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“Time will tell, brother. Time will tell.”
“This is the beginning of the future we talked about.” I need to believe it. Not just for Caleb and Jordin’s future but for mine and Lexy’s. I just hope she understands when I tell her.
Chapter Forty-Two
“Areyousurethisis what you want?” I asked my mom for the third time since she told me she was leaving after Eric’s funeral to stay with my aunt.
“I’m sure, sweetheart. I need to clear my head and get away from here. I do wish you would change your mind about coming with me. I don’t like the thought of you staying here alone.”
“I can’t take any more time from school than I already have. Besides, nothing will happen while Saint is here. He’ll make sure of that.”
She zips the suitcase, the teeth interlocking and traveling along the length of the case until the items inside are secure. Taking a seat next to me, she places her hand in mine.
“Eric is gone now. He’s never coming back. So, I won’t sit back and pretend to be ignorant of what’s going on between you and Saint any longer.”
Stunned, I open my mouth to deny it when she stops me.
“Don’t lie to me, Alexa. You’ve been, how shall I put this, intimate with him for some time now, haven’t you?”
Sweat gathers in my palms when I nod twice.
“I’m sorry, mom. I tried so hard to fight it. To stay away from him, but in the end, we just couldn’t do it.”
Her eyes twinkle with the slightest smile. “Are you in love with him?”
“Yes,” I answered honestly.
“Does he love you?”
“Yes.” My eyes cast around my mom’s walk-in closet where Eric’s suits still hang immaculately pressed. “There is so much against us right now with the wedding, but we want to be together more than anything.”
Her face sours in confusion. “If Saint wants to be with you, why not just call the whole thing off? If you want to be together, then you should. Eric’s not here to stop you. Why should Ian?”
“You don’t understand, Mom. Ian’s a very dangerous man. If Saint calls off the wedding now, it could bring trouble to our door for the rest of our lives.”
“I understand men like Ian more than you know, sweetheart.”
She gazes into the distance, her eyes carrying the weight of the past few weeks. “Eric pursued me for a long time before I agreed to marry him. He implanted himself into my life with a death grip so tight I feared he’d never let go.” A tear tracks down her cheek. “There’s so much I didn’t tell you about your father. About the things I did to protect him and keep him safe from men like Eric. Except it was all in vain. As soon as Eric laid eyes on me, that was it. When your father died, Eric was relentless. He wooed me and promised me the world. That he would look after you as his own. That you would want for nothing for the rest of your life. Slowly, I began to fall in love. After the wedding, I learned how much of a liar he was. How dangerous he truly was. I was so scared, Alexa. Scared for the longest time. I saw too many times the type of man Eric was. Felt it with every strike of his hand. That wasn’t love.” Her lip trembles. “He was an abuser of women, a cheater, and… a murderer.”
My eyes water with tears of my own.
“Mom. I’m so sorry. I had no idea he did those things to you. That he was hurting you like that.”
Guilt like nothing I’ve ever felt grips my chest.
“You have absolutely nothing to apologize for. You couldn’t have known. No one did, except your aunt.”
I squeeze her hand. “I’m glad you had someone to talk to about what was happening.”
“She begged me to leave him, and believe me, I thought about it. Eric would have found us. He swore he would. The pain of being with him was less than the pain of knowing what he would do to you if I ran.”
“Oh, mom.”
“Don’t worry about me, sweetheart. I’m going to be just fine. I promise.” She wraps an arm around my shoulders, her fingers gently stroking my hair, squeezing her body tight to mine. “I made the wrong choice with Eric. You’re an adult now, and I can’t tell you what to do or force you to do something against your will. As your mother, the only thing I can offer you now is advice on your choices. So, I will say this. Don’t jump until you’re one hundred percent sure in your heart that Saint is the one you really want to be with and that he’ll look after you in the way you deserve. Choosing him means you choose a life that is filled with dangerous people, and I couldn’t live with myself if anything happened to you. You’re all I have left in the world. You’re my heart.”
“Mom,” I cry, and she hugs me tighter, her motherly touch a soothing balm.
We hold each other for the longest time, even after Chains comes in to tell us her car was waiting to take her to the airport.
