This Too Shall Pass (6 page)

“We’ll see,” Alexis repeated.

****

Cory didn’t get home until six on Monday. Alexis already had the girls at the table with their plates when he joined them. He kissed Alexis and sat down with a sigh.

“You look tired, long day?” Alexis questioned with a smile, sliding the bowl of salad his way.

“Very long. How was practice, Riki?”

“I didn’t hit the ball.”

“You did, too. You hit it when Vincent threw it to you.”

“But he doesn’t count. He’s big. I can’t hit it when Jamie throws it to me.”

“That’s why you have the T. You can hit it off there,” Alexis explained. Riki never wanted to do that. She couldn’t wait until she was done with t-ball. She hated hitting the ball off the stick and argued about it every time.

“I’m going to have my birthday party at Papaw Kinney’s,” Riki explained. She didn’t want to talk about baseball anymore.

“Okay, but it’s April. You have a long time for your birthday.”

“Is it, Lexis?”

“Four more months. Papaw Kinney has a birthday first.”

“Is him having a party, too?”

“He, yes, we’ll have a party for him this year, but you can’t tell him. It’s a surprise.”

“How old is he?”

“He’s going to be seventy-five this year.”

“That’s a lot of birthdays. I’m only going to have five.”

“I’m not sure I’m going to make it, Lex. Dr. Brock is on vacation. I’ve got to cover the ER that whole week.

“Cory,” Alexis pouted.

“Don’t get mad yet. We’ll see. If I’m covering the ER it’ll be midnight before I make it home. There’s no point in showing up then. You’ll already be toast.”

“You better be there.”

“It’s almost two months away. We’ll see.”

“And then it will be my turn, right?” Riki questioned again.

“Yes, your birthday will be after that. How did Kinley do today with nursing?”

“Do you want bread?” Alexis asked in a smile.

“You gave in, didn’t you?” Cory asked with a frown.

“Only once, I swear. She was fussy when I picked them up. It was only long enough to put her to sleep.”

“She’s going to be three before you stop.”

“No she won’t. I just don’t want to stop, stop. I think she needs time to get used to it.”

“She’s not going to. As long as you keep giving it to her, she’s going to keep wanting it.”

Alexis talked about work and the girls, trying like hell to get off the subject. She knew it was time. Kinley’s sharp teeth reminded her of the fact every time. That didn’t change how hard it was. She didn’t want her to grow up.

“Do you need help? I’m going to go mow for a while,” Cory asked.

“I want to mow too, Daddy,” Riki assured him while pushing her chair from the table.

“Let me mow around the pond first and then you can help.”

“I’m going to run over and help my dad paint the fence outback. You don’t want to go with me, Riki?”

“No, I want to mow the yard.” That was her new thing. Cory let her do the driving and Riki mowed crooked lines all through the yard.

“You want help? I can mow tomorrow night. I just wanted to get it started. We need a bigger mower.”

“Yeah, we do, but when I bought that one, I wasn’t this busy. I didn’t mind spending hours riding around on the rider.”

“I mind. It’s after six. I think we should go into Canterville this weekend and look at them.”

“We can do that. I’ll clean this up when I get back. I want to head over there so I can get back.”

And that was the routine for the next few weeks. The yard was a never ending battle and Cory loved it. He took great pride in the way his yard looked. He did buy some new fancy tractor with a lawn stripper. It took half the time to mow and made decorative wide lines throughout the yard. Alexis loved that Cory took such great care of their yard. He and Riki even built a bench down by the pond from a fallen tree. Jim helped of course, but Cory was a natural. He may have been a city boy, but he could handle power tools like a pro. There was nothing sexier than Cory being a country boy. He was very good at it.

The surprise party for Walt was anticipated for weeks. The kids all went in on a new gator for him. It was Alexis’s idea. She didn’t like the way he got on his quad anymore. His seventy-five year old bones wobbled when he tried to swing his leg over. She was terrified of him falling and breaking something. He was going to love it, and he didn’t have to climb on. He could slide right across the seat and even take Lola with him too.

“Are you sure you can’t come with me?” Alexis pouted with puppy dog eyes, sliding to Cory’s lap.

“I’ve been scheduled for this for two months. Is he coming?”

“Who?”

Cory replied with a nod and tilted eyebrows. Mitch’s name hadn’t been mentioned in weeks.

“I don’t know. I didn’t ask. I don’t care if he is. Did you mail the save the date cards to your family yet?”

“They’re not going to come.”

“Lexis, Kinley has dog food.”

Alexis grumbled and stood from Cory’s lap. “See what happens when you make me stop nursing?”

“She’s been eating Kibbles and Bits for six months. You can’t blame that one on me. Besides, isn’t it nice not having to pump or get home to feed her?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Alexis replied. She went after Kinley and locked the gate, keeping her from the kitchen.

“I’ve got to go,” Cory announced around two.

“Try to come,” Alexis pleaded again. Kinley leaped from her to Cory, and once again, Cory caught her midair.

“I’ll go over tomorrow. Send me a pic of his face when he sees the gator.”

“I will, but I still hate it. I want you there. Who’s going to take care of me when I get drunk?”

Cory kissed her and handed Kinley back. Alexis set her to the floor and wrapped her arms around Cory’s neck. “I love you.”

“I love you too. I’ll call you later.” Cory kissed both girls and he was off. Alexis sighed and went after Kinley going for the candles on the stand.

“Can we go now?” Riki wanted to know.

“In a little bit. We need to lay Kinley down for a nap first.”

“Well, she can sleep at the farm.”

“We’ll just let her take a little nap. Come on, jump up here on the couch and we’ll watch cartoons while she falls asleep.”

“I’m not tired.”

“You don’t have to sleep. We just need to be quiet until Kinley falls asleep,” Alexis lied. She could tell when Riki was tired and Riki was tired. She’d be lucky to make it as long as Kinley did. Twenty minutes later, she was moving Riki off her arm and carried sleeping Kinley up to her bed.

Alexis got ready while the girls napped and waited, and waited, and waited. If she wanted them to sleep that long they wouldn’t have. It was nearly four in the afternoon before they got to the farm. She was starving. Riki barely touched her food. There was too much going on, she wanted to go play. Sam fed Kinley while Alexis devoured a burger.

“I can’t believe neither one of our men are here,” she complained around the food in her mouth. “What?” she asked with a tilted head and a frown.

Bernie burst her bubble with a sigh. “Travis is here. Well, he just parked the truck. He’ll be here soon.”

“You suck. You can put her in her walker, Sam,” Alexis suggested when Kinley arched her back, wanting down.

“She still won’t walk yet?” Bernie asked.

“No, she’s fine as long as you hold onto her hands, but as soon as you let her go she plops right to the floor…You have got to be freaking kidding me,” Alexis said forgetting about their conversation. Mitch strolled in, carrying a wrapped present for her dad. Lola hugged him and took the gift.

“Don’t let him bother you, Lex, besides, you are like five weeks away from becoming Mrs. Dr. Cory Baker.”

“I would still rather he just stayed away.”

Taylor ran up to his kid, Nathan and the two boys were off.

“He sure has a cute kid,” Bernie said and Alexis had to agree.

“Ladies,” Mitch said as he walked right past them, eyes right on Alexis’s. Her eyes rolled and she shook her head. Great. Just what she wanted to deal with.

At seven o’clock, John made an announcement. “Can we please have Grandpa McKinley to the center of the floor?”

Walt walked to the center with a big grin, standing in the middle with all his family and friends circling him and waited for his present.

“Grandpa, turn around and look at the door,” John said through the microphone. The room filled with happy birthday when Tom and Jim came in on a brand-new 4x4 John Deere Gator. It had a roof, two seats so that Grandma Lola could ride with him, headlights, a dump bed, and it came with plastic covers to enclose it during the winter. Tom and Jim were happily explaining the features and Walt grinned from ear to ear. Alexis was framing this smile, no doubt. The Gator was a success.

Walt sat behind the wheel and Lola moved in beside him. The entire room clapped and yelled when Walt drove them through the double doors. The kids ran after him, excited for a ride.

“Can I hold her?”

Alexis turned to Mitch right beside her. “She won’t let you.”

“Can I hold you?” Mitch spoke in some sort of Mickey Mouse voice. Kinley turned away from him, grasping Alexis’s shirt in her hands. No way. She wasn’t going to Mitch.

“Told ya,” Alexis smiled smartly and walked away.

Walt took turns taking the grandkids for a ride, including Kinley, who sat in the middle of him with Riki buckled in with her. She loved it and threw a fit when Alexis took her off so that someone else could have a turn.

“Alexis. Telephone,” Mitch yelled from across the room, holding up the corded phone in the kitchen area.

“Hello?”

“Please tell me that was not who I think it was.”

“Yes, unfortunately it was,” she told Cory honestly.

“Why is he there?”

“I don’t know, Cory. Are you coming?” she asked, not wanting to get into it with him.

“It doesn’t look like it. This place is a mad house and I still haven’t gotten a hold of Dr. Goth. I’ve left him two messages, but he hasn’t returned my calls. How are the girls?”

“They’re fine. Grandpa just took them for a ride on his new toy and Kinley threw a fit when her turn was over. She’s starting to have such an attitude,” Alexis explained with a thumb to the red M&M stain around her mouth. Kinley grunted and moved away.

“Did he like it?”

“Oh my God. He loved it. I wish you could have seen his face.”

“Me too, promise me you won’t dance with puke face.”

Alexis laughed and shifted Kinley on her hip. “You’re so mature.”

“I love you, Lex.”

“I love you too, Cory. Try to make it.”

“I will. I’ll see you later.”

“Goodbye.”

Bernie handed Alexis a red cup with a nod. “Drink this.”

“What is it?”

“Jungle juice. I don’t know. Travis brought it.”

“Mmm, that’s good.”

“I know, but go easy on it. It’ll kick your ass pretty quick. I’ve only had one and I can feel it.”

“Hey, Lexi, Come on.”

“Oh, my God. I’m going to freak out on him,” Alexis assured Bernie while shooting Mitch a dirty look.

Kinley did the whole leaping thing right from Alexis’s arms when Aunt Sam walked by. “Jesus, Kinney,” Sam said as she grabbed her without warning.

“Come on, dance with me.” Mitch really didn’t give her a choice. He pulled her by the wrist, joining her parents in an Elton John, happy birthday.

Alexis snorted and shook her head when Mitch pulled her closer. He wouldn’t have done that had Cory been there. Unbelievable.

“This is the way it should be, Lexi,” he said with is body swaying into hers, trying to look into her eyes. Alexis refused to look up at him. No way. What an idiot.

“What, Lexi, you don’t think we made a good couple?”

“Mitch, that was ten years ago, we were kids. I’m getting married in a few weeks, so no, this is not the way it should be.”

“And there’s nothing I could do to stop you? We could still be Mitch and Lexi.”

“Please tell me you’re joking. Surely you’re not that stupid.”

“Do I look like I’m joking? I can’t get you out of my mind, Lexi. You don’t know how much I hate what happened. I think about you all the time. I dream about kissing you and holding you in my arms.”

“Okay we’re done here,” Alexis assured him. She pulled away and took, leaping Kinley from Travis’s arms. Her blood boiled, calming while she watched her parents happily dance.

“What was that all about?” Bernie asked. Alexis explained the whole conversation, downing the red drink in her hand. “Does he not understand that Cory would break him in half?”

“I don’t think he cares. Come on, let’s go sit by the fire.”

Alexis chugged the rest of her drink when Mitch joined them, googly eyes and all. Travis traded her cups and she took a big gulp of that one, too.