Chapter 19
OWEN
Alexis followed behind my car as I led us to Mercy Lake. My mind was working overtime in the alternate reality I had found myself in.
“You okay, uncle?” Cooper piped from the back seat, noting my unusual silence.
“Yeah, buddy.” More than okay. “Just thinking if we brought enough food.”
Every week after soccer, I took my nephew for a picnic to my favourite spot, which had soon become his as well.
What I hadn’t envisioned was Alexis going to that place with me ever again .
Old memories stirred as we pulled into the new playground built next to the lake. The boys ran off while Alexis helped me unload from the boot.
“I didn’t mean to intrude,” she said. “Austin’s been through a lot of change recently, and I didn’t want to disappoint him.”
“Of course you’re welcome. You both are.”
As I set up the picnic beneath an overhanging tree, Alexis chased the boys, who squealed in glee. I also eavesdropped on their conversation.
“So, you’re Liam’s kid, huh?” she asked Cooper.
“You know my daddy?”
“We grew up together.”
“I’ve never seen you before.”
“Mm. I haven’t been around for a while.”
“Why?”
I paused, waiting for her answer. “Mmm.” She deflected. “Austin and I lived in the city.”
Cooper enthusiastically beamed. “And now you brought him back. Please don’t leave. Austin is my best friend.”
“Yeah, Mum! We won’t leave, will we?”
Alexis hesitated before ruffling their heads. “No. We’re going to stay.”
I could have sworn my heart was going to give out by how fast it was pumping. Be still my heart.
I had avoided direct eye contact with Alexis since arriving at our lake. Countless emotions simmered, and I didn’t want to slip and give her a glimpse into my chaotic mind.
As we finished lunch, the boys returned to the playground, and I took the opportunity to wander along the lakeside to steal a moment for myself. Over time, I hadn’t shaken the habit of going there. To think, to reminisce, to sort through my thoughts.
All afternoon, when Alexis wasn’t looking or had her back turned, I openly appraised her. It was a special form of torture.
In so many ways, she was still my Alexis. Yet, a whole other woman altogether.
She was a mother, and a great one, at that. Just from a glance, I could tell how much she and Austin adored each other.
A flash of regret ignited when I watched her in that new role.
All of it could have been mine. It was everything I had always envisioned—my wife with our children, laughing and playing under the cloudless sky, seeping sheer happiness and nothing else.
It was a lost moment that could not be relived, but it was bittersweet to dream about all the same.
My intuition felt her before my body could even react. I was staring out over the water as she tentatively came up beside me.
“I forgot how beautiful it was here,” she said, her tone soft and wistful.
I didn’t reply—I couldn’t.
“Owen.” She turned full-bodied to look up into my face, and I had no choice but to return her attention. Alexis’ expression was hesitant, almost scared.
I did that to her. Baby, don’t be scared.
I braced myself, but once again, she bulldozed through my expectations.
“I think I’m ready to hear the truth of everything,” she blurted. Then, after that, it was like she found her courage, pushing ahead with haste. “I know it’s been a long time, and I honestly don’t even know why I’m doing this now. But ever since your apology, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about what happened. Of course, we don’t have to rehash anything if you don’t want to—”
“Yes, Alexis.”
“Huh?”
“I agree”
“Oh, okay. Um. How should we…”
“I’ll pick you up for coffee. We can talk after?”
Alexis sighed, unsure. “Owen. I’m not promising anything. I have no idea how this is going to play out.”
“It’s been a long time coming, Lex, and you know it. There are no expectations from me. No pressure on my end. Nothing other than us taking care of our past. In whatever capacity we need to.”
She gave me a shy side smile. “Since when did you get so good at communication?”
“Years of therapy will do that, I suppose.”
Her features dropped in sadness as she bit into her lower lip. I couldn’t help but pull it out with my thumb. “No more running, Lex.”
Her eyes sparked. “No more running.”