Chapter Eighteen
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
ALEX
“Mother, if I have to kick you out of my bathroom one more time, I’m gonna change the locks to the house—or move.”
“It’s nothing I haven’t seen before. Who do you think changed your diapers?” She smooths down the impeccably neat fabric of her slacks.
“Agnes,” I answer, checking to make sure my towel covers my junk.
“Not all the time and you know it! She wasn’t even a live-in nanny.”
“Fine. You were very hands-on. Now I need you to be very hands-off. Out.” I point to the door.
“So testy,” she tsks at me.
“Yeah, almost as if I’ve been shot and treated to my mother seeing my bare ass.”
“No cursing, Alexander. Fine. I’m leaving. I have to get back to your father anyway. Be back tomorrow.”
“I’d tell you not to bother, but you’re about as good at obeying orders as I am.”
She grins and turns to the door. “At least you came by it honestly. Get some rest.”
I breathe out a long sigh as soon as the door closes. All I’ve been doing is resting for the whole fucking week since the bizarre incident at Addison’s place. I’m done resting. And I’m done with Addison avoiding me. How she’s managed to never be in a room alone with me for an entire week is beyond me. I’m determined to pin her down very soon and in more ways than one.
The bullet went through and through, creating a nice little hole under my clavicle and barely missing about a dozen vital parts. That’s the good news. The bad news is that I hit my head and arm on the way down, causing a concussion and a broken wrist. Thank Christ my playing days are already over.
If it had been a run-of-the-mill injury, I’d be able to keep my mother at bay, but apparently the word “shot” ignites all maternal inclinations, resulting in a complete and utter disregard for personal boundaries. As far as my mother—and the rest of the world—know, I’m the unfortunate victim of a carjacking attempt. Wrong place, wrong time, and all that. We’ve managed to keep the truth from the press, which benefits everyone involved.
I finish dressing, frustrated at the amount of time it takes due to my various injuries. I’m ready to return to normal life, and I’m going to work in the morning even if I have to wrestle DeeDee and my mother to the ground in order to do it. All-star pitcher and general bad-ass Alex Noble brought to heel by a skinny sixty-five-year-old broad and a bossy housekeeper. Not to mention my nanny. If anyone has the power to take me down, it’s Addison—and she could do it with just a word or a smile. I’ll take anything at this point.
When I finally step out into the hallway, I catch the briefest flash of red before it disappears behind the door at the other end of the hall. Huh, it seems this game of avoidance is about to come to an end. Voices from downstairs confirm that the boys are eating dinner, and I can hear DeeDee telling Tristan to eat his peas. I don’t hesitate another moment before striding down the hall and opening Addison’s door. Caught completely unawares, she gasps and whips around from her position by the window.
“Wh-what are you doing in here?! You’re supposed to be…be resting!” One hand goes to her stomach and the other to her neck.
I close the door firmly behind me. “No more resting. It’s time to talk.”
Her expression turns from surprise to a mix of anguish and sadness.
“Sit,” I order, and she must still be in shock because she obediently sinks into the armchair by the window, her back stiff and eyes wide.
“Now, you’re going to tell me why the hell I had to track you down—why you’ve been avoiding me like a leper since I got home. Why you didn’t even stop in to see me at the hospital, for god’s sake!” She visibly winces at that one. “And I want the truth, Addison.”
An array of expressions cross her face, and she opens and closes her mouth several times before words finally spill out in a quick tumble. “I thought I’d be the last person you wanted to see—I got you shot! The doctor said you needed rest and not to get you riled up, so I figured it was best to stay out of your way. You’re right, though. I should have had the nerve to face you and apologize in person—and I was going to. I just…I just wanted to wait until you were better. And I promise I’m leaving just as soon as Gary can find a replacement. I didn’t want to abandon the boys when they were still so scared and worried. If you want me to go tonight, I will. I’m sure your mother and DeeDee can manage until you hire someone.”
She wrings her hands, dropping her eyes to her lap. Before I can speak—before I can even begin to comprehend everything she just said—she looks back up at me, tears pooling in her eyes.
“I really am sorry, Alex. For everything.”
She thinks I want her gone. That’s what this avoidance thing has been all about?
Despite her desperate state, I can’t help the laugh that bubbles to the surface. She hits me with an offended look.
“Addison, for somebody so smart, it’s amazing you can be so oblivious,” I manage to say, causing the offended expression to blossom into full-blown, ready-to-kick-my-ass insulted.