Chapter 46
After work Alex put the top down on her white Mustang, refreshed her lipstick, and drove over the speed limit to find the house for Tony’s ex. She had already plugged the address in her phone and placed the screen face up on the seat so she could anticipate future turns. As she raced through every yellow light, she cursed herself for losing track of time while finalizing a press release about their newest bank lender.
She pounded the steering wheel. Dammit. Tony will be so disappointed in me, plus being late isn’t the best way to meet his ex. Her mind raced with anticipation and nerves as she thought about their troublesome, complicated relationship. She half-heartedly smiled as she remembered their initial, awkward meeting—after she had rear-ended him. Their undeniable chemistry had been immediate. For months, they hid from everyone and struggled with their obvious feelings until Tony finally separated from his cheating wife. When he told her at her high school reunion—disguised as a server, no less—that he had discovered his precious Joey was his nephew instead of his beloved son, Alex saw how shattered Tony was. To make matters worse, DNA proved his jerk brother, Sean, had fathered Joey. When she saw the paperwork that fateful night, her heart went out to her cop boyfriend. She had promised they’d always have Joey in their lives and knew it would work out. Somehow.
Thoughts of little Joey with his mop of curly, brown hair made her smile. Tony was overly protective of his little guy, which she admired. It didn’t matter whether he was his biological son or nephew. She knew Tony would always consider Joey his son and Alex wanted to be there for the little guy too.
She made another right turn and glanced at the screen when she came to a stop light. I’m getting close. Her heart pounded with anticipation. Dammit. Tony isn’t perfect but I still care for him. Neither had said those three little words but they were sort of unspoken. Weren’t they? But she couldn’t erase her nagging doubts about the family baggage. Having never met his ex, she could only imagine what cheating Nikki must be like.
When she rounded the last corner to the street address she had been given, Alex’s pulse quickened. A barefoot woman wearing a red tank and short shorts stood with her arms crossed. The cop’s ex scowled as she leaned against a purple Jeep in the driveway. The woman never took her narrowed eyes off Alex.
As Alex slowed to park, she noticed Joey clung to his mother’s leg. Stay calm, Alex. You can do this.
She took a deep breath, yanked her seat belt off, and strode toward them. She could tell by Nikki’s posture that this wasn’t going to go well. Not. At. All.
Attempting fearlessness, which was ordinarily her default position, Alex held her chin high, pushed her shoulders back, and stepped across the lawn with feigned poise. An ex and a child were new territory.
When she got within hearing distance but still a few feet away, Nikki spoke through gritted teeth. “Well, well. You must be the infamous man-stealing Alex.”
“Mom.” Joey’s cheeks turned red.
“Go inside, Joey. This is between the adults.” Nikki smirked at Alex. “At least one of us is an adult.” She nudged Joey’s shoulders toward the house as she eyed Alex from head to toe.
“Fancy bank clothes. Trying to impress us?”
Joey took a few steps toward the house but stayed close to his mother.
Alex held her tongue so hard she nearly bit it off. She wanted to lace into this charlatan—the woman who had been a serial cheater throughout her marriage to Tony. He had been devastated by her lies and deceit. Tony was especially undone about the fact that she had pretended for years Joey was his son when Nikki obviously knew Tony’s brother had fathered pint-size Joey. Alex wanted to spit on Nikki’s feet but somehow remained composed. She smiled at the young boy. “Hi, Joey. How was school?”
He shrugged but didn’t speak, likely afraid to anger his mother.
Nikki glowered at Alex and turned toward Joey. “I said go inside. Momma’s not telling you again.”
He shook his little head. “I don’t want to.”
Nikki took a step toward him. “Go inside right now.”
Joey’s eyes widened. He turned and ran into the house. A dog barked nearby as the screen door slammed.
“What’s your problem?” Alex studied the attractive but hard-looking brunette. “Tony asked me to come here, get Joey, and take him home.” Her heels sank in the lawn as she defiantly took three steps toward the house. “And that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”
Nikki hissed, “No, you’re not. He’s my son. He is home. Go away, you man-stealing bitch.”
Alex stiffened. She could hear Joey’s sobs through the screen. The last thing she wanted was a public display. Quickly trying to defuse the escalating situation, she extended her hand. “Let’s start over, shall we? I know this isn’t ideal but Joey is Tony’s son, er, nephew.”
Nikki kept her arms crossed and didn’t accept the handshake. She hissed, “Get this straight. Joey still thinks of Tony as his dad. He always will. Sean was simply a sperm donor. Thanks to you we now have a confused little boy.”
Alex stopped cold. “Thanks to me? You’re the one who slept with his damn brother.” Her mind swirled as her heart nearly stopped. She assumed Nikki was happy to be back with Sean. After all, they had apparently had affairs under Tony’s nose for years. Does this mean she wants Tony back?
“Listen, if—”
Nikki narrowed her eyes. “Don’t tell me to listen. You’re on private property. Get off my lawn.”
Alex took a few tentative steps backward until she was on the sidewalk. “Let’s be adults about this, okay?”
Nikki shook her head. “Who do you think you are? Are you hard of hearing? I said, ‘leave.’”
Undeterred, Alex said, “If you could have seen how upset Tony was when he discovered the DNA results, you wouldn’t be acting like this. It was a terrible secret that you and Sean kept all these years. You nearly destroyed Tony. He wants to be in Joey’s life. He loves the little guy to the moon and back.”
The woman stomped across the grass. “You don’t know anything about our lives.” She poked her finger in Alex’s face. “Who do you think you are? Some fancy banker with fancy clothes and a fancy car. One who thinks she can come in and wreck our family?” She got so close they were nearly nose to nose. Alex could feel her hot breath.
Alex’s impulse was to shove or punch Nikki but she couldn’t lose control. Crossing her arms, she said, “That’s rich. You and I both know I didn’t wreck your family. You did. Tony told me about the multiple affairs you had while you two were married.” She stared daggers through the woman whose eyes were as black as coal. Holding up her fingers, she asked, “Want me to count the ones I know about?”
Nikki’s voice rose two octaves. “You think it’s funny to break up a family? I wonder what your important bank boss would think about it. What’s his name? Jim Hooban?”
Alex’s eyebrows shot up. She didn’t expect this type of retaliation. She couldn’t control herself one second longer and said, “I repeat. I didn’t break up your marriage. You did, and you know it. I never slept with Tony when he was married to you. Not even when you were ‘separated.’” Alex made air quotes. “Not once.”
The woman smiled wickedly. “Yeah, right. Fairytales are for Joey.” Her eyes flickered, “I might have slipped on occasion, but Tony always took me back, didn’t he? I’ve always loved that man. I always will. You aren’t getting him and you certainly aren’t getting my son. Go away.”
Alex pulled out her cell. “Tony asked me to pick up Joey. I thought we could handle this like two adults but I was obviously wrong.”
Nikki shook her head with a veracity that would have made The Exorcist envious. “Not gonna happen. He’s not leaving with you and he never will.”
Alex clenched her jaw as she jabbed numbers into her cell. “Let’s see what Tony has to say.”
Nikki snatched Alex’s phone and threw it onto the sidewalk. She laughed as it busted into several pieces.
Alex’s mouth flew open. “You bitch. I need that phone for work. What’s your problem?”
“You’re my problem. Now get back in your damn car and leave. I’m getting my family back and you’re the only thing standing in my way.”
Alex hated defeat. She rarely lost a battle. Her mouth went dry. A combination of rage and sorrow nearly blinded her. She wasn’t so sure she wanted to conquer—or even pursue—this new territory. Is Tony worth this shit?
A million thoughts flooded her mind. Thoughts of having Joey in their lives, possible constant fights with his ex, and the dangers of her boyfriend’s profession. Alex was much more comfortable behind a desk dealing with customers, sales vendors, media reps, and bankers. Hell, she’d rather make an impromptu marketing presentation to the entire male board of directors at 8 a.m. every week than put up with this neurotic woman.
Alex reached for her keys. “I can see you aren’t going to change your mind, not today at least.”
“I’ll never change my mind. You might as well leave, husband stealer.”
Alex huffed away, climbed into her Mustang, and slammed the door so hard it shook her teeth. This is bullshit.
As she turned on the ignition, she accidentally turned the windshield wipers on as she threw the car into reverse. The bitch has me so rattled I can’t drive my own car.
She sped off but couldn’t resist a quick glance toward Joey whose small face was pressed against the screen. Meanwhile, the ex from hell flipped her the bird. Slut. Whore. I can’t even call Suzy or Hope because she ruined my fucking phone. Alex pounded the steering wheel and turned on the radio to drown out their hateful conversation.
In a blur, she passed an AT&T office, did a U-turn, and went inside. She picked out a new phone within minutes, and after arguing with the clerk, decided to change her number. She wasn’t sure why but had a feeling it would be necessary. She made a mental note to give her new number to Suzy, Hope, Cheri, and her boss. She decided she’d let Tony have her new number if and when she felt like it.