The Sweetest Love (Love Conquers All Book 5) (19 page)

“Auntie Roxy, are you okay?” Alicia asked from the other side of the bathroom door.

“Yes, sweetie I’m fine. I’ll be out in a minute.” Roxy responded as she splashed cool water on her face. Just before jumping in the shower her stomach became queasy. And now she was having dry heaves. She figured it must’ve been the pizza and ice cream she had for lunch this afternoon. Or maybe the juicy cheeseburger with all the toppings and greasy fries she wolfed down for dinner was making her feel yucky.

Taking a deep breath, she gazed at her reflection in the mirror. She cringed at what stared back.
I look terrible,
she thought to herself as she put on an oversized t-shirt and boy shorts underwear.

The circles under her eyes were getting darker from the weeks of restless, sleepless nights. During the day she could hardly concentrate on anything. Every time a phone rang she broke her neck to see if it was Adam calling. And each time she’d been devastated.

She smoothed her once curly hair, away from her face. Friday nights she’d spend hours washing, conditioning and flat ironing her hair just in case she ran into Adam. He liked her hair smooth. It was easier for him to run his fingers through, he had once told her.

If anyone would have told her she’d be in such a sorry state over a man, she would’ve told them they were certifiably insane. She wanted to curse Adam for breaking his promise to never hurt her. She wanted to curse him for having her suspended in a state of misery.

Patting her face with a hand towel, she placed it on the towel rack before going back out to watch a movie with her niece. Initially when Alicia called asking if she could spend the night Roxy hesitated. She wasn’t really up to entertaining a preteen. However, she couldn’t refuse her when she whispered in the phone, “Please Auntie Roxy. I’m really bored and Mommy won’t be able to do stuff with me until the baby gets older.”

The kid’s pleading tugged at her. She remembered what it was like being her age and having to spend all day Saturday at Mrs. Eloise’s home while her mom worked. “Alright, if it’s okay with your mom I’ll come get you tomorrow.”

Late Saturday morning she swung by her sister’s to pick up Alicia. After visiting with Karen and holding baby Lanzo for about an hour, she and Alicia were on their way to the mall.

Alicia confided in Roxy that she couldn’t wait until she was old enough to wear makeup. “Mommy said when I turn fourteen I can wear lip gloss.”

Wanting to be the fun aunt, Roxy didn’t see any harm in racking up cool points. “I tell you what, let’s go to Sephora and have the makeup lady put a little bit of lip gloss on you.”

Putting her hands up to her mouth, Alicia giggled with excitement. “For real, Auntie Roxy?”

Roxy winked at her. “For real. You can try on a few
light
shades to see which ones you like so when you turn fourteen you’ll know which colors look good on you,” she reasoned.

As Alicia bounced around in the makeup chair, Roxy felt the need to warn her niece. “This is just for play. I don’t want your mom telling me she caught you wearing lip gloss… okay?

“Auntie Roxy, I promise I won’t do that.”

“Good,” Roxy said, nodding her head like a true authoritative auntie. Easing her hand into her purse she slyly removed her cell phone. With her back to Alicia and the makeup artist she quickly texted Karen:

@Sephora let Alicia try on lip gloss won’t let leave w/ on.

She breathed a sigh of relief when her sister texted back:

no prob have fun! J

After letting her niece try on several shades she made sure her lips were gloss free before they headed off to Aeropostale. Roxy knew the child didn’t need anything, but it felt good letting her pick out earrings with a matching necklace and bracelet.

As they were off to the food court for lunch Roxy heard a familiar voice calling her name.
Oh God… please no. Not now… not today.

“Aunt Roxy, someone’s calling you.”

She smiled down at her. “I know.” Taking a deep breath she turned around to see Ms. Brenda half walking, half marching toward her.

“I thought that was you!” she beamed as she threw her arms around Roxy.

Feeling a bit awkward, she hugged her ex-boyfriend’s mother and held on until the older woman released the hug.

“And who is this?” Brenda asked, smiling down at Alicia.

“This is my niece, Alicia. Alicia this is Ms. Brenda.”

Alicia smiled and waved at the older lady. “Hi Ms. Brenda.”

“Hi baby. Having fun with your aunt?”

“Yes ma’am.”

Brenda tenderly patted Alicia’s check. “Such a sweet child.” Turning to Roxy she kindly demanded, “I want you to come over next week so we can sit down and talk.”

Roxy didn’t have the nerve to tell her no, she didn’t want to talk because she already knew the conversation’s topic. Besides, Brenda didn’t leave her much of a choice. It was more of a command rather than a request. “I’ll give you a call next week. See you later Ms. Brenda.”

By the time Roxy and Alicia got home it was after eight in the evening and they were pooped. Spending the day getting to know her niece had been fun. Well… with the exception of running into Adam’s mom. But she would worry about how she was going to wiggle out of dinner with her later.

Pajama-clad Alicia sat Indian style on the pull out sofa bed waiting for her. Roxy climbed on the bed and started sorting through the DVDs Alicia brought over with her. “Let’s see what you got here…”

Alicia started picking through the pile, too. This was her mom’s collection of movies and some of them were really old. Picking up one of the DVDs she said, “My Mom and Auntie Starr watch this one all the time.”

Roxy reached for the case. “Let me see.” She grinned at her niece. “Ooh… I love
Dirty Dancing
, too.”

Alicia broke out in a fit of laughter as Roxy jumped off the bed dancing and singing, “Do you love me… do you love me… said do you love me… now that I can—”

“Are you sure you’re okay Auntie!” Alicia yelled after Roxy as she bolted to the bathroom with her hand over her mouth and slammed the door shut.

Alicia’s eyes grew large as saucers. “Ooh… Mommy used to do the same thing when she was pregnant with Noah and Lanzo.”

“Auntie Roxy?”

“Hmmm.”

“Are you going to have a baby?”

Horrified, Roxy gripped the steering wheel until her knuckles became pale. It was a good thing they were sitting at a red light. Otherwise she would have crashed into the car in front of her.

She had refused to pay attention to the nagging little voice that whispered,
girl you’re in trouble,
at four this morning when got up to use the bathroom and her stomach was
still
queasy.
No, it’s all that greasy, fattening crap I ate yesterday,
she reasoned with the voice as she climbed back into bed.

Slanting her gaze toward Alicia, she tugged her bottom lip between her teeth. This little girl was too darn inquisitive for her own good. She was not going to have this conversation with a twelve-year-old! And what does she know about having babies anyway? At twelve she still believed the stork was going around dropping babies off on doorsteps in the middle of the night.

Easing off from the red light, she struggled to gain a sense of indifference. “Why do you ask me that Alicia?”

The kid nonchalantly shrugged a slim shoulder. “I don’t know. I guess because Mommy was the same way when she was pregnant with Noah and Lanzo.” Tilting her head as if in deep thought, little miss too-smart-for- her-own-good, further explained her hypothesis to a distressed Roxy. “
And
Auntie Starr was reaaaaally sick with the triplets.” Amazed, the girl added, “I never knew a woman could have three babies at one time!”

Roxy bit down on her lip again.
Oh MY God! Kid will you please shut up!

She swung her head; her eyes shooting lasers as the kid began to giggle uncontrollably. “What’re you laughing at little girl?”

Alicia stuck her neck out and bit down on her bottom lip, imitating Roxy. “Auntie Starr does the same thing when something is bothering her.”

Pulling into a parking space in front of her sister’s home she glared at her niece. The kid better be glad she was so cute. “You are so not funny little girl. Come on, get out of the car.”

As soon as Dom opened the door, Roxy darted inside. “Hey Dom! Where’s Karen?”

Nelson West had had enough of his son’s self-imposed estrangement from his family. Not only had he bailed out on Christmas dinner, he hadn’t seen or spoken to him in over a month. And when Brenda managed to get through to him, he kept the conversation short and generic. He really knew something was up with his son when he canceled their yearly drive down to Hilton Head to play golf on some of the best greens in the country.

He wasn’t one like his wife to meddle in his son’s love affairs. But if matters of the heart were ailing him and were responsible for his forgetting he had parents, then he had plenty to say.

“What the hell is going on?” he said to himself as he watched a very young pretty girl bound down the steps of Adam’s townhouse.

Stepping out the car, he slammed the door. “I’m getting to the bottom of this mess today.”

Adam gritted his teeth and cussed under his breath. He told Helena to leave him alone. That he would call her when he was ready for her to clean his place. Opening the door, he was shocked to see his father standing there.

“Hey Dad, what are you doing here?”

Nelson lifted a thick salt and pepper brow. “Excuse me?”

Adam let out deep sigh and stepped aside. “Come on in.”

His dad’s dark assessing gaze traveled around the junky dwelling. A Sunday football game was blaring from the television, takeout containers and beer bottles littered the coffee table and floor. Unopened mail and newspaper circulars sat stacked up on an end table.

His scrutinizing gaze next focused on his son. The boy had the appearance of a werewolf with his unshaven jaw. And his once neatly close-cropped hair was an overgrown forest. The t-shirt and pajama bottoms he wore look like he’d been sleeping in them for weeks. He was surprised he didn’t have a stench to him.

Nelson walked around his son and went straight to the fridge for a beer. When he came back in the room Adam was sitting on the sofa, his eyes fixed on the television. Taking a seat next to him, Nelson came right out with it. “Son, what’s going on?”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” he annoyingly mumbled.

Nelson twisted the cap of the bottle and took a long draw. Shoving containers aside, he sat the bottle on the coffee table. “You need to talk about it.” He pierced his son with a stern gaze. “Look at this place. It’s a filthy mess. It’s a wonder mice and roaches haven’t overtaken the place.” His top lip curled in disgust. “And look at you. I hope you haven’t been going to work looking like that.”

Adam scrubbed his hand over the top of his unkempt head. He snipped back, “No Dad, I haven’t. I’ve been working from home.”

“Good. ‘Cause your mother would have a heart attack if you went out like that,” he grumbled.

Irritation crept up his spine. So that’s it? His mother sent his father to get all up in his business. See, this is exactly why he wouldn’t talk to her for any length of time. Every conversation, no matter how brief, always worked its way around to what happened between him and Roxy. He and Roxy were over and his mother had better get used to it. “I wish you would tell Mom to stay out of my business.”

Nelson had never wanted to knock his son upside the head until now. He didn’t need his wife to send him on some mission to get in his
business
. “Your mother didn’t send me. I came on my own because
I’m
worried about you,” he gritted out between clenched teeth.

Standing to his feet, Nelson began to pace the floor. “I don’t know what’s going on with you son, but you haven’t been right since—”

“Since what Dad? Since my whole relationship with Roxy was a lie! Just some game to her!” Adam bellowed as he shot to his feet. If his family was so eager to know why he’d been a miserable bastard for weeks, they’d better get ready. He angrily unleashed weeks of pent up emotions and frustrations as he gave his father a play by play of the night he overheard Roxy’s conversation.

Stunned, Nelson couldn’t believe, wouldn’t believe that the young woman who was practically a daughter to him could be so cunning. “Son, have you tried to talk to her?”

Adam vigorously shook his head. “No. I’m done with her.”

“Son, maybe you didn’t hear what you really thought you heard,” Nelson pressed on. He knew his son still had feelings for Roxy. He just wasn’t ready to acknowledge it yet.

Adam’s voice was frigid and unyielding when he spoke. “I know what I heard.”

“So are you saying you don’t love her?”

He turned his gaze away from his dad. That was his problem. He loved her too damn much. He loved her to point where his life was flipped upside down. Instead of admitting this, he bitterly lied. “No, I don’t love her. Never did.”

His dad wanted to challenge him. Because he sure was in a fix over a woman he had never loved. Disappointed, his dad asked, “So you’ve moved on then?”

Adam stopped in mid stride as he headed to the kitchen to throw a frozen pizza in the oven. “Moved on?”

“I saw some pretty thing coming out of here when I pulled up,” he accused.

Rolling his eyes Adam said, “That was Helena. She cleans twice a week for me.”

Looking around at the place that resembled a dorm room instead of a three-quarter million dollar property his dad cracked, “You need to get your money back because she’s doing a piss-poor job at keeping this place clean.”

Adam chuckled for the first time in weeks. His moment of merriment was dashed with his dad’s subsequent comment.

“You know son, what Roxy and her girlfriends did is no different from us guys.” He leveled Adam with a questioning gaze. “How many times have you and your buddies sat around over drinks bragging about getting a woman in bed? Hell, how many times have y’all sought out certain women just to sleep with because it was rumored she was an easy lay? I don’t agree with what Roxy and her girlfriends were saying…” Nelson stopped his argument in mid-sentence to correct his train of thought. Continuing, he firmly said, “Well I do agree with those young ladies to an extent. If a man wants a piece of tail, what’s so wrong with a woman wanting him to have a little change in his pocket? That’s the problem with these women today. They make it too easy for men. They’re trying to take care of the man, when the man should be taking care of them.” When Adam fixed a frown and raised brow on his dad, Nelson was quick to throw in, “But I think you’re way off base with Roxy though.” Shaking his head, he was adamant. “She’s not that kind of young lady.”

Adam didn’t say anything. Instead he asked, “You want some of this pizza?”

When Adam didn’t respond with an argument Nelson prayed he was getting through to his thick-headed son. He also prayed Adam would come to his senses and go work things out with Roxy.

Gathering up the clutter from the coffee table he said, “Nah, I’m going to start cleaning this mess up. Your mother would really have a heart attack if she saw this pigsty.”