Walking into his office, my whole body is rigid. I know he’s going to give me her information, but I’m not sure I want it.

I understand why she had to leave the way she did, but what kept her from coming back for me? Why couldn’t she have at least checked up on me?

“Have a seat,” Gary says, pointing to the chair across from his desk.

I sit down and watch him warily as he grabs the bottle of Scotch and pours a shot in both glasses. He sets one in front of me and downs his own.

He sets his empty glass down and turns his back to me once again, rummaging through a filing cabinet.

His expression changes from concentrated to satisfied when he finds what he’s looking for. He withdraws a file from the drawer and drops it on the desk in front of me. Go ahead, read it.” He then retreats to his brown leather desk chair and makes himself comfortable. My adrenaline kicks in, dictating me to run screaming from the room and never come back, but I summon my courage and force myself to pick up the file. The small folder and stack of papers contained within feel as if they weigh a ton, and every movement is a labor. This file is like Pandora’s Box: whatever I discover in here cannot be unseen, there will be no turning back. Am I really sure that I want this glimpse into the past? Not just my own past, but also my mother’s? I take a long breath and look at Gary. He nods, motioning for me to continue.

Sitting on top of the pile of papers inside the folder is a wallet-sized photo of my mother, faded and slightly worn around the edges. She’s young and beautiful, just as I remember her. Her blonde hair falls over her shoulders in soft curls and her blue eyes shine brighter than clear ocean water. Her wide smile causes a small dimple to form in each of her cheeks, the sight of which makes my heart ache.

God, I miss her. Why didn’t I realize this before?

I pick up the photograph and flip it over, revealing the shocking photo beneath it.

It’s a picture of her in a hospital bed. Her eyes are swollen shut and bruised. She has gauze wrapped around her head, and her arm is in a sling.

“It was worse than it looks. That picture can’t show all her bruises and internal damage,” Gary says. Try as I might, I can’t pry my eyes away from the horrifying image.

The difference between the two pictures rattles me to my core.

The first one, before she met my father, shows a happy, healthy woman full of life. The second, after she was unfortunate enough to have my father come into her life, shows the shell of a woman beaten and bruised, virtually devoid of life.

I push my anger down and flip forward to the rest of the documents.

Under the photos sits a pile of legal papers. Rifling through these, my eyes stop on a divorce document stating that she wanted full custody of me. She wanted me. She didn’t want to leave me.

Knowing she wanted me should alleviate my anger, but instead it deepens it. My father kept me from her, for no reason other than to keep someone around to beat on.

I feel tears sting my eyes, but refuse to let them fall.

The last page in her file contains her contact information and current whereabouts. I remove the paper and close the file.

“How did you do it? How did you get my father to sign the divorce papers?”

He pours another glass and throws it back.

“I threatened him. I told him I would ruin him. As a lawyer, I can do enough damage by myself, but with the connections I have, he wouldn’t come back from that.”

“So why didn’t you include me in on this deal too?”

“We tried, he wouldn’t go for it. Kate said he never laid a finger on you. She said that he was a good dad to you and that she didn’t think he would ever hurt you.”

I thought back on the times we shared before she left. She was right, he was a good dad, at least on the surface. He picked me up from school and ball practice. He would take me out to eat and to get ice cream. Hell, he even took to fishing and played catch with me. I never would have thought that he was beating her all that time.

I dip my head and rub my eyes. “Did you know that he was beating me?”

When I look up at him, he dips his head. “Not at first.” He shakes his head and slowly swirls the liquid in his glass. “I didn’t know until it was too late. You were practically old enough to leave then. I didn’t know until that night in the police station.”

I did do a good job of hiding it from everyone. Nobody knew but Lex, and that was only because she walked up and saw us through the window one night.

I made quite a name for myself in this town as a brawler throughout high school. If I had a black eye or bruises, people just thought they came from that, not the hands of my father.

“You know, I watched you with my daughter.”

I look up at him. “What do you mean?”

The ghost of a smile plays at his lips. “You think she can sneak out of the house almost every night for years and I don’t notice?” He lets out a small laugh. “I saw her going to you every night. I saw you two around town, I saw you protect her from anything and everything.”

“Why’d you let your wife give us shit then?”

He shrugs. “I tried to stop her a time or two. I found out that you and Alexis dealt with her better than I ever could.”

I let out a quiet laugh. “So this whole time, you’ve been on our side?”

“I don’t like to take sides, Striker. But, I’ve always supported you two.”

I raise the piece of paper in my hand. “Can I keep this?”

He nods. “Give her a call. I know she wants to see you.”

I stand and slip the paper into my back pocket as I head toward the door, pausing with my hand on the handle.

“I’ve said a lot of shit about you over the years. I see now that none of it was right.” I turn and look at him. “I’m sorry for that. And thank you, for everything.”

He smiles and nods, then lifts his glass in the air toward me and dips his head in acknowledgment.

Back in the foyer, Lex’s mom calls out to me from the top of the stairs. “She’s in her room. Fifth door on the left.” She turns and walks away.

Suddenly my life has become like the Twilight Zone. I’m in Lex’s house, allowed to go up to her room, and I just told her dad I was sorry and thank you.

I shake my head in disbelief and walk up the stairs.

I walk into her room in shock, looking around the foreign and unfamiliar room. For all the time spent with Lex, it is my first time setting foot in her bedroom. My first course of action is to walk to her window and look down. “So this is what it looks like from up here,” I tease.

She lets out a quiet laugh and comes up behind me. “Everything okay?”

I turn in her arms and bring her into my chest. “Everything is fine.”

She looks up to me. “Did he give you her information?”

I nod and pull the paper out of my pocket to show her. “Yep, I just don’t know if I’m ready to see her yet.”

She nods and lays her ear back against my chest. “When you’re ready, I will be right here for you.”

* * *

We wake in the morning, ready to hit the road. I’m still feeling a little weird. All secrets are out, there’s nothing left to hide. Finally, Lex and I can move on without anything between us.

I grab her bag and her dad takes us back to the bar to get my truck.

When we pull up, I step out and toss her bag in the back. Lex stays behind in the car for a few minutes to say goodbye. When she gets out, I step up to his window and shake his hand – something I never thought I would do.

Everything is in order to leave, except for one final order of business: I have to go see Pops.

We pull up to the small diner and walk inside. Inside, we’re greeted by the sound of Pops yelling and cursing back in the kitchen, followed by the clanging of crashing pots and pans.

“I can see he still has his patience,” Lex jokes.

“Hey, Pops.” I sit down at the counter. He walks out slowly at first, but his speed doubles when his eyes land on Lex, running up to her in a crushing hug.

Lex smiles and laughs. “Hey, Pops. Long time, no see.”

“I’ve heard you’re still causing as much trouble as you always did.”

She smiles wider and shrugs. “It seems to follow me, what can I do?”

He laughs. “I’ll tell you what you can do. Sit down here and let me make you both something to eat.” Without waiting for a response, he rushes toward the back.

“I’m really not hungry,” she says weakly, but he is already long gone.

“No use in trying. He’s going to make you whatever he wants anyway.”

She shrugs and sits down beside me.

“Want some coffee?” I ask her as I stand and move around the counter.

I pour us both a cup and take a seat next to her. “Before we leave, I have one more thing I need to do.”

She looks at me. “What’s that?”

“I just need to stop by the house and grab some more clothes and check the mail. It’s probably overflowing from the mailbox by now.”

Pops comes out shortly and sets down two plates, each covered with a huge Belgian waffle drowned in whipped cream and strawberries.

Lex takes a bite and lets out a moan. “Oh, my God. This is amazing, Pops.”

I look at my plate and then back up at him. “Why is it that when I come here alone, I get burnt burgers, but when she’s here, we get this?”

Pops looks at me like the answer is obvious. “She’s prettier.” He shrugs.

* * *

Pops and Lex sit and catch up for an hour. They are far from done when I have to pull her away from him. We need to get on the road.

We make a quick stop by my house and I grab the handful of mail on the way inside, flipping through the envelopes as we walk to the kitchen. I toss them down on the table, one by one, until coming across a letter from the bank that issued me the loan to start my business. I open it hurriedly, thinking maybe I missed a payment.

Instead of it being a final notice, it’s the deed to my house that I used for collateral and a note congratulating me on paying off the loan and owning the business one hundred percent.

“I’m going to kill that old man,” I say as I drop the paper to the table in shock.

“What?” Lex turns and looks at me with confusion written all over her face.

“He paid off my loan.”

“Pops did?” she asks, reaching for the paper.

“Yeah, he paid off the fucking loan. I told him I didn’t want his money.” I lean against the counter, rubbing my eyes.

The next thing I know, she’s pressed against me. “He just wants to take care of you.”

When I open my eyes and see her beautiful face smiling up at me, my anger diminishes. “I know.”

I place my hands on her cheeks and bring my lips to hers. She tastes so sweet. She pulls my bottom lip in between her teeth and steps away, scraping her teeth against my lip. With her eyes locked on mine, she reaches for the hem of her shirt and pulls it off, painfully slow. The blue in her eyes is shining, almost twinkling, and her skin is glowing. In this moment, she’s completely free. She stands taller, no longer held down by the weight of all the secrets and lies that have been pulling at her for so long.

Her eyes never leave mine as she shimmies out of the rest of her clothes. I don’t move, I just stand there watching her with my arms crossed over my chest. I stare at her in awe as she strips away all of her insecurities, all of her secrets, and all of her lies. She’s completely bare and I see nothing but love and soft skin that calls my name.

I never thought I would see this Lex again. The Lex who isn’t scared of anything. The girl I’ve always known to be so brave has finally given up everything that chased her away from me and kept her running for six long fucking years.

Every inch of me craves her. Her soft skin, her gentle touch, her brilliant blue eyes watching me, her laugh, her love, her trust. I want it all.

Now that she is finally opening herself up to me completely, I move toward her in a trance, no longer in control of my own body.

I wrap my arms around her and pull her against me, and she wraps her long legs around my waist. I don’t waste any time taking her to the bedroom.

My cock twitches, longing to be inside her with nothing between us.

We fall into bed and her hands immediately start pulling at my clothes. My shirt tears down the front as her nails skim my chest, leaving red marks down my exposed skin.

Everything she does drives me crazy - ripping my clothes, pulling me closer, and scratching my skin only makes me want her more. I let a deep groan fall from my lips as I work my jeans down my thighs. I rub myself against her and stop just short of sliding inside.

I want inside her, but not yet. Not before I can tease her the way she’s teased me for years. I want her dripping wet and damn-near panting for me to enter her.

As I slide myself between her folds, her legs pull me closer. I let just the tip slide inside before pulling her nipple into my mouth. I suck and flick my tongue against it while she wiggles beneath me, wanting more than I’m giving her.

When I release her nipple, I thrust in the rest of the way and feel her tense around me. She’s so fucking tight and hot around me. I know I have to pace myself. It would only take a matter of minutes for me to drill her and finish, but I want to feel her for as long as fucking possible.

This time isn’t like the rest. This time, it’s just us. Nothing between us, nothing holding us back.

Her nails dig into my back while I push her closer and closer to her release. Soft whimpers fall from her parted lips, and her knees begin to tremble.

I place my thumb against her nub and rub while quickening my movements until within minutes, we’re both falling over the edge together.

I pause to let myself come down from my high, but before I can recover, she’s rolling us over. All I have to do is look at her on top of me and I’m rock hard and ready for round two.

I lose myself in watching her move slowly and deliberately, hitting the exact right spot that will leave us both panting again. She rolls her hips forward, pauses, and rolls her hips back. She does this over and over while I watch her perfect body move above mine. I watch her lips part with her heavy breathing, her eyes flutter closed, and her head tip back.

I grab her hips and squeeze. “Look at me, Lex.” My voice almost sounds foreign to me. It’s deep and demanding.

When the last word leaves my lips, her eyes open and lock with mine as she continues her movements.

I can feel my climax rising, threatening to shatter me. “I fucking love you.”

“I love you, Striker.” With one last roll of her hips, we both find our release and ride out every last wave together.

* * *

We cuddle up close together, touching and caressing. When the sun starts to set, we finally pull ourselves from bed to get ready to make the drive back to the city.

Hundreds of words are silently exchanged between us during the truck ride, communicating with our eyes and touch.

Leaving that mess behind us, it’s as if words are no longer needed with us. We finally know one another completely, inside and out. Nothing is left for us to worry about or avoid. We can be together without hiding - without worrying that someone will come along and shatter what we have.

This is the new beginning of Lex and me and I can’t wait to see where we end up.

* * *

It’s late when we get to her apartment. We’re both exhausted from the weekend and the long drive, and we fall into bed. Neither of us move until the alarm clock goes off the next morning.

We stop and grab a box of donuts and some coffee before we head to the store. I only have a few days left of work before the new wall will be done.

As I’m working, I overhear Lex filling Hannah in on our weekend. Suddenly it dawns on me that we haven’t seen or heard from Jeff since the incident at the wedding.

I know it’s only a matter of time before he comes crawling back with his tail between his legs.

I manage to finish painting the wall and work more on the tile before the day ends. Lex, Hannah, and I are packing up to grab some dinner when the door buzzes.

Standing sheepishly at the door is Jeff.

Lex and I both stare at him; Hannah looks between the two of us.

“Did you leave a part of the story out, Alex?” Hannah asks.

“Yeah, I may have forgotten something.”

“What are you doing here?” I ask him.

He holds up his hands. “I’m not here to start trouble. I came to apologize. I had too much to drink and after watching Alex hurt all day, I was pissed at you.”

I take a step toward him. “That’s not it.” I shake my head and rub my jaw. “No, I don’t think that’s it at all.” I let my eyes flash around to the three of them. Lex looks worried, unsure of what I’m going to say. Hannah looks entertained. And Jeff… well, he just looks scared.

“You know what I think it is?” I wait for him to answer, but he doesn’t. He’s a coward and is too afraid to tell Lex the truth. He slides his hands back into his pockets, subconsciously telling me he isn’t looking for a fight, which is just fine because I don’t want to fight him. Not like that anyway. I just want all the shit out in the open. Lex can’t see him for who he truly is, but I can. He’s a snake. He buddies up in hopes of taking whatever he wants as soon as everybody lets their guard down.

“I think this whole time that you two have had this little thing going on, you were falling in love with her, hoping that she was falling in love with you. Is that right?”

He runs his hands through his hair and shakes his head. “Look, man. I just wanted to say I’m sorry. Now I have and I think it’s time for me to go.”

I let out a small laugh. “Yeah, run away you coward.”

His head pops up and his eyes lock on mine. “What did you call me?” His brows are furrowed and his jaw is set.

“I said you’re a fucking coward.” I look at the girls and wave my arm in their direction. “Prove me wrong, tell Lex how you really feel about her.”

His eyes bounce from mine to hers. “Alex, I…”

I stand back and cross my arms over my chest.

He looks at me again and I see his jaw flex. “You know what? Fuck this.” He turns and pushes out the door, leaving the three of us standing there.

I see Lex let out a long breath. Her shoulders visibly fall with her exhale; she’s relieved.

“Let’s grab some dinner,” Hannah says as she pulls out her keys to lock up behind us.