17. Better Half
17
Better Half
“ A bsolutely not!”
Alexa was unsurprised. She knew Cassie would disagree the moment she mentioned visiting their mother. But she tried anyway.
“But Cass—”
“You can go if you like, Lex, but I’m not coming,” Cassie said in a tone that left no room for argument. “Don’t think of trying to convince me.”
“But I don’t want to go alone,” she tried again.
“Take Tristan, then,” Cassie said, spreading her hands. “I’m sure he’ll be happy to be your escort.”
“Why?” Alexa bit out, slightly frustrated. “Why won’t you give her a chance after I told you what Tristan witnessed? Don’t you believe him?”
Cassie sighed, pushed aside her laptop on the bed, and reached for Alexa’s hand. “Of course, I believe him, Lex,” she said softly. “It’s just our mother… I can’t—I can’t bring myself to forgive her after how she broke me. I am healing from the heartbreak Brandon caused, but the one she did to us, I haven’t healed from it yet. Perhaps it’s because she was the first person to break my heart—break it and crush it into pieces the day she rejected us.” She closed her eyes, squeezing them shut. “I just can’t, Lex.”
Alexa flipped her hand over Cassie’s and gave her fingers a gentle squeeze. She was relieved to hear that Cassie was healing from the heartbreak Brandon had caused. John had been attentive to Cassie ever since he heard about their breakup; he even tried to go to the jail and confront Brandon, but Alexa and Cassie had stopped him. In the last week alone, they’d spent an awful amount of time together as friends, something they hadn’t done since Cassie began dating Brandon, and it was obvious John’s attentiveness was filling the chasm in her heart.
“I know, Cass. I understand. I just thought that, what if she has changed and now wants a chance with us. You and I cannot deny what fiction has taught us about those two things. I believe our mother has changed and she needs a second chance. She was desperate that day, but we let our bitterness blind us—”
“ No, our broken hearts couldn’t experience more pain than they had endured. That’s what. Her betrayal is still raw in my heart. I’m sorry, Alexa, but I don’t want to talk about this.” Cassie blinked away her tears and reached back for her laptop. “You can go with Tristan, I’m not gonna stop you. But I’m not coming.”
Alexa wanted Cassie to go with her; she had expected to convince her sister into giving in. But her attempts were futile. There was no point in talking to her again. Alexa stood and walked to the door as Cassie resumed editing her upcoming book.
Tristan sat on the armchair by the table when she entered her room. She brightened at the sight of him and closed the door before running into his arms as he stood to receive her.
“You’re here,” she whispered, snuggling to him.
“Of course, I’m here. You have a welcome sign in your balcony for a certain supernatural human with teleportation ability.”
He was referring to the open balcony doors. She laughed.
Alexa left them open the entire time she was home, and closed them only when she retired to bed. Otherwise, he wouldn’t step into her room but wait out on the balcony until she let him in. As adorable as his gentlemanly ways were, sometimes they annoyed her too—but in a good way.
“I’m beginning to think of hanging an actual welcome sign on my balcony door, in case I have to keep it closed for any reason in the future.” She rested her chin on his chest and tipped her head back to look at his smiling face. “With something written like, the door is locked, but do come in, oh posh gentleman. ”
Tristan threw his head back and laughed. “And do you need an artist to make this sign board for you?”
“I’d heartily appreciate his service.”
“Of course, you would.” Tristan pressed his forehead to hers. “So, what did Cassie say?”
Alexa frowned and sighed. “She doesn’t want to see Mom. ”
His facial expression sobered. “Why not?”
“She’s still hurting, you know.” Alexa bit her lip, hesitating for a moment, before blurting out, “She’s the one who caught Mom sneaking her lover out in the middle of the night when she went down to the kitchen for a drink. It has haunted her since.”
Tristan’s face crumbled in remorse. “Oh, Alexa.” Those two words were enough to tell her how much he understood. “I didn’t know. I’m so sorry.”
“That’s why Cassie is more hardened than I am.” She buried her face in his chest.
“It’s okay if Cassie doesn’t want to come. I can somehow understand her feelings. But, don’t worry. I’ll drive you to visit your mother.”
“Actually,” she said and looked up at him. “I’m not going.”
Tristan furrowed his eyebrows. “Why not?”
“Cassie is right; she broke us. And it’s not easy to forgive her. I’m surely jumping to conclusions about this visit.” She pulled away and rubbed her temples tiredly.
His arms fell from her. “What do you mean?”
“I need time.”
“Time for what?”
She met his gaze with a weary sigh and froze internally at the glassy sheen in his beautiful eyes. “Tristan?” She closed the distance between them and cupped his face, but he stepped back from her hold and turned away, raking both hands through his hair.
What had she done?
“Tristan?”
“You have a mother, Alexa,” he began, not turning around to look at her. “A mother who is longing for you. Yes, she broke you, but now she’s seeking a second chance with you. She loves you; from what I heard her say, she never stopped loving you. And I can’t believe you’re holding her past against her, even after all these years.”
Alexa gaped at his back, dumbstruck.
Tristan turned to face her, dropping his hands from his hair. “Do you know what I would give at this moment to have my mother with me, even for a single minute? But you, you have one, and you don’t realize her cost. Angel, this particular piece of your heart can’t be mended until you allow it to be mended. The first step toward that process is forgiveness, and the first step toward forgiveness is giving her a chance to prove herself.”
His honesty pierced through her, but his words sank into her heart all the same. He was so right; she couldn’t deny a word he said. And for the first time in the last seven years, the veil lifted from her eyes.
“Oh, Tristan.” Tears blurred her vision. She stepped forward and hugged him. “I’m so sorry.”
Tristan didn’t say anything. Instead, he held her tight to him, nestling his face into her hair.
“I’m so sorry. I’ll go and visit her, I promise.”
“I don’t want you to do it for me, love.”
“No, but I didn’t realize it until you pointed it out.” She pulled back and lifted her teary gaze to his. “Thanks for being honest with me. I didn’t see it that way before. I have been so blind with my supposed hatred to realize that she was still our mother, our only remaining parent. I’m so sorry if I hurt you—I did hurt you. I can see I did. Oh, Tristan… ”
She buried her head back in his chest .
“It’s okay, it’s alright, love,” Tristan said in a cajoling tone as he ran his fingers through her hair. “I just didn’t want you to miss out on what you already have, but to embrace it before you realize it’s too late and regret it. Did I hurt you?” He tried to look at her face but she refused to pull back. “Angel?”
“Just hold me,” she mumbled against his shirt. “Please.”
Tristan held her close and kissed her hair. “Of course, love.”
Silence settled between them. Warmth enveloped her, comfort wrapped around her, and Tristan’s love bathed her. She loved the feel of his fingers playing with her hair. Being in his arms felt so… right, as if it was where she truly belonged. She felt more at home than she already did at home.
A long, comfortable moment later, Alexa broke their silence. “You did not hurt me,” she murmured. “It was just that… I couldn’t bear the thought that I hurt you .”
“You did not hurt me, angel.” Tristan kissed her hair again and again. “I just got a little emotional, because I didn’t want you to lose what you have. I’m sorry I made you feel like that.”
“It’s okay.”
“Oh, Alexa,” he called her name with a sigh.
Her heart brimmed with affection for him. “I wanna pay her a visit.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive.”
“And you’re doing it for you, not me?”
Alexa pulled back to look at him. “You helped me realize I was wrong, and I want to walk down this path of forgiveness if giving my mother a chance to prove herself is the first step into it.”
Tristan’s eyes turned incredibly tender. “Oh, you beautiful, brave, darling woman, how I adore you.” He pressed his forehead to hers and brushed the tip of her nose with his. “When do you wanna go?”
“How about tomorrow?” Alexa bit her lip from grinning like an idiot at his words.
He arched an eyebrow. “But you have school tomorrow.”
“Mr. Highsmith would probably think I was too offended to make it.” She shrugged. “Will you be free? If so, we should leave in the morning.”
“Of course, we can leave in the morning. And when you return and tell Cassie how your visit went, hopefully, she’ll thaw enough to give your mother a chance, too.”
“I hope so.” She sighed. “Do you think we’ll be able to catch my mom free? I don’t want to visit her at her house, so her workplace is the only option.”
“If we don’t catch her tomorrow, we’ll keep trying until we succeed. Now,” Tristan said with a contented sigh. “Let me just hold you. Close your eyes,” he crooned in her ear and she obliged with a smile.
Gravity shifted beneath them. The chill of the night wrapped around Alexa and she opened her eyes to take in their surroundings.
They were on the terrace of her house.
Tristan settled down and pulled her to sit between his legs. He drew her backward to lean on him, and Alexa closed her eyes as his arms enveloped her in an embrace. She felt his lips in her hair, and they watched the mesmerizing display of the star-studded sky in pleasant silence.
It was true. She had never felt so at-home before.
In the tranquil of the night, a tiny part of her wondered if she was slowly falling in love with him. And she wouldn’t be surprised if she did. Bit by bit, day by day, in everything that he did and said, Tristan Knight was proving to be the boy of her dreams.
It terrified and thrilled her all the same, but the thrill won in the end. Perhaps risking her heart to explore these feelings with him was going to be worth it in the end.
* * *
Alexa heard a motorcycle halt outside her house. She peered through the peephole and saw the rider climbing off his bike. He didn’t have to take off his helmet for her to realize it was Tristan.
She yanked open the door and stepped out to the porch with a surprised smile. Tristan took off his helmet and smiled at her crookedly. He was dressed as a hot biker, and her eyes couldn’t help but take in him hungrily. She locked the door and crossed the lawn to him.
“My, my, don’t you look dashing hot in that?” she teased as she approached him.
“And don’t you look like the embodiment of sunshine itself?” He chuckled.
“Poetic, are we now?” Alexa shoved at his chest playfully and glanced at his black motorcycle. “You didn’t tell me we’re taking your majestic bike.”
“ Majestic bike?” Tristan tilted his head at her. “ Goodness, Alexa, you keep surprising me.”
“What?”
“My sisters call it all sorts of unique insults.” He shook his head, but despite his complaining tone, fondness filled his eyes like every other time he talked about his little cousins. “Running deathtrap, crawling coffin, death on wheels, monster motor, blah, blah, blah.” He laughed and patted the top of the motorcycle’s headlight like it was his pet. “But here you are, calling my insult-bearing motorcycle majestic . The girl after my own heart.”
Alexa blushed and dropped her gaze. Tristan stepped close and kissed her hair, inhaling their fragrance before pulling away.
“Ready to ride on my monster motor?” He held the spare helmet to her.
She lifted her gaze to his smiling ones. “Ready to ride on your royal chariot, ” she corrected him with a mischievous smile. “But, I’m afraid I don’t know how to put this on.”
“Good thing you’ve got a knight.” He put the helmet on her head with utmost care and clasped the strap under her chin. “There you go, Princess.”
“Oh, I didn’t know I was upgraded to royalty, Sir Tristan.” She touched a hand to her chest.
“You did,” Tristan said as he got on his bike, his eyes turning intense. “When the prince in disguise as a knight fell in love with you.” He put on his helmet.
Alexa’s heart flared to life and butterflies fluttered in her stomach. She grinned shyly and was relieved the helmet obscured most of her face so he couldn’t see the effect his words had on her .
When the bike roared to life, she got behind him. After Tristan made sure she was comfortable, they took off to the outskirts of the city where her mother worked at a news station.
* * *
Tristan parked his motorcycle in the bustling parking lot of the news station, the engine purring softly as he cut it off. The sleek black motorcycle drew attention, but Alexa got off nonchalantly, her gaze fixed on the entrance of the building. Tristan joined her side after hitching their helmets to the bike’s handle and placed his hand on the small of her back.
They approached the building after exchanging a smile. The automatic doors slid open, revealing the busy interior of the news station. The polished floors echoed with the hurried footsteps of reporters and journalists.
Alexa felt a mix of anxiety and anticipation. She had never visited her mother at work before, not even when her parents were still together. But she had been younger then.
She approached the reception desk with Tristan. The receptionist looked up with a polite smile from her laptop.
“Good afternoon. How may I help you?”
“We’re here to see Tiffany White. Is she available?” Tristan inquired, his voice steady.
The receptionist checked her schedule. “I’m afraid Mrs. White is in a meeting right now. Would you like to wait, or shall I inform her of your visit?”
Alexa exchanged a glance with Tristan and nodded at the woman. “We can wait.”
The receptionist gestured to the seating area, and they settled into the sleek chairs, the ambient hum of the newsroom surrounding them.
After what felt like an eternity, the receptionist approached again. “Mrs. White will see you now. Follow me, please.”
Alexa stood, and Tristan intertwined their fingers as they followed her through the busy newsroom. She tensed as they arrived at a door labeled ‘Tiffany White - Senior Editor.’ The receptionist knocked gently before gesturing inside.
“You can do this.” Tristan pressed a kiss to her cheek. “I’ll be right here if you need me. Just call my name and I’ll run to you.”
Someone had been listening to Run to You lately.
Alexa met his loving eyes and relaxed. She gave his hand a squeeze before dropping it and entering her mother’s office. Goodness, she didn’t even know her mother had been promoted as the senior editor. Her heartstrings tightened altogether.
Tiffany White looked up from her desk. “Can I help you?” she began, but her professional facade faltered as her eyes fell on Alexa. She blinked twice, like she couldn’t believe what she was seeing was real. Her red-painted lips parted.
“Hi, Mom,” Alexa greeted, her voice soft with restrained emotion that threatened to spill forward.
Her mother’s eyes widened, her initial shock giving way to a mix of emotions. She stood up, a rush of surprise, joy, and uncertainty crossing her face. “Alexa?”
Alexa smiled at her tentatively. “Surprise.”
Tiffany White, still in stupor, walked around the table and halted a few feet away. “You’re here.”
Go and hug her.
Alexa didn’t fight the impulse. She stepped forward and threw her arms around her mother, squeezing her eyes shut as a flurry of tears crammed into them.
“Oh, baby.” Her mother’s voice broke and she hugged her back, wrapping her arms tightly around her. “My baby…”
“Mom,” she choked out, barely able to hold herself together, and cried into her mother’s shoulder.
They remained in each other’s embrace until they calmed down. Alexa broke from the hug first and wiped away her tears with the back of her hand. Her mother grabbed a tissue from the table and began drying Alexa’s cheeks with it, a tender filling look in her eyes.
“I’m astonished to see you here, honey. I can’t tell you how happy I am.” She paused before adding, “Whatever is the matter you’re here about.”
“I’m simply here to see you,” Alexa admitted, taking the tissue from her hand and blowing her nose. She sniffed, trying to stave off the guilty tears that threatened to fill her eyes again, seeing her mother’s joy.
“Is Cassie…?” Tiffany asked hesitantly, almost hopefully, glancing at the door over Alexa’s shoulder.
“No,” Alexa said ruefully. “She’s not here.”
Tiffany’s face fell, but she masked it with a soft but tight smile. “I can tell she has a hard time tolerating me… after everything.”
“She’ll come around, I’m sure of it,” Alexa tried to assure her, but even she wasn’t sure of it herself. She took a deep breath. “Are you free? Am I taking up your time?”
The warmth returned to her mother’s eyes and she reached to cup Alexa’s cheek. “Of course not, dear. I will always have time for you, you should know that.”
Tears attacked her eyes again, but she held them at bay. She reached for her mother’s hand and looked down at it for a moment before meeting her gaze. “I’m so sorry for how I treated you that day.”
“Oh, baby…” Tiffany’s face crumbled and her eyes turned glassy again.
“I’m so sorry.” She clenched her jaw to stop her lips from quivering. “I didn’t realize how wrong I had been until last night. I didn’t come here all by myself, you should know. I had some help in realizing my mistake.”
Tiffany tilted her head, encouraging her to continue.
“I have been blind. I thought I hated you, but I never did. I pushed you away when you tried to reach out, said unforgivable things to your face, and held your past mistakes against you. I refused to give you a chance to prove yourself, to start over. But that was all until someone special to me reminded me how unfair I was being to you.
“The moment I realized it, I wanted to come and see you. I couldn’t wait another day, so I came as soon as possible. He made me realize how I was wasting my mother’s love, not realizing the value of it. Because, no matter what you did in the past, you’re still my mother. And deep inside, I think… I think I still love you.”
She stole a glance at her mother’s face and saw her cheeks stained with tears just like hers.
“I love you too, baby,” her mother whispered. “I never stopped loving you.”
“I missed you so much. It was never the same without you.”
Her mother pulled her back into a hug and clutched her close. “Can you ever forgive me for breaking your little hearts? Leaving you was inexcusable even though I was doing it to be with the man I loved. But leaving you both was the most selfish thing I’ve ever done. I’ve never told this to anyone before, but your pleading cries haunt me to this day.”
And she cried hard. Alexa clung to her mother and cried with her.
“Can you ever forgive me, Alexa?”
Alexa’s heart tore at her mother’s breaking voice. Up until then, she didn’t realize their reunion had somehow made her forgive her, almost automatically. “I forgive you, Mom,” she murmured. “Can you forgive me for the horrible things I said to you?”
“Oh, baby, in a sense, I deserved it.” Her mother stroked her hair. “There’s no need for you to ask for my forgiveness, but if it makes feel you any better, yes. I forgive you.”
Alexa felt the years-long wounds in her heart gradually closing. She held the crumpled tissue to her nose as she cried. “I’ve missed you so much.”
“I’ve missed you too, baby,” Tiffany said, composing herself. “I know we cannot go back to the way we were, but if you’re willing to give me a second chance, I will be a better mother, even with this distance between us.”
Alexa pulled away from the hug and looked at her mother. “That’s why I came here,” she said. “I know you have a family you’re responsible for— ”
“Oh, sweetheart. You and Cassie are my girls. You will always be my family.”
She smiled gently at the sincere look in her mother’s eyes. “Thank you, Mom. I don’t expect you to play the same part in our lives as before, because Cassie and I will never get along with Jude or his dad. No offense, I’ll learn to be happy for you because I can see you’re happy with your… husband . I just… I just wanted to mend our relationship. That’s all.”
Understanding filled her mother’s green eyes. “Whatever it is that you want, I’m here for you, always. Does this mean we’ll stay in touch?”
The hope that filled her eyes crushed Alexa’s heart. Her mother loved them so much; she had never stopped loving them. “Yes, we will.”
Tiffany took the crumpled tissue from Alexa’s hand and tossed it to the bin nearby, and took Alexa’s hands in hers. They smiled at each other, two broken hearts slowly mending.
“I can’t tell you how ecstatic you’ve just made me, honey. This is a dream come true.” Her mother sniffed again and squeezed Alexa’s fingers. “I’m curious about the special someone you mentioned, the one who made you realize we needed to smooth things over.”
Alexa’s face split with a grin at the thought of him. “His name is Tristan; he’s my boyfriend.”
She watched her mother’s reaction with anticipation. Jude’s words, that Tristan overheard the other day, sprang to her mind.
Tiffany’s eyes widened slightly, she looked surprised. “I’m glad to hear you have a new boyfriend. He sounds like a remarkable boy. ”
“He is,” Alexa agreed, unable to suppress her grin. “He makes me a better person.”
The moment the admission fell from her lips, she realized how true they were.
Tiffany’s eyes softened. “I can see that. You look much different than the last time I saw you, not just in your appearance, but you carry this lightness with you. You’re full of life and glowing.”
Alexa nodded her agreement. “I was dead after losing Dad; it was like a part of me died along with him. But after meeting Tristan, he resurrected that dead part of me. He makes me happy, he understands me, he’s honest; he’s such a gentleman.” She chuckled with a shake of her head. “He makes me special, and he makes me feel everything I’ve never felt before…” She trailed off.
If she were to continue, she’d definitely bore her mother. Tristan was more than she could describe with words.
Nevertheless, her mother looked anything but bored. She listened eagerly, a soft smile filling her face, the look in her eyes adoring. “I hope to see your Tristan one day.”
“Oh, he’s actually here.” Tiffany lit up at her words. Alexa hooked her thumb behind her. “He’s just outside. Shall I call him in?”
“Of course.” Tiffany reached for a tissue and dried her face urgently with it. “Of course, please ask him to come in.”
Alexa checked beneath her eyes for tears before she turned to the door. Tristan sat on one of the chairs along the wall, reading a magazine.
She poked her head out and called him, “Tristan?”
Tristan looked up and smiled at her sight. He abandoned the magazine and stood, but as his eyes locked with hers, he frowned slightly.
“Everything alright?” He approached her in long strides.
“Yes.” She grinned. “My mom wants to see you.”
Tristan’s face relaxed into a smile. “I see things went well?”
“Of course.” She grabbed his hand and pulled him inside with her, and turned to her mother. “Mom, this is my boyfriend, Tristan Knight. Tristan, my mom.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. White.” Tristan stepped forward and offered a handshake.
“Likewise, Tristan. Please, call me Tiffany.” Tiffany accepted his hand. “Knight as in… could you possibly be connected to Dr. Knight?”
“That would be my father,” Tristan said with a chuckle and withdrew his hand.
“Oh, no wonder. You did strike me as a little familiar. You look like your father.” Tiffany offered him a motherly smile that thawed Alexa’s heart even more. “I can tell you mean so much to my Alexa.”
Tristan glanced at Alexa. “And her to me.”
Alexa blushed and dropped her gaze. She peered at her mother who watched them with adoring, glassy eyes. Jude was right, after all. Her mother was utterly happy for her.
Then she remembered something; Alexa didn’t want Jude to know she visited her mother. Why? She had no idea, but she didn’t want him to know. So she made her mother promise to keep this visit between just the three of them and Cassie, the only other one who knew. Daphne was counted too, but her mother didn’t have to know.
With the promise to keep in touch and to talk Cassie into giving their mother a chance, Alexa hugged her mother and walked out of the office with Tristan, hand in hand.
She felt so free at heart that she couldn’t help but heave a sigh as they walked out of the building. The burden she had been carrying for years since her parents’ divorce was now lifted. This new turn in her life, it was beautiful.
“Are you happy?” Tristan watched her with a smile.
“I feel blissful.” She let out another contented sigh. “Thank—”
She stopped short and swept in front of him, making him stop walking. This was all his doing; he brought her back to her mother. He deserved better thanks.
Alexa stood on her toes and kissed his cheek.
Tristan froze. He stared down at her in undisguised awe as she pulled back. She hadn’t been straightforward in their relationship with affections before, other than the hugs, so the stupor her kiss put him in was very much obvious to her.
She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “You don’t like it when I thank you, but I can’t help it every time, so I decided to remedy it. My kisses are going to be the token of my thanks to you from now on.” She shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant, and added, “You won’t say no to my kisses; at least I’m sure of that.”
She met his gaze and his eyes smoldered with such intensity that nearly dazed her. Tristan leaned down, making Alexa’s heart accelerate, and brushed his lips against her cheek in a feather-light graze.
“I’ll keep earning your thanks, then.”