“Not sure, but listen, she is doing great. The kids are as happy as I’ve seen them in a long time. Tate even gave me a fist bump when I was leaving. He didn’t talk, but he made eye contact with me the entire time I was talking with him. That’s a huge improvement, man. Don’t screw this up with Lanie.” He is quiet for a few beats. “I think you all need her.”
I hate when Pres is right, but I can’t argue. “Okay, thanks for checking in on them, I’ve got work to do.”
“Anytime…and, Dex? Don’t go crazy and do something stupid. Just because she has wine with Jamie tonight, in your house, doesn’t mean anything is going on between them.”
I can’t tell if he is laughing at me, but I growl and hang up on him anyway. Immediately, I start flipping through the feeds on the home cameras until I find them in the kitchen. She has her feet curled under her on the stool. Her hand is on his arm and she is laughing. My gut clenches as I call her.
“Oh, hey, Dex. Everything okay?” She asks without a care in the world.
“Are you on a date?” I ask without preamble.
The confusion is written on her face as she answers, “What? What are you talking about?”
“Jamie. Are you on a date with Jamie? You didn’t tell me Jamie was a he, not a she,” I bite out.
I’m watching her on the video feed when I see her roll her eyes to Jamie.
“Don’t roll your eyes at me. Answer the question,” as soon as I say it, I wish I could take it back.
Her head swivels all around the room until she lands on the camera above the cabinet. Her voice is low and heated. “Are you watching me?”
“Damn right, I’m watching you! Now answer the question. Are you on a date with him in my house?” I’m not sure if it’s hurt, betrayal, or anger she hears in my voice, but none of it is enough to tame her rage.
“You psycho creeper!” She states lividly. Her emotions take over and she can't control herself. “It is none, you hear me…NONE of your business if I’m on a date. I told you, I asked you if I could have friends over. You told me this was my home too. You have no say in who or what I do!”
“Lanie…” I realize she has hung up on me. I glare back at the monitor and find her giving me the finger as she drags a chair over to the counter. Before I can blink, she has ripped the camera from the wall.
FUCK! I call her back but she doesn’t answer. A few minutes later, I get a text.
Lanie: I am too mad to answer your call right now. If you have a question about the kids, then ask it via text. I will not answer your calls. We will talk about this when you get home.
Dexter: The fuck we will, that is in 4 days! I want to talk now!
Lanie: I don’t. Do you need anything concerning the kids?
Dexter: Lanie, don’t push me.
Lanie: Yes or no, Mr. Cross?
Dexter: Ms. Heart, I’m furious.
Lanie: Good. Me too. Tate will call you tomorrow. Goodbye.
She doesn’t answer my messages for the rest of the night, so I finally give up. He better not be touching her, or I will break his legs. Knowing there is nothing else I can do right now, I finish up work.
In the next few days, there is very little communication from Lanie. She texts me pictures of the kids and answers direct questions about them when I call. Most of the time, when she answers, she immediately puts Tate on the phone.
Finally, my deal in London wraps up. I head to the airport, calling Trevor on my way.
“Hey, Dex, congrats on the deal! You must be so relieved?” He says, pride evident in his voice.
“Yeah, I am. Thanks. Have you been by the house lately?” I ask, unable to focus on anything but Lanie.
He laughs while answering, “I was there yesterday. Lanie has everything covered. Why?”
“She is pissed at me about the cameras, I kind of messed up. I lost my shit when she had a guy over and let slip that I could see her rolling her eyes at me.” I tell him.
He laughs heartily, “Yeah, I know. Jamie and I had a good laugh about you yesterday.”
“What the fuck! Are you friends with him too? Jesus, can’t anyone be on my side? Why does everyone have fucking eyes for my girl?” I growl.
He goes silent, “Your girl? What are you saying, Dex?”
“Jesus, I don’t know. I can’t get her out of my head. I’m fucked up.” I admit.
“You like her.” He states plainly. “You wouldn’t be possessive like this if you didn’t. I’ve never seen you like this, Dex. I’m a little worried, dude. She is good with your kids; you guys need that stability right now. Are you sure this is something you want to pursue?”
I run a hand through my hair and sigh, I’m going to go bald if I don’t stop pulling at my hair because of her. “Fuck, Trevor, I don’t know. My head is saying not to rock the boat; we need her just like you said. A bigger part of me is out of control and has been since the first moment I saw her. At first, I thought it was just lust. I needed to get laid. I’m not so sure anymore. I want her in my bed, but I feel like I just might want her, all of her, and it scares me.”
Trevor is quiet for a long while. “Trevor? Are you still there?” I ask, staring at the phone screen.
“Yeah, I’m here, just thinking,” he tells me, softening his voice. “I’m not going to tell you what to do. You know how I feel about love and shit, but…I do think you deserve to be happy, Dex. You always believed in love, even before Anna. It’s what made you different, better. You’ve lost that part of you. It’s a part I always admired and If you have a chance to find it, really find it, I think you should go for it. Maybe it won’t work out in the end, but don’t you think that maybe you deserve to try?”
“I’m afraid to mess things up with her the same way I did with Anna,” I admit.
“You asshole!” I’m so shocked, I pull the phone away from my ear to check the caller ID again to make sure I didn’t accept another call by mistake.
“Excuse me?” I say incredulously.
“Get your head out of your ass,” Trevor yells. “YOU didn’t mess anything up with Anna. She was always a selfish bitch. We all saw it but wanted you happy, so we kept our feelings to ourselves. We won’t make that mistake again, by the way. Lanie is different; we can all see it. Figure out what you want and go for it, but for Christ's sake, don’t let the fears of your past ruin your future.”
“You know my track record, Trevor. What if she leaves me too? I’m not sure I would survive her,” putting a voice to my concerns.
“I don’t know what to say to that, man, other than you know we will always stick by you. You have to decide if she is worth the risk,” Trevor states plainly.
“Preston said I might already be too late. Guys are already asking for her number, and she was on a date with Jamie at my house,” I grumble.
“As I said, figure out what you want, Dex. Is it her?” He forces the issue.
“I think maybe,” I finally admit it out loud.
“There is no in-between with her, dude, even I can tell that about her,” Trevor acknowledges. “You’re all in, or you walk away. If Lanie is what you want, then go for it. By the way…Pres is an asshole. He was just trying to get your ass in gear. Jamie is gay.”
“What the FUCK?” but Trevor just laughs and hangs up. Now I have to get through airport security trying to look like I won’t kill someone.
Lanie
Chapter 13
It’s been a long week, so I am happy when Friday gets here. Dexter should be home by tomorrow, and thankfully, we’ve made it without any significant incidents, but I am exhausted. I can’t imagine Dex doing this by himself for so long.
I’m sitting at the table doing a puzzle with Tate when a massive yawn hits. “Hey, buddy,” I say, “how about a pizza movie night tonight? Just you and me?”
He turns his grin up to me and nods.
“Okay. Go change into your pj’s while I order the pizza. Then you can pick the movie.”
Tate heads down the hall to the sta
irs when the doorbell rings. He stops, frozen in place as he stares at the door.
“Who’s at the door, Tate? Your uncle Preston is supposed to stop by, is it him?”
He doesn’t answer me, but I can see from the kitchen that he is shaking.
What the hell? I run down the hall towards him and see tears running down his face. Tate is pointing at the door where I can see a woman through the glass with a harsh expression on her face.
“Jesus, Tate, open the damn door for your mother,” she shrieks.
Tate’s little body shakes uncontrollably, so I step in front of him while she continues banging on the door. Never have I been so glad for my need to lock, check, and relock doors.
I crouch down to Tate’s level and turn his body so he can no longer see the door.
“Hey, buddy. Look at me, just me, okay?” I tell him as calmly as I can manage.
His mother’s angry curses echo through the walls.
“Remember the promise I made you? No one is ever going to hurt you again, not as long as I’m around? Remember that?”
The poor kid doesn’t make any moves, although I can see in his eyes that he hears me.
“Is that your mother over there?” I say, pointing behind him.
Tate’s eyes travel towards the door again, and he pales, but nods.
“Well, she seems a little scary right now, but I’ve got you,” I tell Tate, drawing him in for a hug. “I am going to send her away and let your dad handle it. I need you to help me with the girls while I do that. They are in the family room sleeping in their pack n’ plays. I need you to go in there, close the door and sing them a song, very quietly, so they stay sleeping. Can you do that for me?”
With one shaky look at the door, he turns and heads to the family room.
What the hell do I do now? Where is Preston?
I know I can’t let her into the house, she’s terrifying. What did Dex ever see in her? I wonder. I pull out my phone and do the only thing I can think of, I facetime Dex. He doesn’t answer. Come on. Please answer the phone. I try three more times before he finally picks up.
“Lanie, sorry, I was going through customs. Everything alright?” he says, sounding out of breath.
“I, well…” I begin, but he cuts me off.
“What’s that noise, Lanie? What’s going on?” He asks, concern lining his question.
“We have a visitor,” I say, walking to the front door and quickly slipping outside, immediately closing the door behind me. Not letting Tate’s mother in the house, while hopefully keeping whatever is going to happen now from reaching Tate’s ears.
“Who the hell are you?” She screams. “Why didn’t you let my son come to the door?” My face is ashen as I turn the phone around so Dex can see his ex-wife face to face.
“Answer me, God damn it.” Tate’s mother yells.
Before I know what is happening, she slaps me across the face with enough force to send me reeling back into the door.
“Anna, that is enough!” comes Dexter’s angry, pained scream. “Lanie, are you alright? Let me see you.” I’m dizzy but manage to turn the camera on myself in time to see his eyes fill with a rage I’ve never seen before. I look up, trying to keep tabs on the woman who will likely strike again when I realize Preston has pulled into the driveway and is sprinting towards us.
“Anna, what the fuck are you doing here? Lanie? What the hell? Did you hit her, Anna?” Preston looks as wild as Dexter, who is now shouting through the phone. Preston finally hears him and grabs the phone from me.
“Preston? Thank fuck. Get Lanie in the house, please, keep her phone though, I need to deal with Anna.”
“You and me both,” he grumbles.
“Deal with me? Me? I am their mother, you assholes,” she shrieks, sounding slightly unhinged.
Preston ignores her, turning his back to talk to me. “Lanie, go inside, alright? Check on the kids.”
I nod and run through the door, but not before I hear Dexter’s dangerously low voice, “You gave up the right to call yourself a mother the minute you walked away. If you ever come near my kids or touch Lanie again, I’ll kill you myself.”
I run to the kitchen, pausing at the family room door to listen for Tate. He is still singing to the girls and sounds calm. I hurry to the kitchen for an ice pack, then head back to Tate. The poor kid, that bitch did something to him, I can just feel it. He was so stricken when he saw her through the window. I know that fear.
I slip into the room, but when Tate turns to see me, he bursts into tears. “Hey, buddy!” I say, trying to fake a calm I don’t feel. “It's okay, I’m fine, I was in such a hurry to get to you I ran into the door. You’re okay now, I’m here.”
He raises his hand to remove the ice pack.
“Hey, I’m fine. Preston is here. He is sending your mom away and letting your dad deal with her. Do you want to talk about what just happened? You didn’t seem very happy to see her.”
Tate shakes his head and quietly says, “She doesn’t like me.”
My heart breaks for him. He buries his head into my neck and cries just as Preston slips into the room. A furious expression on his face.
When his eyes land on mine, he swears. “Fuck!”
My eyes dart in his direction, giving him the slightest nod of my head. “I’m good. I was in such a hurry to get back to Tate I ran into the door,” I implore Preston with my eyes to go along.
Preston narrows his eyes but nods once.
“So, Tate-o-nator, what do you say we both get changed and let uncle Preston order the pizza for us?” I look at Preston. “Are you staying for dinner?”
“Yup, I’m staying. I think we will have a big sleepover tonight so we can all be here when your dad gets home. Trevor and Loki want to come too!”
I peer up at him questioningly, but he gives a look that says, do not argue with me.
“Wow, that sounds like fun, doesn’t it, Tate? Let’s go get ready?” I urge him. Taking his hand, I lead him upstairs.
Comparatively, the rest of the night goes smoothly. I have to admit, it’s nice having the guys here to help with the babies, even if their skills are more than unconventional. Tate has stuck close to me since his mom showed up, but I haven’t pushed him to talk, yet. It was a tough day for both of us. If he needs to just cuddle into me, I’m not going to complain.
After we finish the Toy Hero movie, the guys put the girls to bed. Yes, it takes all three of them. Somehow, they manage so I can put Tate to bed.
“Lanie? Can you lay with me?” Tate asks with the voice of a lost little boy.
Usually, I would encourage him to sleep alone, tell him he is a big boy, but right now, he just needs comfort. I climb into bed next to him and let him snuggle, “Sure, buddy, I’m here for you. Try to get some rest.”
We are both fast asleep before I realize I never said goodnight to Dexter’s friends.
Dex
Chapter 14
“Where is she?” I burst into my house, knowing all three of my friends stayed here last night to watch over Lanie and the kids.
I round the corner to the kitchen and see Trevor with Tate pouring something into a frying pan. All the anger leaves my body the second I see my little guy. Tate comes running to me, wrapping his arms around my legs in a death grip. I scoop down to pick him up into a hug and never want to let him go. His little body is trembling, and I realize he is crying.
“Hey, hey, don’t cry, Tate. I’m here. I’m so, so sorry I wasn’t here yesterday. I’m so sorry.” Tate hiccups and pulls back to look into my eyes.
“It’s okay, Daddy. Lanie saved me again.” He lays his head on my shoulder and I squeeze him even tighter. The lump in my throat is so big, I can’t swallow and can’t stop the tears flowing down my face.
Someone walks up and places a hand on my shoulder when I hear Loki speak. “Hey, Tate! Think you can help Pres out with the girls? He is in the nursery looking a little lost."
Tate looks at me then at Loki. Placing h
im on the floor, he shrugs his shoulders and heads off to join his sisters.
“Where is everyone?” I ask, staring Trevor in the eyes. He knows what I’m asking. Where’s Lanie? Is she alright? Is she still here? Please don’t let her leave us.
“Lanie is still asleep, but she is going to have one hell of a headache today,” he whispers. It must be worse than I thought.
I turn to Loki. "Get Ryan from SplitVision Securities on the phone now...please." I lower my voice. "Tell him I want eyes on Anna, then I want him to get her to a meeting with me as soon as fucking possible."
I turn to head upstairs when Loki holds up a hand to stop me.
“Just give me five minutes, then you can go be the Knight in shining armor. Lanie told Tate the door hit her pretty hard. He asked her to sleep with him last night because he was afraid…” The way he said door lets me know nothing has gotten past Tate. The fact that he was afraid has my insides twisting in a way so painful I’m not able to breathe.
“Afraid of what? You were all here.” I finally ask.
“That she’ll leave.” Trevor all but whispers.
I hate that Tate is finally talking, and this is what he has to say. My throat is so dry it hurts to reply. I give a curt nod to them both and stare up at the ceiling. What can I say? The truth is, I’m afraid of the same thing.
Loki clears his throat. "Listen, man, if you're going to set up a meeting with Anna, we need to talk. You need to do it at your office where we can get cameras set up in case she asks for something crazy. You don't know what she has been up to all this time, so you have to cover yourself."
None of us know exactly what it is that Loki does, he's never been allowed to tell us. For that reason, we all have our theories. Most likely something in the government, the CIA, or some sort of special agent. Until he can open up, I'm just happy to have him on my side.
"Thanks, guys. I'm going to head up and check on the girls." I give them both a heart-felt slap on the back and head upstairs, Loki following closely behind.
Cross My Heart: A Waverley-Cay Novel Page 10