I turned to face her, a small tear in my eye. I also stupidly placed my hand on my abdomen. Her eyes twinkled and her mouth opened, and that’s when I realised what I had done. So I said the first stupid thing that came to my mind.
“Oooh, I think I have a bit of wind.” Nice, Alexis! After that heartfelt declaration, the first thing she hears you say is you have wind.
She squinted her eyes at me ever so mildly then sipped her coffee. “Better out than in I’ve always said.”
She picked up Nic’s cup, smiled at me and walked back into the lounge area. Shit! Crap! Balls! I picked up Bryce’s mug and followed her, feeling like a bloody idiot with a flatulence problem. I handed him the mug and sat down beside him on the sofa, red-faced and morbidly embarrassed. Lucy was still smiling at me. Fuck, I think she knows.
I diverted my guilty you’ve-busted-me face and addressed my kids. “I hate to break up your game, but Charli and Nate, your father will be here bright and early in the morning to pick you both up. So it’s bedtime. Say goodnight and get yourselves ready for bed. I will be up to tuck you both in shortly.”
“Is RJ gonna be there? Because if he is, I’m not going,” Nate said firmly.
“No, he’s not. But you are going to have to meet him soon Nate. You can’t avoid it forever, and besides, you will probably really like him.” I kissed him on the head as he fist-bumped Bryce.
“I doubt it,” Nate murmured.
“He likes caramel and so do you. And he barracks for the Bombers like we do,” Charli offered. I winked at her and gave her a kiss, again while she and Bryce fist-bumped.
“Whatever.” Nate shrugged his shoulders and headed upstairs after saying goodnight to Lucy, Nic, and Alexander—Charli right behind him.
***
The next morning, Rick was at the apartment at the crack of dawn like he said he would be. I had barely registered the daylight when the buzzer to the foyer sounded. Nic, Lucy, and Alexander were still sound asleep. The kids were finishing packing their bags for their stay with Rick, and Bryce was in the shower.
I opened the door still in my satin nightie and robe. “Hi,” I said as I let him in. “Since when did you become a morning person?”
“Since you left me.” His response was flat, with a cutting tone.
I glared at him. “Well, it doesn’t agree with you.” Bite me and I’ll bite back.
“So what the hell was that the other day?”
“What?” I asked bemused.
“Kicking Claire out of my house.”
Oh, yeah. I forgot about that. I walked into the kitchen, motioning him to follow me. I didn’t need anyone else hearing this conversation, which was obviously about to get nasty. Once he was around the corner and I was satisfied that we were alone, I answered him.
“For starters, Rick, it is not your house until you pay me for it.” He gave me a hostile look. “And secondly, she was wearing my fucking dress. How did you expect me to react?”
“Oh, I don’t know...maybe like an adult. You didn’t even let her get her shoes.” Really? Oh! Bahaha that’s fucking funny. No, Alexis, it’s not.
“She surprised me, Rick. I was not expecting her there. I just wanted to get the rest of my things.”
“You took the couch cushions, Alexis. What the fuck is wrong with you?”
“Nothing, they are my couch cushions. I chose them. I bought them.”
“You’re acting like a child.”
“Yeah, well you’d know all about that,” I yelled at him
“Are you finished?” he asked quietly.
“With you? Yes. I don’t even know you anymore, Rick.”
“I’m not the one who has changed, Lexi.”
“Yeah I guess you’re right. Maybe I just didn’t know the real you in the first place.”
“Don’t label us and our marriage as not ‘real’. You’re mad, I get that, but you and I were ‘real’. You can be angry with me all you want—I deserve it—but you can’t take it out on Claire like you did. You’ve moved on—clearly. I’m just trying to do the same.”
I moved to the kettle and switched it on. “Well, I’ve made an appointment to see Berny. I suggest you find a lawyer as well. We both can’t truly move on until we’ve legally gone our separate ways.”
“If that’s what you want, Alexis, fine. I’m done.”
“Good. I was done a long time ago. I just didn’t know it.”
Rick and I were staring each other down when Bryce walked in with Nate and Charli behind him.
“Hi, Dad,” Charlie said with a small smile while looking from Rick’s face to mine. We both snapped out of our showdown and switched personalities.