Faithfully (6 page)

             
“I know, but this isn’t for him, it is for Alex. You instilled in me that lying is wrong, but you also taught me that family and close friends are what makes us who we are, and if we don’t have either then we aren’t someone anyone will want to be around. I should thank you for that, too, because who knows if I would of held on so tight to Lexi and Derek if you didn’t. Johnny is Alex’s Lexi, so I have to do this for him. Get what I’m saying?” I asked with a smile and a wink.  

              My dad let out a chuckle. “I get what you are saying. When are you getting home to those beauties of mine, or are you planning on sitting here with your old man all night?”

Crap,
I had lost track of time and forgot to place the food order in the kitchen. I was really falling apart on the mom front. I quickly looked up at the clock and saw that was close to five. The girls were used to eating at five or shortly after. I grabbed my cell and texted Alex that I would be there soon. I had a change of plans and was now picking up Subway for dinner. I told him he would need to pull out some fruit for the girls to go along with it. I stood up and kissed my dad on the top of the head. I loved him so much.

             
“I’m heading home now.”

             
“Bri, I love you.”

             
“A bushel and a peck,” I finished our saying before I turned to walk out. When I got to the door I looked back at him. He was putting his glasses back on, and I realized how lucky I was to have him as a father, and how I always took him and my mother for granted. I quietly closed the door, walked out the side exit, and around to my car. 

             
I managed to pick up our dinner and get home a little before five thirty. The girls were already sitting at the table that was set. Alex met me at the door and took the bags. He told me to have a seat with the girls. The girls and I talked, and Lily told me they were able to get all of her homework done. Alex passed out the plates.

             
“Wait, Alex, I think you screwed up. I got strawberries instead of chips.” Josie looked from her plate to mine and then up at Alex. Alex knelt down and talked to Josie.

             
“I thought these would be healthier, and if you have chips now, we can’t have popcorn when we watch the movie later. Popcorn is our favorite, and I’d be sad if I couldn’t have any.” He kissed her on the head as he stood. He looked over at me and I shot him a small smile as a thank you. If Josie knew I wanted them to eat fruit over chips, it would have been a small argument, but Alex seemed to understand, and she was fine with his explanation.

             
It wasn’t a great family dinner, but it was a family dinner. We all sat around the table and the girls shared about their day. We explained to them what would happen the next few days since we would be gone, and the girls seemed excited to stay with my parents. When we were done, we each cleaned off our plates and put them in the dishwasher. Alex and the girls went to put the movie in and I went to put on sweatpants and a hoodie. It felt good to get out of the dress clothes.

             
When I got downstairs, Josie and Jasmine were already curled up with Alex on the couch, and Lily was waiting for me on the love seat. She patted the spot next to her. I quickly stretched out next to her and she melted into my side. I put my arm around her and my chin on her head. I was comfortable and wasn’t sure if I would be able to make it through the movie. The lack of sleep from the night before was starting to catch up to me.

             
I woke up feeling slightly panicked. The screen was blue, everyone was asleep on couches, and Jasmine was on the floor with a blanket. I carefully removed myself from Lily and got up to look at the clock. When I went into the kitchen, I let out a small sigh of relief, as the clock said it was only quarter to six.

I walked up the st
airs and jumped in the shower. I was glad it wasn’t going to be a rushed morning. As I was in the shower, I realized I still haven’t had the talk with Alex that I needed, and now I had to do it tonight in hopes he would still be willing to go tomorrow. I was trying to map out the day and plan a time to talk. The girls still needed to get everything packed and ready and I hadn’t started packing yet either.

             
I climbed out of the shower and did my morning routine. When I opened the door, Alex was leaning against the wall across from the bathroom. “Morning,” he said as he stood and walked over to me. He didn’t look as put together as he normally did in the mornings. His shirt and jeans were wrinkled and his hair was disheveled.

             
“Morning,” I said as I met him halfway, wrapping my arms around his waist. “I have to say you may have made my morning. You usually look like you come out of a magazine in the morning. It is good to know you are human.” Even when he spent the night, he never looked disheveled. His hair usually looked perfect and he never had morning breath, unlike me. I knew my breath was atrocious in the morning.

             
Alex chuckled and kissed my head. “I’ll go make some coffee.” He pushed me to arm’s length as he was talking. “You know, I think last night is one of my favorite nights ever.” He pulled me in for one more hug.

             
“Really? I know my dinner was impressive, but one of your favorite nights?” I didn’t understand why. We ate take out and fell asleep watching movies.

             
We separated again and he leaned back up against the wall. I stood in the middle of the hallway with my arms crossed over my robe. “Yep. When you don’t grow up with a family like this, you learn to appreciate the small family things that most take for granted.” I didn’t feel I took these things for granted, but never really appreciated them for what they were. We are all together, happy, and content.

             
I put my arms around his waist. “You are right, it was perfect. I know I rarely say it, but we are lucky to have you.” I looked up at him and into his eyes. “I love you, and I know the girls love you.”

             
Alex kissed me on my forehead. “Well, apparently they haven’t loved my breakfasts every morning.” I must have looked surprised, because the girls always ate whatever he cooked and thanked him. “Lily requested cereal when I got up this morning. Apparently she misses what her mom usually serves for breakfast. I now have even more time on my hands since I won’t be making eggs or pancakes anymore.” He pouted at me.

             
“I told you I was an exceptional cook, and apparently it has been missed.” We both started to laugh. “So the girls are up then? I’ll get dressed and help them get ready.”

             
“Yeah, they are eating cereal and watching Frozen since nobody seemed to finish it last night.” I gave him a look. “What? If I can’t win them with my cooking, then I will win them by letting them break a few rules. Now go get ready.” Alex turned me towards my door and swatted me on my ass. I wasn’t expecting it, so I let out a startled yelp and then laughed. I quickly got ready and forgot all about the talk that I needed to have with him.

             
I tried getting Alex to let me take the girls, but he wanted to let them watch a little bit more of the movie before taking them to school.

My day was busy, and after school the girls went to my parent’s house on the bus. I had to wrap up some sub plans and planning for Monday so I wouldn’t be stressed when I returned Sunday night. I was not feeling ready for this trip.

             
When I finally left the school, I pulled out my phone so I could let my mom know I was on my way. When I looked at it, I saw a text from Sam, and I did not want to open it at that moment.

             
Obviously you didn’t tell him, because I talked to him today. What is the plan now, genius?

             
I felt that was a little harsh, but true. My first instinct was to inform her I fell asleep and that it wasn’t avoidance, but really, at this point, it no longer mattered. I was screwed.

             
When I pulled into my parent’s house to pick up the girls, Alex’s Jeep was already in the driveway. I sat in the car an extra few seconds and let out a loud sigh. I knew I had to head inside. I was just glad my dad wasn’t there to add pressure on the truth front.

             
I walked in and nobody seemed to notice me. Alex was playing cards with the twins and my mother was showing Lily how to knit. I stood there and watched everyone for a minute before I heard Jasmine call Josie a cheater. I was starting to head over to handle it when Alex calmly talked to her and got the twins settled again.

             
That is when my mother noticed me and set the knitting down. We all set the table and had a nice dinner together. My dad was missing because he couldn’t get away from the pub. In the past, he was always able to sneak away for a short period to have dinner with us, but my mother said they needed the extra hands tonight. Inside I felt awful, and realized maybe it was time for my parents to sell.

             
When the girls were loading themselves into the car, Alex stood on the porch with me. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and I sank into his side. “Would you be upset if I stayed at my place tonight? I have a ton to do and I got nothing packed or ready today. I was on the phone with Eric setting up meetings with possible artists while we are out in LA. I should have talked to you first, but thought it would be easier to get it done in a day rather then fly a bunch of people here over for a week or two.” 

             
“No, it’s fine. I still have to pack and get the girls packed. With you at the studio during the day, it gives me time to spend with Sam.” I didn’t mind, but if he wasn’t around, I wasn’t sure how I was going to be able to talk to him about Portland. I was starting to feel the stress of this lie, and it was starting to lay heavier on my shoulders.

             
“Well, lucky for you that I love you, and before I went home today I packed the girl’s bags.” I was surprised and happy, yet scared, because the last few days with him getting the girls ready showed that the twin’s outfits were mismatched and many were popular in the 80’s. Alex immediately spoke up, probably sensing a little bit of my concern. “Don’t worry, I took an outfit out of their closets that were hung together for school, and the sweet puma track outfits for Saturday and jeans with a tee for Sunday. Your mom said she has underwear, pajamas and toothbrushes here.” I was amazed that he covered all his bases, and everything sounded legit to me. “The bags are already here as well, so you can go ahead and kiss me now.”

             
I turned towards him and got on my tiptoes to kiss him. “I don’t know how I have managed without you in my life. You are pretty freaking amazing.” I gave him little pecks between my words.

             
“Well you can show me just how amazing you think I am this weekend.” I was forgetting we were going to have a whole three nights alone together. Lately we were lucky to steal a few hours. We did get every Friday, but most of the time I was so exhausted from teaching all day and then running like crazy at the pub that I came home and crashed. I wasn’t very exciting.

             
“I better get going. I have to pack, and it is a shower night for the girls, plus bedtime is in less than two hours.” I was starting to feel the rush of the night’s start. I gave Alex one final quick kiss before heading to the car.

             
“I’ll see you in the morning!” Alex yelled out as he was walking over to his jeep. Before he climbed in, Josie grabbed him from behind. Alex picked her up, gave her a hug, and kissed her on her cheek. Those two had a bond, and at times I was jealous of it. Josie was my quiet child, and it was hard to get her to come out of her shell and even share what she was thinking or feeling. 

~6~

             
Like clockwork, Alex was outside the bathroom door when I exited the morning we were to fly to LA. He was holding my coffee and had a smile on his face. He looked amused, and I wasn’t sure what could be so funny so early in the morning. “What is your problem?” I spat out at him.

             
“Nothing.” He handed me my coffee. “I definitely don’t have a problem. If anything, I feel like it is Christmas.” I gave him a puzzled look, because I was clueless at what he was getting at. “I get three whole nights with you and you have to show me how amazing you think I am.” He had a smirk on his face.

             
The thought of it was already making me feel tingly inside, and I needed to get out of the perimeter he was standing in. I was excited about being alone with him. After I got dressed, I grabbed my bag and headed down the steps. I quickly went over everything that I thought I would need in my head. I figured if I forgot anything, Sam was there and I could borrow from her. That was the one convenience of having her in the same house as Alex out there. I had been so busy the night before packing, and with the girls the confession of the lie slipped my mind.

             
I set my bag by the entryway and walked into the kitchen where Lily and Jasmine were asking Alex question after question about LA. Josie sat on the counter next to Alex, holding his arm.

             
“Do you see famous people every day? I mean, like really famous, not like you famous.” I was about to correct Lily on her rudeness when Alex started to laugh.

             
“Well, it depends. How famous do you think I am? I mean on a scale from one to ten, with ten being One Direction.” Alex was looking at Lily, and Lily was really concentrating on the answer.

             
“I think it depends. I mean, before you moved here I saw you on the magazines a lot, so I would say a seven, maybe an eight, but now since you live here and nobody asks for your autograph, I think you are a solid four.” She pursed her lips and started to bob her head up and down, as if she was telling us that was her final number and she wasn’t budging.

             
I stood there for a second trying to put a number it in my own head. I was having trouble with giving Alex a number, because I rarely thought of him as famous anymore. In the beginning it was something I thought about a lot. Not because I was impressed or thought the thought of Alex from Awakening was amazing, but because I was worried the fame was going to do damage to the girls, though so far it hasn’t. The only person it seemed to be affecting in the family was my dad and the business.

             
“A four? Wow, looks like I have some work to do if I’m that far behind a boy band.” Alex seemed amused.

             
“Don’t worry, I think you rank higher than Justin Bieber. He’s turned into a loser.” Lily was so sure of herself.

             
“Lily, are you eight or eighteen? My goodness, you are wise beyond your years. You should be talking about My Little Ponies and Barbie Dolls.” I knew the reaction I was going to get from her. Last week I got in trouble twice with her, once for putting Sofia the First fruit snacks in her lunch bag and the second for kissing her on the top of the head in front of her friends at the lunch table. I hated how quickly she was growing up. I wanted to freeze time and keep her as a little girl.

             
“Mom, I stopped playing with those in kindergarten. Even the twins are over them.” She was trying to use her hip, I’m-too-cool voice.

             
“Okay, ladies, this is the plan, so listen up. We are leaving after school, and Uncle Bruce is flying us to a bigger airport to get on a different plane. We will fly to LA and we won’t be landing until late tonight. I will call you in the morning my time, but remember there is a time difference between us while I am there. Grandma and papa have lots planned for you, and I expect good behavior from all of you,” I said, looking pointedly at Lily.

             
“I know you are not just looking at me. They are the ones that fight.” She got up and walked over to Alex. “So is this a big plane like we take to Disney, or your plane?” She was so nosy it was starting to drive me crazy, but in actuality I had created this monster.

             
“No, it isn’t like the ones you take to Disney, and I don’t own my own plane. I charter them. Kind of like how your Uncle Bruce gets paid to fly people, except it is a bigger plane than his.”

             
I looked over at the clock, saw it was after seven, and knew I needed to get moving. “Listen, brush your teeth and get moving, no more questions. I love you and I will see you at school.” I walked over, giving each girl and Alex a kiss.

             
Alex walked me to the door. “I’ll meet you here after school and we can head to the airport. Bruce said he would be ready to get off the ground by three thirty. We have about eight to nine hours of travel to get there.” I was not looking forward to traveling, probably because I knew I was going to be confessing what a big fat liar I was and getting the silent treatment on the way there.

             
The day seemed to drag on, and at the end of the day I picked up the girls so I could drop them at my parents and give them a proper good bye. The twins got out of the car and ran right inside the house. I was going to have to track them down to get my hugs and kisses. Lily lingered a bit. She and I were buddies, and in the last year she had gotten more attached. There was a time that I was getting concerned because she would refuse to go to my parents, and even asked me to skip working to stay home with her. I think it had to do with fear that I would never return like her dad.

             
I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her in for a hug. “I will be home in three wake ups. I will even bring you back a surprise.” Lily pulled me in tightly and squeezed.

             
“Promise?” Lily didn’t say anything else. I wasn’t sure if I was promising to the returning or the surprise.

             
“I promise, now give me a kiss and let’s go find your sisters so I can say bye to them.”

Lily gave me a quick kiss and another long hug. When she let
go, we headed into the house to find her sisters. They didn’t seem as upset or worried about me leaving. They gave me a quick hug and kiss before they disappeared again into the living room. My mom and I exchanged quick notes on the schedule and she gave me a hug and kissed my cheek. It was the first time she has ever done this. Ever since the DC conversation, she had been a whole new person around me, and I liked it. We were actually having a normal mother and daughter relationship. 

             
I finally managed to pull into the driveway around three thirty, and I knew I was making us late and putting us behind schedule. My dad was in the driveway with Alex. I got out of the car and walked over to them, giving my dad a look.

             
“You honestly didn’t think I would let my baby girl leave for a few days without a goodbye did you?” He was smiling. In all honesty, I was surprised he wasn’t at the house when I dropped the girls off. “Hurry and get in. Bruce is waiting, and I’m going to drive you two to the airport.”

             
Luckily the town was small, and we could make it to the airport in less than five minutes. We made small talk on the way, but it wasn’t a long enough drive really to talk about anything with substance.

             
When we climbed out, we saw Bruce’s plane outside the hanger, waiting for us. Alex walked to the back of the car to get the bags from the trunk. He told me to take a minute and talk to my dad while he put the bags in the plane.

             
“How was the talk? He doesn’t look too upset.” I didn’t want to tell my dad, but I had to confess.

             
“Well, it never happened. I mean, not that I was avoiding it, but things kept getting in the way.” Ugh, I knew a tongue-lashing was going to happen.

             
“Bri, no, I’m not saying anything because I don’t need to. You know you are wrong because I know the type of girl I raised. Now give me a hug and talk to that boy on the plane.”

I had nothing to say. I gave my dad a hug and kiss while telling him I loved him. Then I walked over to meet Bruce and Alex by the plane. I was not ready for this weekend of confrontations and confession
s.

             
We climbed into the plane and I sat in the back, placing my headset on. Alex sat next to Bruce in the front. I had been in Bruce’s planes so much growing up that I didn’t think or wait for him to tell me what to do, because it was a routine when we climbed in.

             
On the flight to Green Bay, I was partially zoned out into my own little world. After a while, Bruce and Alex stopped talking to me because they were tired of repeating themselves.

             
When we landed in Green Bay, we taxied to a smaller terminal that I assumed was used for private travel. When we stopped, Alex climbed out and ran into the building, probably going to check on the next flight. When he came out, he told us that the jet was coming over from the hanger to pick us up. I was starting to feel nervous and unsure of the weekend ahead. Alex and I had yet to have a fight, or even have a disagreement, and I was worried about how our relationship would weather this lie I had been sitting on for months.

             
Bruce helped me out and told me he would meet us back there on Sunday. I gave him a hug and told him to have a safe flight back. I was reluctant to leave his embrace and head off into the direction the jet was coming from. I was going to be alone with Alex for at least six hours and had no reason not to talk to him about the whole situation. I was screwed and I knew it.

             
Walking to the jet, I was mentally telling myself to buck up. I remained quiet and didn’t say much while we boarded and placed our bags in a cabinet. The flight attendant was a nice looking older lady with blonde hair. She had a smile plastered on her face the whole time she was helping us. She had drinks ready for us as we sat down. Alex must have called ahead and ordered, because my new favorite, Angry Orchard, was waiting for me, and he was drinking some new IPA. He loved experimenting with new beers, which I loved, because I still technically didn’t have beer crossed off my list yet.

             
We sat down and buckled up. Alex took his seat. It was across from mine, facing me. “You are pretty quiet tonight. What’s on your mind?”

I knew I was going to have to say it, but thought I would after we were in the air. Bruce was still on the ground
, gassing his plane, and there was still a chance that Alex might change his mind or kick me off. Okay, I doubted he would do the second one, but at times my mind went crazy thinking of all the possible outcomes.

             
“Oh, a little of this and a little of that, but mainly how the next few days will play out.” This was true without getting into details. “I do want to talk to you in a minute about something, but let’s just enjoy the drink as we take off.”

             
Alex raised his eyebrows at me, but simply just said, “Okay.” I was quickly drinking my liquid courage.

As the plane took
off, I sat in my seat, looking out the window. It was dusk now, and I could make out the city of Green Bay and the surrounding area. My stomach was becoming a larger pile of knots, and I knew it was only going to get worse the longer I let this go on and the closer the plane got to LA. I let out a breath and turned to talk to Alex. I was so lost in thought that I hadn’t seen him get out of his seat and kneel in front of me.
              When I looked into his gorgeous eyes, he sat up on his knees and started kissing me. I should have pushed him away so we could talk, but my body was telling me how much I wanted him and needed him. I was kissing him more aggressively and needier than normal, because I was so scared of losing him now that I had him. Alex unbuckled my seatbelt and stood me up. I was placing my hands under his shirt and running my hands up his back. Alex was working on the buttons to my blouse, his hands and fingers were moving quickly in a rhythm. Alex undid the buttons quickly, and when he got to the last one, he stopped kissing me and took my hand and led me to the back of the jet to a small room with a futon bed. The bed was already out and made.

             
“Looks like you already had this planned.” I looked at him with a smirk on my face. I didn’t mind his pre-planning at all.

             
“I believe someone is expected to show me just how amazing I really am.” He pulled me into the room the rest of the way and shut the door.

             
Before anything could be said, I slipped off my blouse and grabbed for his shirt. As I yanked it off, I grabbed Alex by the neck, pulling him to me. Our mouths met, and I was aggressively kissing him with a hunger, and he was kissing me in return with just as much need. I kicked off my shoes and started working on Alex’s belt. Alex’s hands were kneading my breasts over my bra.

I had to pull back a second
to catch my breath, but went back quickly to kissing his chest as I got the button and zipper undone. Alex moved his hands from my breasts to the fasteners of my bra. He unhooked my bra, freeing my breasts. His mouth quickly moved down to my nipples. Alex inched me over to the bed and laid me down.