Runaway Bride (Across the Stars: Book 2) (17 page)

“We’ll see.” Grinning, he touched the small of Lexie’s back.  “That didn’t go so bad.”

“No, it didn’t.” At least her mother hadn’t screamed or cried, two things she had feared would happen.

They paused at the front door and her father gave her an understanding smile.  “Your mother’s got a good heart.  Give her time.  She’ll come around.”

“You think so?” she asked, not feeling as optimistic as he was.

“Yes.  I know your mom can seem set in her ways, but she’s a lot more understanding than people think.  You just have to know when to talk to her and when to wait.”

So right now was the time to wait.  She sighed.  “I should be glad everything went as well as it did.  Are you mad that I didn’t marry Nick?”

“Not mad.  I’m relieved.  I never did know what to say to him.” He hugged her, making her feel better.  In her ear, he whispered, “You’re much better off with Mark and in time, your mother will see that too.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

When she pulled away from him, he opened the door and said, “Don’t be a stranger, you two.”

“We won’t,” Mark promised.  They said good-bye to her dad and he put his arms around her shoulders so he could draw her close to his side.  “That went pretty well.”

“As well as could be expected, I guess.”

“Is something wrong?”

“I don’t know.” They stopped at her car and she rested her hand on his chest.  “I can’t help but feel that I disappointed my mom.  I almost wish she had come right out and argued with me.  At least then I’d know what she was thinking.”

“You can go back in there and talk to her.”

“No.  I better not.  If Dad said I need to give her time, then that’s what I need to do.”

He brought his hands up to her shoulders and massaged them, helping to ease her tension.  “Everything will work out.”

“I hope so.”

After he kissed her forehead, he opened her car door.  “It will.  From what I saw in there, your mom seems nice.  She just needs to get used to the idea that we’re married.”

Feeling better, she smiled and got into her car, shut the door and pushed the button to roll down the window.

“Your place or mine?” he asked.

“Yours, but I’ll need to pick up some clothes first.”

He leaned down and kissed her.  “You won’t need clothes.” Wiggling his eyebrows, he straightened and dug his car key from his pocket.  “I’ll lead this time.”

Unable to stop the light chuckle that rose up in her throat, she started her car and waited for him to back out of the driveway before she followed him home.

Chapter Nineteen

The next morning, after Mark went to work, Lexie picked up her cell phone and almost called her mother.  No.  She couldn’t.  Her dad was right.  It was best to wait.  She placed the phone back on the nightstand by Mark’s bed.  Maybe she should take a shower and get ready for the day.  As she was ready to take off the shirt she slept in, there was a knock at the door.  She searched through his closet until she found a robe.  Shrugging into it, she hurried to the door, wondering if her mom had come to talk to her.

She stopped right before the door, remembering her parents didn’t know Mark’s address.  Curious, she peered through the peephole and saw Caitlyn holding a gift wrapped in silver paper.  After she tied the robe’s straps, she opened the door.  “Hi, Caitlyn,” she greeted.  “How is married life treating you?”

“I was about to ask you the same thing.” Caitlyn entered the apartment and held out the gift to her.  “This is your wedding present.”

She accepted it and shut the door.  “Thank you.  Have a seat.”

Her lips curling into a smile, she relaxed on the couch by the large window.  “Nice view.”

“Yeah, it is.”

“So you’re moving here?”

“My lease is almost up and Mark’s isn’t, so it makes the most sense.  This Saturday is when we officially move my stuff over here.” She set the present on the coffee table.  “Do you want something to drink?”

“You have anything with chocolate in it?”

“I’m afraid not.”

“I’ll pass.  If it doesn’t have chocolate in it, I don’t want it.  Aren’t you going to open your gift?”

“Shouldn’t I wait until Mark’s here?”

“Well, it’s not really for him.  Okay.  That’s not the total truth.  One thing in there is for him, but you’re the one who has to wear it.”

Lexie’s face warmed.  “Let me guess.  Lingerie?”

“And a frappuccino maker.”

Excited, Lexie unwrapped the gift, careful to set aside the bow and paper in a neat pile by the two boxes Caitlyn had put into a larger box.  “I’ve been wanting a frappuccino maker for a year, but Nick thought it was a bad idea so I didn’t get one.”

“Well, now you have one.”

After she studied the frappuccino maker’s instructions, she picked up the light pink teddy with matching crotchless panties.

“Trust me, Mark will love it,” Caitlyn said with a wicked grin.  “They don’t have anything that advanced on their world.”

Lexie laughed and put the lingerie back into the box.  “I thought they were technologically advanced.”

“In some ways, but they are lacking in the ways of the bedroom.”

“Right.  Because they have no women on their planet anymore.”

After a moment of silence, Caitlyn softly asked, “How did Mom and Dad take the news?”

Releasing her breath, she shrugged.  “I’m not sure.  Yesterday when Mark and I went to see them, Mom didn’t say much.  I didn’t either.  If it weren’t for Dad and Mark, it would have been more awkward than it was.”

“Well, if she tries to give you or Mark a guilt trip, just tell her that it’s your life and you’re going to do what you want.  Then hang up.  That’s what Chris and I do.”

“And that makes her tell you what’s on her mind?”

“I already know what’s on her mind and I don’t want to hear it.” She studied Lexie for a moment before asking, “Do you really want to know what she’s thinking?  If she’s being unusually quiet, I’d consider that a reprieve.”

“I know it sounds weird, but I kind of,” she shrugged, “miss her.”

“You’re kidding?”

“I know she’s a control freak, but there are times when I enjoy being with her.  I was tired of all the plans she made for the wedding, but I think that had more to do with me not wanting to marry Nick.”

“Really?  You actually like our mom?”

“Don’t you?” Lexie asked, surprised.  Even if their mother drove them nuts at times, she assumed her sister liked her.

“I love her, but I don’t consider her a friend,” she replied.  “She’s never approved of anything I did.  Randy wasn’t good enough.  My job wasn’t good enough.  Chris wasn’t good enough.  My daughter won’t be good enough because she assumes I conceived her out of wedlock.” Caitlyn’s hand rested on the mound in her belly.  “I realize I look like I’m five months along, but I’m not.”

“I know you’re not, but I didn’t until I found out Chris was an alien.  Can you really blame her?”

“I just wish she hadn’t been so quick to remind me that I’m a disappointment.”

“You have a good point,” Lexie admitted, fingering the edge of the robe’s sleeve.  Up until she ran off with Mark, she hadn’t done a single thing her mom didn’t want.  Now that she had, she better understood what Caitlyn felt on a regular basis.  But still, she couldn’t believe their mother didn’t want a better relationship with her.  “Maybe it’s time you and I had a heart to heart with Mom.  You know, air everything out once and for all.”

With a chuckle, she shook her head.  “I don’t think so.”

“Why not?”

“Because it’ll turn into a shouting match.”

“It doesn’t have to be.  Not if we agree we’ll keep everything calm and listen to each other.”

“I knew you were an optimist, but there’s a difference between reality and fantasy.  The idea of me being able to have a rational discussion with Mom is a fantasy.”

“I don’t know why it has to be.  As long as both of you are willing to work together—”

“See?” Caitlyn held her hand up.  “There’s your mistake.  You think she’ll be willing to work with me.  You were a child when I started dating Randy.  You don’t remember what she did to try to break us up because she was afraid I’d marry someone who didn’t make a lot of money.  Ever since then, there’s been no talking to her.”

“This could be a new start.” Even as she said it, she didn’t think Caitlyn would agree and she was right because Caitlyn shook her head in a way that implied she wasn’t going to budge.  “Okay.  I won’t say anything else about it.”

Caitlyn smiled her thanks and said, “Why don’t you take a shower?  We’ll go out to the mall and enjoy the day.  Do some of that sister bonding we never did while we were growing up?”

“Sounds like fun.” She stood up and motioned to the frappuccino maker.  “If you want to make one of these while I’m getting ready, feel free.”

“It has chocolate and sugar in it.  Of course, I’ll make one for both of us.  When you get pregnant, you’ll understand why sweets, especially chocolate, is important.”

“I’ll take your word for it.” With a smile, she headed for the bathroom.

***

Mark found Chris at his cubicle where he was plugging some equations into the computer.  “Hey buddy,” he said as he walked up to Chris.  “Want to join me for lunch?”

Glancing up from the keyboard, he nodded.  “Give me a couple minutes.”

“Okay.”

Mark pulled up a seat and sat down.  Noticing the board on the wall where Chris had put up a couple of pictures, he leaned forward to study them.  Not surprising, Caitlyn was in every one.  Mark wouldn’t have expected otherwise, but there was a picture of Caitlyn, Lexie, and their mother that had to have been taken recently.  He pulled the picture off the board and flipped it over to see if there was a date written on it.  There wasn’t.

“Chris?”

“What?”

“When was this taken?” Mark held up the picture.

“Two weeks ago.  Caitlyn’s mom wanted a picture of her daughters and her.  Apparently, she likes to do it every year.  She also insists on having Caitlyn’s dad and Blake take a picture every year.  This year, I got included in the one with the men.  If you’d married Lexie a little sooner, you would have been in that one.  At least she has the pictures taken with a digital camera.  I’ve been to a photographer and they’re not cheap.”

“So where’s the picture of you, Blake, and our father-in-law?”

“At home.  I don’t want to look at myself while at work.”

He put the photo back on the board, thinking he needed to get a picture of Lexie to put up in his cubicle.  “Lexie and I went to see her parents yesterday.  I didn’t think her mom was all that bad.  I mean, she was obviously upset that Lexie ran off with me, but she didn’t go on a screaming rampage or throw me out.  And looking at the picture of her with Lexie and Caitlyn, it looks like she does love her children, even if she has a tendency to want to control things.”

“I’ve learned that if you keep things firm but nice, it makes everything a lot easier for everyone.  The only reason Caitlyn agreed to go was because her mom promised not to mention the pregnancy.” He finished typing in the last equation, saved his work, and logged off the system.  “One thing I’ll say for Mrs. Rogers is that when she promises something, she does it.”

“You call Caitlyn’s mom ‘Mrs. Rogers’?”

“She insisted on it.  Why?  What do you call her?”

“Mom.”

A smile slowly spread across Chris’ face and he chuckled.  “How does she take it?”

“Well, she was too shocked to say anything.”

“Maybe I should try it next time I see her.”

“You should.  Technically, she’s your mom since you married Caitlyn.”

“I guess.” He rose to his feet.  “You ready to get something to eat?”

“Sure am.” Following him toward the hallway, he asked, “When do you think we’ll all be invited to the Rogers’ for a family gathering?”

“I have no idea.  Why?  Are you looking forward to going back to their house?”

“I guess it’d be nice if everyone could find a way to get along.  We didn’t have families on our world.  I’d like to be a part of one.”

They walked down the hallway and stopped at an elevator.  Chris pressed the down button and turned to Mark.  “We might be a part of a family now, but I’m not so sure it’s a happy one.”

“I know you had some problems with Rachel when you first married Caitlyn, but as you said, it’s doable now.  I think we can work everything out so we can enjoy being together.”

“Maybe.  I don’t mind going over there.  I like Caitlyn’s dad, especially when he wants to play billiards.  I’ve been helping him improve.”

They stepped into the elevator, and Mark pressed the button that would take them to the first floor.  “He said you were good at it.  It’ll be interesting to see if I’m as good as you.”

“There’s nothing to it.  It’s simple geometry.”

“If that’s the case, what’s so fun about playing a game that doesn’t challenge you?”

“It’s not about being challenged.  It’s…” He shrugged.  “I don’t know.”

“I got it.  You’re friends.  He’s an easy guy to like.  Did you know he barely had any money when he started dating Rachel?”

“How can that be?  All she talks about is how important a good job is.”

“I don’t know, but when she got married, she wasn’t that concerned about his paycheck.” The doors opened, and they left the elevator.  “I think reaching Rachel is easier than we think.”

“If so, I don’t know what it is.”

“I don’t either, yet.  But I think our father-in-law gave me a big advantage yesterday,” Mark thoughtfully stated.

“What advantage?”

“That’s what I have to figure out.” And the sooner he did, the sooner Lexie wouldn’t have to fret over her estranged relationship with her mom.