25. Chapter 24
Alexiana
I tap my finger on the dining table as I read off the laptop Hayes gave me yesterday, and I jiggle my leg.
“Okay, so to teach kids how to do basic ice skating, I need a background check, obviously, a good grasp of skating, which I have, register for the learn to skate, and an instructor certificate, but how do I get the certificate?” I mutter before I go down the rabbit hole of the internet.
“Oh, okay, so I’ve just got to do a course in level two…” I mumble, but I wince at the estimated price.
Shit, I can’t afford that.
I groan just as my phone rings and I move my hand around and grab it without taking my eyes off the screen before I answer, “Hello?”
“Hey girlie, I’m just checking in to see how you’re doing with Kayden in school?” Kodi replies, and I sigh as I lean back in my seat.
“Okay, I guess,” I murmur, “I mean, it helps that Tray volunteered to stay with him for the next month, but my anxiety is still high.”
“That is understandable,” she says, “but you know Crusher wouldn’t allow him in school if he thought he was in danger, right?”
I hum and agree, “I know,” then admit, “it’s just my mom worries after seeing him being carried out by his own father, covered in blood.”
“But you know you have all of us, you have Crusher, so lean on him,” she sneakily says, and I roll my eyes.
“Real subtle, friend,” I mutter, and she giggles.
I admit, “I don’t want to lean on him because I’m still feel like that teen who got her heart broken, but then I also know I have never managed to even get over him.
Every time I thought about trying to date, my skin began to crawl, so basically, my head is a mess and him refusing for me to stay in the guest room isn’t helping. ”
“Okay, I know it’s going to sound like I’m on his side, but I’m not.
I’ve already threatened him if he ever hurts you again, but why not try again?
It has been eight years, and he’s not that stupid emotional boy that he was back then whose father broke him.
He’s learnt from his mistakes, heck, he’s even been punished by them, he’s lost years without you, he’s lost seeing his son grow in your stomach and watch him be born and grow into the amazing little boy he is and we both know you have only been living for Kayden, why not live for you now? ” she says softly and I swallow hard.
“But what if he does hurt me again?” I ask, my true fear coming out, “What if I lean on him and he throws it back in my face by doing what he did?”
What if I turn into my mother?
“Then I’ll help you bury his body,” she automatically replies, and I laugh, “You’re an ex-cop, you can’t say that kind of stuff.”
“I can and I will, you’re my friend, and I can guarantee, Clark and Drew, will be standing right beside us.” She replies, and I laugh again.
It’s good to have great friends in your corner, and her advice helps, but my ego is being a bitch.
Shaking my head, my eyes go to the screen, and I sigh, seeing the price hasn’t changed.
Maybe it’s best if I go back to accounting.
“Talk to me, what’s going on?” she asks, and I scrunch my nose up.
I admit, “I’ve been looking into teaching ice skating but…”
“Is it hard?” she asks when my words trail off, and I hum.
“Technically, no, not really, you just need to ensure you can skate and actually do the moves. It’s the money side of things that is setting me back and no, don’t bring up Hayes in this either because I can’t rely on him financially, I just can’t.
” I answer while running a hand through my hair that is wild today, the curls all over the place.
“How much is it?” she asks cautiously, and I wince.
“By the time I do the whole thing, it could round up to over twelve thousand dollars, and I don’t have that. Heck, I don’t even have a quarter of that even after Hayes paid off all my debts behind my back,” I grumble, and Kodi sucks in a breath because yeah, I know.
“But skating is your dream, right?” she confirms softly, and I hum again.
“It is, but it isn’t practical financially,” I reply, “maybe I need to look at the local community college to complete my accounting, I only need three more credits…”
“No, I’m sorry, but no, some people who are amazing at numbers like Blair should be accountants. You? Hell no, heck, you’re lucky you even managed to get valedictorian because of how much you had to study for math,” Kodi says, and I wince.
The three credits are in math, but I keep failing the tests because, well, math isn’t my kind of thing, whereas it is Blair's.
“How is Blair?” I ask, hoping to change the subject, and Kodi snorts.
“Nice try in changing the subject, you need to speak to Crusher, I know you don’t want to, but Alex, you suck at math, and last I heard, she’s now a nurse but works Fridays and Saturdays at Norman's accountings. She kind of cut everyone off after she left school...” she replies, and I hum.
Blair Newton was a quiet girl in elementary school. The first year of high school, her sister was watching her while her parents went on a honeymoon of sorts, and the plane crashed on their way home, no survivors. Blair kind of disappeared after that, never came back to school.
“Maybe I can look her up, see if she can help me with the math side of things?” I suggest, and Kodi laughs, legit laughs.
“Alex, she’ll laugh you out of the office, and you know it. She tried for three years straight to help you with math, and you just couldn’t grasp it. Speak to Crusher, please,” she says, and I groan as I lift my head back just as the back door to the house opens, and I frown.
Kayden is at school looking at the football team with Tray, and Hayes should be at work.
I turn to see the woman I never wanted to see again, her hair now light purple, up in a messy bun, wearing a dress that is basically lace, walking into the kitchen, holding a knife, looking around with caution.
You’ve got to be kidding me?
“Are you sure she’s here?” the idiot whispers, still not noticing me, “How do you even know he lives here? No one knows where he lives!”
“Yeah,” I hear grunted, but not recognizing the voice, “I followed him back one night. She’ll probably be upstairs. I’ll head back to the club, so no one gets suspicious. Stab her then get out, Parker will get her after I give the signal, and tomorrow we’ll go after the brat.”
“Alright, then I’ll get Crusher all to myself,” she mumbles, and I hear a “whatever” before the back door is shut, and I tilt my head as she walks towards the living area, not even looking my way.
Okay, so the woman is an idiot.
“Hey, Kodi, Hayes finishes in the next five minutes. Can you call him and let him know the woman he cheated on me with is currently in the living room holding a knife, and tomorrow she has a plan with a traitor to grab my son,” I say quietly, and she sucks in a breath before muttering, “On it, don’t go doing something stupid,” before she hangs up and I smirk because yeah, I’m so going to be doing something stupid.
Slowly, I get up and walk over to the archway and look into the open, spacious living room to find her scowling at the pictures on the mantel of mine and Hayes life together, and I tilt my head, looking at her properly.
Her hair is thin, her body is like a stick, no meat on her whatsoever and her face is caked in makeup.
She looks like she's in her late forties rather than in her twenties, and I have to admit, it makes me feel good.
“She’s everywhere!” she snaps, and I raise a brow.
“Well, considering it’s my home, not sure what you would think,” I say, and she spins around, but I don’t move from my spot. “Pretty desperate to not only ensure I never came home with those pathetic messages but to break into my home? To come and attack me?”
Her nostrils flare as she holds the knife up, and I actually roll my eyes.
The woman is in stilettos for Christ's sake, and her little helper is nowhere to be seen. How stupid is she?
A rumble of bike roars echoes, and I smirk at the woman whose face has dropped as I confirm, “It would seem that my husband,” I hold up my ring finger, “is home and brought some friends…”
She eyes my ring as her face reddens, which I must admit is amazing that I can even see, considering the makeup she has on. She screeches and holds the knife up in the air and charges towards me, and I get it, I should be scared, but honestly, the Chucky doll is scarier than her.
I step to the side as she gets closer before putting my foot out, and she screams as she trips over my foot, then faceplants into the bannister with a loud thump and falls to the floor, causing the knife in her hand to go through her forearm, making me wince.
Damn, that looked like it hurt.
I eye her and see she’s knocked out, her nose bleeding, and I smirk as I lean against the back of the couch and wait for the men to storm in to try and save the day.
I tilt my head as my husband storms inside, still in his uniform and shouts, “Freckles?” but pauses, seeing Roxy knocked out, then looks my way in shock.
Linc bangs into him and curses before Cage, Killer, Crash and Bones all rush inside.
“Wow, not bad, I always thought the clubhouse was twenty minutes away from here, and I only disconnected the call with Kodi like five minutes ago, maybe…” I say with sass, and Cage mutters, “There’s a small dirt road no one knows about, how uh…”
His words trail off as he tilts his head, seeing that not a scratch is on me, and I smile smugly.
Ha, who needs a man to save you, huh?
“I tripped her up when she charged towards me with the knife, and she crashed into the bannister, knocking herself out in the process and fell onto her own knife. It was quite funny to watch,” I say, and their mouths drop open, but I ignore the brothers and look at my shocked husband and question, “Really? You chose that,” I nod my head to the woman, who I can now see isn’t wearing any underwear or bra underneath her lace, “Over me to comfort you?” I scoff, “A bit pathetic, really.”
He flinches, and I curl my lip at the bitch before I turn and command, “Take the trash out boys. I have to see if I can come up with over twelve grand, no thanks to my scheming husband and son,” and I walk back to the dining room before taking a seat, leaving them shocked before I groan seeing the numbers definitely haven’t changed.
“And this is why I never dreamed when growing up,” I mutter before I grab a pen and paper to see if I can get any loans.
I may not know what will happen with Hayes and me, I may not know if I can try again with him, but I do know with the help of Kodi making me understand.
I cannot be an accountant, the several attempts at the tests prove that and for once, I want to do something for me, something that will make my son proud.
Prove to him if you work hard, you can have your dreams and mine is skating, whether it’s teaching or just skating freely, that is my dream. The ice, always the ice.