CHAPTER THIRTEEN
ALEXIS
‘‘Where are my-?’’
‘‘On the side, Grammy,’’ I smirk. She picks up her glasses and winks.
‘‘You’re like Sherlock Holmes, Lexy girl, just prettier.’’
‘‘And female.’’
‘‘And that.’’ She bustles around looking for yet another thing. ‘‘Is Alec picking you up?’’
‘‘Mmm,’’ I answer, a small smile on my face.
Grammy catches it with her beady little eyes. ‘‘Oh, yes?’’
A blush colours my cheeks and I look away.
‘‘Hmmm?’’ Grammy probes.
‘‘Shush.’’ I bat her away and slip on my black heels to match my black and nude dress.
‘‘Love is in the air... doo doo doo doo doo doo...’’
‘‘Oh, shush!’’ I repeat and narrow my eyes at her.
She smiles knowingly and wiggles her eyebrows at me once. I shake my head when the doorbell rings.
Chaos begins.
‘‘Where’s my tie?’’
‘‘Mum, have you seen my shoes?’’
‘‘On the back of the chair. No, Sam, I haven’t. Lexy, have you seen my mascara?’’
‘‘It’s on the bathroom sink.’’
‘‘Emmy, are you sure my tie is there?’’
‘‘Oh, Si, we don’t have time for this.’’
I take a deep breath and open the door.
Taking a deep breath was the wrong move.
I’m rendered speechless and breathless by Alec in a suit. The sharp, black suit is tailored to fit him perfectly and the baby blue shirt brings the colour of his eyes out so much they almost pop.
I blink. Swallow. Blink some more.
His lips curl up in a small smile. ‘‘Anyone there?’’
I swallow again and look up. ‘‘Hi.’’
‘‘Hey, Princess.’’ He wipes some hair from my eye. ‘‘You look beautiful.’’
I rake my eyes over him again. Yeah. That suit is something else.
‘‘You don’t look so bad yourself.’’ I smile.
‘‘Ready to go?’’ He holds his elbow out and I nod, tucking my clutch bag under my arm.
‘‘See you guys in a bit!’’ I yell into the house.
Grammy winks as she walks past and I roll my eyes, slipping my hand into the crook of Alec’s arm. We walk down the path and he opens the car door for me. He helps me in and stops just before he shuts the door.
I smooth my hair, which is curled and swept to one side.
‘‘What?’’ I ask. He’s looking at me almost tenderly.
‘‘You really do look beautiful,’’ he says so softly I can barely hear him. I smile, warmth spreading through my body.
‘‘Thank you.’’ I slowly close my eyes and open them again. Alec shuts the door and climbs in the other side. He glances at me again, shoots me a smile, and starts the engine.
It’s gonna be a long day.
~
The venue is amazing. The manor house is decked out in shades of white and the lightest shade of lilac I’ve ever seen. Bouquets of roses and baby’s breath adorn the sides of the reception room. The tables are round, covered with white cloth. The chairs have lilac organza bows around the back of them. But that’s not what’s amazing.
My jaw drops as I take in the centrepieces. In a splash of colour, large violet, glass vases sit on each table. The biggest roses I’ve ever seen come out from each one and they all sparkle like they’ve been coated with a discreet layer of glitter. They’re so simple, so understated, but so elegant.
A DJ station is set up in the far corner, along with space for a dance floor. We all take our seats, Alec pulling the chair out for me. Jen rolls her eyes at me as she passes, moving to sit at a table closer to the front.
She looks beautiful, too. Her lilac dress is knee length, strapless, and has a lilac bow just under her bust. Her blonde hair is hanging across her shoulders in delicate waves, and despite her eye roll, I can tell she’s delighted for her sister, Hannah.
Hannah and her new husband, Lloyd, enter the room and we all clap. They do make a truly stunning couple. Hannah is an older version of Jen, almost identical in looks. The only thing setting them apart is the bright pink in Jen’s hair - which she’s dyed out.
Lloyd is taller than Hannah by almost a head, and is dark in contrast. Dark hair, olive skin, and green-brown eyes. It sounds strange, but it makes for a striking contrast.
The meal is served and, as expected, the meal is out of this world good. Me and Alec make some small talk with the other guests around the table, but mostly talk between ourselves.
‘‘You two make a very cute couple.’’ A lady in her forties smiles at us across the table.
I open my mouth to correct her but Alec beats me to it.
‘‘Thank you, ma’am.’’ He beams and takes my hand in his. I look at him and discreetly raise an eyebrow. He winks and shrugs one shoulder.
‘‘Sorry,’’ he whispers in my ear. ‘‘I didn’t want to ruin her little dream.’’
I laugh under my breath and the same woman shoots a big smile at us. I smile back and shrug as if to say ‘what can I do?’
When all the dessert dishes are cleared away, the DJ welcomes us to the evening event and calls for the first dance. A smile graces my lips as I watch Hannah and Lloyd take the floor. They look into each other’s eyes as if they’re the only people in the room, and you can almost feel the love flowing from them.
As I watch, I wonder if I’ll ever feel that way about anyone. To love someone enough to commit your whole life to them is something else altogether. I think about my parents. They’ve been happily married for twenty-five years, and together even longer. That’s the kind of love I want one day. It’s the kind everyone wants.
Alec looks back at me like he knows what I’m thinking and smiles. I smile back.
The music changes and people start to gravitate towards the floor. Alec offers me his hand.
‘‘May I have this dance?’’
It’s Westlife. How can I possibly say no?
‘‘You may.’’ I smile and put my hand in his. He leads me to the dance floor where I catch sight of Jen and Carl. Carl winks at me and nods toward Alec, Jen grins. I roll my eyes at them and turn towards Alec. He pulls me against him, spreading his hands across the small of my back. I wrap my arms around his neck and realise what the song is.
Every Little Thing You Do.
Perfect for a wedding, I’ll admit, but not so perfect when you’re in the arms of the only guy you think of when you hear the song. Alec starts swaying me side to side gently and I allow myself to melt into his arms.
‘‘‘It’s every little thing you do, that makes me fall in love with you. There isn’t a way that I can show you, ever since I’ve come to know you, it’s every little thing you say, that makes me wanna feel this way. There’s not a thing that I can point to, it’s every little thing you do.’’’ Alec sings quietly into my ear.
I rest my head on his shoulder, my face turned into his neck. He holds me tighter as he quietly carries on singing and my heart melts.
‘‘Closet Westlife fan,’’ I whisper to him.
He turns his face into mine so his lips are right by my ear. ‘‘I’ve already told you I’d do anything for you, Princess, and if that means learning Westlife, then I’ll do it.’’
He starts singing again and something inside me breaks. I can’t fight it anymore.
He’s dangerous, flirtatious, my opposite in almost everything. But he’s all I want.
I’ve never felt the way I do right now, with him holding me close and singing me one of my favourite songs. Nothing even comes close to the feeling spreading through my body.
I have to admit it to myself, no matter how much I want to run from it to save myself.
I’m falling for this guy, hook, line and sinker. He’s stealing my heart, a little piece at a time.
And I’m not sure I want him to stop anymore.
~
I awoke this morning with the previous night’s revelation still fresh in my mind.
We’ve been in Devon for three weeks. That means we leave in five. But that doesn’t matter much to me anymore. Like Jen said, I have to stop worrying about the future and live in the here and now.
And that’s why I’m sat on the beach, staring out to sea and waiting for Alec to get here.
I might be crazy. The early morning heat might be making me delusional. I’m not sure. I just know... I trust him. Everything he’s done since we’ve met is to make me believe in him, trust him.
‘‘It’s seven thirty in the morning.’’ Alec’s voice drifts over the beach towards me. ‘‘Any reason I’m here so early? Not that I’m complaining, any excuse to see you, Princess, but still.’’
I turn my head and he’s stood behind me, the sun playing off his features. There’s a shine to his hair and apprehension in his eyes. I pat the spot next to me and he moves forward almost tentatively.
‘‘You’re not smiling,’’ he observes and sits down.
I shrug one shoulder. ‘‘I have to talk to you about something.’’
‘‘Go on,’’ he encourages, leaning back on his hands.
I look down at the sand and draw a pattern in the sand absently. I trace it three times and realise it’s a heart.
‘‘I don’t wanna fight it anymore, Alec.’’
‘‘Fight what?’’
‘‘This. Me and you.’’ I peer over at him. ‘‘Us.’’
His eyes widen slightly. ‘‘Us?’’
I nod and tuck my hair behind my ear. ‘‘Everything you’ve done since we’ve met has completely disproved everything I’ve been told about you. You’ve done nothing but try and make me happy, and you have.’’
‘‘Princess...’’
‘‘Let me finish, okay?’’ He nods. ‘‘I’ve had the best three weeks - with a few exceptions - and it’s because of you. I... I don’t want to keep fighting against what I know will happen.’’
‘‘So, you’re saying.’’ He swallows slightly and turns his body towards me, ‘‘that you want there to be an us?’’
I close my eyes, breathe deeply and nod. ‘‘If... If that’s what you still want.’’
‘‘So, if I leaned over, like this.’’ Alec inches closer to me, moving his hand behind my back. ‘‘And put my hand here, wrapping my fingers in your hair, you wouldn’t mind?’’
He’s so close to me, and I know, emotionally, this is the closest we’ve ever been. I can feel his warm breath fan across my cheek, my breathing speeds up, goose pimples erupt over my body. My lips tingle in anticipation, my heart starts to play a fast rock beat against my ribs. The almost kisses - and actual kiss - of the past hold nothing to what I know is happening.
‘‘Hmm, Princess, you wouldn’t care?’’ he repeats softly, his blue grey eyes boring into mine.
I shake my head slightly.
‘‘I didn’t hear you.’’
‘‘No,’’ I whisper, ‘‘I wouldn’t care at all.’’
‘‘And what if I did this?’’ He moves his face forward so our lips are nearly touching, mere millimetres apart. My eyes flutter closed as he tightens his grip on me.
‘‘Would you care, then?’’
‘‘No, not this time,’’ I breathe out, almost soundlessly.
I want this. I want this more than anything, and I know I’ve been a fool to fight it.
‘‘Then you wouldn’t mind, if I did this.’’ He closes the barely there difference between us and my body explodes.
His lips are soft, like a silky rose petal, and they merge against mine in a perfection seen only in movies. He’s gentle, ever so gentle, brushing his lips over mine again and again.
I reach up and wrap my arms around his neck, my fingers entwining in his hair. I want more, more than just a gentle kiss. I’ve had a taste of him, of heaven, and I don’t know how to stop. All that exists in this second is him, Alec, the guy I’d vowed to stay away from.
That thought sobers me and I freeze for a second, but it’s long enough for Alec to notice. He pulls back and looks in my eyes.
‘‘Princess?’’ he says uncertainly.
I press my fingers to my lips and stand up, turning away from him. He stands and grips my arm.
‘‘What are you running from now, Princess? What are you so afraid of?’’ he asks me softly.
‘‘I don’t know.’’
‘‘You’re lying. Tell me.’’
‘‘You want to know? Really?’’ I turn and meet his eyes. ‘‘Maybe I’m afraid to admit to you just how much I’m falling for you. Maybe I’m still scared of getting hurt. Maybe this... kissing you.... Maybe that makes it real.’’
‘‘Princess,’’ he murmurs and cups my chin, bringing my face close to his. In his eyes I see a swarm of emotions. It’s like he’s stripped bare, he’s stripped away everything everyone sees just to show me the truth. Just like I always wanted.
‘‘Maybe you don’t need to be afraid,’’ he says in a gentle tone.
‘‘You know a summer romance wasn’t what what I signed up for when we came down here,’’ I whisper.
“Lexy, you’re not listening to me.”
“I am.”
“No, you’re not.” Amusement laces his tone and he slides his other arm around my waist, holding me in place. I’m trapped. Trapped in the one place I want to be.
“Maybe you don’t need to be afraid,” he repeats, “because maybe I’m falling for you too.”
I know my eyes show I’m slightly sceptical. For him to fall for someone is about as likely as pigs growing wings and migrating to a warmer climate during the winter months.
“You still don’t believe me.” He sighs. “Do you think I would have kissed you like that just now if I didn’t feel anything for you, Princess? Really?”
I can’t deny that. The feelings he evoked in me during that kiss were unlike anything I’ve ever felt.
“I guess not,” I mumble, reluctantly.
‘‘Do you really think I would have spent every spare second of the last three weeks with you if I didn’t care? Would I have made your birthday as special as it was if this was just a game? Do you think I would have lain awake at night thinking of how I could make you trust me?
“Princess,” he whispers when I cast my eyes downwards. “Look at me.”
I close my eyes and shake my head.
A summer romance wasn’t in my plan. But that all changed the second Alec walked into my life. When I met him... A summer romance became everything I wanted.
The next thing I feel is his lips pressing against mine for the second time. He pushes his hand through my hair and cups the back of my head. I can only kiss him back.
It’s like he’s wired in my DNA, and despite my head telling me to step away, my heart has taken over and it’s all I can do to stay standing.
My arms go round his neck of their own accord and my fingers tangle in the ends of his hair.
“Believe me yet?” he murmurs against my lips. I nod and press myself up against him, claiming his lips once more.
He kisses me a few more times then pulls back. His smile reaches his eyes, and there’s a spark in them I’ve never seen before. I can’t help but smile back at him. He moves his head forward and runs the tip of his nose down the length of mine before kissing me once more.
“Don’t run from me, Lexy,” he whispers, trailing kisses along my jaw and up to my earlobe. “Because I’ll always follow you.”
“Can I hide then?” I tease, leaning my cheek against his.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’ll always come and find you, that’s why.” He pulls back and looks into my eyes. “Tell me you won’t run anymore.”
His eyes are entrancing. The swirling mass of blue grey is mesmerising, and I know I couldn’t run even if I wanted to.
“I won’t run anymore.”
“Promise?” He strokes my hair away from my face.
I put a hand on his cheek. “I promise.”
He smiles at me again and I look down. He’s looking at me like-
“You’re beautiful,” he whispers, kissing my nose.
Yeah, like I’m beautiful.
ALEC
I look into her brown eyes and see all I’ll ever need.
She’s mine.