by Daria White
Zoe kissed his lips.
***
Alex mumbled as his cell rang on his nightstand. Reaching out, he hit his phone to stop the alarm. It only rang again. He groaned and pushed back his covers. He focused his eyes, but still squinted since the sun rays pierced through his curtains.
Alex rubbed his eyes, just as a pounding on his door caught his attention. He pinched the bridge of his nose. What time was it anyway?
By the time he opened the door, Alex’s eyes popped open. Jackson’s eyes bore into him. Alex’s body temperature rose. Tommy stood behind his friend with his mouth downturn.
He flexed his fingers. “Want to tell me what’s going on?”
“Didn’t I tell you not to play around with my sister?” Jackson’s eyes narrowed at Alex.
“What are you talking about? Zoe and I are fine.”
Tommy showed Alex his phone. Alex gasped, spotting the photo he took with a fan a while back. He didn’t see any harm, since it was before he and Zoe became official. The woman was embracing Alex, kissing his cheek.
Alex raised an eyebrow. He remembered. The photo was a selfie on the woman’s phone, but the picture looked as if someone else had taken it. “I don’t know her name, but this was a selfie.”
“It’s all over social media,” Jackson said. “Our band’s Facebook page is filled with comments on this.”
“Okay, but it’s nothing,” Alex said. “We take pics with fans all the time.”
Tommy shook his head. “It’s deeper than that, Alex.” He sighed. “All of the comments are from women claiming to be your exes.”
Alex’s lips parted. “Okay, but that doesn’t mean what they’re saying is true. It’ll blow over.”
Jackson’s jaw clenched. “Guess what they have in common? You dumping them after three months. #3monthAlex is trending more than our band! Is that what you’re going to do to my sister? What’s going to happen when you get bored with her? Dump her like the rest?”
“No, I wouldn’t do that to Zoe.”
“You wouldn’t?” There was a bite in Jackson’s voice and Alex didn’t blame him.
Instead, he asked. “What’s Liam doing about this?”
“Damage control,” Tommy said. “We can’t afford bad publicity.”
Alex ran a hand down his face. Had Zoe seen the picture? He gasped. Would she believe him? The other women meant nothing to him. Not like Zoe. “I’ll fix this.”
“You better,” Jackson said.
“What’s your problem?” Alex cocked his head and then shook it. “I get you want to protect Zoe from me, but I’m—”
Jackson stepped closer, but Tommy still stood between them.
“Calm down, man,” his friend told him.
Alex stared at Jackson. He wouldn’t back down. Not for the woman who he’d given his heart to. He didn’t want bad blood between him and Jackson, but they had to draw the line somewhere.
Jackson nodded at Tommy, but he focused back on Alex. “You’re going to stay away from her.”
“That’s her decision,” Alex said. “I’ll call Liam and see what I can do.”
“I don’t know,” Tommy said. “It’s spreading like wild fire.”
“I’ll fix it.” He would. No matter what.
Jackson didn’t say another word, but stalked to the car. Tommy nodded and followed his friend. Alex released a breath.
“What was that about?” Lisa asked.
Alex looked over to see his cousin in her pajamas. Lisa folded her arms over her chest.
“It’s nothing I can’t handle,” he said.
“Well, when I heard noises it woke me up. I’m surprised you guys didn’t wake the neighborhood.”
“Its fine, Lisa. I have to be somewhere, anyway.” He had to talk to Zoe before she saw the picture.
Once Alex showered and changed, he dashed for his car and sped to her apartment. The engine hummed in the background, so he didn’t bother with the radio. His skin prickled on his scalp, but turning into her apartment complex, he rushed to park and sprinted inside the building to her door.
He knocked. If she didn’t see the photo, he didn’t want to freak her out. Alex paced in front of her door. Nothing. Alex knocked again and pulled his phone out of his pocket to call her. No answer. Zoe had to be home. He saw her car parked outside before he came in the building.
Alex knocked again, calling her once more.
“What?”
She knew. “Zoe, open the door so we can talk.”
“Why?”
“Look, there’s a photo going around on social media, but it was before us. I don’t want you worrying about—”
“Alex, I’ve read enough comments about us.”
His pulse raced. “What?” How did the media know about them?
Zoe continued. “This is a lot. I feel like one moment everything is fine with us, and then your past comes back to cause confusion.”
“Zoe?” He pressed his hand against her door. “Let me in, okay. I promise you, it was before us. Ever since we started talking, I’ve cut off everyone in my past.”
More silence. Alex’s lungs constricted. Not the silent treatment again. Was she done with him? Why did the thought make him feel broken on the inside? This was what he didn’t want. Pain.
He recognized it from his father the day his mother left. It returned when he fell in love as a teenager and it left him heartbroken. Never again. Alex sunk to the floor in front of her door. Then his phone beeped. The call dropped.
Chapter 18
Zoe’s wasn’t prepared for the notifications on her phone from her social media accounts. Ping. Ping. The comments came in by the minute.
Cheater. Liar. All men are dogs and Alex Miller is no different.
What made matters worse was the comments about her. A photo showed of her and Alex in the parking lot when they left for the tour. Though they weren’t kissing, his feelings showed in the way he looked at her. The comments flashed in her mind.
She should stay away. Some women are so stupid they’ll fall for the lies. She’s dumb to waste her time with him. Idiot. She must be desperate. She’ll learn when he dumps her for another woman. #3monthAlex.
Zoe deactivated her accounts. Social media was brutal, and she didn’t want any more toxicity creeping into her mind. Resting her head against her front door, she wiped her cheek.
What made her angrier? The comments or the photo of Alex with another woman? He said it was before they became exclusive, but Zoe didn’t know what to believe anymore.
She pressed her palm to her forehead. Her body shook as she cried. How could she be so stupid? That’s what the media was saying. Was she? She’d been stupid before and history appeared to repeat itself. This was what her family warned her about. Why didn’t she listen?
Was that rustling she heard outside? Alex had gone, right? She rose to her feet and looked through the peephole. He was still there. Though he looked warped through the hole, his head dipped to his chin.
Zoe’s heart hammered in her chest. Everything in her screamed for her to open the door. Her hand drifted to the door knob. Her fingers itched to open it. When did she fall in love with him? Was it the first time she saw him holding Celine? The way he took care of Lisa?
She watched him walk down the hallway, his frame becoming less distinct to her through the peephole. Did he pause? He wasn’t moving and Zoe’s breath caught. She watched him turn around, with his hands stuffed inside his pockets.
“Zoe? I’ll go if you want me to, but I want you to know there’s no one else but you.” Alex rubbed at his forehead. “I was never good at this, but if it meant being with you…”
Zoe turned her back to the door, but she listened.
“Being with you has made me better. You challenged me and I liked it.”
His voice sounded closer. Zoe reached one hand down and pressed her palm against the door.
“Zoe, I...” Alex stopped.
She gasped. Did he leave? What was she doing? They agreed to talk t
hings through. He was here. Fighting for her. It had to count for something. If it made her stupid, then she would risk it for Alex. He wasn’t her past. He was her new beginning if she let him. Zoe groaned and opened the door. “Alex?”
He stopped in his tracks and jogged back to her side. He held her tight to his chest. Zoe sniffled, but buried her face in his neck. His crisp aftershave made her knees weak.
“I’m sorry.” His voice muffled through her curls.
Zoe brought her mouth to his and kissed his lips. Alex kissed her back with passion equal with hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck. Alex didn’t let go, pressing his mouth against hers. Zoe moaned. When he broke away, she cradled his face.
“This is a mess,” he said.
“Tell me about it.” She dug her fingers into his shirt.
“Zoe, I can fix this.”
She gave a soft smile. “How?”
“I don’t know.” He ran a hand down his face. “But I’m not losing you.”
“I’m staying off social media for a while. It’s too much.”
He lifted her chin. “I’ll make this right. Whoever is responsible for this, I’ll find out. Nothing’s coming between us.”
She kissed his lips one more time. Despite her reservations, she didn’t want to revert back to her old ways. Zoe would trust him. He took his time caressing her lips with his.
Zoe took a breath, which helped her regain her senses. She couldn’t think straight with him this close. “I need a minute to process all of this.”
Alex embraced her once more and then headed down the hallway. Zoe watched after him until he disappeared. Then she closed the door behind him. The ceiling fan in her living room whirred above her, cooling her skin. Zoe closed her eyes. When her phone vibrated, she walked over to turn it off, but saw Roslyn’s name on screen.
“Are you okay? What is it with people?” Roslyn asked.
Zoe combed her fingers through her curls. “No.”
“What did he say? I can’t see him doing this to you,” Roslyn said.
“He says it’s nothing. The photo was before us. We talked.”
Her friend sighed. “What are you going to do?”
“I wish I could get out of here. If it’s all over the internet, I know it’s all over town.”
“I wish there was something I could do. If only you could come back here and unwind a bit.”
“Maybe I should.” The tension built in her forehead.
“You love him?”
Zoe bobbed her head. She didn’t dare tell him before he left. What if it was too soon? “Yeah.”
“That’s great. You’re letting someone in again,” her friend told her.
“I know. That’s what so scary.” Zoe touched a hand to her chest. “It’s as if I know I’m doing the right thing, but there are still…”
“Doubts.” Roslyn finished her thought.
Zoe needed to talk to Dr. Burns. She was long overdue for a conversation. “At least I have school to focus on.” She rolled her shoulders back. “Anything else going on that I should know about.”
“Well…”
Zoe groaned. “What now?” She had enough drama for one day.
“I saw some flyers around campus and...”
“And what? It’s all over campus?”
“No, Jayden.”
Jayden? He was the last person Zoe thought she would hear about today. “What about him? He’s a professor at the school now?”
“More like a motivational speaker that’s coming to a seminar here.”
Zoe ran her hand down her face. “Wow.”
“I saw a clip of a video they put together for the promotion. He may be in a wheelchair, but he looks happy. Inspired, even. From what I’ve heard on campus, they’ve been trying to book him for a while. Didn’t you say once you hated that you never got closure?”
“I did but that was then. He’s moved on, Roslyn. I’ve done enough to mess up his life. Let him be happy,” Zoe said.
“I still think it’ll be a good idea to see him speak.”
It’d been too long. Sure, Jayden may have moved forward with his life, but that didn’t mean he needed to see her. Zoe looked upward, but the ceiling fan held no answers.
Chapter 19
Hydraulic ramps going up and down met Alex’s ears as he carried a takeout bag. Between rehearsals and traveling with the band, he didn’t get to see his father as much, so lunch proved to be a great idea. The smells of oil and grease overwhelmed his nose.
A few of the other workers in mechanic boots and grease-stained coveralls nodded at him. He waved with his free hand. Alex didn’t stop his stride, but continued to his dad’s office. He knocked on the cracked door.
His father smiled as he sat behind his desk. “About time.”
Alex rolled his eyes but smiled back. “Here’s your sandwich.” He passed his father his plastic bag.
“You look tired,” his father said.
Alex sat in the leather seat across from his father. He rubbed his eyes. “Rough night.”
His father nodded. “Let me know when you’re ready to talk about it.”
Alex’s eyebrows furrowed.
His father swallowed. “When you’re ready, I know you’ll ask.”
“I should know what to do, but I don’t.”
His father didn’t answer, but waited for his son to continue.
Alex rubbed the back of his head. “It caught up with me again, and I almost lost a good woman.”
“You thought dating around meant being a real man?” his father asked.
Could he blame Alex? That’s all he knew. “Not everyone wants commitment, Dad. I get it now, but I didn’t before.”
“Let me ask you something.” His father paused for a moment, but continued. “If a man treated your cousin, Lisa, the way you’ve treated women in the past, would you respect him?”
His father might as well have hit his head with a wrench from his tool chest. Alex’s skin crawled thinking about the pain Lisa went through during her divorce. He never compared his actions to her deadbeat ex-husband.
“How about when Celine gets older? How would you want a man to treat her?”
Alex dipped his chin. He grabbed his own sandwich, taking a bite. He chewed despite his dry mouth.
His father sipped his drink. “I know you saw some things growing up, and I did my best to keep you from all of that.”
Alex swallowed. “You did your best. I don’t blame you.”
“I know, but I should have told you that you can’t live in fear, son. You thought dating more than one woman protected you from being hurt, but you missed out.”
Alex rubbed at his chin. “There’s a photo online. It showed a picture of me with another woman. It was before Zoe, but it’s bad. I’m glad she didn’t push me away this time, but I hate that it happened.”
His father nodded.
“Well?”
“Well what?” his father asked.
“How do I fix it?”
“You’ll figure out the answer. I can’t tell you what to do, son. Take responsibility for your actions and learn from them,” his father said.
Alex felt a twinge of pain in his chest.
“And if you love this woman, you won’t let her go.” His father raised an eyebrow.
Love? Alex slouched in the chair. Did Zoe love him too? Another knock came to the door, and he sat up in his seat. Both men faced the door spotting Francesca Johnson. Alex watched his father rise from his seat to greet her.
“I’m sorry. I’m interrupting,” she said.
His father took her hand in his. “Father-son lunch.”
She beamed at him. “I’ll see you tonight then.” She kissed his cheek and smiled at Alex. “Nice to see you again. Enjoy your lunch.” Ms. Francesca left the men alone. A silly grin danced across his father’s face.
The corners of Alex’s lips curled up. “You look happy.”
“I want the same for you.”
Leaving
the mechanic shop, Alex drove around Bridge Point. He had no place in mind, and he used his free hand to rub at his dry eyes. Love. Did he love Zoe? He had to after all it took to win her over. He couldn’t deny what he felt for her was real.
In the past, Alex avoided love out of fear of not only getting hurt, but choosing the wrong woman. It was another reason he kept options. Putting all his trust into one woman was too much power. If she left, she would take his heart with her.
Alex’s dad then came to mind. The man was just now picking up the pieces of his life. Then again, didn’t he seem happy? His father couldn’t fake the smiles on his face. He’d seen him at his worst.
Keeping his eyes on the road. He could have stopped by the bar or even Mac’s place, but he wanted to be alone. A vein throbbed in his forehead. How long had he been alone? Too long without someone genuine in his life. Was it worth it to keep his freedom as he called it?
Alex didn’t detour but headed home. He had rehearsal later that evening with the band. He wasn’t looking forward to it. Though he and Jackson remained civil, the group could sense the tension between them.
Pulling into his driveway, he cut the engine and stepped out of his car. Not ready to go home yet, he banged on his cousin’s door since he spotted her car.
“What’s that about?” Lisa asked once she let him inside. She held Celine on her hip.
“You’re home early.” He walked up and reached for Celine, who gurgled in his arms. Alex held her to his chest, reminiscing his father’s words.
If a man treated his baby cousin the way he did his exes, who knew how he would react. Celine and her mother deserved to be treated with respect. After all this time, Alex never connected the dots. Sitting on the couch, Celine touched his face with her fingers.
Lisa folded her arms. “That’s it? You bang on my door and don’t tell me what’s going on.”
“You’re not on social media.”
“I like my privacy. Why? What did you do?” his cousin asked.
“Why does it always have to be the man’s fault?” He didn’t mean to raise his voice, and he was grateful Celine didn’t cry.
Lisa raised her palm to him. “I’m not the enemy, so watch your tone. Second, it’s usually the man’s fault. Third, what happened?”