Chapter Sixteen
“So what exactly are these for again?”
Alexa held up a box holding about a dozen circular pads.
Daisy glanced up. “They go inside your bra in case you start leaking breast milk.”
Her stomach dropped. The more she learned about pregnancy, the more she was convinced it sounded like the worst thing a woman could do to her body. “Oh my God. Your breasts are going to leak? Like, forever?”
Her almost sister-in-law laughed and took the box from Alexa to set it back on the shelf. “No, silly. That only happens when you’re breast-feeding. The milk eventually dries up.”
She looked at Daisy in amazement. “How do you know all of this already? The baby won’t even be here for at least another month.”
They were shopping at a big chain baby store, and Alexa couldn’t believe the amount of supplies and knowledge needed to raise a child these days. The store simply overwhelmed her. How could Daisy seem so calm about it all?
“Trust me, I don’t know that much. But Brandon keeps bringing baby books home, and I’ve already read a few. Still, I’m sure I’m not going to know everything by the time our little guy—or girl—gets here.”
“Um, didn’t I already tell you that you’re giving me a niece and we’re going to wear matching outfits as much as possible?”
She absolutely loved the idea of being an aunt. Brandon and Daisy had decided to wait until the baby’s birth to know the sex, so it was a waiting game for all of them. Alexa was dead serious about buying matching outfits. And if she turned out to be a nephew instead, Alexa was still going to make sure he was the best-dressed baby in all of L.A. More than that, she was excited about her little family growing. She’d never seen her brother happier, and she already loved Daisy like a sister. The baby was just going to make everything more beautiful.
“Thanks for coming shopping with me. I know this probably isn’t exactly how you planned to spend your Sunday afternoon.”
Alexa looked through a bin of baby shoes. “Are you kidding me? You know I love shopping. You did me a favor by dragging me out of my house.”
Daisy cleared her throat. “Well, to be completely honest, that was kind of the point.”
She dropped the pair of tiny sneakers she was holding. “So this was all a ruse, concocted by you, to check up on me? Did you hope the smell of baby lotion would cheer me up or something?”
“Do you need cheering up?”
She had walked into that one. “No, I don’t. Besides, just because the smell of baby lotion does do something to my insides, that doesn’t mean I’m sad about Dante.”
“Who said anything about Dante? Brandon said you still haven’t signed the settlement papers, and I was going to ask why. What happened with Dante?”
Alexa groaned and took a seat on a nearby rocking chair. She was surprised by how comfortable it was. And it had a matching footstool? If it came in black or hot pink, she was definitely going to buy one for her bedroom.
“Hello? Are you going tell me about Dante or not?” Daisy eased herself onto the rocking chair next to her.
“We ended things. Or, rather, I did.”
“What? Why didn’t your brother tell me? Ooh, that man is going to get it when I get home.”
Alexa gulped a breath. “It happened a few days ago. And don’t blame Brandon. I told him I wanted to be the one to tell you, but I wasn’t ready to talk about it.”
“What happened? You guys were doing so well.”
She leaned her head back and closed her eyes. Why had she ended things? It was the question keeping her up at night. It had been a couple of days since the dinner in Beverly Hills. At first, she worried he’d show up at the restaurant or her house and want to hash things out. But he’d stayed away. No texts. No phone calls. She’d always told him that she hated the drama that usually followed breakups. She should’ve been happy he hadn’t caused her any.
Instead, she was miserable.
And, there in the middle of the furniture department of Babies “R” Us, Alexa broke down and cried.
Daisy reached over and grabbed her hand. “Oh, sweetie. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
She shook her head and took a gulp of air. “It’s not your fault. I think I’ve been holding it in for a while now. Do you have any tissues?”
“I’m a walking hormone. Of course I have tissues.”
Alexa smiled at Daisy’s joke. And by the time she’d handed her a tissue, the tears had stopped. She cleaned her face and took another breath before telling Daisy the one thing she’d been afraid to say out loud. “What’s wrong with me? Am I that horrible that men would rather run than be in a relationship with me?”
“Wait, I thought you said you were the one who broke things off?”
“Well, technically, yeah. But only because I knew he wouldn’t have the guts to.”
“So he told you that he was unhappy?”
The conversation with the woman at the dinner party ran through her head. Maybe he hadn’t said the words, but there had been signs he was ready for their relationship to end. Hadn’t there?
“Not exactly. But he was mad about what happened at the deposition, and I knew it was just a matter of time before he got bored and moved on.”
“Hold up. You didn’t answer my question. At any point, did Dante say that he was unhappy or wanted to break up?”
She didn’t appreciate the way Daisy was interrogating her. It hadn’t been that cut-and-dried. “He doesn’t stay with anyone for more than a few months. Our time was running out. I just ended it a few seconds early.”
Daisy stayed quiet. That wasn’t good, either.
“Spill it. I know you want to say something, so say it.”
“I love you, Alexa. But sometimes I just want to shake some sense into you!”
Daisy scooted out of the rocking chair and moved so she was standing in front of Alexa. Then she leaned down and gripped the sides of Alexa’s chair. A riled-up pregnant woman was definitely something to be feared. She waited sheepishly for Daisy to finish her rant.
“I think you ended it because you got scared. And when you get scared, you tend to do something rash—like break up with the one guy who could really love you.”
And, then, right there in the middle of the furniture department of Babies “R” Us, Daisy broke down and cried, too.
Alexa jumped out of the chair and hugged her. “Oh, honey, why are you crying now?”
“I don’t know,” Daisy blubbered into her shoulder. “I guess I’m just so frustrated for you. And maybe a little hungry. I swear, my emotions are all over the place these days. Trust me, when you get pregnant, you’ll understand.”
She smiled, and then it hit her. For the first time in her life, Alexa didn’t cringe at the thought of having a kid of her own. She wanted the leaky breasts, the crazy mood swings, and the big belly. Not tomorrow, of course. But one day. And immediately she thought of Dante. She wanted all those things with him.
Because she loved him.
Her own tears started falling again, and she finally said the words she’d been too afraid to even think. “I love him, Daisy, but what if he doesn’t love me?”
They stood there for a couple of minutes, crying into each other’s shoulders. It was a miracle no sales associate stopped by to see what was wrong. Perhaps bawling women were a regular occurrence at that particular Babies “R” Us?
When they were all out of tears and tissues, they sat back down on the rockers.
“You have to tell him, Alexa. You might be surprised at what he says.”
“I’m scared.”
“So what? I’m scared about pushing this baby out. But you know what? I’m going to do it, because when it’s over, I’m going to have a son or daughter. Some things are worth moving past your fear.”
Alexa sighed. “I don’t know. I don’t exactly have the best track record with him. I’ve pushed him away before. What if I messed up my second chance?”
“What if you didn’t? You just have to convince him that you’re in it for the long haul. Fight for what you want, Alexa.”
Dante had told her the same thing not that long ago. But how could he believe she was willing to fight for what she wanted when she’d given up on the lawsuit?
That’s when it became clear what she needed to do. She wiped her eyes and asked Daisy if she was ready to leave.
“Why? Where do you have to go?”
Alexa smiled. “I’m going to put my boxing gloves on.”
…
It took everything out of her not to reach across the table and smack his face.
But instead of giving Nick another reason to sue her, Alexa balled her fists under the table and smiled.
“Well?” he said. “You wanted to meet without our lawyers, so here I am ready and willing to listen to all the reasons why you think I should drop the lawsuit.”
They were sitting in the coffee shop just down the street from Formosa. She’d called him after dropping Daisy off at home, and he’d accepted her invitation almost immediately.
She knew that he would.
“I have to hand it to you Nick. You’ve really got me in a tight spot.”
“You got yourself there. Not my fault your temper hasn’t simmered down after all these years. Maybe you should see someone about that?”
He was doing everything he could to rattle her and get a reaction. It would prove his point that she was a hothead with impulse-control issues. The stakes were too important, though. She wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of getting under her skin.
“Anyway. I asked you here because the writing is on the wall. That’s why our lawyer asked for the settlement papers.”
The grin that spread across Nick’s face was obscene. God, she couldn’t wait to wipe it off.
“I know. I was surprised that Brandon would agree to that. He’s such a control freak. I’m sure it’s killing him.”
“It is. That’s why I’m reconsidering your initial offer.”
The grin grew bigger—and slimier. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
“I think so. But I need you to spell it out so there’s no mistaking what I’m agreeing to.”
She hated that she’d said pretty much the same thing to Dante not so long ago. But when she’d said it to him, she’d been excited. With Nick, she was just sick.
He leaned across the table and grabbed her hands. It took a feat of strength not to snatch them back. “You put me through a lot, Alexa. I think I need to rethink the terms.”
Panic rose in her chest. Of course he’d make this harder than it needed to be.
“Tell me what you want,” she said tightly.
“Ooh, I like this demanding side of you. Okay, here it is. I’ll agree to drop the lawsuit if you come back to my condo right now and let me screw you any way I want. And then I want you to show up tonight just before dinner service and blow me while I work on my books.”
Disgust choked her. She wanted so much to run out of there. She couldn’t, though. She had to see this through. “And if I do this, how will I know that you’ll drop the lawsuit? Forgive me if I don’t take you at your word.”
He laughed. “When we get back to my place, I’ll hand over the security tapes. All of them.”
“Ah, so there is footage from the dining room. Didn’t your girlfriend Carrie tell my lawyer that there wasn’t?”
“What can I say? It’s not my fault she wanted to help her man.”
“And how is Carrie going to feel if she finds out her man had sex with me?”
He shrugged. “Who says she’s going to find out?”
“You’re a real prince, you know that? So those are your terms, then?”
“Nope. There’s one more thing.”
She sighed. “What else?”
“The Times is doing a story on the restaurant. I’m going to give the reporter your number, and I want you to tell her how much you love the food and how talented of a chef you think I am.”
The sexual payback she’d expected. This she had not. “Why do you want a review from me?”
“Because you’re you. You are the reigning queen of upscale Latin cuisine in Los Angeles. A recommendation from you will fill my seats for another year, at least.”
Alexa was speechless. This whole time she’d been looking for validation from Nick about her food and her career. It turned out that he had needed it from her just as badly. Was this what the lawsuit had really been all about?
He’d stolen her idea and her food not to get back at her, but because he had none of his own. She decided at that moment that he could have them.
What he couldn’t have was her.
“Did you get all that?” she asked.
He raised his eyebrow. “Get what?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Let me be more clear. Brandon, did you get on tape Nick telling me that he’ll drop the lawsuit if I sleep with him and that there are more security tapes back at his condo?”
And just like that, Nick’s smirk was obliterated.
After Brandon came out of the coffee shop’s restroom and played the recording he’d taken, it took only two minutes for Nick to make the call to his lawyer to drop the lawsuit. They all knew the recording was illegal. But when Alexa threatened to send it to the Times reporter, Nick knew he was done.
It felt good to have the lawsuit over. It felt even better that she’d been the one to fix things in the end.
She debated on whether to send Carrie a copy of the tape. Perhaps if Alexa had known earlier that Nick was a cheater, she wouldn’t have felt the tiniest bit of guilt for working so much or being more successful than him. But Alexa didn’t want to be the woman who told a stranger that she didn’t mean anything to the man she was with.
Some things had to be proven all on their own.