“No.” I should have lied.
“Yesterday?”
“Well, no but I…” Shut up, Court.
“The day before that?”
“He texted me…” I knew I wasn't doing myself any favors with these answers. I hated how pathetic I sounded as I helped him prove his point.
“Fuck.” Justin shook his head and walked past me to the front door.
“Where are you going?” I asked running behind him.
“To get my tool box, so I can fix that knocker and anything else that needs it around here. Then I’m going to mow your fuckin’ lawn!” He answers over his shoulder seething but never broke his stride. My steps stopped, and I froze. I shouldn’t let him do any of that. I knew Alex would be so angry, but the little voice in my head didn't care.
Well Alex isn’t here is he? And hasn’t called to make sure everything at the house is okay, so who cares what he thinks.
I decided that the best course of action was to put some distance between Justin me and so I went upstairs and took a shower. I actually did feel better after drinking Justin’s concoction. While standing in the bathroom drying myself off, I let myself imagine what I would do if when I stepped into my bedroom, and Justin was sitting on my bed waiting for me. My first thought was that I would be shocked and angry and that I would make him leave. Or would I let him throw me back on the bed and...Stop it, Court!
Gripping the towel tightly around me, I cautiously step out of the en-suite bathroom and feel relief and disappointment that my bedroom is empty. Only the whirring sound of a power drill could be heard from downstairs.
Justin had me point out everything in the house that needed to be fixed, tightened and junked. After spending the rest of the afternoon upstairs cleaning, doing laundry and generally staying away from him it was time to go pick up the girls. I grabbed my purse and keys, hoping to sneak out and not deal with Justin and what he said earlier.
Except when I got downstairs he was standing in my kitchen shirtless and sweaty, guzzling down a bottle of water. He’d been mowing the lawn that was severely overgrown. Although it was winter in Florida, the grass still grows and needs to be cut just less frequently than in the spring and summer. Alex usually arranges for a lawn service, but I never know when they’ll show.
I clear my throat and will myself to stop eying Justin’s bare chest. “I have to go and pick up the girls. I really, um, appreciate your help with the door knocker, the leaking washer, getting my Christmas decorations down from the attic and the yard stuff.” All things I’ve asked Alex to help me with before but without success.
“Yeah. It needed to be done so…” He shrugs then reaches for his shirt and puts it on. “I noticed you’re missing a few wooden slats in your fence out back. I took the measurements and will come back and replace them.”
“Oh. Ok. Thanks.” I look down at my feet, and shift from side to side, not sure how to feel about him coming back to my house.
“Look, Courtney, about what I said earlier…”
“It’s okay. Really. You don’t have to apologize. I should have said something…”
“I’m not apologizing.” He reaches me in two strides and places his hand under my chin, forcing me to look up at him. “I meant every word of it. I like you. I like you a lot, Courtney. I just can’t stand by and watch you be with someone who doesn’t…”
“Shh.” I put my hand to his mouth. “Stop.” He shook his head, trying to move my hand. “I don't know what’s happening right now. Give me some time to sort this out. Okay. Please?”
Justin nodded and then lowered his head to plant a soft kiss on my cheek. When he pulled back his smile was full of understanding and hope before walking out of the front door. Why couldn't I stop myself from envisioning something more with him.
Oh God. What Am I going to do?
Chapter Ten
Past- 10 years ago.
“What's your favorite color?
“Green. Yours?”
“Blue, I guess.”
“Favorite food.”
“Um, mac and cheese.”
“Good choice, that's a top five favorite food for me. Do you like roller coasters?”
“Yes and I prefer the front row. Do you like mustard?’”
“Ick. No.” I scrunch my nose up at him before he places a kiss there.
Alex and I lay in each other's arms calling out random questions to each other. It was the night of my college graduation and two days after we declared our love for one another. Each night we would call out our questions, usually post sex. We have an insatiable urge to know everything about each other.
“When’s your birthday?”
“November 19th.” Alex answers.
“Shut up! It is not!”
He chuckles at my response. “It is. What so unbelievable about that?”
“My birthday is November 19th.”
“Shut up!” Alex playfully mimics the tone I used earlier.
“Get your driver’s license. I need proof.”
“Fine, but you need to get yours, too.”
We both get out of his bed quickly. He rummages through the clothes he discarded in a hurry all over the floor and pulled out his wallet. I found my purse hanging on the back of his closet door and slipped my driver’s license out. Clutching it tightly to my naked chest, I hurried back under the covers at the same time as Alex. We stared at each other for a moment before exchanging licenses.
I read his full name. Alexander Presley Turner. Learning his middle name excited me, it was something we hadn’t shared yet. Sure enough, his birthday was November 19th, just a year earlier than mine.
“Well, damn.” Alex’s eyes still scan my license. “It looks like we do share the same birthday, Courtney Petunia Collins.” He emphasized my middle name and then threw his head back in laughter. “Petunia, that’s adorable, babe.”
“Shut it, Alex. I have no idea what my parents were on when they gave me that name. It was supposed to be my first name until my Aunt Maggie talked them out of it. God love that woman. She’s still my favorite aunt to this day. Imagine how it felt to have my full name announced at high school graduation. Talk about humiliating.”
“Well for what it’s worth, I could have easily been named Elvis, but luckily my parents decided that using Elvis’s last name was tribute enough.”
“They named you after Elvis Presley? Wow, what the hell were our parents thinking? I promise never to do that to my kids.”
“Yes, life is hard enough. No need for our kids to go through life with jacked up names too.”
Our. I’m not sure how to take the comment. Did he mean our kids, like the ones we will make together or our kids in general, separately made. The thought of Alex having a life that didn’t involve me and then making children with someone else clenched at my heart something fierce. I decided not to go crazy trying to analyze his response and just tucked it away for another day.
“What are the odds that we would share the same birthday? That is so strange.”
“I know. I can’t say that I’ve run into many people who shared the same birthday as mine, and now my girlfriend does.” My toes curl slightly at him calling me his girlfriend. I love being Alex Turner's girlfriend. This fact only solidifies that what we have is true. I followed him into this world exactly one year later. It made me feel as though we were meant to find each other. I loved him completely. I shared my meant to be theory and he just smiled down at me before putting his mouth to mine. He kissed me passionately before I felt him slip inside me again, filling me perfectly as only a soul mate can.
*****
6 months later
“Hurry, baby.”
“A little more to the left.”
“Here?”
“Yes. Wait no. Over just a bit more the other way,”
“Court, I’m not going to be able to hold this much longer.”
“Oh alright. There is good for now.”
“No, tell me where you want it bec
ause I’m not moving this shit again.”
Alex and Cole have been moving the monstrous couch I just bought in our apartment. We finally decided to move in together since my lease was up and my roommate, Bianca, moved home to Louisiana after graduation. Since we started dating, I had been staying mostly at Alex’s house waiting out my lease. DeeDee found out a few days ago that she’s pregnant and she and Cole plan to be married soon. All of the roommates are slowly moving out of the bachelor pad and going all domesticated. It pissed Morrison off a lot according to Alex. Cole and DeeDee are first in the group to get married and have kids. While all of these changes are exciting they are also pretty scary. This is what being a grown up feels like.
Alex found us an amazing one bedroom apartment in the trendy section of downtown. I think it was the top floor of a florist shop that was recently converted into a duplex apartment. The rent was what we could afford, and it was walking distance to almost everything we needed access to. Alex and I both had semi-reliable cars. I drove a hand me down Honda, and Alex has had the same pickup truck since he was sixteen. Since we didn’t earn very much money, being conveniently located would save on gas.
“It’s fine right there, guys.” Alex and Cole set down the couch with a sigh of relief and head down to the truck to get more stuff. I’ve been unpacking the kitchen while DeeDee sits at the table chatting away and keeping me company. Cole has refused to let her lift a single thing and made her promise not to get up from the table, or he would take her home. He’s so sweet about her pregnancy. I’ve never seen anyone so excited to become a father. DeeDee is practically glowing.
I thought about how much things have changed with us over the last six months. Dee and I were moving her out of her cheating boyfriend’s place and ogling the hot water delivery guy. Now I’m in love and moving in with said hot delivery guy while she is in love with, knocked up by and about to marry hot guy’s equally hot best friend. We both couldn't be happier. I think back to that night in the car when I held my best friend as she cried over that asshole Joey. We had no way of knowing that a forty-minute drive to a concert would change it all.
That night Alex and I slept together for the first time in our very own apartment, with no roommates to overhear, and we made all the noise we wanted in our bed as we banged each other’s brains out in celebration.
Chapter Eleven
Present.
It is a week after Thanksgiving. Alex’s parents are in from Virginia and have been staying with us for several days.
He had no problem getting all the time off he needed for their visit. It figures.
The whole time, we've acted like the perfect happy family. Alex’s mother, Rita, and I have always gotten along very well. She is such a kind woman with a caretaker personality. It's clear that she is the strength of the family even with all her boys towering over her tiny five-foot frame. The first time we met she gave me a big hug and tugged me towards the kitchen, putting me to work immediately. Rita loves to cook and spends most of the time in the kitchen preparing Thanksgiving dinner and all the meals afterward. I've tried to help as much as I can, but she always shoos me away telling me I should be enjoying the break.
Alex, his dad, and his older twin brothers, Donnie and Michael, could be found in the “man cave” watching sports, action movies and playing video games. A real testosterone fest. Jordyn and Liv love having all the men in the house. They take full advantage of more men to spoil the little princesses and only grandchildren on Alex's side. We've enjoyed their visit, and Alex has beamed the entire time. I know he misses them.
My phone begins to buzz on the counter. I can’t stop the giggle that comes after reading the message from Justin. We've been playing Would You Rather by text all week. We haven't talked anymore about the conversation at my house. I've fallen into my usual coping mechanism of avoidance. For some reason the thought of losing what I have with him worries me.
Justin: WYR be tickled lightly for 10 minutes or relentlessly for 1 minute?
Me: I'll take 1 minute. I'd rather get it over with. I don't enjoy torture.
Justin: It wouldn't be torture if done right.
Um, okay.
“So,” Rita clears her throat, pulling me back to reality. I can feel my cheeks blush under my mother-in-law's gaze. There is no way she can know who I am texting, but I feel like I've been caught.
“How are things?” The way she said the word things sounded off, it hung in the air like a loaded question. I eyed her suspiciously, not sure what to say as we work side by side to put the dinner dishes away.
“Fine.” I answered warily before focusing my attention on stacking the plates on the shelf in the cabinet.
“Hmm.” Rita simply replied. Silence hung between us for several beats before she finally got to the point of her remark.
“Alex mentioned wanting to move back to Virginia. He seems to be traveling so much in that area that it makes sense. Don’t you think?”
God. Every time. She has been like a dog with a bone, trying to get us to move closer to her. Virginia is nice, don’t get me wrong. And I love my in laws, but uprooting and moving isn't something I’m interested in doing. Ever. I grew up as a military child, moving from base to base every three to four years. When my dad retired, we moved to Florida, and it has been my home for fifteen years. It’s nice to have a place to call home, to be familiar with the surroundings, building friendships and not worry about getting too attached because once you move, you’ll probably never see them again. I want my girls to have a hometown, people they’ve known since kindergarten. DeeDee is my oldest friend, and I’ve only known her for twelve years. Only someone who has lived that kind of lifestyle can understand what I mean. I’ve tried to explain this many times to Alex, but he refuses to see my point and insists that I’m being stubborn.
“Mom, Alex and I have discussed it and don’t feel like it's the right move for us...right now.” I hastily add the last part.
“But you’re husband wants to move. It is your place to support him. A good wife follows her husband.” I imagine my head exploding into a million pieces as I bite my tongue to keep from blurting out things that will only inflame the situation. I learned long ago that Rita will always win an argument even if she has to resort to quoting scripture, so it’s just best to not fuel her. I mean who can argue with a sixty-year-old woman quoting scripture?
“I understand that, Mom, but--”
“No, honey. I don’t think you do. I think that it is making Alex unhappy being away from his family. He’s only in Florida for you. He told me he could do his job from anywhere.”
Well, damn. Did he tell her all of this? Why am I the last to know? Alex went to college here, stayed in the area following graduation. After getting married we just naturally fell into a life in Florida. It wasn’t until after I had Olivia that Alex started talking about moving to Virginia. I always secretly felt it was his mother who was planting that bug in his ear so she could be closer to the kids. Even still I learned long ago that you will never win an argument with or about Rita Turner.
“Courtney, let me tell you something,” She put down the dish towel in her hand, leaned closer to me and gave me a stern glare. “I’ve always done the things my husband has wanted, even if I didn’t agree but I trusted him to know what was best. It’s the way I was raised, and it’s the right thing to do. A good man will always take care of his family, and I know that I've raised a good man.”
Somebody kill me now!
“Mom,” I state in the calmest voice I can manage. “While I respect what you are saying as that approach seems to have worked for you, Alex and I don’t make decisions that way. We have to agree on what is best for our family.”
“Hmph.” Rita shakes her head and waves her hands in front of her as if dismissing my entire comment as nonsense. Before more can be said the girls come running in and asking for pie. Rita immediately jumps at their request and begins dishing out large helpings of dessert onto two plates. I quickly escape
from the kitchen in search of Alex and find him talking quietly on his phone in the den.
“No, no. It’s okay. I’m glad you called”...chuckle... “yeah”... chuckle.. “yeah, me too”… “how did it turn out.”....chuckle...”See, I told you could do it”... “Um, Sunday night...until Thursday...Yes, this time we can try that other place since my choice wasn’t so great.” Okay...I’ll call you when I land….Bye.”
Flames. Hot, blazing flames of jealousy have to be shooting out of my eyes, and steam blowing from my ears. Who the fuck was he talking to? Ashley Danielle immediately comes to mind. Instead of going psycho crazy on him in front of the kids and the in-laws, I push the sliding door to the den open all the way and then bang it closed behind me. My loud entrance surprises him as his head jerks in my direction. I expect to see guilt or secrecy in his eyes, but all I see is the brief flash of startlement before he relaxes his shoulders.
“Who ya talkin’ to?” I immediately begin the third degree.
“Uh,” He briefly hesitates. “Somebody from work. Why?”
“Why did you have to come into the den to talk to the “somebody from work.” I use finger quotes to indicate that I suspect this somebody from work is fictitious.
“Because it was loud in the living room, with the kids and everything.” He eyes me suspiciously as I move closer to him to sit on the wing chair next to his. “Look, do you have something you want to say to me, Court?”
“I was just wondering why you are so secretive about who you were talking to and why you needed to come in here for privacy.”
“I told you why.” He states firmly. “Look, I'm not in the mood for a fight. That’s the answer and the end of this conversation.” He pushes up from the chair and heads towards the door.
“Did you tell your Mom we were moving to Virginia?” He freezes in mid-step but doesn't turnaround. There’s my answer right there. “You did, didn’t you?” I accuse.
He turns to face me, a look of anger and determination in his eyes. “You knew that it was something that I wanted eventually.”
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