Lex (Unconventional Hearts) (52 page)

Gage is motionless two feet in front of me,
standing in the gravel of his father’s driveway, both of us frozen
in shock.

She called me
Mommy
!

Gage

Emma called Lex,
Mommy
. My daughter,
called the love of my life,
Mommy.
No matter what happened
today between me and Max. Or me and Lex. Emma, my baby, called my
Angel, mommy. Emma barely calls Melissa mommy, she calls her mother
or mom. Emma has a mommy now. By the emotional wave that overtook
Lex, when Emma said that. I’m guessing she feels the same about
her. I kind of already knew that. But the woman standing in front
of me confirms my observation, multiplied times a hundred. The
expression of happiness on Lex’s face is what women are supposed to
feel when they hear those words. That’s how I’d always hoped
Melissa would react to Emma. Never did though.

Taking the short stride to my Angel, I wrap
her into my arms, pressing her head to my heart. “I love you, I’m
sorry.”

“For what?” she mutters, wrapping her arms
around my back, holding onto me. Like she’s afraid if she doesn’t
she might fly away.

“The Max thing. I shouldn’t have done
it.”

“Yeah well, he won’t think that way again
after I just told them I have a penis.”

“Max knows.”

“What?!” she screeches into my chest, as I
begin to run my fingers through her hair to calm her. I can feel
her tense body in my arms. I need to relax her before she loses her
shit again.

Today was supposed to be a quick and easy,
early family supper. When we were at breakfast this morning and
Tasha dropped by to pick Emma up to go grocery shopping, Lex began
to unravel. Bit-by-bit as the time to come to my families grew
closer, Lex’s anxiety sprouted to new heights. I tried giving her
an orgasm this morning in our bedroom to calm her. I fed her my
cock, to try to calm her. I even massaged her shoulders while she
soaked in the tub and listened to Patsy. Nothing worked. Nine dress
changes, three hairstyle changes, eight shoe changes and jewelry; I
couldn’t count how many times she swapped out earrings. By the time
we got here to my dad’s, I was feeling nearly as much anxiety she
was until my sister came to the rescue. Gotta love Tasha, I have no
damn clue what I’d do without that woman half the time.

“Max apparently already knew. The only person
who doesn’t is my dad…and well Chelsea, but she knows now.”

If one-word leaks into town about Lex’s extra
fuckin’ sexy appendage, I will sue Chelsea. I know she has a big
mouth and Lex doesn’t need the stress. I told Tasha just as much,
before I left to come out and convince my Angel to stay and have
dinner with us. One thing I did find out tonight is that my brother
also knows about
lady
. Tasha must have spilled the beans to
him over the past year. Might have been the time Max was talking
shit to me about loving a woman I didn’t have the balls to pursue.
A woman he’s crushed on for a few years. Faith, Lex’s mom is
friends with Max. They chat when Faith stops by the gas station for
coffee, tea, or whatever else. I had a feeling part of my brother’s
fixation stems from her mother’s charms. Lex is amazing, and then
add Faith into the picture and it’s nearly impossible not to fall
in love with Lex. Faith is a sweet woman and loves her daughter
implicitly. Adding her to the package of Lex, and it’s a match made
in heaven. Although, for me the match is because Faith is sweet and
all men want a nice mother in law. For Max, I have no damn clue
what his angle is. Nor do I give a fuck.

As long as Max doesn’t pull that bullshit
stunt again, nearly showing my fuckin’ woman his dick, we’ll be
good. That little show would be bold, even for me. For him, it’s in
a whole other galaxy. Max is usually the shy, reserved brother, who
mouths off only to me, never a man to flaunt a damn thing. Let
alone whip out his cock in a house full of people, must have been
desperate to go to the lengths that he did.

“Angel?”

“Huh?”

“What cha thinkin’ about?”

“That your brother and Chelsea now know. That
girl already doesn’t like me. This could be very bad.”

“It won’t be. I’ve got it covered.” I
confidently explain. I do have it covered and if that coverage
means getting Lincoln involved to arrest Chelsea then so be it. Or
if I have to sue her or have her declared mentally disabled. I
will. No lengths will ever be ruled out to insure Lex’s emotional
and physical safety. She’s been treated horrifically almost her
entire life, fifteen years plus another one-year with Brian. That’s
sixteen years of her twenty-eight years that she was abused. That
will never happen again. One way or the other, Lex will never be
hurt,
ever again
.

“We’re good in here.” I hear my sister say
from behind me.

“That means?” I ask.

“That means I spoke with her and we’re good.
No worries. Now if you’ve done your groveling, then bring her back
inside. Dinner is on the table. We are waiting for you two.”

Grabbing my Angel’s shoulders, I pull her
away from my body
so I can see her face. Cupping her cheeks in my
hands, I hold her stare. “I love you. I’m sorry today has been
hard. But I know you have to be hungry. It’s time to get some food
into you. Then we will stay and talk a few hours with my family and
things will be okay. I promise to behave and not fight with
Max.”

“Fine.”

Briefly pressing my lips to hers, I inhale
her scent and release her. Folding her hand into mine, I guide her
into the house. I know she’s not happy today and I’ve made it
worse. But having Emma sit beside her and distracting her, that
will fix Lex. Emma, for whatever reason, has the power to do that.
Lex seems to be aware of her at all times. Watching her, making
sure she’s fed, has something to drink, that she’s dressed okay,
her hair’s brushed, that she’s brushed her teeth. Things great
mothers do for their daughters, a bond that Emma and Lex have
cemented together. A connection I could have only dreamed of when I
decided to finally secure Lex into my life.

Following me to the table in the dining room,
Lex takes a seat, like I thought, right next to Emma, and I beside
her. Then she goes to work, doing her motherly duties; fixing
Emma’s plate, asking her questions and falling into the world that
only mothers and daughters share. Emma’s happiness is contagious
and soon the entire table is immersed in chatter, the anxiety and
fight from earlier is nearly forgotten. As we eat our chicken,
Lex’s hand stays firmly planted on my thigh, the little touch that
means the world to me. Confirming that all these years of pining
away for her was worth every heartache, every moment I lay awake in
bed miserable being with Melissa and not her. It makes it all worth
it, to finally have my two girls, forever.

To quote Maya Angelou, “Love arrives, and in
its train come ecstasies, old memories of pleasure, and ancient
histories of pain. Yet if we are bold, love strikes away the chains
of fear
from our souls.”

How those few prolific words, speak wonders
to my life and how it has come to fruition.

I’m a blessed man.

Lex

“See, that wasn’t such a bad night, was it?”
Gage smiles at me, removing his socks and moving to his pants.

“No. Smarty-pants, it wasn’t.” I stick my
tongue out, flashing him a snarky smile and drop my dress into the
hamper.

Gage is right, after the rough start at his
dad’s, things mellowed out
, a lot
. We ate and talked. I felt
like a part of the family. The only person I didn’t socialize with
was Chelsea, no shocker there. She doesn’t care for me, which is
fine. I don’t much like her either. After dinner, I helped Tasha
tidy up and we all retired to the living room with Henry, Gage’s
dad, where we talked even more. His dad is extremely intelligent;
we ended up carving away a few hours merely speaking about running
a business and different philosophies practiced in the workplace. I
can definitely see where Gage gets his strong sense of self, quick
wit and immeasurable intelligence from.

“My dad likes you.”

“Really? Well I guess that’s good, because I
like him too.” I explain, walking into the bathroom and turning on
the tub. I know I already took one bath today, but some days I take
more than one. Today is going to be one of those days.

“What you don’t get is my dad doesn’t like
people.”

I roll my eyes. That’s crazy. Henry was
stupendously pleasant.

“Don’t roll your eyes, Lex. I’m serious.”

“How serious?” I wink at him and hook my
thumbs into my panties, sliding them to the floor and stepping out.
Before standing back up, I muster up a dirty thought of Gage to get
stiff. Once
lady
is pretty much fully awake, I stand with my
panties hooked over my finger and I fling them at Gage. Who catches
them with a dirty smirk and puts them to his nose.

Yuck!

“Ewwww, gross, Gage.” I whine, scrunching my
face in disgust.

“The smell of Lex, is there anything
sexier?”

I think I might have just puked in my mouth a
little.

“Flowers? Anything other than my panties that
I’ve worn all day.”

Shaking his head, he audibly inhales. “Mmmmm,
nope.”

“If you don’t stop, I am going to puke.”

“Me smelling you grosses you out?”

“Smelling me? No. Smelling those.” I point to
my blue lace panties in his hand. “Yes.”

“What if I masturbated with them? Would that
turn you on?”

The freak is in the building tonight.

“Gage, honey. Do you forget that…I’m how do
you call it?”

“Sexy?”

I chuckle, shaking my head. “No.
Inexperienced
.”

“Do my perversions turn you off?”

“No. They do kind of make me feel strange
though. I’ve gone without wanting any sex, to wanting it nonstop.
Then you want to add kinky things. I’m not ready. If you want to
masturbate with my panties, then you are welcome to. I’d rather
take a bath, and then spend a night cuddling in bed with you. It’s
been a long day.”

Gage

Fuck! I’m a damn idiot. Here I thought
smelling her panties would be funny and maybe turn her on a little.
Not make her sick. My brain isn’t feeling so well tonight, I’m off
my Lex game, should have known better.

I had a glass of wine at my dad’s and I
probably shouldn’t have. Maybe that’s causing my lapse in judgment.
My doctor told me the last time I was there to stop drinking
anything but water. I can’t do that
and
keep my family from
being suspicious. My kidneys last Thursday night took a little
longer than usual on dialysis. This is what happened the last time
I went into renal failure. I started to rapidly decline. I pray
that I can make it to Tuesday without having to go to the hospital.
Maybe tomorrow I’ll go in for a session instead of Tuesday. I can
sneak it in over lunch. Emma will be home with Lex all day, and I
won’t have to worry about her getting to the babysitters, should
work out perfectly.