Chapter Two
Alexa
“Fifteen minutes. I'll get my truck." I could barely manage to get the words out, his steel-blue eyes were distracting me, and that shock had lost me. I stared as he walked into the hotel. Shaking my head, I wandered to my truck.
I hadn't expected Daniel to be so damn handsome. I mean, I’d heard the rumors about him, but it’s not like I had looked him up to see if they were true. He had to be at least six feet tall. Shoulder length black hair, slightly unkempt, probably from running his hands through it all day. His shoulders were broad, banging shoulders, the girls in school would have called them.
God, he looked like he spent hours at the gym, and I wondered what he looked like under that suit. And that ass! It was tight and his pants hugged it so nicely. His tanned skin looked natural, a nice change from most of the outsiders that came here. He was younger than I had expected him to be, and though I was not one for facial hair, the smattering of his five o’clock shadow was attractive.
I needed this job because Sean had left me with nothing. It had been nine months since our divorce was finalized, and a break from the city would be good for me. When John had asked me to help him out for a little bit, while he looked for someone permanently, I’d jumped on it. I owed John and Sheila a lot, and beside them, there was nothing tying me to Anchorage anymore. What they had done for me over the last year, I could never repay them for, but I could start here.
Fuck, if I wasn’t here as a favor to John, I would be making plans beyond dinner with Daniel. It had been a long time and he stirred something primal deep in me, that needed to be fed. That was if he even noticed me. He was out of my league and I didn’t want to be another Cinderella on his bed post.
I looked at my truck, sighing as I took in its personality. It was beaten to hell, but I knew it could make it from Anchorage to Fairbanks and back on a tank and a half of gas. It was a good ol’ Ford, steel, sturdy. I loved this truck. It had been with me through hell. Getting in, I started it up and pulled down to the Cook to wait for Daniel. As I waited, I got lost in the past, in what should have been a happy time. Maybe the memory would help me stay away from Daniel.
I had wanted a family with Sean, but he had never seemed that interested. He didn’t want a baby. Well, not with me. He finally told me the truth when I told him I was pregnant. It tore me apart to find out. Even if I had suspected it. What I hadn’t expected though was for him to be so angry about the fact that I was pregnant. I’ll never forget what happened.
"I'm pregnant, Sean!" I’d run into the living room to tell him the good news as soon as the test had come back positive. Sean paused what he was watching and turned to look at me, anger dancing thru his eyes.
"What do you fucking mean you’re pregnant? I thought we had this talk. You don't get pregnant until I fucking tell you too!" He rose from his chair yelling so fast, the poor thing almost fell over. "I'm not ready… Fucking hell you dumb bitch. What happens if I go to Portland while you’re pregnant? I can't just up and drop everything because you’re fucking pregnant! I have a life and... Fuck. I’m just going to tell you the truth. I detest you. I only married you because it was the only way you would let me fuck you.” His words ripped through me. I clutched my chest as he yelled at me.
“I never loved you. I just wanted to fuck you.” I was falling apart inside as I listened to him. I couldn’t believe it, but all the signs had been there. The distance, the constant trips. I had just been to blind to see it right in front of my face.
He laughed as he continued with his confession. “There's someone else. She lives in Portland. She knows about you. She knows I’m only with you because we can only meet when her boyfriend’s out of town. He's rich. Doesn't question her about me. What he doesn't know won't hurt him. Hell, Alexa, the sex has never even been that great.”
I was in tears by that point. With her it’s amazing. I didn't want to do this till she had left him but fuck it. I want a divorce, Alexa. You, that thing, I never want to see it. Never want to see you again. Go get your shit. Get the fuck out of my house."
I’d run from the room crying. Grabbed what was important to me, and put my ring on the coffee table.
"Take it. I don't want it. Here, take this too,” he said as he threw his ring at me. "Maybe you can get something for them at a pawn shop." I thought he was being nice by walking me to the door. Until he shoved me across the snow and ice-covered porch, causing me to tumble down the stairs. I landed hard across the last couple stairs, smashing into my abdomen. I glared at Sean, trying to hide the pain.
"How could you do that?" I pressed my hand across my stomach, the pain intense.
"I had to try to get that thing out of you. I don't need you thinking you can get money for it, now do I?" He laughed as he slammed the door of the house.
I crawled to my truck and used the door to pull myself up. I pulled myself up using the truck and felt a searing pain tear through me. I knew then that I had lost the baby, but I hoped that it wasn’t true. I had to go somewhere, get away from Sean. I had to go to John. He didn’t live too far from us, and he would help me.
As I was pulling my keys out of my pocket I felt a wave of vertigo. I had to get in the truck. Get to my brother’s house. I knew that if I didn't, I would be lost. I pulled the door open and sat in the driver’s seat, letting another wave of pain and vertigo pass over me. I started the engine and backed onto the street. Was it me, or was the road wobblier than normal? It didn’t matter. I knew where I was going.
I had just pulled into the driveway when I blacked out from the pain. When I woke up I was in the hospital with John hovering over me.
"Hey little sister," he smiled at me as I opened my eyes. "I knew you didn't like my car, but don't you think putting it through the garage door was a bit much?" He was teasing me. I could see the humor dancing in his eyes.
"Oh god, John! I'm so sorry. I'll pay you back for it. I promise!" I tried to sit up and look at him, but he just pushed me back down against the hospital bed. I winced in pain.
“You don't want to pull any stitches now do you?" He asked me, all seriousness this time. "What happened Alexa? We called Sean to ask what had happened to you and he said you fell down the stairs and drove off. That you stormed off after he told you he was divorcing you and before he could get to you, you had slipped down the stairs. I don't believe him. What really happened, Alexa? Tell me."
"I told him about the baby." I reflexively put my hands across my stomach and looked at John, pleading with him to tell me the pain was just a bad dream and my baby was safe. Sadness laced through his eyes as he shook his head at me. I took a deep, shuddering breath as I continued.
"He told me to get out. That he never wanted to see me or... Or the baby again. Told me he had been cheating on me with a woman in Portland. As I was walking out the door, he pushed me. The porch was slick and I couldn't get my footing. I fell down the stairs and landed on my stomach. I asked him why he would do that, and he told me to take care of the ‘problem’. Oh god, John! He killed my baby!" I was sobbing by the time I finished telling John everything.
"It’s okay, Alexa. You can come and stay with me, Sheila and the kids for a bit. Get back on your feet. I know she would love to see you some more and she's better at this dealing thing than I am.” I could see the anger radiating through his body as he spoke.
“When you’re feeling better you can come work with me until you find something better. It’ll all be fine. Unless you want me to kill that scumbag." He cradled me against his side like he used to when we were kids...
The tapping against my window drug me out of the past. I stared out the window for a moment, startled. Daniel looked worried. I smiled sheepishly at him as I lowered my window.
"Hi. I was thinking. Hop in and we'll be on our way!" I reached across and unlocked the passenger door. I was surprised to see him still standing by my door, so I shook my head as I raised an eyebrow. "Don’t worry. I’m a good driver. This old truck can handle anything I throw at it!"
"Are you sure you don't want to take my car? It’s really no hassle for me to go get it. Honestly." He was staring at my truck like it was a death trap! An older model Ford F-150, it was stable... except for the fresh dents and the obviously new headlights from me destroying John’s car and garage. Okay, and some new paint.
"Look, Daniel, you said you were starving. You can stare at my truck and starve, or you can get in the truck, trust I know how to drive, and we can go get something to eat. Either way, I’m leaving in two minutes, because I’m fracking starving." I smirked at him, waiting for him to make his move. Sighing, he walked around the front of the truck and got in the passenger seat. Tightening his seatbelt, he looked at me, "okay, where are we going to go to eat then?"
"The mall," I smirked as I pulled out onto Third Avenue.
"The mall?" He asked incredulously.
"Yes, the mall.” I giggled at him. I couldn’t believe John hadn’t taken him to Sullivan’s or Club Paris. “Unless you want to go somewhere else? We could go to Outback. I want steak and you look like a red meat kind of guy. So, what’ll it be?" I waited for his answer, hoping it wouldn’t take as long as this damn light.
"Outback. I haven't eaten there in ages. Besides, there is just something weird about eating at the mall and it not being the food court…" He laughed lightly as he trailed off and leaned back into the seat, seeming to visibly relax in my presence.
“What, don’t you guys have real restaurants in the malls in the states?” I asked him.
“I don’t go to the mall that often. I hate them. We might. I don’t know though.” He turned his head to watch as we drove through the city.
He bolted up in his seat though when I pulled into the parking lot to First National and looked at me confused.
"Why are we pulling in here? This is a business dinner. I'm paying for dinner. You don't need to get any money." He told me, looking bewildered.
"Well, you chose Outback. It’s on the other side of the bank in the parking lot. And I don't bank here." I pointed to the Outback sign as I drove around the building.
I parked as I looked at him out of the corner of my eye. He was starting to look nervous and I began to wonder if this was such a good idea. I didn’t need someone to tell Sean that I was dating someone. He might flip out and come and do something stupid. I may want to have a decent man in my life, but after Sean, I was scared of letting anyone in again. My stomach growled in protest to smell of charbroiled excellence emanating from the restaurant, cutting my inner turmoil short.
"Let’s go! I'm starving!" I hopped out of the truck, slamming the door shut. I walked across the parking lot, not bothering to wait for him. When I turned to see if he was following me, he was staring at what I presumed was my ass, still locked in place beside the truck. He jerked his head up and looked at me. I motioned for him to hurry up, and began marching back towards the restaurant. I was hungry and I wasn’t going to wait on any man so I could get dinner.