Alexandria had called her parents daily, and they still hadn’t told her about her father’s condition. I was getting antsy. It has been a month since I asked her to marry me. I gave him a call asking him what was up with the wait, but he said since we were coming down next week, they would tell her then. Fine. That was all the time he was getting. I was sure she would figure out what was up after she saw him, but I wanted her to know before she got a visible shock.
We landed in Chicago, and Detective Baldwin picked us up. He played it cool and didn’t give away anything to her. I still didn’t like the way he looked at her. It was a little too friendly to me, but it was just because I was a jealous ass.
“Hey, Dean!” she said as she gave him a big hug. I growled at him, and she looked directly at me with disapproval. I didn’t give a fuck. She was my woman, and she wasn’t going to be hanging on any guy that wasn’t blood related.
“Detective, let’s go. Come, Alexandria.” I pulled her to me and said, “Do me a favor and don’t get me arrested for kicking this fuck’s ass. I know you aren’t flirting, but I don’t like anyone to feel your breasts against them. Understood?” She nodded and acted as though she was sorry, but I noticed she cracked a smile. I was starting to get that my girl liked me to be controlling and rough with her.
We jumped in the detective’s car and headed to her parents’ house. I was not looking forward to this shit. I knew that it was not going to be good for my woman. Even Dean was looking nervous about this. Alexandria had always been a daddy’s girl.
“Come on, babe, let’s go in.” I helped her out of the car, and Dean started taking the suitcases. I tried to help, but he shook his head and whispered, “She’s going to need you.”
I backed away and told her that, “This ass wants to prove how strong he is.” I held her hand as we walked up the stairs. Her mother opened the door and took her baby into her arms.
“You look so beautiful. I guess Dallas is treating you well. Or is it this handsome devil here?”
“Mom, I thought you were teaching summer school still?”
“I have the day off.” I knew she was lying. I got her released so she could be with Jack.
“Where is my baby girl?” We walked into the living room, and that was when Alexandria’s knees nearly buckled.
“Daddy!” She ran to her dad, who had been sitting in his chair, the chemo having taken the color from his skin and the nice silky black hair from his head.
“What is going on?” My heart broke as I heard her voice crack as she asked.
“Sweetheart, I am getting better. I have stage two lung cancer.” He hugged his little girl who crumbled in a ball of tears. Unable to handle this, he nodded to me to take her.
“Alexandria, come, dearest.” I dragged her away and wrapped her up in my arms. There was not a soul in that house who didn’t have tears in their eyes. “Shush, baby, shh… It’s going to be okay.” I held her for the next twenty minutes as he explained his treatment. By the time he finished, she was angry and yelled at her parents, “How could you not tell me?”
She jumped off my lap and ran from the room. I was going to go after her, but her mother said to let her talk to Alexandria.
“So what’s the timetable for the wedding?”
“It depends. She has been going back and forth on the day, but it is supposed to be two months from now.”
“I should be done with the treatment by then and hopefully be making some sort or recovery.”
We dropped the heavy topic to discuss some sports. It was nearly an hour since she had went upstairs, and I was itching to go up and check on her. I was just about to excuse myself when her mother came down and said she wanted me to go up there.
I entered her bedroom, and there she was lying on the bed. “I’m sorry. I must look like a mess,” she said as she tried to wipe the tears from her face.
“No, sweetie, I am sorry. I know you are hurting.” I sat down on the bed and took her into my arms. “It’s okay that you are upset. If you need to cry, I am here, baby. I am not going anywhere.”
We spent the next few days looking at baby photos and school pictures. When he was at chemo, Vanessa went with him so Alexandria and I were alone in the house, and I made good on her joke about fucking on the couch. She had moments where she broke down and cried, but most of the time she was sunny. We even had a date to a White Sox game. Dean brought a date with him, and it had been a good drunk and fun time.
It was the next day that I got into deep shit with my girl. Will and I were on the phone, and he was telling me about the neighbor’s daughter he had the hots for and how she hated his guts. He was asking me how things were going here, and I thought Alexandria had been out with her mother running errands so I didn’t hear her come in while I was talking.