ways. He had the same sharp, quick temper, whereas Seth had their mother’s temperament. It was rare for him to get angry about anything. It worked well for him in his profession because he needed a cool head to deal with emergencies. However, this whole thing with Alex and Angel had made him furious.
It was obvious that Alex cared deeply for her. Alex never looked at any woman the way he did at Angel. Clearly, he adored her. That was why the other woman’s hold over his brother mystified him. Nothing could keep Alex from getting what he wanted, but this woman and her son waltzed into his life, and his whole demeanor changed. Before that had happened, Seth was positive that Alex planned to ask Angel to marry him. He’d gone into Alex’s study looking for stamps one day and found an engagement ring in his desk. It wasn’t the same ring that was on Lucy’s finger, though. What the hell was going on?
Seth felt overwhelmed by inner conflict. Should he confront Alex and demand the truth? He sighed heavily. No, he couldn’t. Whatever Alex was dealing with, he wouldn’t tell him. If he wanted him to know, he would have told him already. It was an unspoken rule that they would stay out of each other’s personal lives, even though Angel was precious to both of them. Although he couldn’t fathom the situation, there had to be a serious reason why Alex had broken her heart.
Although Seth thought the situation was tough on Angel, by the looks of Alex and the empty bottle of whiskey, it was much worse for his brother.
***
On Friday morning, Seth picked up Angel and took her to the clinic for an ultrasound. He stayed with her and held her hand the whole time, pointing out images on the screen.
“Can you tell me the sex?” she asked. She was surprised she found the words because she was overwhelmed with the reality that she was carrying a little person inside her.
“Actually,” said Janet, the ultrasound technician, “we don’t because if we’re wrong, our clients can sue us.”
“It’s a boy,” Seth said without any hesitation, glancing at the tech. “She won’t sue me. I’m like a big brother to her.”
Janet just laughed. “That’s fine, Doctor Harrison.”
A boy! Angel was so overcome that she began to weep.
Seth turned to the technician. “Janet, can you give us a moment?”
“Certainly, Doctor.” She gave Angel a smile before she left, shutting the door behind her.
When she was gone, Seth bent over and gave Angel a hug. �
�Don’t cry, honey, you’ll be fine.”
“It isn’t that, Seth. I just feel so happy to have a part of him. To have a little boy that I can love just seems so surreal.”
“To you and me both.” He smiled, wishing that Alex could be part of Angel’s joy, and a part of this discovery.
CHAPTER EIGHT
On Saturday, Angel found an attractive beige ankle-length skirt and a white designer blouse. It wasn’t top-notch, but it did show off her figure nicely, and the pleats in the front hid the small mound of her belly. She drove to the party with Prissy, and their parents took their own car. Unlike Priscilla and her, their parents usually headed home early in the evening.
There were about thirty people at the Harrisons’ house, and she was thankful that she hadn’t run into Alex after an hour of mingling with the other guests. Just as the thought crossed her mind, he came inside the house and scanned the crowd, almost as if looking for her. When his eyes locked with hers, she knew he was. To reinforce that thought further, he started towards her. He wasn’t hard to miss with all that height and muscle, even in a suit and tie.
Alex approached her and she began to get scared. Would he say something about last night when he called her? Would he remember? She knew he didn’t give a damn about his reputation and wouldn’t hesitate to bring it up. Angel quickly turned to leave, but as she got near the back patio doors, Alex caught her arm, and he forcibly hauled her into his study without saying a word. She didn’t want to make a scene in front of Bea’s friends, so she remained quiet and let him pull her along. After he kicked the door shut, he turned her to face him, but didn’t release her. However, he didn’t seem upset—it was just the opposite. His expression looked almost tender.
“I just wanted to see how you’re doing. Seth said that I had upset you last week, and I wasn’t able to talk to you at dinner the other day. In fact, I haven’t seen you alone since that Friday.”
“It’s just as well,” she said, looking up at him and doing her best not to reveal the vulnerability she felt in her expression.