Thirty-Three
I slept in Alex’s bed that night. Nothing happened between us, he just held me all night. It only reaffirmed my belief that he is nothing but a good man. Everything he does and says makes me fall deeper in love with him, and as much as that makes me happy, it makes me worry more as well. If I were to lose him at this point I’m not sure how I would recover.
Alex got up early and went to work. I was already up feeding Michael when he left and he came in and kissed us both and told us to have a great day. He left me with a warm feeling and an optimistic one. Waking up in his arms made me want more than ever to believe that everything would be okay.
After I fed Michael and put him down for his nap, I showered and dressed for my day. I was about to go down for breakfast when my phone rang. I nearly threw it out the window when I looked at the face of it. It was my mother…I had a feeling she would be calling soon.
“Hello, Mom.”
“Victoria. I can’t believe that a stranger had to tell me about the birth of my first grandchild.”
“Really? I can’t believe you gave an interview to a stranger about your daughter.”
“I didn’t say anything bad. Did you even read it? I was completely supportive.”
“You shouldn’t have spoken to them.”
“Well if my daughter had informed me of her affair with a billionaire and subsequent pregnancy by him… I would have known not to talk.”
“Give me a broken mother. When you thought this was Jason’s baby you had no interest in him whatsoever… I quote: “I am too young to be a grandmother.” All of a sudden because you know he is Alex’s son, you’re interested. You should be ashamed of yourself.”
“That’s no way to talk to your mother Victoria.”
“Then you should act like a mother now and again.”
“I’m going to write your attitude off as post-partum depression. When can I see my grandson?”
I sighed. She wasn’t going to give up easily. “He’s too young to take out yet. I’ll bring him by to see you next week.”
“I can come to see him at the Reigns estate… that is where you are living, right?”
“How do you know that?”
“You didn’t read that article, did you?”
“It said that I was living here? Jesus!”
“There’s no shame in landing a rich, good-looking man Vicki. I’m proud of you. What time shall I come to see my grandson?”
“Today is not a good day, mother. I’ll let you know.”
“Victoria…”NôvelDrama.Org owns all content.
“Goodbye, Mother!” I hung up, cutting her off. It wasn’t like me to defy her. No matter how much she’d annoyed me over the years I have gone out of my way to be as respectful to her as possible, but she’d pushed my last button. She would have easily turned her back on both me and my son if he had been Jason’s child. She can feel the brunt of rejection for once this time. I was finished.
I had breakfast with Cook and it was like the old days. He and I talked about everything and nothing and it was relaxing to get my mind off of everything and just be silly and normal for a while. He told me stories about the people who came into the shelter he ran. He seemed like he loved his work so much and I knew that he did it all with his own money and out of the goodness of his heart. He is truly an amazing person and I have so much respect for him.
After breakfast, Michael was awake so I bundled him up and put him in his stroller. He and I went for a walk through the gardens and I think it relaxed and awed him almost as much as it did me. The grounds of the estate were as beautiful, if not more so than the inside of the house and I felt very blessed to be a part of it.
When we got back to the house, I was delighted to see that Alex was home. I fed and bathed Michael and tucked him in for his afternoon nap and then I sat down for coffee with Alex. I could tell something was troubling him and when I asked he said, “There was an industrial accident at my plant in Kentucky. Five of my employees were killed and another twenty were seriously injured. I have to fly over there… right away.”
“Oh no! Alex that’s terrible, I’m so sorry. What happened?”
“They’re not sure yet. It’s being investigated. I’ve been told on a preliminary basis that there was some type of electrical malfunction. I have to go and make sure the families of the victims are taken care of. I also have to make sure the rest of my employees are safe and that we get the plant back up and running as soon as possible.”
“How long will you be gone?”
He shook his head. “I’m sorry Vicki. I just don’t know. I know this is a bad time, but I thought maybe you and Michael could come with me…”
“Oh no, Alex. I’m sorry, it’s not that I wouldn’t love to be with you and I know that Michael will miss you, but I worry about him so much, taking him out so soon and putting him on a plane and in a hotel; so many different environments. I’m just afraid of him getting sick or just… maladjusted.”
“I understand. I’m going to miss both of you, a lot.”
I put my arms around him. “I’m going to miss you too, and so will Michael.”
He grinned and stretched his lips out for a kiss. I kissed him and he said, “Will you miss me enough to maybe give me a big send-off while our son is sleeping?”
I smiled, “What type of send-off did you have in mind?”
“Well, it involves some physical effort and both of us naked…”
I kissed him again. I felt a thrill in my belly at the thought. “I think that can be arranged. But hurry, before your son wakes up.”
Alex took me by the hand and led me up the stairs and straight into his room. I had yet to think of it as “ours,” but I was working on it. He undressed me and I helped him undress. I lay down on the bed and he looked down at me and said, “You have no idea how beautiful you are, Vicki. You take my breath away.”
I reached up to him and he lay down next to me. “I feel the same way. I can hardly breathe when you’re in the same room.”
Alex made love to me. It was sweet and passionate and everything I’d been imagining since that only time we were together when we conceived Michael. When he left, I wanted to cry and smile at the same time. I would miss him, but I would also look forward to him returning. I love this man with every fiber in my body and I knew at that moment that I was going to fight tooth and nail to keep him forever.
Later that afternoon when Alex had gone and Michael was sleeping I found myself feeling lonely so I called Liz.
“Hi lady! How are you?”
“I’m good. I was just thinking about you.”
“Did you see the article?”
“Yeah… I’m sorry honey. Are you okay?”
“I’m doing alright. Alex has been wonderful.”
“That’s good. I was afraid I’d have to kick his butt otherwise.”
I laughed. “He’s been amazing. But there was an accident at one of his plants in Kentucky and he had to fly out this afternoon, so I’m lonely. I was wondering if you’d like to come out and have dinner with me?”
“Will Michael be there?” she asked with a giggle.
“I guess I’ll never be the main attraction again, will I?” I asked with a laugh.
“Afraid not. I’d love to have dinner. I’m still a little bit leery of the mansion. It kind of makes me a nervous wreck.”
“It’ll just be you and me and Michael. The staff leaves at seven. We’ll wait until then.”
“Okay, that sounds good then,” she said.
“I can’t wait. Thank you, Liz.” After I hung up I went in to talk to Cook and ask him to add one for dinner. He was making Tilapia and he was already preparing it at four in the afternoon.
“Would you mind if I asked you to add one for dinner? My friend Liz will be stopping by.”
He waved his palm at me. “Of course, I won’t mind. Can I give you a tip Miss Victoria?”
“Tip away.”
“You’re the woman of the house. It’s okay to be polite to the staff but you’re going to have to learn to separate yourself from us.”
“How do you mean?”
“You don’t ask me if it’s okay to have company, for one thing, you tell me you’re having company.”