Chapter 11

Alex

Waking up this morning, I see Mae laying on top of me, clinging on like a koala to a tree. She had her arms wrapped around me with her head snuggled up under my chin. The feeling is nothing short of amazing.

Last night when she told me that she already fell, I knew that I had to tell her that I was in love with her. I had to do it in person, so I rushed over not answering her. I didn’t think about her thinking that she scared me off. The only thought on my mind was telling her that I love her.

I had no idea that she would ask me to stay over, but it was hands down the best night of my life. There is nothing like being with the one you love. I have never made love with someone, it has always just been a hook-up at most.

“What time is it?” I hear this small groggy voice whisper out.

“It’s still early. You have another hour or so.” I kiss the top of her head and feel her fall back to sleep.

“I really, really love you, Alex.” She says as she falls asleep.

My heart skips a beat as I hear this. She keeps getting more and more perfect every day. I feel myself drifting back off and I hold her a little tighter as I do.

*****

I’m sitting at my desk working when I hear a knock on my door. As the door opens I see my new assistant Mark followed by a woman. Mark leads her into my office and I give him a questioning look. I generally don’t deal with that many people in my office so I’m confused.

“Alex, Sir this is Stephanie and she is going to be filling in for me while I am out when my wife has the baby.” As soon as he says those words I feel like a complete jackass. I forgot that he and his wife were expecting.

“Oh, good please have a seat. Has Mark filled you in on what your jobs duties will be?” I look at the woman and want to cringe.

She is dressed in a form-fitting outfit that is borderline inappropriate. She has her makeup practically caked on, and her perfume is over the top loud. I notice her nails, and I feel like I am in some sort of comedy sketch. Her nail is way too long and curls in a way that can’t possibly be comfortable. Her movements are slow and to be honest, she makes me think of a sloth.

“He did. He let me know that you and I are going to be working very closely.” She tries to sound breathless and it comes out sounding like she’s wheezing.

I have to stop myself from rolling my eyes at this. For some reason, girls come into my office to work thinking that they are going to be having some kind of romantic relationship with me. I have never given any of them the idea that I was interested in anything of that kind. I have strict rules for myself and dating in the office. It doesn’t happen. I decide to cut this off before it even starts.

“Stephanie, I want to remind you that you are here solely for the purpose of filling in for Mark. I have no interest in any type of relationship with you other than boss and employee. If you can’t professionally handle yourself then I think we may need to search for someone else.”

“Why I never!” She gasps and gets up and immediately stomps her way over to me. “I have you know that I have never been turned down before!”

“Well, you have now.” I don’t feel the need to say anything else.

She turns and stomps her way out of my office and straight to the elevator. It is comical how she looks like a pouting child who has been told to clean her room instead of having fun outside. Mark looks at me with wide eyes and I find it hard to keep the laughter in. As soon as she is in that elevator with the door closed I die with laughter.

“Did you really think that she was going to work out?” I get out in between laughs.

“I had no idea that she would act that way. She had great references, everyone loved her!” He starts to crack up. “I’m sorry but that woman’s trying to be seductive was the biggest turn-off I have ever seen.”

We continue to laugh and not long after I hear another knock on my door. Xavier walks in with a shit-eating grin on his face and I have no idea what is going to come out of his mouth. I calm myself down from laughing and give him a look that says out with it.

“I have no clue where to start. The monstrosity that ran from your office yelling about not knowing a good thing when you see it. Or the fact that you haven’t been sleeping at home for two nights running.” Mark takes that as his cue to leave.

“Alright let’s hear it. I know it’s killing you to not say anything.” I sit back and wait for my best friend to give me the ribbing of a lifetime.

“Oh, I’m not going to tease you, man. Well, at least not about not sleeping at home. But Dude that girl that ran from your office was nothing short of crazy.” He chuckles as he sits down in front of my desk. “Who’s the lucky lady?”

“Who says that it is because of a woman?” I raise my brow at him.

“Come on man. You never stay anywhere other than your house. the only times you have in the last ten years are trips or hook-ups. Is it Mae?” He smiles at me.

“Yeah. I have fallen for her hard.” I tell him not being able to even look him in the eye.

“You’ve only known her for a few days.” I finally look at Xavier only to see a ghost of a smile on his face.

Xavier knows how hard it has been for me to find anyone that I thought I could be interested in. So for me to tell him I’ve fallen for someone it is a huge deal. To be honest I don’t know that I have ever been completely in love with someone. I’ve liked girls but it never went any further.

“Are we talking love?” He asks already knowing the answer.

“Yes. Completely and helplessly in love with Mae.” I give him a full megawatt smile.

“Man, I’m happy for you. I could tell you liked her at the tasting and then to watch the two of you on that date was pretty funny. Although that shit you two pulled in the store was crazy. I have never been more embarrassed in my life. Chelsea likes Mae a lot too.” He smiles back at me and he seems genuinely happy for me.

“I never thought that I would fall in love this fast, but she is just perfect for me. She’s gorgeous, even if she has no clue that she is. She’s kind and super funny. I lose track of time talking to her, and don’t get me started on the physical chemistry.” I say all this shaking my head.

“Did she tell anything about the cake yet?” He has a look of hope in his eyes.

“No, but I will say that you both gave her plenty of inspiration on the date. I think she has something awesome planned. She wants it to be a surprise.” I smile at him, and I can see that even though he wants to know he is happy with the answer.

“I guess I should go run my company or something. See if she is up to go out to dinner this weekend. Chelsea would love to see her again.” Xavier says as he walks out the door like he is the king of the world.

I pull out my phone and send her a quick text. I then email HR about finding someone else to fill in for Mark. I tell them that I would prefer a man, but that I will take whatever I can get as long as they know there are no romantic things ever going to happen.

I hear a ding and look down to see that Mae has answered me. I ask her about seeing her tonight and she agreed. I can’t help the smile that comes to my face. This girl has me wrapped around her finger and I don’t think she realizes it yet. I would do anything just to spend time with her.

No all I have to do is just keep myself busy for the next few hours so that I don’t sit and just think about her all day. The more I think about her the closer I am to just leaving early to go sit and watch her work. Not that it would be creepy or anything.

Chapter 12

Mae

Two months go by in a blur. Work has been beyond busy since Chelsea told all her friends about my cakes. It has even come to the point where I have had to turn down orders. I mean how the hell did that happen? We were always steady before, but now it is like we’re overloaded with requests.

Rosetta and I have talked about possibly hiring a part-timer to help cover some of the everyday stuff that I’m struggling to keep up with. Max is on the other hand over the moon with all the business. It gives him more women to hit on. That boy is such a horn dog.

Alex and I couldn’t be better. We spend every possible moment with each other, and we have plans for me to meet his family Sunday after Xavier’s wedding. I have been working frantically this week to be ready to set up for the wedding. Alex wants me to be his date for the rehearsal, and I said yes not thinking about how busy I am.

“Max, you think you will be good if I head out now?” I look over at my friend to see him decorating a cake for an order that we had.

“Sure. This is the last order, and we have everything set for in the morning. Go get pretty for your man.” He says smirking at me. Alex met my friends a week after we got together, and he and Max hit it off.

“Alright. I’ll see you in the morning. Thanks again for helping me with the setup. I know I never let anyone help, but I wanted this to be special, and since I am staying for the service, I needed the help.” I walk over and kiss him on the cheek and leave.

I head home and spend the rest of the afternoon getting myself ready to go to the rehearsal. Alex is the best man, and he has to make a speech tonight and during the reception. He is excited to tell some of the stories he has built over the years. Alex is heading over to my place to pick me up so that we can head to dinner. The rehearsal its self is over, and they are all meeting at the restaurant.

I hear a door open, and I know that Alex is here. We exchanged keys after about two weeks of dating. My parents think we are rushing into something but are happy for me at the same time. They are dying to meet Alex, but it hasn’t worked out yet where we can get together.

“Hey, Beautiful. You ready?” I feel hands wrap around my waist from behind and lips kissing my neck.

“I don’t know. My boyfriend wouldn’t be too happy to know that I am going out with a handsome stranger tonight.” I turn in his arms so that I am facing him.

“Well, what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him. Besides he permitted me to take you out tonight.” He smirks as he says this.

“Really now? I don’t know if I want to go with you. I love my boyfriend a lot and he is just so dreamy.” I say and close my eyes like I am dreaming of my boyfriend.

“I’m dreamy?” I open my eyes to see him smirking with lust in his eyes.

I giggle a little and nod my head. He leans in and gives me a kiss that makes my toes curl. There has been no doubt that we have great chemistry. Whether it is physical or just our personalities we click. I feel like I have found the other half of my soul with him.

“Alright, sweetheart we gotta get going.” He says as he pulls away.

When we arrive at the restaurant, I am surprised at how empty it appears. Alex then tells me that Chelsea’s family rented out the whole place for dinner. I shouldn’t be surprised considering how rich these people are. I can’t help but be nervous as I am meeting more of Alex’s friends and some of the highest social class people in the city.

We make our way into the restaurant and see groups of people standing around holding glasses of champagne talking. Chelsea grabs us first and introduces me to her bridesmaids who all look like they were molded from the same pattern. One, in particular, is looking at me like she could kill me.

Alex seems to notice so he steps in to save the day.

“Macy, how are you?” She stops her glaring and looks and smiles at Alex.

“I’m great Alex. I hoped you would call for another round but I see you found something else to distract you.” She gives me a look that tells me she wants my man.

“Since there was never around one I didn’t think it was necessary. Plus you hated everything about our one date.” Alex shuts her plan down fast. I have to hold my laughter in as the girl scowls at us.

After another few minutes of talking we turn to head over to talk to Xavier. There are two men whose backs are facing us and I can’t see who they are. Xavier lights up when he sees us and walks over to kiss me on the cheek.

“Mae you made it. I want to introduce you to my other groomsmen since your man seems to have forgotten his manners.” Alex grumbles at this since he didn’t even get the chance to do so.

“This is Declan and his brother Tanner.”

My heart stops as soon as I turn to face the guys. There stands my ex-fiance in all his glory. As soon as he sees me he drops his glass, shattering it on the floor. Everyone in the room turns and looks at us and my face starts to grow red with anger and embarrassment.

“Ladybug?” Tanner says with his mouth hanging open.

I look at Alex and see his confused face. He knew my ex’s name but neither of us put two and two together to realize we both knew the same, Tanner. The confusion seems to be contagious because everyone I know here is looking at me like I’m crazy.

“Do you two know each other?“Alex asks. His voice is raspy as if he is trying to hold all of his emotions in.

I look into his eyes and I see hurt and betrayal. Both of those looks make me want to burst into tears because this isn’t my fault. I know that I have to say something and stand up for myself.

“Tanner is my ex fiancé.” Tanner stands and continues to stare at me.

“Bullshit. My brother has never had a fiancé! What’s your deal? You just some gold-digging hoe out to find a rich guy to screw? Yeah, I heard all about how quickly Alex was able to get you in bed. I think you should leave. We don’t want to ruin an actual couples special event.” Declan shouts at me.

I have never met Declan before but it seems that he has a quick temper. I look to Alex and he has his head down and he is shaking his head. He doesn’t say anything to accuse me but he doesn’t defend me either.

I turn to walk out the door when a Soft hand pulls me in a different direction. I am pulled into an office in the back of the restaurant. I finally look up to see Chelsea moving hair away from my face while taking her handkerchief and wiping my tears. As long the way I must have broken down.

“Deep breathes girl. Deep breathes.” She takes my hand and breathes deeply in front of me as if she is trying to coach me on what to do.

“I don’t know what to say. I had no clue that any of you knew Tanner. I didn’t even know that he had a brother. Is his last name Roth?” I say between the sobs that are now racking through my body.

“No. No, his last name is Snyder. Mae, honey I think that Tanner wasn’t truthful about who he was with you.” She has a pitying look on her face.

“Well, we did break up because he was cheating on me. I also never got to meet anyone in his family since he said he was an orphan. I never met his friends either. Holy shit I’m a complete moron for not figuring this out.” I sink into the couch that is in the office and put my face into my hands.

“Mae, I don’t believe anything that Declan said and I’m sure..” I cute her off.

“He didn’t say a word one way or the other, Chelsea. He didn’t even try to defend me he just stood there. That hurts, like a lot. I need to think. I’m going home. I will stop by and see you tomorrow after I get the cake set up. Please don’t let this ruin your night. Go out there and be that beautiful and sexy bride that Xavier is waiting for.” I dry my tears and smile at her.

I make my way out the back door and give Erica a call. The last thing I need tonight is to deal with Alex coming over and breaking my heart. I pray that doesn’t happen but somewhere deep down that doubt creeps back in.

I hope that we’re not done because even though I am hurt by what happened I still love him. I just hope he still loves me. Only time will tell.

Chapter 13

Alex

I watch as Mae starts to walk away and it hits me like a ton of bricks. What the hell am I doing letting her walk away like that. I think the news left me in shock and I had no idea what was going on. I turn and look at Declan and Tanner and all I see is red. I want to kill them both for making such a scene and causing her pain.

“All three of you follow me. We are not doing this here!“Xavier whisper yells at us.

He takes us to one too the back seating areas and closes off the section to give us some privacy. He looks at me and gives the a look of try to stay calm. Calm is the last thing I am right now, but if I want the truth I need to think clearly.

“What in the hell is going on Tanner? And even think about lying because I already know what happened.”

Tanner gulps and looks pale. Whatever he is going to say is going to piss me off more than I already am. Tanner has always been the trouble maker. Declan has always been protective of his brother and so we too tried to help and be friends with him.

“You heard what I said out there. He’s never been engaged before, so it’s obvious that you’ve got yourself a gold digger man.” He smirks as he says this and it takes everything in my power to not hit him.

“Declan, I think you need to keep our damn mouth shut unless you want me to shut it for you! Tanner, come on man talk to us.” I say.

“I was engaged to her,” Tanner mumbled.

“What the hell?” Declan yells.

“She thought my name was Tanner Roth. I never introduced her to anyone, but I was with her for years. I cheated on her the entire time, and it was just a game to me until I got caught and realized that I did love her. She was perfect in every way. I just wanted to have some fun messing around to see what it would be like to be engaged.” At this point, I can’t control it anymore and I punch him in the gut.

“I didn’t hit your face because we have a bride that will kill us all if we ruin her pictures tomorrow,” I say. “How could you do that to someone? She thought you were in love with her and was in love with you. She was willing to marry you. What is wrong with you?”

“I didn’t say I was proud of it! What does it matter anyway? She’s with you for now until you’re tired of her and then I’ll be able to get her back.” Tanner says shrugging his shoulders.

“Are you serious right now?” Declan says.

“Yeah, I mean we all know Alex never gets serious about a girl, and he rarely dates. When he does, it never lasts long. I still love her, and I’m sure after Alex dumps her, she will be willing to give e another chance.”

“There is a major flaw in that plan because I love her, and I’m not going to let her go. I don’t think that even if we broke up she would ever go back to you. You unforgivably hurt her. She is not as naive to the world that she would fall for your crap again.”

The door opens and in walks Chelsea. From the look on her face, she is furious, and that never leads to anything good. She goes and stands by Xavier and she looks over at me. her face is a mixture of pity and anger.

“Mae has left for the evening and I hope that you are all proud of yourselves. Tanner and Declan you are complete assholes and I don’t want to even look at the two of you. Alex, even though you didn’t do anything wrong you didn’t do the one thing she needed the most. She needed you to defend her. You may have done it here with them but she didn’t hear it. She feels hurt all over again by Tanner and now she feels like she may lose you.” Chelsea sighs at the end.

“I would never leave her. I was so shocked that I couldn’t think straight until I saw her walking away. I would believe her over anyone!” I end up yelling at the end.

“Then you should let her know that. I would give her some time tonight. She would be upset if she knew that you left early. She is just that way.” Chelsea says smiling.

*******

The rehearsal ends and I head straight to Mae’s. The thoughts of her being upset and crying are tearing me apart. I want to comfort her and explain why I froze the way I did. I have to let her know that I believe her.

I knock on the door and get no answer. Maybe she is in the bedroom and can’t hear the door. I use my key and head in only to find the place empty. I start to panic and pull my phone out. It rings and gets sent to voice mail. I immediately call back.

“Alex, it’s Erica.” Does Erica have her phone?

“Where’s Mae? Is she ok? Is she hurt? Where….”

“She’s safe so calm down. She is with me. She’s just very upset as you can imagine.” She has a comforting voice which hopefully means that she isn’t going to try and kill me for hurting her friend.

“Is she angry with me?” I ask the question that I’m dying to know the answer to.

“No. I don’t think she’s angry. I think she is hurt a little, but she’s more worried that you don’t believe her and that you’re going to end things. She loves you so much that she can’t handle the thought of losing you.”

“I don’t think I could ever leave her. I love her so much that it hurts sometimes. Is she asleep?” I ask knowing that it’s late and she has been through a lot.

“Yeah, I gave her something to help her rest. She was pretty exhausted and upset. Give her tonight to rest and you’ll get your chance to talk to her tomorrow. Good night Alex.”

I leave knowing that she is at least safe and has her best friend there to comfort her. I drive home and walk into my home and notice how quiet it is. Mae and I have been staying the night at one or the others place ever since that first movie night.

The thoughts of sleeping without her are killing me. My dad keeps telling me that we are moving way too fast but I just feel like it’s right. I can’t imagine my life without her now. She is a part of every part of my life. I can’t go more than a few minutes without thinking about her.

I look around again and a thought comes to me. Why should we continue to go back and forth between two places I should ask her to move in with me here in my house. Her apartment is nice but I own the house free and clear. We would have plenty of room and I would let her change anything she wants.

I seem to finally settle down and get ready for bed. I send a text to Mae telling her how much I love her and that I will tell her everything that she needs to hear tomorrow. I then text Xavier and tell him that I am sorry for all the problems.

I let my mind wander back to the bachelor party that we had a few nights ago. Xavier got super drunk and all he could talk about is how much he loved Chelsea and couldn’t wait to marry her. Declan spent the evening trying to get into the waitress’s pants and Tanner made out with a random girl.

All of these thoughts just lead me to one conclusion. My nights with Mae are worth more than anything to me. I love my friends but the scene of nightlife isn’t fun anymore. I would rather stay on the couch watching movies with the most beautiful woman in the world.

As I drift off to sleep I think of her smiling face and how I want nothing more than to see it again in person.

Chapter 14

Mae

My alarm goes off at six, and I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck. I look over at the other side of the bed and see Erica sleeping soundly. Even with the hurt, I feel there is a brightness in the day. I have the best friends that anyone could ask for.

Erica sat with me while I cried and gave me sound advice. When everything within me wanted to just give up and wallow in my self-pity, she gave me hope. I want things to be ok and for Alex and I to be together. But at this moment I have no idea what he is thinking.

I look at my phone and see that there are no missed called or messages. I guess that he is upset and doesn’t want to talk to me at the moment. The thought hits me hard and the tears that I thought I had no more of come flooding back. I let them fall for a while and then realize that I have a busy day ahead of me.

I get myself ready and make some breakfast for myself and Erica. I leave her a plate in the microwave and write her a note.

On the way to the bakery, I take in the sights of the city in the early morning. I’m not usually one of these philosophical types but with all that happened last night, I am seeing things in a new light.

The sun is rising still in the sky, and it’s gorgeous. I try to think of the last time that I watched a sunrise. It has to have been at least twenty years ago. I stopped taking the time to notice it. I got too busy with life and missed out on the small things.

When Tanner and I broke up, I was hurt and angry, but I didn’t feel as broken as I do this time. Thinking that I may have lost Alex is the worst feeling in the world. My heart feels like it stopped beating last night, and it is just sitting on hold. I know that in just a few short hours my questions will be answered. The wait is killing me.

*********

“This by far has to be the best cake you have ever done!” Max yells as we are setting it up.

After spending time with Xavier and Chelsea, I chose the theme of a fairy tale. The story of how he saved her and how they have managed to be together through thick and thin made me think of him being her knight in shining armor. That lead to the idea of a magnificent castle.

There is a mote, a working gate, and even a knight and princess. Every detail has taken a lot of work, and it has been one of my favorite projects ever. When I first met her I didn’t think that I would like Chelsea very much, but now that I have spent time with her I can see why Xavier loves her.

I step back and Max joins me to look at what we have created. A smile lights my face as I look at the castle. Max wraps his arm around me, and I lean my head on his shoulder. This morning was hard for me, and he has been my support the whole time. When I told him what happened he was furious.

Max never liked Tanner to begin with, so there is no surprise that he was angry that I saw him. Declan’s words were something that I don’t think Max will ever forgive. The lies that Tanner spun around me felt like a web and that he was the spider just waiting for his prey. I luckily escaped that web, but it may have cost me the love of my life.

“Mae. Baby, may I talk to you?” I tense as I hear his voice. The voice that I have been longing to hear.

Max and I turn around to see Alex standing there. His eyes have dark circles under them, and he seems a little pale. He is still in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, but it looks amazing on him. His face holds the look of hope. He seems almost desperate to talk to me.

“Why should she talk to you? You did nothing but stand there last night while your friend managed to insult every aspect of her character. ” Max says in an even voice. He seems strangely calm considering how angry he is at Tanner and Declan.

“Because I want to apologize and explain that I was in shock. Tanner isn’t the type of person to get engaged, so I was clueless that any of that ever happened.” I look in his eyes, and all I see there is honesty.

“It’s alright Max. I want to talk to him.” I hug Max and then walk over to Alex. “Let’s find somewhere a little more private. The last thing we need right now is a crowd of people watching us.” We head to an empty meeting room to talk.

“Mae, I can’t tell you how sorry I am. I know that you’re hurt that I didn’t say anything while you were standing there. I promise you that as soon as I realized what was going on, I did defend you. I know that doesn’t make up for last night. Please don’t end us over this!” He takes my hand in his, and I see the earnestness in his gaze.

This man standing before me is terrified that I am going to leave him. Part of me feels sorry for him, and part of me thinks that he deserves this. I think back on how I felt last night when I thought that I would lose him. That feeling is something that I wouldn’t wish on my enemy. I know that I shouldn’t let him off easy, but at the same time, I don’t want him to suffer just because he was in shock.

“Alex, I’m not going anywhere. But I need to know that you will have my back. It hurt to have to stand there and listen to your friend say those things about me and to see you just stand there and listen. I know you were shocked, but I also know that you should trust me to never lie to you.” I say the last part in almost a whisper as I feel the tears starting to come back.

“I know Baby. I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you. I do trust you. Last night when I went to your apartment and you weren’t there, I felt so lost without you. Then I went home and realized that I haven’t spent a night without you in so long that I had no idea how to function.”

He lifts my hand to his mouth and kisses it slowly. He looks deep into my eyes, and all I can see is love and remorse. He is beyond sorry for his actions, and I can’t bear to watch him hurt. I pull him into a hug and snuggle myself into his arms.

“Move in with me? Put me out of my misery and be with me every day.” He whispers into my ear.

“What?” I gasp out. Did he just as me to move in with him. He pulls back and looks me in the eye.

“Move in with me. I know I messed up yesterday, but I love you with every ounce of my being. Let me spend my life making it up to you.” His sincerity is showing through his eyes.

“Are you sure? I mean we have only been dating a few months, and your friends already doubt me and…” He cuts me off.

“No one doubts you and I could care less how long we have been dating in terms of when we live together. All I know is that I love you, and I want to wake up with you every day. I want to fall asleep with you every night. I want to start building a life together. Mae, you are it for me. Game over. I’m done. You’re never getting rid of me.” He chuckles as he says this.

“Alright, let’s do it.”

He breaks into a breathtaking smile and picks me up, and spins us around. He kisses me and hugs me as tight as he can without hurting me. I feel tears spring to my eye, and I smile just as brightly as he does. Our lives are changes fast, but it is worth it.

“Do you still want to come today?” He asks with worried eyes.

“Yeah. I’m not letting Chelsea down. She has become a great friend, and I want to share in her happiness. Tanner will have to just get over himself and stay out of my way.” I say trying to boost my confidence.

“Once the service is over I won’t leave your side. I protect you from everything. I promise.”

Chapter 15

Mae

I sit waiting for the service to take place in what can only be described as a fairy tale wedding. I never asked Chelsea anything about the service because I wanted to be surprised. I know that it was a gamble with the cake design, but my intuition has never been wrong.

There are so many guests that I am shocked that we are all fitting in this room. Everyone who is of the upper-class society of this city is here. There are also a few celebrities here which honestly shocks me. I knew that these people were influential, but I had no clue to what extent.

I feel completely underdressed in my department store dress that I had to save up to get. For me, a dress that costs this much is something that is considered a luxury and not something that happens very often. Alex, however, seemed to love it and was giving lust-filled looks ever since I stepped out of the bedroom with it on.

A woman comes and sits next to me with a small smile on her face. She has rather kind eyes and I feel like she may be the only person in this crowd that I could talk to.

“Hope you don’t mind me sitting here. My sons are in the wedding, and I couldn’t help but want to see them. They have been friends with Xavier from the time that they were in diapers.”

I feel my heart stop. This is Tanner’s mother. This is the woman who gave birth to the man that ruined my life at one time. She seems so calm and kind, so it is shocking to know that those two are her children.

“It’s perfectly fine. My boyfriend is in the wedding as well.” She smiles at me and raises a brow in question. “Alex. We have been dating for a while now.”

“Thank goodness. That boy needs someone to love. I only wish my boys would find someone as lovely as you.”

Hearing her say that sends a shiver down my spine. At one point in time, her son did have me, but he chose to throw it all away. Well more like it was never real, to begin with. I smile back at her and push back any of the awkwardness I may be feeling.

The service begins, and I see Xavier and Alex standing at the front looking handsome. Alex looks for me and gives me a big toothy grin when he finds me. As the groomsmen walk down with the bridesmaids they all lineup. Tanner looks over at me, and then his eyes get huge when he sees who I am sitting next to.

I can tell that he is starting to get nervous with me here next to his mother. Sweat starts to pop up across his forehead, and my inner self is laughing at his fear.

The service is beautiful, and the bride looks happier than I have ever seen her. I make my way over to where the reception is being held, and it looks amazing. My cake is looking perfect and many guests are standing around it taking pictures. I feel proud that I was able to create something so beautiful for their special day.

I look for the table with the seating chart and find that I am at the table with Alex and the rest of the bridal party. With a deep breath and a pep talk, I make my way to my seat. After being there for a few minutes I feel lips against my neck and I know that Alex has found me.

“Have I told you how gorgeous you look today?” His breath fans against my ear as he talks.

“Only a few times, but I love to hear it again.” I wrap my arm around him while he hugs me from behind.

“Then I will tell you that every day for the rest of your life.” I smile at the thought that we are going to be living together soon.

Alex sits down next to me, and we begin talking about how amazing the service was. He blushes when I tell him how handsome he looked standing up there. I giggle at his embarrassment knowing that it isn’t often that he gets like this. He takes my hand and kisses it while looking me in the eyes. The man is romantic without even trying.

“By the way, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you this before, but that cake is beyond amazing. I think that Chelsea is going to love it.” He tells me, and I can tell he genuinely means it.

“I hope she does. I really put a lot of heart and love into that piece.”

As I finish saying this the DJ announces the couple, and they both come in smiling. The love between them is precious to see. Everyone in the wedding party starts making their way around the room, and the party gets started.

After a delicious meal, the festivities start with the toasts. Alex does an amazing job with his speech, and I can’t take my eyes off of him. I keep feeling someone looking at me. I turn my head to see Tanner sitting across from me watching my every move.

He smiles at me and waves, which makes me want to walk over there and throat punch him. Over the years, I have worked hard to get over what happened between us. After yesterday’s revelation of the truth of what all happened, I have nothing but anger and hatred toward him. His smile falters when I don’t smile back.

Alex comes down from the stage and sits next to me. I smile at him and give him a quick kiss. He smiles back at me, and I see love and happiness in his eyes.

“You good?” He asks.

“Yeah, just slightly annoyed at my peeping tom over there.”

Alex looks over at Tanner and finds him watching us. His hands ball into fists, and I see his expression turn to one of anger. He moves as if he is going to stand, and I place my hand on his shoulder.

“Now is not the time. I don’t want to make a scene here. Just let him stare. As long as I’m with you, I will be just fine.” He looks at me and nods trying to calm himself down.

As soon as the dancing starts Alex pulls me to the dance floor during a slow song. He wraps me up in his arms, and I feel safe and loved. He moves me around the floor with ease, and I feel like I am the princess at the ball. We laugh and talk all while moving to the music. I feel myself falling deeper in love with him as I stare into his eyes.

A tap on Alex’s shoulder pulls us both from our little bubble and we look to see Tanner standing there. Alex tenses and I feel the anger rising in my system.

“May I cut in?” Tanner asks as if we would be fine with it.

“Are you crazy? You think that I will let you anywhere near her after all you did?” Alex whispers to him trying to not draw attention to us.

“I need to talk to her to apologize Alex. I deserve that much at least, considering that you stole my girl.” Tanner spits out.

I have to hold Alex back from punching Tanner. The fury on Alex’s face is something that I have never seen the entire time we have been together. The air is electric around us, and people are starting to stare. He looks at me and I shrug as if saying let’s just get this over with.

“If you do anything that upsets her, I will find you and I will beat the shit out of you.” He turns and kisses my temple as he walks off the dance floor.

We start to dance, and it strikes me that this is the first time that I have ever danced with Tanner. In all the time that we were together, we never danced. He wraps his arms tighter around me as if he is trying to get my attention.

“I know that you’re mad at me….” He starts until I cut him off.

“Mad doesn’t even begin to cover what I am.” I hiss out.

“I know that I was wrong in what I did. But you need to understand that I was young and stupid. I wasn’t ready for a committed relationship.”

“Do you honestly think that is a valid excuse? Tanner, we were together for years. We weren’t teenagers. You damn well knew what you were doing and you could have care less about what my feeling was on the subject. You lied about who you were. You cheated multiple times. There is nothing in this world that would excuse that.” I scoff.

This man has to have a brain the size of a kidney bean. Who thinks that being young is an excuse for those things? I look up at his face again and try to figure out what in the world attracted me to him. I know that people change over time, but there still should be something there that I remember.

The problem is that there is nothing there to find anymore. The man I loved was a lie, so now looking at Tanner all I see is a person I don’t know.

“Goodbye, Tanner. I wish you luck in your future but let’s not do this again. The only thing that us being around each other brings is pain.” I pull away from him and walk off the dance floor.

As I walk off Chelsea stands there at the edge with open arms. She pulls me in for a hug. Who would have guessed we would have become friends.

“It’s gorgeous Mae. Thank you. You deserve so much more in life than what you were dealt. Go find your man he’s worried.”

I smile and walk in search of Alex. He stands near the cake talking to Xavier. Once he sees me he also opens his arms for me. I place myself in them and know that there is nowhere else I’d rather be.

Chapter 16

Alex

I wake up to Mae snuggled into my side, holding on for dear life. After the reception, we came back to my house and spent the night making up for the lost time of the night before. Today we are going to lunch with my parents so that she can meet my family. My sister is so excited that she has texted me multiple times about what foods Mae likes. You would think that she was the one in the relationship with Mae.

I look over at the clock and see that it is already ten in the morning. As much as I love laying here holding Mae, we need to get up and get ready to go. I brush some hair from her face and kiss her forehead. She stirs and smiles sweetly.

“Good morning, Baby,” I whisper to her.

“MMMMM. Morning. What time is it?” Her voice is raspy and deeper than normal.

“It’s ten. Are you feeling alright? Your voice sounds off.” I am genuinely concerned because Mae never sounds like this, even first thing in the morning.

“Yeah. I think my throat is just dry. Don’t worry, I’m not trying to get out of meeting your family.” She chuckles at herself.

It has been an ongoing joke this week that she would try to weasel her way out of the lunch. She is nervous to meet my family, which is understandable. After all the stories that I have told her, I’m sure they make her nervous.

“I know you aren’t because I would hunt you down if you did.” she starts laughing, and it is music to my ears.

*******

As we pull up into my parent’s driveway I look over and see her playing with her fingers, her nervous habit. I place my hand on hers and give her a big smile.

“You’ll do fine.”

“What if they don’t like me? What if they think I’m a gold digger or something?” She has that deer caught in the headlights look on her face.

“They are going to love you, and if anything they are going to suffocate you with all their attention.”

We get out of the car and walk up to the door only to find it open already. There stands my three-year-old niece looking up at me. She puts her arms in the arm and makes the pick-me-up motion.

“Mae, this is Macy, my niece. Macy, this is Mae.”

“Hi, Macy. You look pretty today.” Macy blushes and jumps down from my arms. She takes off running into the house screaming as we follow.

“Mommy. Untle Alex is here with his hot piece of ass.”

My face pales as I hear what she says. Mae bursts out laughing, and I can hear my sister and mother yelling at my brother for teaching her those words. Macy has problems saying certain words so for her to get most of that sentence out perfectly means that she has been practicing.

“I am so sorry for my child. Her Uncle Todd thought it would be great to teach her some new words.” My sister Katie says as she walks over to us.

“It’s fine. I thought it was cute. Although I would describe myself as that.” Mae says giggling.

“I would. If I were straight I’d do ya.” Todd says while walking over.

His husband Eric follows behind him and slaps the back of his head. The two of them act more like best friends than a married couple. They were friends all through our childhood, and once they went to separate colleges the first year things changed. They realized that they couldn’t stand to be apart and they loved each other.

“Stop being an ass. I’m right here you douche. Hi, I’m Eric the normal one in the relationship.” He sticks his hand out and shakes Mae’s.

We stand here for a few minutes talking until my mother calls us to all come into the living room where the old people and kids are. I look over to Mae and notice that any nervousness that she had is now gone. She has a carefree smile on her lips, and she glows.

“Alex, she’s gorgeous. Honey, are you sure you want to go out with this boy? I mean, you look like a smart woman, maybe you should think about it.” My jaw hits the floor as I hear what my mother has to say to Mae.

“I’m pretty sure Mam. I love Alex even if he is below my league.” I look at Mae and can’t believe my ears.

The two of them burst out into laughter as I stand there looking around wondering what in the hell just happened. My father sits there and is doing his best to not laugh, but it doesn’t take long for him to start as well.

“My name is Jacki and this is my husband Ronald. We are so glad to finally get to meet you. Alex has told us so much about you that I feel like we already know you.” My mom pulls Mae into a hug.

For the next few minutes, Mae and my parents talk and get aquatinted while I go and round up the kids. Macy, of course, is the easiest to get a hold of, but her older twin brothers, Nathan and James are another story.

At five years old the twins are into everything. They love pranking people so the entire time that they are around me, I am looking over my shoulder to see what kind of tricks they are planning. Their father, Sam, has taught them well.

Sam and Katie were high school sweethearts who married and are living the American dream. Sam works as an accountant while Katie stays at home with the kids. The two of them make it all work, and I still can’t figure out the secret of how.

Once we are all sitting around the table we dig into lunch and the conversation is started about how Mae and I met. Katie asks Mae what she thought of me that first day. I sit waiting patiently to hear what she thought.

“He was very distracting. I was nervous because I knew that it would be a hard sell to the couple, so I was trying to be on my a game. He kept looking at me and smiling, and I felt like my face was going to burst into flames.” Everyone laughs at this, and Mae smiles.

“What did you think about her son?” My dad asks.

“I thought she was simply amazing. She’s beautiful without realizing it, and she was just so different from all the women that I’ve been around. I was honestly trying to figure out a way to get her to go out with me.” I took her hand and kissed it as I said all this.

After that conversations broke out between the men, and then the women were talking about something different. I sat and watched as Mae interacted with my mom and sister. It was like they had been good friends for years. They all three had smiles on their faces, and they were laughing. I even heard plans about going shopping and out to eat together soon.

All this made me see that I had been missing so much in life that I never knew. I want a family of my own. I want the craziness of kids running around and family dinners. I want all of this, and I want it with Mae. She will be moving in with me, and that will be the start.

Later that evening, we head over to Mae’s to start packing some of her things. We decided that we would move into my house since it’s bigger and I own it. As we walk up to her door, I notice there is some splintered wood around her nob.

“Wait out here and call the police. I think you’ve been broken into.” Mae’s face morphs into a horrified look.

She nods and steps back to make the call. I lightly push on the door and can tell that it is open. As the door swings into the room, I see broken furniture and stuff all over the floor. I step into the living room and see broken dishes all on the kitchen floor. I turn and go back out into the hall to see a crying Mae.

“Is it bad?” She asks, sobbing.

“Yeah, they did a good bit of damage. I’m so sorry, Baby.” I pull her into my arms and hold her close.

The police arrive, and we find out that there have been multiple break-ins in this building today. All of Mae’s valuables were taken, and everything else was ruined. After going through the apartment with the police, we were able to gather what we could salvage. It only amounted to some closes and a few pictures, but it was better than nothing. We made plans to come back tomorrow to go through the rest.

Mae’s landlord was very understanding, and when we told him she would be breaking her lease, he was willing to let her out with no penalties for leaving early. I called my assistant and told him that I’ll be taking the day off tomorrow, and possibly even the next day.

Rosetta, Max, and Erica all turn up at my house that evening to check on Mae. She was shaken but still smiling. They were all happy for our news of living together but upset at the apartment break-in. That night Mae was plagued with nightmares, and I did all I could to reassure her she was safe.

As She finally falls back asleep I vow to myself that I will keep her safe. I will be the one to keep her safe for the rest of her life.

Chapter 17

Mae

Going through your possessions is an arduous task. Going through them after they’ve been ruined, is hell. I have never been one to keep lots of stuff around. I don’t do the nick nacks, and I don’t collect anything. The things that I did have held value to me and my life.

My photos of family and friends were hanging on the walls or set on things throughout the apartment. Most of them are now in broken frames and scratched beyond repair. The few little trinkets that I had have been broken and are now being swept up by Rosetta.

Alex and Max are handling getting all of the broken furniture out. Who breaks into someone’s home and trashes the sofa and bed to the point of being unusable? My dining table looks like it was kicked to pieces.

I’ve run through all the emotions today, and it’s exhausting. Erica has helped me try and go through my clothes, and we have had to stop several times because I am crying or angry. A huge part of me thinks that this was not just a break-in. The police assure me that it is just like the others in the building. That does little to console me.

Sitting on the floor, going through my clothes, I start to notice that most of them are slashed. Even the ones hanging in the closet. Who does this to a stranger? I hear a knock on the door and see it open, revealing my parents. Max must have called them.

“Pumpkin, are you alright?” My father says as he walks through the door.

I rush into his arms and hold on tight. My dad has always been my protector, and I still need that reassurance from him. My mom runs her fingers through my hair just as she always has. Their comfort is something that I desperately needed today.

Alex and Max walk into the room and immediately stop. Both are covered in sweat and dirt from all the going up and down the stairs. Alex’s eyes go wide, and I can tell he wanted to make a better first impression.

“Mom, Dad, this is Alex, my boyfriend that I told you about. Alex, these are my parents Mitchell and Barbara.” Alex wipes his hands on his pants and gives a nervous smile. He walks over to shake their hands.

“I’m sorry for my appearance. I was hoping to meet you under better circumstances.” He says, shaking my dad’s hand.

“Son, from what we have heard from Mae and Max, you have made the best first impression possible. You were here for our daughter when she needed you. That makes you good in our books.” My dad says smiling at Alex.

“Mae, we have gotten all of the furniture taken out, and the bags of trash are gone. What do you we have left?” Rosetta asks.

“Just bagging up the rest of these clothes. Alex and I got everything last night that was salvageable. I was hoping to find more today, but I was not so lucky.” I shrug my shoulders as I say this.

“What do you need, honey?” My mom asks.

“Clothes mostly. Erica is out right now getting me a few things to tide me over until I can go shopping. The weirdos stole all of my underwear.” My dad and Alex jerk their heads in my direction at those words.

“They stole your underwear?” Alex says. I nod my head.

Alex looks over at my dad, and my dad looks at him. There is something that the two of them are not telling me. I let it go for now, but I will be asking about it. We finish up cleaning and go and turn the keys in.

Alex invites them all over to the house to have some take-out. He says it is his way of saying thank you for the help. We order a ton of Mexican food and kick back and relax.

My father and Alex are getting along great. My mom thinks he’s wonderful, and so she is happy that I gave love another chance. They were never fans of Tanner, but they let me make my own choices.

“It’s a good thing that the two of you had already decided to move in together. Who would’ve known that all your stuff would be ruined or stolen.” My mom says while eating.

“Yeah, I’m having a hard time understanding all this. I had been in that apartment since I left your house and had never had any problems. I had felt so safe there since there were never really any break-ins before. I went through a lot in that little apartment.” I sigh as I say this.

“Just think of this as a new chapter in your life. You are moving forward with Alex. You two seem to be so happy together and you are going to love being with him all the time.” My mom says. Erica walks over and joins in.

“Think of it as saying goodbye to the past and hello to the future,” Erica says smiling.

The rest of the night we all spend laughing at stories my parents insist on telling about my childhood. Alex learns all of my most embarrassing memories and the twinkle in his eye, lets me know that I won’t hear the end of it for quite some time. He wraps an arm around me and kisses my temple and I feel my fears melt away.

“We are gonna head home, sweetie. Alex, take care of our girl.” My mom says.

We all say our goodnights and Alex and I are left alone. Even though I have stayed here multiple times it is different knowing that I’m going to live here. We wash up the dishes and get e everything downstairs cleaned up. As we walk up the stairs I feel Alex take my hand.

He leads me into the bathroom where he starts running water into the huge tub that is in here. He undresses and then turns and starts removing my clothes as well. He helps me into the tub and gets in behind me, pulling me back against his chest.

“You’ve had a rough couple of days. So relax and just let it all out.” He says while rubbing my shoulders.

Magically it seems to do the trick because all my pent-up emotions spring free. I sob loudly letting it all come out. The pain of seeing Tanner again, the disappointment of Alex just standing there, and finally the break-in comes flowing out. Arms wrap around me and hold me tightly. The support that I need is here in these arms.

“No matter what Mae, I will always be here. I love you and I will spend the rest of my life proving that to you. I will never let anyone hurt you and I will love you with all that I have.” Alex whispers in my ear.

I have no idea how long we stay like this, but it relaxes me. Once we get out Alex takes his time and dries us both off. He then takes me to bed and shows me just how much he loves me. We fall asleep in each other’s arms forgetting all the cares of the world.

I wake the next morning to find Alex isn’t in bed. I look around the room and notice he isn’t anywhere in here. I hear yelling coming from downstairs. I can’t make out who it is so I quickly get some clothes on and head down.

“I told you she doesn’t want to talk to you. I think you should leave before you upset her again!” Alex yells.

“Cut the bullshit, Alex! I know she’ll want to see me!”

The voice I hear makes me want to scream. I had hoped that by telling him I didn’t want to see him anymore that he would have gotten the message. Tanner is more stubborn than I thought. I walk up to Alex and place my hand on his shoulder.

“What are you doing here Tanner?” I say in an irritated voice.

“I thought you may need some comfort after your break-in. But your apartment was empty when I got there.” Tanner says with a smirk.

“I did need comfort and I got it from my boyfriend Alex. I think that it’s best if you leave.” I turn to walk away when I feel a hand grab my wrist.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing Tanner? Get your hands off her! She doesn’t want to see you so back off.” Alex says as I turn to look at Tanner who has my wrists.

“Ladybug, please let me explain,” Tanner begs.

I shake his hand off and look at Alex. I nod my head and Alex starts pushing Tanner out the door. I have no intention of listening to his pitiful excuses. I hear Tanner yelling and Alex pushing him out the door and slamming it shut. I sit down on the couch and put my head in my hands.

“Why after all these years is he so hell-bent on explaining? He knew where I lived the whole time.” I ask as Alex sits next to me.

“Because he is a spoiled ass brat, who hates when someone has something he doesn’t. We can get a restraining order if you want.” Alex rubs my back.

“No, I’ll hold off until I think he will be a problem. He’ll forget about it in a few days when he finds a new girl to bang.”

Chapter 18

Alex

A week has passed since Mae has moved into my house, and it has been the best week of my life. Waking up with her in my arms is amazing. Even though we have been staying with each other almost every night since we have been dating, this is different. Our two separate spaces have now merged into one. I have expected us to have small arguments over stuff, but we haven’t. We have talked out about anything that we haven’t agreed on.

“If I didn’t know any better, I would say that you have a shit-eating grin on your face.” I look up to see Xavier standing in my office.

“Hey man. I didn’t think you’d be back yet.” I get and go slap him on the back.

Xavier looks good and happy. The honeymoon must have done him a world of good. He’s tan and looks like he finally got rid of some of that stress that he carries around. Xavier is one of those CEOs that work just as hard, if not harder, than his employees. He wants to make this company a success and to be able to leave something to his children.

“Yeah, I was ready to head back, and Chelsea was ready for me to come back. The honeymoon was over, and I was getting in her way.” He laughs at this. “But back to you. What’s got you so happy?”

“Mae moved in with me,” I say with a huge smile.

“I see now why you are smiling like an idiot. What brought this on?”

I go through and tell Xavier everything that happened after Tanner figured out who Mae was. To say he was shocked was an understatement. He was thankful that we kept things calm at his wedding, but he was worried about how Tanner had been acting since.

“You know that Declan has always been my friend, and by proxy, Tanner has too. But this is too much for Mae to have to deal with. She doesn’t want to get a restraining order to protect you and your friendship with Tanner and Declan. Watch her closely. I wouldn’t put it past Tanner to do something stupid.” Xavier says with a tone that worries me.

“You think he may hurt her?” I almost can’t get the words out of my mouth.

“I wouldn’t think so, but then again, I would think that he would have a secret fiancee either. You know Chelsea, and I adore Mae. We wouldn’t want to see her get hurt in any way.”

Xavier seems to be genuine in his feelings on the subject. I know that he like the rest of us is blown away to find out that someone we thought we knew has a secret life that he was hiding from us. I want to push forward and enjoy my life with Mae.

*****

I walk into the house that night and smell something heavenly. I set my stuff to the side and follow the scent to the kitchen. I watch silently as Mae puts the finishing touches on what looks to be steak with a salad and baked potato. My heart fills with joy to see that she is smiling as she does this.

Mae and I had this huge discussion on what we felt would be a good slipt on the chores around the house. We both like order and cleanliness, so it was easy for us to work together on the house. Mae has wanted to cook most nights, and I think she likes the thought of me enjoying her food.

Mae is one of those people who enjoy showing their love through the things that they do. Her parents have always been that way, and she picked up the habits from them. She tells me constantly that she loves me, but the actions speak louder than words.

“So how long are you going to stand there and creep on me?” She says with her back still turned to me.

“Forever if you’ll let me.” she giggles at this.

“You think you can stand me forever?” She asks as she sets our plates on the table.

Mae has this adorable smirk on her face that she gets when she is teasing me. I walk over and wrap my arms around her. I kiss her with all the passion that I could possibly give and hear her moan slightly.

“If it is with you, then yes. I could do forever.” I look in her eyes and see the same love and devotion there that I feel for her.

We sit and eat together talking about our days. She and Max came up with some new chocolate mousse concoction that she wants me to try. Her smile lights up the room as she talks. I tell about Xavier being back and his concerns over Tanner. She of course says that she thinks he got the picture and that things are fine the way they are.

I still feel that we need to be careful, and she agrees to be on the lookout for anything that could be off. She smiles and takes my hand reassuring me that she is fine and it will all be forgotten soon enough.

After we finishing eating we wash dishes together and sit down to watch so television. Mae lays her head in my lap and I run my fingers through her hair as she starts to relax.

“If you don’t stop I’ll fall asleep.” She says in a voice that sounds not very tired.

“That’s a problem why?” I ask, knowing what she is really after.

“Well, I thought that you may want to fool around so…..” She trails off.

“I want to fool around, or you do?” I ask raising my brow.

I do this all the time to get her to come right out and say what she wants. As long as we have been together she still has a hard time asking for sex. She gets all shy on me at times, and I can’t help but want to tease her about it.

“I mean, I wouldn’t be opposed to the idea.” She says looking anywhere but my face.

I pull her up from her position and lay her back on the couch. I lay on top of her and just stare at her. I don’t make another move or make a sound. She keeps looking at me and I see the confusion on her face.

“Why aren’t you doing anything?” She huffs out.

“I don’t know what you want. You have to tell me.” I am trying so hard to not laugh at her frustration.

“But you were the one who…” I cut her off.

“No, you are the one who wants it but can’t seem to bring yourself to ask. So, my beautiful girlfriend what do you want me to do to you?” I run my nose along her neck breathing in her scent.

I hear her breath catch as I do this and I feel her squirming around under me. I know that I am torturing the poor woman, but I want to hear her say it. I want to hear those things that she won’t tell anyone else, the things that make her moan for more.

“I want you to take me and make me completely yours all over again.” She whispers in my ear.

“You want me to take you huh. So if I do this will you like it?” I sit her up and lift her shirt off. “Or how about this?”

I start kissing her all over her shoulders and making my way up her neck. She moans and wraps her arms around me. I continue my assault on her until she is a moaning mess. I pick her up and take her to our room. As I lay her down, I give her a smirk and a wink. As I take off my clothes I look at her and she smiles.

“Get ready Baby. I am going to make you mine all over again.”

I spend the rest of the night doing just that. Once she is tired and fully sated I hold her in my arms. This is the life that I have always wanted. She is the perfect woman that I have always dreamed of. Now all I have to do is enjoy this life and live it to the fullest with her.

Chapter 19

Mae

The last six months have been the best of my life. Alex and I have been dating and living together. I never thought I would click so well with someone that I felt like he was my soul mate. But, with Alex, that seems to be the case. We have gotten into a perfect groove at home, and I think that we’re working well as a team. The is the first time that I have ever lived with anyone other than my family, and I honestly thought we would have more problems.

Other than the occasional argument over something small we haven’t had any fights. The only major issue we have ever had was that night of the rehearsal dinner. I know that this won’t last forever, but I am enjoying every second of this.

“Hey, Mae, I need your help getting this cake out of the oven. This bastard is heavy, and I don’t want any breaks in it.” Max yells from the other side of the kitchen.

I rush over and help him pull the massive sheet cake from the oven. Orders have continued to come in fast after the wedding cake I did from Xavier and Chelsea. The cake was featured in a local magazine article, and since then, I have been in high demand. Max has stepped up and helped me to be able to fulfill a lot of the orders by handling the baking end of the cakes. I have had to do most of the designs, but he is coming along with his work.

As we set the cake onto the counter, I’m overcome with a wave of dizziness. I start swaying, and luckily Max catches me in time so that I don’t hit the floor. He leads me to a chair and hands me a bottle of water.

“Babe, are you alright?” His voice sounds worried as he squats down in front of me.

“I think so. I just suddenly felt dizzy and faint. It was weird.” I sip the water and rest my head in one of my hands.

“Has it ever happened before?” He questions.

“No. You know me, I’m not one to get sick very often.” I give him a soft smile as I continue to sip the water.

“Just take it easy for a few minutes, and if you don’t feel any better, I’ll call Alex and have him come get you. I’m not playing around with your health.” He gives me a mock stern look, and I giggle at him.

After a few minutes, I’m feeling better, and I get back to work. The afternoon flies by, and soon it’s time for me to head home. I get home and feel a little tired, so I lay down on the bed and take a nap. I wake up to find Alex running his fingers through my hair.

“Hey, Baby. Are you feeling alright? It’s not like you to be napping.” He whispers.

“I got dizzy at work today for a little while. It went away pretty fast. But then when I got home, I was really tired.” I say sitting up. He places his hand on my forehead.

“You feel a little warm. You think maybe that you are coming down with something?” He has concerned in his eyes and his voice.

“Not sure. I feel like being lazy tonight.” I smile at him.

“I’ll order take out, and we’ll sit in bed eat, and watch bad movies.” He kisses my forehead, and I smile even bigger. “I have to make sure my girl is feeling better.”

The rest of the night is spent doing what he said. I don’t know what I did to deserve Alex, but I thank God that I did it. The man makes me feel like I am the most important person on the planet. I fall asleep knowing that he is everything that I want and need in life.

I wake up just before my alarm with the unrelenting need to vomit. I get up and run to the bathroom, barely making it in time. I heave my guts up and feel like there is no end in sight. I feel Alex come up behind me and pull my hair back from my face. He rubs my back as I continue to be sick.

Once I finish Alex hands me a washcloth to clean my face with as I lean back against the wall. The dizziness is back with a vengeance and I can barely keep my head up. Alex then hands me mouthwash to clean the taste out of my mouth.

“I’m making you an appointment. There is something wrong. And don’t say it’s just a bug. You never get that pose things. I’ll stay and take you.”

“Don’t stay, I can get my mom to go with me. I know you have tons to do at work. I promise to let you know what is going on.”

I can see the hesitation in his eyes. He doesn’t want to leave me, but he has a big account that he has meetings for today. I know that if I am this sick, I can’t be in the bakery working on people’s food just in case.

“Only if you promise to call me as soon as you know. I will sit and worry all day if you don’t.” He looks more concerned than he should be.

“I promise. Now help me to bed, and let me call my mom.”

Hours later, I am sitting with my mom waiting for the doctor to come back into the room. They had taken some blood and had me pee in a cup to rule out several things. My mom is afraid that I have some sort of infection in my body so she is panicking a little.

“Well, Mae your blood work shows no signs of infection. You said that you have been on birth control for years correct? And you’re sexually active?” The doctor asks.

“Yeah, I’ve been on it since I was eighteen. I also live with my boyfriend.” My thoughts are running wild.

“I am going to check one more thing. I’ll be back in a moment.” He turns and walks out the door.

My mother turns and looks at me. She has that eureka look on her face like she has just discovered the truth. I start shaking my head as I realize what they are both thinking. I have never missed a pill and most of the time Alex wears a condom. How in the world could this happen?

The door opens again and the doctor walks in with a smile on his face. My mother gasps and puts her hand over her mouth. I don’t have to hear the words to know the results of that test he wanted to do. I’m pregnant.

“Congratulations Mae. You are going to be a mommy. I am going to have the ultrasound tech come in and we’ll see how far along you are.”

Over the next hour, I learn that I am three months pregnant and that my baby is perfect. My chest feels like it is going to explode from how fast my heart is beating. The moment that little baby appears on the screen I fall in love. My mother has tears running down her face as she watches. The tech prints out pictures and smiles at us both. This moment will forever be a part of my life and I couldn’t be happier.

My mother drops e off at Alex’s office so that I can tell him what is going on. He has been texting me nonstop wanting to know what is wrong. I walk into the elevator with a smile on my face. When the doors reopen I see Mark sitting behind his desk smiling at me.

“Hey, you. How are you feeling? Alex has been freaking out all day.” He smiles as he gives me a hug.

“I’m doing better. Is he in his office?” Mark nods and I head straight into his office.

“Baby, what are you doing here? I thought you would be heading back home and resting. What did the doctor say?” He wraps his arms around me, and I hug him tightly.

“I have some news for you.” He pulls back and looks at me. “You’re gonna be a Daddy.”

Alex’s eyes light up, and the smile that comes across his face is brilliant. He picks me up and kisses me, swinging us around in a circle. I had hoped he would be happy but I never thought he would be this happy. He places me back down on the ground and kisses me some more.

“Sorry for that. You were dizzy, and I just spun you around. I’m just so happy that I lost control. We’re having a baby.” His eyes sparkle with happiness.

He runs out his office door and tells Mark to call Xavier and for them to both get in here when he gets here. He is acting like a kid in a candy store. His smile hasn’t dimmed a bit, and he seems to be so excited that he can’t contain himself.

“What’s the big deal, man?” Xavier asks as they walk into the office.

“I’m gonna be a dad!” Xavier and Mark lose it, and both of them run up and hug us.

I can see that his friends are very happy for us as they are all smiles. This moment shows me that any fears that I ever had about spending my life with this man were totally wrong. We are perfect together, and nothing could change that.

Chapter 20

Mae

The following weekend we invited both of our families over to have dinner and so that we could share our good news with them. Alex was over the moon and couldn’t wait to tell our families. I have already told Max and Erica and threatened them with death if they spilled the beans early.

Alex is making dinner, and I of course was taking care of the desert. I was making a cake that had a small baby hidden in the center of the cake. It was large enough that no one would choke on it, and it was plastic.

We wanted to surprise everyone with it, and I couldn’t wait to see who got the baby first. I was finishing setting the table when the doorbell rang.

“Hi! Come on in!” My parents were the first to arrive, and I could see Alex’s family following close behind.

We spend the first ten minutes introducing everyone to each other, and then Alex leads them to the dining room as I head to the kitchen. I bring the food out and join the party. I look around the table and find that I am than I ever thought possible.

“I think that this is the first time in years that I have seen you this happy,” Ronald says to Alex.

“I’m happier than I have ever been. Mae makes my life better than I ever could have imagined.” He grabs my hand and kisses it.

“Did you ever find out who broke into your apartment?” My mother asks.

I think back to the day that the detective called me and gave me the last update on the case. After weeks of nothing, he calls and tells me that they have no suspects and that there was not enough evidence on the scene to lead to anything strong enough to point to anyone. My heart sunk when he told me all this. He not only didn’t give me any answers, but he sounded as if he was bored with the whole thing.

“No, they didn’t. Apparently, there wasn’t enough evidence that would point to a suspect.” I sigh as I finish.

“So, they just left you high and dry?” My father asks.

“Yeah. Unless something magically comes up, then I am out of luck. I hope that it was something random and that I never have to deal with anything like that again.”

Everyone around the table agrees with me that I was given a crappy deal with all this. Without Alex and my friends, I would have been in a mess. A smile comes to my face as I think about Alex. That man has proven to be the best thing that has ever happened to me.

I bring out the pieces of cake, making sure that one of them has the baby in it. They are all on a tray, so I have no clue who will get the cake. I walk around and let everyone get their cake.

“This looks so good, Mae,” Todd says as he digs into the cake.

Todd gets to his second bite and stops. He rolls it around in his mouth and then pulls out the baby. He stops and looks at it and then looks at Alex. Alex has a huge smile on his face, and his brother’s eyes widen.

“No way!” Todd yells.

Everyone stops and looks at him like he’s grown a second head. He holds the baby out in front of him for everyone to see. The faces around the table are hilarious. All of them are in shock. They range from overjoyed to a deer caught in headlights.

“Tell me it’s true Mae?” My dad asks with tears in his eyes.

“It’s true. Alex and I are going to have a baby!”

The room erupts in cheers as both families start losing it. Both sets of parents flock to us and begin giving the hugs of congratulations. My dad and mom are both crying since this is their first grandchild. Alex’s mom gives me a huge hug and a thank you.

Katie comes flying up to her brother and holds on for dear life. She is beyond happy and it shows in the tears streaming down her face. Alex is equally as happy as he has some tears in his eyes as well. Everyone finally settles down and starts to finish their cake.

“I just want to say to everyone here, that Mae and I couldn’t be happier about this. We know that we have moved a little faster than most relationships, but when you know, you know.” He turns to me. “Mae I know that this is all going really fast but I promise to take care of you. I will make your life the happiest it could possibly be if you’ll let me.”

The next thing I know Alex is down on one knee. His face is flushed and he has sweat around his brow. He’s nervous and I couldn’t find it any cuter.

“I love you with my whole being. Please do me the honor of letting me love you for the rest of our lives. Will you marry me?”

Alex pulls a ring out of his pocket and I smile wildly. This man has surprised me at every turn. When I thought that I was done with love, he showed up and showed me that I was just waiting for him. When I thought that he would leave me because of Tanner, he proved he trusted me above all others. There was only one answer that I could give.

Alex

Kneeling down and waiting for her to answer had to be the longest moment of my life. I knew that without a doubt she was everything that I wanted in life. There could never be another girl who would hold a candle to the amazing person she is.

I look into those tear-filled eyes and know that my future lays with her and our child. She has given me the hope that I was longing for.

“Of course I’ll marry you! You’re my everything!” She pulls me up and kisses me senselessly.

I pull back and slip the ring on her finger and smile. There is nothing in this world that will keep me from worshiping this woman for the rest of my life. All that I have done in life has been leading to this moment in time. A moment where I finally get the girl of my dreams.

“This has to be the best night ever!” Katie yells as she hugs us both.

My sister has always wanted to see me happy and to gain the sister she always wanted. Tonight just seals the deal for her to get her wishes. We spend the next hour talking and listening to how excited everyone is for the wedding and baby.

The women are all in planning mode and are ready to get this show on the road. The moms pretty much had the whole thing planned out before Mae and I even had a chance to set a date!

I look at Mae and she is glowing. The happiness in her eyes makes everything worth it. All the years of waiting and hoping were worth the sight before me. I could sit and look at her like this forever.

Once everyone finally leaves, Mae looks worn out. I clean up the kitchen and dining room and send her to our room for a long soak in the tub to relax. She works so hard already that I am worried about how the pregnancy is going to affect her. She loves what she does, but I don’t want her to risk her health to do it.

Once I finish I head to the bedroom and see that she is already laying on the bed. She smiles at me and pats beside her. I undress and get in and snuggle up to her.

“Thanks for cleaning up for me.” She says running her hand through my hair.

“My pleasure my love. I don’t want you overdoing it.” I lean up and kiss her.

“I know you’re worried. I’ll do my best to take it easy. I don’t want to hurt myself or the baby either.” She gives me a kiss back.

I chuckle at her and she gives me that breath-taking smile of hers. I know that no matter what I will do anything to see that smile on her face. I would move heaven and earth for her.

“So, Alex. You gonna let me ride that bologna pony?”

I swallow hard and nod my head. She’s getting braver by the day and I like it. I spend the better part of my night doing that. Letting her get her fill, with whatever she wants. I’m spent by the early morning hours, but it is all worth it for my girl.