Chapter 26
John Remington,the Middleton family attorney, woke us up at seven the next morning. The DVD turned up all over the internet and I flipped out all over again.
Pearce called Phil and he came over. He prescribed some Xanax to calm my nerves. I didn’t want to take anything, but functioning wasn’t happening. Everything on my body rattled … my teeth, my hands, my legs, my guts, my brain. I was unraveling at light speed.
Pearce held my hand and wouldn’t let it go for a second. Phil looked at him and asked him pointedly, “Are you in this for the long haul because if you’re not, you need to bail right here and now?”
“What the hell, Phil?”
“Lexi is a patient of mine and I’m only looking out for her best interests,” Phil said in his professional psychiatrist’s voice.
“Damn it, Phil! Alexia is going to be my wife and I’m looking out for her bests interests too!” Pearce exclaimed.
Phil beamed. “That’s what I thought you’d say, but I had to find out for sure.”
“Jesus, I thought you were being a major douchebag.”
Phil surprised us both by saying, “I’m going with you to your parents’. Just saying.”
“Then let’s get this over with. John should be on his way. Alexia, are you ready?”
I looked up at him and shrugged. I didn’t know what I was anymore. He stretched out his hand and I latched on to it.
I wanted to be strong for this, so I said, “Pearce, when we get to your mom and dad’s, let me walk, okay?”
“Depends.”
“On what?”
“Whether I want you out of my arms.”
I wanted to laugh, I really did, but it only came out as a grunt.
We pulled in the Middletons’ driveway, with Phil behind us. About a minute later, John showed up. I really wanted the earth to swallow me whole.
Pearce looked at John and said, “She wants to tell them herself. How’s this going to work?”
“I’ll start and she’ll know when to take over.” John turned to me and smiled. “We’re going to get those bastards, Alexia, don’t worry.”
Getting everyone gathered took a bit longer than I’d hoped. My frayed nerves took a bigger beating because of it. I’d scraped and picked all the nail polish from my fingers and even turned to biting them. My lips were ragged from the constant chewing and the palms of my hands had wounds on them from the way I kept clenching my fists. And that was the least of my worries.
John started the whole thing off about how I was being blackmailed and threatened. He told the family about the video that was now circulating on the internet and how the police were involved. Pearce had given me some tissues which was helpful because they were put to good use.
Then John punted to me, and I caught it. I didn’t hold anything back. I told them about the rough days and what I’d done, skimming over that part but they heard about most of the sordid details of the video. I ended my story with opening the package in the mail and watching the horrid thing I’d received. I had to excuse myself at that point because I couldn’t hold it together any longer. Pearce ran after me to the bathroom where he found me. Why did I have to be such a freakin’ hot mess? Once I calmed down, we headed back to the wolves.
“Did Pearce know about all of this?” Susan asked pointedly.
Pearce went to answer, but I stopped him. I told them that Pearce wanted to tell them this story, but I wouldn’t let him. It was mine to tell and tell it I would. “Yes, he knew every bit of it. I told him before we started dating. He knew everything about me. I never withheld any information.”
I told them they could ask him themselves if they wanted. There was no blackmail on my part.
Then the room became perfectly silent. Ava was crying as was Susan. Henry looked like a marble statue. Avery just looked back and forth between Pearce and me.
Finally, Henry said, “Under the circumstances, I think the wedding should be postponed.”
Pearce leaped to his feet this time and yelled, “I disagree. This changes nothing for Alexia and me. We still love each other the way we always did. We’re not letting this get in the way.
Susan protested, “But how do we know she’s not after your money?”
“I don’t give a damn about the money. Cut me off. I’m a surgeon. I make a decent living and we can live just fine on that. Alexia doesn’t give a damn about the money either!” Pearce yelled.
“That’s the last thing Lexi cares about,” Justin yelled as he strode into the room. “I can vouch for her.”
“I’d like to say something, please.” It was Avery who spoke. “I believe I have more experience in judging character and integrity in a person than anyone else in this room and I’ve been observing these two young people now for the last few minutes. Pearce is hovering over her like a mother hen, waiting to attack the next person who dares to move against his girl. Alexia has walked into this nest of hornets and boldly told us what has happened. That takes a lot more gumption than I ever had at her age.”
Susan interrupted Avery before she had a chance to finish. “That’s all well and good but Lexi’s reputation could ruin Pearce’s.”
“I think it’s my turn to say something again,” I piped in. “There’s one thing you’re missing in this whole equation. I would take a bullet for this man standing next to me and if anyone dares try to ruin anything, including his reputation, they’ll have to go through me first. Mine’s already been dragged through the mud, so I don’t give a flying fuck what they say about me. But when it comes to Pearce, they better put on their armor because I’ll be coming for them.” My breath was coming out in pants. How dare anyone suggest someone would try to ruin him because of me?
“Mom, Dad, Alexia has been through the wringer with this guy who’s stalking her. He’s abducted her, stabbed her and left her for dead on the side of the road on Johns Island.”
“What?” they both yelled in unison. They never knew about the original attack. It hit them below the belt. John explained to them the horrible story and then told them how the police were trying to catch this guy. Their looks changed from hostility to pity, which I really didn’t want either. I massaged my temples with trembling fingers as I pulled a ragged breath into my lungs and briefly wondered if I’d ever feel normal again. I zoned out for a minute while their conversation buzzed around me. Pearce must have noticed because he tucked me into his side and put my head against his shoulder as he rubbed my forehead.
He leaned in and asked if I was okay, did I need anything, or could he get me something to drink? I just shook my head. This whole exchange had zapped the energy and everything else out of me.
Pearce’s arms went around me. “Look, Alexia and I are getting married on October twenty-nine. We’ll either do it as originally planned, or we’ll go somewhere. It really doesn’t matter to me, and I know it doesn’t matter to her. What matters is that we marry, and she becomes my wife and I become her husband. Y’all can keep bickering. I’m taking her home so she can sleep.” We walked out, he put me in the car, and we drove back to his house.