by Tessa Teevan
I groan at the thought of Sierra planting any kind of idea in her daughter’s mind, as innocent as it may sound. That woman is too aggressive, and I won’t have her pushing Alexa too far, too fast. This has to go at her own pace so that she feels comfortable with it. Walking into the kitchen, I set Ava down on the counter where she can watch her aunt cook breakfast. I give Alexa a quick kiss on the lips, and Ava giggles.
“What game do you want to play today, Ava?” I ask the little girl who keeps trying to sneak a piece of bacon off of the plate.
She looks at me contemplatively for a moment before responding. “Let’s play shark attack!”
I’m at a loss as to what this game is. Clearly Alexa sees the confusion on my face and she saves me by explaining the rules. Apparently, the three of us are supposed to go down to the pool for this game. I have to swim around using my hand as a shark’s fin as I try to devour one of them. How in the hell a four-year-old knows a game like this is beyond me, but then again she is a Banks kid.
“How about we go down to the beach and look for seashells?” I ask her.
Ava looks at me with disdain, wrinkling her nose at me, and I cringe at the thought that a four-year-old finds me lame. “Seashells are for babies. We have to play sharks! Daddy always plays sharks with me, even when Mommy gets mad at him for biting her.”
I know I’m not going to win this argument, so I agree to play sharks with her as long as she promises to look for shells with me later. She nods, and I leave her in the kitchen with her aunt so I can go change. When I return Alexa is giggling as Ava tries to shovel a heaping spoonful of scrambled eggs into her mouth and most of them end up on the floor. I feel a sudden pull in my heart, wishing that this was my reality.
“Ladies, ready for a day of fun in the sun?”
Ava sighs before responding. “I guess. Mommy says I can’t catch crabs or it’ll itch, so I have to be good. I just really like playing with their shells.”
I can’t help but laugh at the ridiculously random things this kid says. They finish up eating breakfast, and I steal quite a few pieces of bacon as they disappear into the bathroom in order to get ready to go to the pool. I gather up towels and sunscreen, and it’s not five minutes until we’re out the door, ready to face the day.
A few hours later, I find myself sandwiched between these two relentless girls who apparently take great joy in splashing men with copious amounts of water. Truthfully, Ava isn’t doing much damage due to her floaties, but her aunt sure is making up for it. Before I know it, another assailant in the form of Sierra lands in the water, completely covering me in the waves from her cannonball. I hear male laughter and look up to see Jeremy laughing his ass off at me.
He sees my scowl and holds his hands up. “Hey, man, I’ve been dealing with these three for the past four years. You’ve only had two days. I’m glad they’ve found another man to torture. So much so that I think I’ll sit this one out.”
“Daddy, come in the water so we can play!” Ava squeals just as Jeremy takes a seat on a lounge chair.
“Sorry, baby, but Daddy’s staying out of the water this time,” he tells her.
“You’re no fun! I need you to come in here and play sharks with me. Jace tried to but he didn’t make a very good one. He was kind of slow,” she says, shrugging at me.
Sierra snickers at that while she pokes me in the shoulder. “Getting slow in your old age, eh, McAllister? I’ve heard you’ve been having issues with…your speed.”
Alexa hears the tail end of her comment and flicks water into her face. That causes a whole new water fight, and I struggle to make my way out of the pool so that I can watch the women duke it out from the sidelines.
“I don’t know how you do it, man. Those three are crazy,” I tell Jeremy.
“Dude, they’re a handful, but I couldn’t imagine my life without them. It’d be so incredibly boring,” Jeremy says as he smiles at his women in the pool.
I nod in agreement, knowing full well that I’d give up peace and quiet to have my own family like this. We continue to watch them for a few minutes, laughing as Sierra and Ava begin to gang up on Alexa.
“So how’s everything going, man? Sierra seems really happy that you and Lexi have been hanging out so much.”
I contemplate on how much I want to tell him, but honestly there’s not too much to say that would be too embarrassing or personal to divulge.
“Things are going really well. It feels like nothing’s changed, like we weren’t just apart for so many years. We’ve been able to catch up on the last decade of our lives, and it’s just been great to be around her again,” I answer.
“That’s good to hear. We always wondered what the hell happened, but she’d never tell us. I know Sierra planned out this whole thing so that you two would have to interact again. I have to admit, I was nervous and pretty pissed at her because I didn’t think Lexi was ready. But I gotta tell you, man, I haven’t seen her this happy in a really long time,” he responds.
I try but fail to stop the huge smile that comes to my face at his words. “It’s nice to hear you say that. She seems like she’s been happy, and that’s all I want for her.”
“Good. Now, Sierra told me you haven’t hit it yet. What gives?” he asks, causing me to choke of the sip of water I was taking.
“Seriously, Banks? That’s your sister-in-law!”
He laughs and shakes his head. “Come on, man. She was married for seven years. I know she’s no virginal flower. Speaking of…” He pauses as he hits me in the shoulder. “You freaking dog. We had no idea you took her virginity until the beginning of this trip. That. Is. Awesome,” he finishes, emphasizing every word.
I start to speak when he continues. “I mean, everyone knew you two had a thing for each other. We had bets on how long it was going to be until you guys started making out at the lunch table. I didn’t think you’d make it past junior year with the way you followed her around like a lost puppy.”
“I did no such thing,” I protest. “We were best friends who hung out all the time. That’s natural.”
He slaps me on the back, chuckling. “Whatever you say. All I know is that I’m glad you’ve reconnected. She needs a good man in her life again, and I know Ty would approve.” He falters at his words before clearing his throat. “Has she talked to you about that at all?”
“Yeah, we’d actually just finished talking about it when you two came back last night. She was really open with me about him. Look, I know you probably know that I’m going to try to pursue some kind of relationship with her. Whatever she’ll give me. But also know that I’ll never ask her forget all the years she spent with him. I’m not that kind of guy. I want her to have those memories and to cherish them. In a way, I’m thankful that he was there to love her and take care of her. She deserved that. She still does, and I’m going to try my damnedest to be that guy if she’ll let me.”
“Okay, dude, now you’re just getting heavy with me, and I’m not the best person to talk to about this chick shit. Just be there for her like you’ve been and it’ll all work out. Oh, and one piece of advice. Don’t let her leave here without getting laid.”
I throw my water bottle at his head and he tries to knock it away.
“What the hell, man? That’s good advice! You need to lay claim to that, and you know, actually come back this time,” he says in all seriousness.
I grin as I begin to tell him about my new post once I return to the States. Knowing that I’m only going to be a few hours away from her makes me feel that this can actually work. I can’t wait to tell her, which is just what I’m going to do tonight.
My thoughts are interrupted as Ava walks up to me, grabbing my hand. I rise up from the chair to follow wherever she’s choosing to lead. Hopefully nowhere near crabs so Sierra doesn’t freak out. Although, come to think of it, it’d be pretty damn funny.
Jeremy catches Ava before she can pass him, but she pulls herself out of his grip and keeps walking with me in hand.
“Ava bear, aren’t you gonna give your old man some love?” Jeremy calls after her.
She stops dead in her tracks and releases my hand. In pure Sierra Sullivan style, she slowly turns around to face him. With hands on her hips, she lets out an exasperated sigh.
“No, Daddy, I’m going with Uncle Jace to find some sea shells,” she tells him.
“But you don’t even like sea shells!” her father exclaims.
“I told him I’d find shells with him if he played sharks with me. He might have been slow and boring, but he still played. I asked you and you said no. So I’m going to the beach to search for shells with him and you can sit here and cry about it.”
Sierra lets out a loud cackle as Alexa just shakes her head and beams at us. Ava reclaims my hand and leads me out onto the beach. We start walking up and down the sand, finding practically nothing but broken shell pieces. We spend about half an hour scouring the shore, only to come up with a few shells that are actually intact.
Ava plops down on the sand and sighs. I sit down next to her and watch as she spells out her name in the sand.
“What’s wrong, Ava?” I ask, not knowing why she seems so despondent.
She kicks the sand before she looks at me. “I told you that looking for sea shells was silly. There aren’t any here. We could’ve been looking for crabs this whole time if Mommy wasn’t so scared of them.”
A wicked thought comes to mind, and I know Sierra deserves it after all of her manipulations from this week.
I lean down and whisper into Ava’s ear. “Why don’t we find a crab to scare Mommy and Aunt Lexi with?”
She giggles and turns to face me. “I’ll get in trouble!”
I tickle her tummy and laugh as she squeals. “I won’t let you get in trouble, Freckles,” I say as I tap the brown spot on the tip of her nose.
“Promise?” she asks, holding up her pinky as she waits for mine to conform to hers.
“Promise. This will be all on me, capisce?”
“Kuh-peesh!!” she says slowly, sounding out each syllable.
I laugh as I stand up and pull her along with me. We head back towards the resort as she tells me stories of Ariel and how she was finally able to walk so that she could find Prince Eric. She forgets her quest to find a crab as she eagerly chats with me about Disney princesses. We make our way onto the pool deck where she spots her parents hanging out in the pool, Alexa leaning against the edge. She drops my hands and runs straight towards the pool and into Jeremy’s arms. I’d be lying if I said my breath didn’t catch as I watched her hit the water, and I breathed a sigh of relief when Jeremy held her up high in his arms.
Alexa strolls up beside me, her fingers trailing along my forearm. “Had enough of playing the uncle role today?” she asks.
“Actually, I’ve found myself wishing I was able to be around more to be an uncle. I hardly ever get to see Clay’s or Carrie’s kids. I had a blast with Ava today, regardless if she was splashing me with massive amounts of water or imploring me to win her the stuffed gorilla from the bowling game earlier on the pier she made me play before we went to the pool.”
Alexa lets out a low laugh, and it’s all I can do to look away from her abdomen as it shakes. “I think you’ll have plenty of time to play Uncle Jace with Ava. She seems surely smitten, especially since she blew her daddy off for you.”
As if on cue, Ava screams from the pool, “Come on, Jace! Daddy’s gonna play sharks!”
I spy Jeremy floating through the water with his hand dangerously making a fin shape. I know I’m not going to get into the pool again, so I point out his location to Ava. She screams as he gets closer, moving inch by inch towards her tiny legs. He suddenly grabs her ankle and she shrieks as he leaps out of the water to grasp her.
I settle on a lounge chair as I watch the Banks family play around in the pool. Grabbing a beer out of the cooler, I take a long draw from it. Alexa walks over to me and steals the beer from my hands. She presses the bottle to her lips, turning it up, taking a healthy swig.
“Spending time with the Banks family can be exhausting. We’ve probably got sixty seconds to make a run for it,” she says, interrupting my thoughts.
I look out onto the water at Sierra and Jeremy in the water with Ava. As I watch them interact as a family, I can’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy, and I find that I’m not exactly needing the escape that Alexa has planned.
She tugs on my arm, asking if I’m ready to go. I twist around on the chair and I’m face to face with her toned stomach. My quick movement causes her to lose her balance, so my hands are instantly on her wet skin as she falls into my lap.
“Nice moves, Lexi. I’m sure all you would’ve had to do was ask,” Sierra hollers.
Alexa’s face instantly goes red at her sister’s implications and she tries to move from my grip. I grasp her arms to hold her still, and I’m about to kiss her when I hear my name called.
“McAllister, Banks! Get out here and play a game of volleyball with us for old time’s sake,” Joey Thompson calls to us from the edge of the deck area.
Jeremy’s up and out the pool before he can even get the words out. He dries off and heads toward the sand while I stay put.
I’m about to decline when Joey begins to taunt me. “What’s the matter, McAllister? Afraid of being beaten by a guy with a metal leg?”
Shaking my head, I know that this is one challenge I have to accept. Alexa leans in and presses her forehead to mine. She gives me a quick kiss on the lips before hopping off of me. I get up and make my way towards the beach, but not before turning around to get one last glimpse of Alexa in her tiny black bikini. My eyes travel up her legs, taking in her toned, tan calf muscles that show signs of her daily running routine. I have to turn away as I take in the curve of her ass because the last thing I need is to embarrass myself in front on the guys. I catch her looking in my direction from the corner of my eye, so with one glance back, I throw her a smile before jogging towards the volleyball net to get this game over with.
An hour later I’m soaked with sweat from the three intense games we just played. I’m amazed at how well Joey can move around with his prosthetic leg. He was kicking Jeremy’s ass and giving me a run for my money. We make plans to meet up tonight at the reunion before Jeremy and I head back towards the pool. I spot Alexa packing up her things while Sierra holds a sleeping Ava in her arms.
She smiles and asks how the game was as I walk up to her.
“Joey and Mark beat us two out of three. I think Jeremy’s losing his athletic ability in his old age,” I say, earning a slap to the back of the head.
Sierra just shakes her head as she hands her daughter over to Jeremy. They say their goodbyes to us and head back up to their room. Alexa throws on a cover-up over her bikini, and I watch as she pulls the hair back out of her face.
She picks up her beach bag and turns to face me. “I think I’m going to head back up to the condo so I can wash this chlorine smell off of me,” she says.
Disappointment washes over me, but I keep my cool. “I know what you mean. I was sweating my ass off out there with the sun beating down on us while we were playing. I could definitely wash up, especially if you’re going to be my date tonight.”
She groans and throws her towel at me. “Seriously, Jace, it’s your reunion. You don’t need me there tagging along.”
“Nope, a bet’s a bet, and you lost. You’ll just have to accept your fate and face being forced to spend the entire evening by my side.”
“You know it’s not that. I just really have no desire to see Mallory again,” she informs me.
Shit. I completely forgot to tell her about my encounter last night after the mixer.
“Remember when I said last night that you wouldn’t have to worry about her?” Alexa nods and I continue. “I was getting ready to leave the mixer last night when Mallory came out of the club and headed towards my car.”
She snickers. “Trying to get another piece of the baseball s
tar now that she could corner you alone?”
“Actually, no, she really wasn’t. Now let me finish. I was ready to tell her to take a hike when she said she just needed to talk to me for a minute. She wanted me to pass on an apology for the way she acted the other night. She said that she felt like shit for the things she said, and that it was undeserving. She wasn’t sure if she was going to see you again, so she asked if I’d relay the message,” I tell her, paraphrasing the conversation that we had.
Alexa rubs her forehead as she lets the words sink in. “Seriously?”
“Not making it up, babe. It shocked the hell out of me, but she seemed more than sincere.”
“Huh. Well, okay then.”
“That’s it? Nothing else to say?”
She looks at me and shrugs her shoulders. “Everyone says things they don’t mean. We’re all guilty of it. It’s pretty big of her to own up to it, even if it was through you.”
Thinking about what she said, I realize that she’s right. She never was one to hold a grudge. I’m unable to respond because she’s suddenly making plans for us to meet at her condo before heading over to the reunion together. I follow her to the elevator, and we confirm a meeting time. I drop her off on her floor, already anticipating seeing her again.
AFTER A long, hot shower and a very much needed nap, I’m sitting on the living room sofa, tapping my leg nervously. An hour-long conversation with Brady did little to calm my nerves about the upcoming night, especially since he told me multiple times that I better come home with at least one sexy story or he’s apparently defriending me.
Sierra walks out of the bedroom in a hot little red dress that cuts off just below her thighs. She whistles when she sees me. “Damn, Lex, Jace’s jaw is going to hit the floor when he gets a look at you.”
I hadn’t exactly packed for a night out, so I had to scramble through my luggage to find something suitable. I’m wearing a lace tube top dress in antique white that hits me at mid-thigh. A skinny brown leather belt accentuates the curves at my waist, and the padded cups built into the dress make it possible for me to go without a bra. I’m wearing my favorite dark brown cowboy boots, and I’ve styled my hair so that gentle curls are flowing down my back. My neck and wrists are bare, and the only jewelry I’m wearing are the gold hoops hanging from my ears. The makeup on my face is subtle, hints of golden browns highlight my eyes. I’ve been able to forego the usual mineral powder due to the sun-kissed glow that today’s beach session has brought over my face. For not expecting this, I can admit that I look pretty damn good. Sexy, but not sinfully so like Sierra. In fact, it’s probably fitting because I think I look more like the girl-next-door than the one you want to take behind the bleachers. This look for me was exactly how it was back in high school.