Chapter 13 – Lexi #2
“Can you at least let me do this?” I ask, walking over to the fridge and opening it, grabbing the white plastic egg container from the shelf before opening the freezer and taking out the frozen sausage patties. “I already feel like I’m overstaying my welcome.”
“What?” Jaxon says, coming into the kitchen dressed in a T-shirt with the LA Warriors team logo in the middle of it and basketball shorts.
His hair is wet from the shower and pushed back with his hands.
“Why would you even think that?” He walks over to Ariella, leaning down and kissing her lips.
“Morning, baby,” he murmurs softly before he turns to Jagger, “and you, little pain in the—” He unsnaps him from the highchair and picks him up, Jagger slapping his chest. “Neck.” He kisses his neck.
“I’m going to need you to go back to sleeping through the night, please.
” He puts his cheek on the top of his son’s head before turning his face back to me.
“Why do you feel like you are overstaying your welcome?” he asks as I turn to the stove, placing a pan on top of it, and then adding water and two of the sausage patties.
“It’s just that you already have a little baby to get used to, and then all of a sudden a roommate.” I shrug. “It’s just, it’s a lot.”
“We love having you here,” Ariella declares, “and Jagger especially loves having an extra set of arms to hold him.” I laugh at her as Jaxon hoists him in the air.
“I wouldn’t do that if I was you,” Ariella warns. “Remember yesterday when he threw up in your mouth?”
“Don’t remind me. I have to get going,” he says. “I have off-ice practice with Kirby in twenty.”
The minute he says his name, I turn toward the stove where he can’t see my face.
My eyes close as my heart speeds up to the point where it’s hard to breathe.
The sound of my heart beating echoes in my ears, along with Jaxon saying goodbye in the distance.
I swallow past the lump in my throat before looking over my shoulder.
“Bye,” I say softly, listening to him walk out of the house.
It’s been three months since I’ve seen him or spoken to him. The only thing I have of him, besides the memories of those two months, is the white card I keep folded in my wallet—a reminder of how Trent constantly dulled my light and why I should never go back.
I keep my mind busy by making us breakfast. Toasting the English muffins before placing the scrambled eggs on the top of half of it, followed with a slice of cheddar, and then a golden fried sausage patty, before topping it with the other half of the muffin.
“Here you go.” I hand her the plate as she grabs a fussing Jagger and places him on her breast. “You both get to eat,” I make a joke as I pull out the stool and sit down.
“What do you have planned for today?” she asks me, taking a bite of the hot sandwich and then huffing out the heat.
“I have therapy at noon,” I tell her, “and then nothing at all.”
“How is that going?” she asks me softly, and I just smile at her.
The minute she heard I left Trent, she opened up her home to me.
I stayed with my parents for three days before I caved and took Ariella up on her offer to stay with her.
I thought I would come and hang out with her for a couple of weeks, but now it’s going on three months and I am feeling like I need to get out of their hair.
Which is what I’m going to be discussing with my therapist during this session.
“It’s going good,” I assure her. “I like her, so that’s a good thing.” I take my own bite of my sandwich. “I’m still working out not having what he says bother me.”
“Fuck that bitch,” she snaps, making me laugh.
“Yeah, well, I got a text from Cheryl the other day.” I mention one of the only people I still talk to from the hospital.
“What story is he making up this time?” she asks me and I laugh.
The minute I left, he started the smear-Lexi campaign.
It started with me being away at a spa, and then when I didn’t go back to him, he said I had a nervous breakdown from planning the fundraiser.
When that story got old, he said I was traveling the world, finding myself.
That he gave me everything on a silver platter, but all I did was throw it back in his face.
“He said I was going crazy because I couldn’t get pregnant, and I was taking extra hormones and that drove me crazy.”
I can’t help but laugh at the stupidity of him. “He’s something all right,” I mumble. “What about you? What do you have planned today?”
“I have a meeting with a new client who’s starting a new foundation,” she tells me, “at one thirty.”
“Do you want me to watch Jagger so you can go without having to worry?” I ask her and she looks over at me.
“Are you sure?” she asks and I can see the relief on her face. “I don’t want you to think I’m taking advantage of you.” I laugh at that.
“I literally have nothing to do. I mean, I was going to go online and search for houses.”
“Good, then that will stop you and you’ll never leave us,” she states as Jagger slips off of her breast. Her top falls to cover her as she places him over her shoulder and he turns his head to the side to sleep on her shoulder.
“I’m going to go and take a shower. Leave the stuff, I’ll clean it after.
” I nod at her, knowing there is no way I’m going to leave it.
“I’m not kidding,” she warns softly, rubbing her son’s back.
“I don’t know how I would have done these last couple of months without you. ”
I blink away the tears. “You would have been just fine.”
“I don’t know about that,” she says. “I don’t want you to leave”—her voice trembles—“but I know you have to eventually.”
“Yeah,” I agree with her, “but just think about how much fun it’ll be. You get to help me pick and decorate a house.”