Lex(137)
“Angel?”
“Huh?”
“What cha thinkin’ about?”
“That your brother and Chelsea now know. That girl already doesn’t like me. This could be very bad.”
“It won’t be. I’ve got it covered.” I confidently explain. I do have it covered and if that coverage means getting Lincoln involved to arrest Chelsea then so be it. Or if I have to sue her or have her declared mentally disabled. I will. No lengths will ever be ruled out to insure Lex’s emotional and physical safety. She’s been treated horrifically almost her entire life, fifteen years plus another one-year with Brian. That’s sixteen years of her twenty-eight years that she was abused. That will never happen again. One way or the other, Lex will never be hurt, ever again.
“We’re good in here.” I hear my sister say from behind me.
“That means?” I ask.
“That means I spoke with her and we’re good. No worries. Now if you’ve done your groveling, then bring her back inside. Dinner is on the table. We are waiting for you two.”
Grabbing my Angel’s shoulders, I pull her away from my body so I can see her face. Cupping her cheeks in my hands, I hold her stare. “I love you. I’m sorry today has been hard. But I know you have to be hungry. It’s time to get some food into you. Then we will stay and talk a few hours with my family and things will be okay. I promise to behave and not fight with Max.”
“Fine.”
Briefly pressing my lips to hers, I inhale her scent and release her. Folding her hand into mine, I guide her into the house. I know she’s not happy today and I’ve made it worse. But having Emma sit beside her and distracting her, that will fix Lex. Emma, for whatever reason, has the power to do that. Lex seems to be aware of her at all times. Watching her, making sure she’s fed, has something to drink, that she’s dressed okay, her hair’s brushed, that she’s brushed her teeth. Things great mothers do for their daughters, a bond that Emma and Lex have cemented together. A connection I could have only dreamed of when I decided to finally secure Lex into my life.
Following me to the table in the dining room, Lex takes a seat, like I thought, right next to Emma, and I beside her. Then she goes to work, doing her motherly duties; fixing Emma’s plate, asking her questions and falling into the world that only mothers and daughters share. Emma’s happiness is contagious and soon the entire table is immersed in chatter, the anxiety and fight from earlier is nearly forgotten. As we eat our chicken, Lex’s hand stays firmly planted on my thigh, the little touch that means the world to me. Confirming that all these years of pining away for her was worth every heartache, every moment I lay awake in bed miserable being with Melissa and not her. It makes it all worth it, to finally have my two girls, forever.
To quote Maya Angelou, “Love arrives, and in its train come ecstasies, old memories of pleasure, and ancient histories of pain. Yet if we are bold, love strikes away the chains of fear
from our souls.”
How those few prolific words, speak wonders to my life and how it has come to fruition.
I’m a blessed man.
Lex
“See, that wasn’t such a bad night, was it?” Gage smiles at me, removing his socks and moving to his pants.
“No. Smarty-pants, it wasn’t.” I stick my tongue out, flashing him a snarky smile and drop my dress into the hamper.
Gage is right, after the rough start at his dad’s, things mellowed out, a lot. We ate and talked. I felt like a part of the family. The only person I didn’t socialize with was Chelsea, no shocker there. She doesn’t care for me, which is fine. I don’t much like her either. After dinner, I helped Tasha tidy up and we all retired to the living room with Henry, Gage’s dad, where we talked even more. His dad is extremely intelligent; we ended up carving away a few hours merely speaking about running a business and different philosophies practiced in the workplace. I can definitely see where Gage gets his strong sense of self, quick wit and immeasurable intelligence from.
“My dad likes you.”
“Really? Well I guess that’s good, because I like him too.” I explain, walking into the bathroom and turning on the tub. I know I already took one bath today, but some days I take more than one. Today is going to be one of those days.
“What you don’t get is my dad doesn’t like people.”
I roll my eyes. That’s crazy. Henry was stupendously pleasant.
“Don’t roll your eyes, Lex. I’m serious.”
“How serious?” I wink at him and hook my thumbs into my panties, sliding them to the floor and stepping out. Before standing back up, I muster up a dirty thought of Gage to get stiff. Once lady is pretty much fully awake, I stand with my panties hooked over my finger and I fling them at Gage. Who catches them with a dirty smirk and puts them to his nose.