by Maya Hughes
“So, it wasn’t in the contract?”
“Turns out it was a studio suggestion and Aaron decided to run with it and push for it. He said it would raise my profile, thus raising his profile,” he said, giving a harsh laugh and shaking his head.
“So that’s why you agreed to it,” she said, finally realizing what she hadn’t back then. He stopped abruptly, stepping in front of Alex, and placing his hands on her arms.
“I would have never agreed to that under normal circumstances. I told him ‘no.’ I gave Aaron a flat out ‘no’ to pretending I was in a relationship with Lesley,” he said, staring into her eyes. A crawl ran up her back envisioning about Gabe and Lesley together. So many dominos stacked up and had been ready to fall all because of greed. “But once he told me about the damages I had to pay, then I had no choice,” he said with a sigh, breaking eye contact and dropping his hands from her arms.
“Why didn’t you tell me about this before?” she asked, trying to catch his eyes again.
“We weren’t exactly having an easy talk about what was happening. You were upset. Completely and totally, justifiably upset and I kept trying to figure out a way to make it work. I was trying to figure out how I could do both, not get sued to high heaven and not have to hide being with you, but I couldn’t.”
“If you had just told me I would have understood,” she said, her voice raising an octave. “If you had told me, I wouldn’t have left. You wouldn’t have—,” she stopped mid-sentence, not wanting to bring up Lesley. That would lead to an even more unpleasant conversation and it was almost time to pick up Emma.
“I wouldn’t have what?”
“Nothing. It’s nothing. What are you going to do about Aaron?” she asked, kicking a stone off the sidewalk.
“I’m going to have to get a lawyer and figure out how to get out of his management agreement. It’s for another five years and there is no way he’s getting another cent from me. He’s lucky I don’t knock his damn teeth in after what he did. But I’m sure he would love that. The little weasel would try to sue me for damages and milk a little bit more money out of me,” he said through gritted teeth.
“Alex,” he said, turning to her as they stood at the fence to the school waiting for the bell to ring. “I’m sorry for what happened in the hotel room. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you everything then. I was so excited about the franchise. I couldn’t believe this would be my big break and I—for some stupid reason—thought that you’d go along with the lies when it came to my relationship status. It was a mistake that I’ve regretted almost every day and if there was a way to go back and change it I would.”
“Thank you for the apology Gabe, but is that all you’re apologizing for?”
“Is there something else?”
Before she could say anything else, the bell rang and the teachers came walking out with their classes of students to hand off to the parents. Emma ran to them immediately. Gabe crouched down and held his arms open and Emma squealed and jumped as she threw herself right into his arms. He picked her up and spun her around.
“How’s my best girl?” he asked, pulling her to him and showering her face with kisses.
“Daddy!” She giggled, trying to evade his kisses. The sour pit in Alex’s stomach ebbed away a bit seeing those two together. He was going to be a great dad. Whatever happened between them, at least they had that.
20
Alex continued to keep him at arm’s length and it was driving Gab a bit crazy. There were moments where they were on the verge of reconnecting and then she would back off and run away. He hoped that their time in Scotland would help bring them all closer together.
The more time he spent with Emma, the more he had heart pangs at the thought of not being with her every day. Picking her up from school was probably one of the best parts of his day. When she ran to him and jumped into his arms, he felt like he could do anything. He was her superhero, as evidenced by her making him recite lines from one of his most popular franchises that had come out a little while ago.
Whether it was playing hide and seek, reading a bedtime story, or giving her piggyback rides, a hole in his heart he hadn’t even known he’d had was filled and overflowing. The strained tiredness that had overtaken him lately was pushed away the minute he saw those two.
They left for Scotland in the morning and Gabe couldn’t wait for Emma to see what he did up close. He knew that she would have a ball on-set. Alex was a puzzle he was still trying to figure out and he’d planned a few surprises for their time there that he hoped would show her how much he still cared about her. He hoped that she still cared about him too.
The fleeting glances and gentle touches Gabe had managed to steal around her were driving him crazy. He knew how good they could be together and he wanted to recapture that. They’d put Emma to bed early, so she wouldn’t be too cranky for the flight in the morning. Now it was his turn to get ready for the trip. Packing the last of his things, he looked up and Alex was standing in the doorway.
“Why are you hanging out over there?” He waved her in. She hesitated before coming in and sitting down on the foot of the bed. He put the last of the cables and other electronics in his bag.
“Is everything arranged for Scotland? Did you need any other information from me before we go?” she said, shooting him a sideways smile. Gabe had grilled her about anything and everything they might need while in Scotland. He’d asked about foods they liked, detergent—you name it—he’d asked about it to make sure the house was stocked with familiar things to make their time there more enjoyable. Although the original plan was for Alex and Emma to be in Scotland for two weeks, he hoped he’d be able to convince her to stay through the summer, especially if her job was okay with her doing her work remotely.
“I’ve been thinking,” she said, biting her bottom lip. He zeroed in on her lip and had to hold back a groan. They were so incredibly kissable. He wanted nothing more than to run his thumb over it before kissing her. Perhaps noticing his staring, she cleared her throat and pressed on, “Why don’t we treat this trip like a reset?” She was looking down at her hands now with her leg bouncing up and down.
“A reset?”
“Yeah,” she said, her leg still bouncing. “Let’s go to Scotland with a clean slate. Just try to put what’s happened behind us and move forward on this trip like a family,” she said, looking up at him with uncertainty in her eyes. Gabe’s heart leapt. This was exactly what he wanted, what he’d been hoping for, and Alex had just walked in and set it on his lap. He found himself nodding vigorously.
“I’d like that very much. I think that’s a great idea,” he said, standing up and walking across the floor. He kneeled in front of her and she sucked in a sharp breath. “I know that I have a lot to make up for and a lot of lost time, but I want to do that with Emma and with you. I think a reset sounds like a wonderful idea and I promise I’ll do everything I can to make this the best trip for the both of you.” He took her hands in his and brought them to his lips, kissing them and breathing in her scent.
Alex stared down at him as he was kneeling in front of her and knew that this was the right decision. Her heart sped up at having him this close and his hands were so soft, yet strong on hers. He wanted this to work just as much as she did. She was trying to work with him for the good of Emma and their time in Scotland. She had never been able to let that rage and fire from his cheating completely devour her heart because she knew if she had, she wouldn’t have been able to look at her little girl every day and feel utter joy.
She pushed down that little nagging voice that was screaming out that she was turning into her mother down as far as it would go. She wanted to drown that voice out. She wasn’t her mother, she wouldn’t be her mother; she could handle him and would walk away, if she was at risk of losing herself. That small voice in the back of her mind told her that the reset also ensured that she could pretend he hadn’t slept with Lesley only a few short hours after she’d left. Pushing it aside, she ga
zed into his eyes and hoped that it could be a new beginning for them all.
She knew that there was a risk and her heart was on the line doing this, but in the time she’d spent with him, he seemed different. She was also afraid to have the conversation about what he did. So, putting it off and pushing it deep down seemed like a good idea in that moment. They could move forward and start over and they both could be there for Emma.
That evening was a whirlwind of packing and last minute arrangements. A neighbor would collect her mail and papers and they would take care of paying the neighborhood boy that mowed the lawn. Alex was in her office packing her computer, cables, and other work accessories into her work bag. She pulled open the bottom drawer, the big envelope with the custody papers in it staring her in the face. Hesitating for a second, her fingers grazed the envelope before she shut the drawer. Almost to the door, she paused for a second before she went back to the drawer and pulled them out.
She ran up to her room and sat on her bed with all her things. She had her large suitcase on the bed and was packing items away, the big custody envelope looking at her. Taking the papers out, she flipped through them. When she’d had them drawn up it was from a place of fear and anger, now looking them over, especially after the week they had, she could never try to push those on Gabe or do that to Emma.
“Alex,” Gabe said, knocking on her door. She quickly pushed the papers back into the envelope and threw them into her suitcase, closing it.
“Yeah, Gabe. What did you need?” She tucked a stray hair begin her ear. He paused for a second and looked to her suitcase. She slid in front of it and sat on the bed to block the suitcase from view.
“I wanted to see if you needed any help with your bags? I was planning on putting everything in the car tonight, so that we could hit the road bright and early. I still need to return the rental car to the car rental lot before we go.”
“Sure, that would be great! Let me hurry up and get this packed and I can bring it downstairs.”
“You don’t have to bring it down. I can do it,” she said, before turning to begin putting her clothes and toiletries in the case. He continued to stand by the door, so she couldn’t pull the envelope out; instead she put everything on top of the documents, hiding them underneath.
It only took her a few minutes to get everything packed as it was all out and ready to go. Chatting with him about some of the things that had been planned already, she was excited for their trip and hoped that it would be a great new beginning for them. Putting the papers out of her mind, she zipped up the bag and handed it over to him. He took it from her and headed downstairs. The front door opened and shut and she fell back onto her bed. Hand folded on her stomach, she thought about what this trip could mean for them and hoped that when they came back it would be a new chapter for all of them.
21
The trip to Scotland was less eventful than Alex thought it would be. She’d never taken an international vacation with Emma before, but she was a champ. Emma was excited to see the planes take off and land through the floor-to-ceiling windows when they were in the terminal. Everything was arranged when they arrived at the airport. There was an escort to help them with check in and they were fast-tracked through security.
They hung out in the lounge and waited for their flight. He had to take a few calls and excused himself to a meeting area. Emma enjoyed the little play area they had in the lounge and was making friends with other little kids who were playing there. Talk about a different world.
No need to loop your leg around your bag for fear that someone was going to try to walk off with it. She didn’t have to spend hours walking around the terminal trying to find a couple of seats together and most importantly, the bathrooms were beyond clean. If she could travel like this all the time, there would be no complaints at all.
Alex spied Gabe on the phone through the glass wall of the meeting room. It did not look like it was a good call. She could see the veins in the side of his neck bulging out and he was waving his arms around emphatically. He screamed into the phone before ending the call, running his fingers through his hair, pulling it. It was sticking up at odd angles when he came back to their seats.
Lifting her hand, she hesitated and he shot her a questioning look. She took her hand and ran it down his hair, flattening it out.
“Your hair was all over the place,” she said gently as she finished pushing most of it down.
“Oh, okay. Thanks.” He gave her a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.
“Tough call?”
“You could say that. It’s contractual stuff. Some things I need to work on getting out of and it’s proving trickier than I would have hoped. But no worries, I’m here with my two best girls and that’s all that matters.” He upped the wattage and his smile lit up his whole face.
“What do you think so far?” He glanced around the lounge and spotted Emma hanging upside down off the slide.
“I don’t think Emma will be able to travel any other way after this. It takes a lot of the stress out of flying.”
“It certainly does,” he said, sitting back, resting his hands behind his head and putting his feet up on the table.
“Have you gotten used to it?”
“For the most part, which sucks. I remember being so excited to play with all the buttons and eat all the food on the plane. Now it’s become a bit run-of-the-mill, but seeing how much fun Emma has with it all will help me remember just how amazing a lot of this stuff is. Emma and you. I hope you enjoy this trip too.”
“I hope I do, too.”
Once on the plane, Emma had fun playing with all the buttons and controls as Gabe guessed and Alex was beginning to dread the next trip she had to take with Emma in economy. Emma was clearly smitten with the lifestyle her dad could provide for her. A little pang hit her at the thought that she would never be able to provide the things or experiences that he could.
He picked Emma up and put her on his lap. He started playing the tickle monster with her and her laugh filled the practically empty cabin. Alex knew that this was the most important thing Gabe could give Emma. Her time with her dad. This was what was most important.
The cabin was set up in a two-two-two configuration with big pod seats. He sat with Emma and Alex had a row to herself. She stared out the window during takeoff. Glancing over once they were up in the air, Emma was already asleep. He reclined her seat flat into a bed, grabbed one of the plush blankets, tucked her in, and gave her a kiss on the forehead. It seemed that the excitement of the early morning wake up and trip through the airport was enough to wipe her out even though she seemed like she was going to go for hours.
He crossed the aisle and sat in the empty seat beside her.
“She’s going to have pretty bad jet lag when we get to Scotland.” She glanced over at Emma, who had starfished herself in her seat. At least the seats were big enough for her to do that. Yeah, flying with her next time in the back of the plane was really going to suck.
“It’s okay. I’m usually pretty crap when it comes to adjusting to time zones too. I’ll most likely be up at the same time she wakes up anyway.” He chuckled.
“I am more than happy to give you jet lag duty,” she said, leaning on their shared arm rest.
“I don’t mind at all. I can take her for chilly, foggy early morning Edinburgh walks.”
“Chilly? It’s summer!”
“You haven’t been to Scotland before. The middle of summer and you’ll need a sweater if you’re in the shade. It will be great though. She’ll love it, she won’t feel the cold. I had tons of warm clothes put in the house for the both of you.”
“I don’t know why I didn’t check the weather before we left. I assumed it would be warm in the middle of summer.”
She was completely thrown off her game when it came to him. He clouded her brain like no other man could. She was a planner in practice and how quickly she deferred to him was starting to scare her. Having him take care of things was a
nice change from always needing to be in control and handle anything that came their way. She pushed that fear of giving in back and reasoned that he had the experience and that there was nothing wrong with letting someone experienced be your guide.
“Don’t worry, I told you I would take care of everything. And if there is anything else you need, let me know and I’ll get it for you.”
“Thanks Gabe,” she said, giving him what she meant to be a small peck on the cheek. But at that moment he turned his head to ask her something and their lips met. Hs eyes went wide and once the initial moment of shock wore off, he closed his eyes. She held her breath and the spark that was always present when he was near her, transformed into a fiery slow burn that was smoldering in her belly.
Perhaps sensing that she wasn’t opposed to their accidental lip lock, he turned that peck into a deep kiss. She gasped as he took possession of her mouth and he began to pepper her mouth with kisses. She opened her mouth and ran her tongue along his bottom lip. He let out a groan and ran his hand along the back of her neck, pulling him closer to her and attempting to devour her mouth.
She broke the kiss and stared at him for a second with her chest heaving and panting. She looked down to his lips before throwing caution to the wind and diving back into his mouth for more. He tasted like peppermint and his own musk. They were both attacking each other’s mouths like they couldn’t get enough. He wrapped his arms around her back and was running his hands along the gap between her shirt and her jeans.
Shuddering, she slid her hand along the side of his face, her hand scraping against the overnight stubble that he hadn’t had time to shave off that morning. It was rubbing against her face, giving her mild beard burn, but she didn’t care. It was worth it for what this kiss was doing to her. She squeezed her thighs together, her core responding to all the attention her mouth was getting.
The two of them were making out like teenagers until a flight attendant cleared her throat as she came by to take their breakfast orders. She knew her cheeks were blazing red as she avoided eye contact with the flight attendant and mumbled something off the menu. He was tamping down a laugh and she punched him on the shoulder before turning to look out of the window.