Daddy Issues

Part Twenty-Four: Love Birds

The fashion show is going perfectly, as perfect as I can hope. Jessica showed up, she was late but at least she was there. Patrick was front row supporting me and Alex was backstage, seeming far more irritated than I could understand. Sure, his hotel was being used for a fashion show but this was publicity - that's a good thing, right?

I'm behind the curtain, still in full panic mode because anything could go wrong at any time. Expect the worse, always.

When I look across the room towards where Alex was sitting a moment ago, he's now gone. My eyes scan the area and he's nowhere to be seen so I step away from the curtain, heading to the hall that leads to a part of the hotel that isn't occupied.

Maybe he needed silence.

Sure enough I find him sitting at a table in the business centre room, his eyes lost in his phone so much so that he doesn't hear me walking towards him until I'm two steps away.

Alex lifts his head to look at me, his brows raised, "Shouldn't you be working, Ms?"

I can't tell if this is him flirting or if he has changed back to communicating with me in a formal manner. I sit across from him, biting my lip gently before I finally speak, "You left, I... Was just wondering where you ran away to?"

"I needed silence to think," He keeps it short and sweet.

"Are you mad at me?" I ask, not beating around the bush at all, "You seemed okay before the show started and now... Now I don't know."

As Alex runs his fingers through his dark hair, he shakes his head, "This is a lot on me, too, Avery. I see my son falling in love with you and... I can't help but wonder if I'm making a mistake by wanting you to myself."

I open my mouth to speak but freeze, knowing he's right. We're being selfish, I know that much and maybe we went too far with it before ending things but I never in a mission years expected to fall for Alex.

"Where are you going with this, Alex?"

"I don't know," His voice deepens a little due to the frustration in his tone and I'm at a loss. His blue eyes peer into mine and I'm frozen on spot, "I want you. But so does he. What am I supposed to do with that, Avery? Compete with my son? Steal his girlfriend?"

"I just don't understand because you knew this before and it didn't stop you from pursuing me so it's a little late to play Mr. High-and-Noble."

My voice is much softer than his and I feel like I'm pinned into a corner. What does Alex want me to say? We talked about this before and agreed to wait until after Patrick's birthday, but now he's acting like nothing had been discussed.

I motion towards the door, "Do you want me to come clean today? I will, Alex. I've only waited because you asked."

"I know!"

"Don't yell..." I say softly.

"I'm not trying to yell at you, Avery. But fuck, here I am feeling like a teenage boy falling in love for the first time with a girl that isn't mine. I've done this before and I don't know if I can do it again."

My jaw drops, standing from the chair and smacking my hands down onto the table as I stare at him, "You already have! You can't change your mind now and assume nothing happened because it has. You and I have happened, we talked about being together and we planned for it. So go ahead and change your mind, but you have already dug yourself into a hole, Alex. You can't erase that."

Silence. There is nothing but silence as Alex keeps his eyes on me. His expression softens and I know his outburst was because of stress, partly caused by me but he decided this, too.

"Avery, listen to me."

"No. I'm not going to listen to you like some kind of puppet." I snap.

"Listen," He says softer before continuing on, "Meeting you was an accident, a fluke, if you will. We met by chance, but even more than that we reconnected somehow and it's some kind of miracle. You and I, we weren't supposed to happen - but we did. You came back to me when you were seeing my son and I should have stepped back, but I couldn't. I couldn't turn away from those eyes, those lips, that... laugh. Your infectious laugh that just sends me over the moon."

A chuckle escapes his lips and I'm finally settling back into my seat, looking up at him with doe-eyes, "Alex..."

"I haven't dated anyone in years because I feared getting hurt again, I know that I'm doing the same thing to my son because this is going to hurt him, but if I let you go I think I might be letting go of something really fucking special. I can't do that, not this time."

"You don't have to," I tell him, "I'm right here."

In an instant, Alex is leaning across the table towards me and holding my face in his hands as his lips press against mine, kissing me passionately. I don't hesitate to kiss him back and my lips curve into a smile, all of the sparks are still there and I know he cannot deny it either. We're meant to me, I know it.

At the sound of someone clearing their throat, we both pull away to look towards the doorway where Patrick is standing. The look on his face says it all - he is pissed.

"If you two lovebirds are done, I'd like to add to that beautiful speech."