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brEN
It had been Ben who’d told me that Alec was back and that he’d met with Dad and Sam in the ring. I’d not been pleased that they’d beaten him up, but I had said that if he met them in the ring, then it was fine, not once thinking that Alec would actively go out of his way to meet them there, knowing what it meant.
To say I was confused was an understatement. I’d been in love with him for most of my life while he’d ignored me for the same amount of time. If he thought that I’d keep Lexi from him if he didn’t have a relationship with me, he was wrong. Our lives were too intertwined, and it would hurt too many people for us to do that. I’d always intended for him to know about her. I could admit that I’d not handled the way his words had hurt me well, or he’d already know. I’d ensure we’d make it work going forward because Lexi deserved parents who weren’t constantly at each other’s throats. As long as Alec treated her right, then I’d make sure they had a relationship, but if he didn’t, then he’d find out just how far I’d go to protect what was mine.
Leaving Lexi with him was hard, no matter how much I’d pretended it wasn’t, but trusting him with her had to start somewhere, and Bev and Gunny were in the front office of the garage if he needed them.
Walking out of the back room, I stop at the office door and knock on the doorjamb. Gunny looks up, and Bev lays her phone back down on her desk.
“Hey, baby girl, do you need something?” Bev asks.
“I’m going over to the café to pick up some food for Alec so he can take his tablets. I’ve left Lexi with him; can you keep an ear out in case he needs you? He’s not moving very well.”
Both Gunny and Bev nod. “Of course, darling, I’ll check on them in about five minutes,” Gunny assures me.
“Thanks.” Turning around, I walk past the cars that are up on lifts, mechanics working away. I answer the ones that call out and wave at others as I walk out and turn towards the café. Passing the spa and hairdressers that I opened years ago, I take note of how busy it is. We’d upgraded it over the years, and it now has an additional sauna, three hot tubs, and two steam rooms, plus a plunge pool. Smiling, I wave at Ellie, who’s manning the reception desk this morning. I’d pick her up after delivering Alec his food, and we’d go out to the factory that was on the outskirts of the village. Years ago, I’d bought a small piece of land with an abandoned factory on it. I’d finished renovating it just before I’d gone to the States, knowing exactly what I wanted to use it for.
Finally, all our licences were in, and Ellie and I were ready to get production up and running. We’d already done some trial runs and smoothed out any wrinkles. Ellie’s idea of building small units to rent as pop-up shops on short-term leases for people who wanted to sell their crafts and offering different workshops such as weaving, pottery, and the like had been well received by the locals and the council. The small units would be completed by the end of the month, and we already had a waiting list for them. My brain never stopped working when it came to business, and I wondered if it would be beneficial for the community to see about starting up a weekly farmers market on a Saturday. Opening the door of the café, I pushed the thought to the back of my mind as something to think further on.
“Hi, love,” Aunt Maggie calls out, holding out the bag with my takeout order. I was sad to see how much older she was looking. Aunt Maggie didn’t work full-time at the café anymore, having hired a manager years ago when the babies had started coming thick and fast. But you could still find her here at least two or three times a week, keeping an eye on it.
“Hi, Aunt Maggie,” I reply, going around the counter to receive the hug I knew would be offered.
“How are you doing, love?” she asks, pushing me away slightly so that she can run her eye over me.
“I’m okay,” I reassure her. And I was. Did I know the next few weeks would be a little difficult? Of course, I did. But we’d get through it.
She must have believed me because she pats my cheek with a soft, “Good.”
“Thanks for the food,” I say, taking the bag from her.
“You’re welcome, Bren. I put soup in there as well as a toasted cheese. Gunny mentioned that the boys worked him over good.”
My lips tighten slightly as I nod, “They did.”
Maggie doesn’t say anything else, just pats my hand and turns to a customer who had come up to the counter to pay. Leaving her to it, I leave the café and walk back to the garage to deliver Alec’s food. Gunny and Bev were still in the office, so I guessed that Alec was fine with Lexi.
Opening the door to the back room, I stop and look at the scene in front of me. Alec, with his eyes closed, has a relaxed look on his face, his lips tipped up slightly as if he were smiling. Lexi held firmly to his chest, nearly completely covered by his big hands. Taking my phone from my pocket, I quickly snap a photo of the two of them for her album. Closing the door behind me, I walk over to the kitchenette in the corner of the room and put the bag on the counter. Taking the still warm soup out, I pour it into a mug, thinking it would be easier for him to drink it rather than spooning it up.
Turning around, I’m surprised to see Alec’s eyes open. The look in his eyes has me wondering what he’s thinking. Walking over to them, I put the soup on the table next to him and bend to take Lexi from him.
“It’s just some soup; there’s a toasted cheese for you on the counter if you feel like you can eat it,” I inform him as I pick Lexi up and prop her on my shoulder.
Alec seems reluctant to let go of her, but he does. “Thanks,” he replies, turning and picking up the mug and taking a sip. “And thanks for bringing her.” He nods towards Lexi.
“You’re welcome,” I reply as I bind the wrap around Lexi and tie her to my chest, ready for our walk back to pick up Ellie.
Picking up her diaper bag so that we can leave, I still when Alec says, “We need to talk, Bren.”
Nodding, I turn my gaze towards him. “I know,” I reply. “And we will, just not today.”
“Okay,” he agrees.
“I’ll see you tomorrow; Ellie and I are going to the factory today.”
“Did you take any time off?” he asks curiously.
“Of course,” I inform him. “I’m not really working today, but the licences have been issued, and Ellie and I want to make sure that everything is ready for us to start production on the new products by next month. You know me, Alec, I can’t stay still for long, and I’ve recovered quickly.”
Alec nods; he knows what I’m like. “I’ll see you both later. Drive safe.”
“I will,” I assure him, opening the door to leave.
It doesn’t take long for me to pick up Ellie. We get to the factory and speak to the staff, ensuring everyone is ready for the release day of our new product. We already have contracts in place with different spas and hotels that want to use it and will start shipping as soon as they are off the production line.
By the time we leave later that afternoon, I’m more than ready to get home, have something to eat, and snuggle with my girl before getting some sleep.
So, imagine my surprise when I walk into our wing and find a tall, muscular man in the spare room unpacking his suitcases.
“What the fuck,” I splutter as I look at Alec, who doesn’t seem worried at all by my outburst.
Closing the drawer on the dresser, he turns towards me with his hands held up.
“I’m here to help, Bren. I know you don’t need it because you’re superwoman and can do anything you set your mind to. But Lexi is mine too, and I want to be able to help. I get that you don’t trust me and that I’ll have to work to get your trust back, but please let me help with my daughter.”
My lips tighten, but I’d made a promise to myself that if he wanted to get involved in her life, I’d let him. That didn’t mean that I didn’t have ground rules, though.
“Fine,” I agree, then hold up my hand when he goes to speak. “You can help, but I have ground rules.”
Alec leans back against the dresser and crosses his arms, grimacing slightly with pain. Ignoring the twinge of sympathy that I have at the look on his face, I forge ahead.
“You can have as much or as little to do with Lexi as you want. It was never my intention to keep her from you. However, that being said, if you say you are in, then you are all the way in, for the good and the bad. I don’t want her to get confused as she gets older. If you feel like you’d be better off just being her uncle rather than being in her life full-time as her dad, you need to make that decision sooner rather than later. I’ll not have her feeling like she’s second best.
“We can do this on a trial basis so that you can see if you want to be her father full-time or not. If you decide you do, then we’ll have another discussion when she’s older on how to navigate any women you have relationships with on a case-by-case basis. I don’t want to have a revolving door of women going through her life.”
A sad look flits over Alec’s face, “You really don’t think much of me, do you?”
Shrugging my shoulders, I answer truthfully, “I made excuses for you for a long time, Alec. I understand that you never felt for me what I felt for you and that I was just another warm body for you to get lost in. But you hurt me; I at least thought we were friends; instead, you treated me like a whore.
“I take full responsibility for that because I knew what you were like, so it’s my fault that I fell for your smooth lines. It did give me Lexi, though, and I love her no matter who her father is. Can we make this work?” I shrug again, looking away to blink away the tears that threatened before continuing, “I hope so for her sake. I’d rather she had parents that were civil to each other than ones that weren’t. Our lives are too intertwined for us to be at each other’s throats. I’d like to think that we’d be mature enough to at least be friends for her sake.”
“I’d like us to be friends, Bren. And I’ll show you that I can be trusted. I’ll put the work in to make sure that Lexi never questions how I feel about her. As for women, I’ve not been with anyone since the night we slept together, and I don’t envision that changing anytime soon.”
Disbelief shoots through me at his words. He must see the look on my face and correctly interprets it because he says, “You can ask Cash if you want.”
“It’s not my business,” I tell him, turning to leave, walking towards the room I’d set up as a nursery for Lexi.
“Bren,” Alec calls out. Turning back to look at him, I wait. “It wasn’t that I didn’t feel the same as you did; I didn’t think I was good enough for you,” he says quietly and closes the bedroom door.
I’m left bewildered at his words. ‘What am I meant to do with that?’ I wonder.
“Your daddy is very confusing,” I say to Lexi. Walking to the nursery, I get her ready for the night. I’m still thinking on his words later that night as I’m lying in bed, wondering what the hell it means for the two of us. Did he mean what I think he meant, or is it my stupid heart softening again?
“Ugh,” I scream into my pillow. “Bloody Alec!”