When I Was 20 Years Old (Mature content) (Complete)

Chapter 2 - Alex

I woke up to the feeling of our daughter kicking my stomach. If I was to guess a time, I would say three but I wasn't certain. Jasmine was often restless during the night so this didn't alarm me but it was becoming more and more painful, but most of that I put to my mind due to sleep deprivation.

However, this was furthest from my mind. I rolled over to face David and gently stroked his cheek with the back of my hand. His face was tenser than usual. On my mind was him. I was concerned about the conflict that I knew he was feeling about his new found son. I knew that, in his youth, David went through women like they were going out of fashion and that he couldn't care less about family at the time, but I knew that this was eating him up the fact that he had to wait nearly forty years to find out he had a son because nothing was more important to him now than family was. This was tearing him apart.

I got up out of bed and tiptoed over to the window. I pulled back the curtain just enough to see the fountain that performed it's show outside our window. I sighed in content at its beauty. I then spun around at the soft creak of the bed.

"Sorry baby, I didn't mean to scare you," David laughed.

I smiled, "It wasn't you that woke me."

"The baby?" He guessed.

I nodded, "Also....other....situations."

"Warren?" David asked.

"Yeah," I replied.

David ran his hand through his hair before scratching his eyebrow, "What's up?"

I shrugged, "I dunno. It's just....I never...we never..."

"It unexpected!" David finished.

"Putting it mildly but yeah," I replied, "I dunno how the kids are gonna take it."

David sighed, "Yeah! I know I fucked up."

I shook my head and wrapped my arms around him, "You didn't know. It's not your fault, I mean you were a kid yourself."

He jaw tensed, "I know, I just..."

I shut him up by pushing my lips onto his, "Don't. Blame. Yourself!"

"How can I not?" He asked pulling away.

"What's really on your mind?" I pressed.

David sighed, "Hannah died six months ago and now I only have a year left to live."

I couldn't explain it, but jealousy flared, "And you are worried about the effect on Warren?"

"Why do you say it like that?" He asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I sighed, "I'm fine."

"Alexandra..."

"Don't use my full name!" I spat back harshly. David stepped back in shock and I instantly calmed down, "God I'm sorry! I guess I'm just tired."

"It's ok hun," David said, "maybe we should go back to bed?"

I nodded. David wrapped his arms round me to guide me back into bed where he helped me lay down and kissed my forehead. He then laid down next to me, with his arms encircling me and gently rubbing my stomach.

"I would never put Warren before our kids," David murmured, "You know that, don't you?"

I sighed, "I know baby."

"I love you Mrs Ride," David murmured into my ear before kissing my head.

"I love you too Mr Ride," I replied.

I snuggled into his arms, feeling completely safe and secure within his embrace. I knew that nothing and no one would ever replace the love he had for his kids and that very few could replace the love he felt for me. What we had hadn't been easy of the years but we never stopped loving each other. However, the pang of jealousy I had felt ceased to cease.

****

"Mrs Ride?"

I looked up from my book to see Warren standing in front of me. I had intended to spend the day at the pool and so had been here since about six am. I had left a note in our room for David when he woke up, but since it was almost ten, I imagined he would be joining me soon enough.

"Yes, sorry!" I said putting my book down, "Anything wrong?"

I didn't know how to react around my step-son because he was almost my age and the manager of the hotel I was staying in. I wasn't sure whether to treat this conversation as a family matter or a professional inquiry.

"I just wanted to ask how long you have known David, I mean, Mr Ride for?" He asked.

I smiled sympathetically, "I've known him for over thirty years. We have been in a relationship for twenty four years and married nearly twenty."

"Oh ok," He muttered.

"Why do you ask?" I asked.

"I just wanted to figure out if you were the reason I was left fatherless," he replied.

"Excuse me?" I breathed.

"It's natural for me to want to know, is it not?" He asked, a little too politely.

"I'm all for investigating your past but if you are suggesting..."

"You are just another girl my dad is using," he replied airily.

"That is out of line!" I shouted, "I was the one who convinced him to spend time with you and get to know you. I am the one who's been with him through out and brought his children into this world so I would appreciate if you take this inquiry elsewhere."

He begin to walk away both he doubled back, "I've been wondering about the age gap..."

"That's none of you business!" I replied firmly.

"Alex, can I call you that?" I remained silently. He nodded, "Alex, you are only three years older than me and yet my dad and mum had me when David was twenty."

"So?" I replied coldly.

"An eighteen year difference?" Warren said, "Furthermore, your eldest is twenty three, meaning you had her at about nineteen."

"What now you are spying on my daughter?" I asked disgustedly, "I should report you to your boss for spying on my young kids."

He took a step closer to me and I back up into the sun bed. I fell back onto the bed. He leaned over me, his arms either side on the arm rest meaning I couldn't move from where I laid. He leaned in closer towards me and my heart beat faster as I feared what he was going to do.

"You really don't want to do that," he whispered, "And you really don't want to tell David about our discussion because I do believe your daughter is pregnant with an underaged boy."

"Are you threatening me?" I hissed.

Out of the blue, he pressed his lips onto mine. I squirmed underneath him but I was stuck where I was. I eventually pushed him off me and slapped him as hard as I could across the face. He simply smiled eerily.

"I see why he keeps you around."

With that he got up and left. I breathed a sigh of relief but harsh wiped my lips as if trying to remove the kiss which he had poisoned me with. I shivered because, even in the Nevada heat, his words had chilled me to the bone.

"Mum?" I spun around to see Aurora and Ella, "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine!" I replied.

My daughters watched me for a moment as I planted a fake smile on my face. They watched intensely before shrugging and laying down in the two sun chairs next to me. I breathed out slowly before I noticed him again. He was staring at me from across the pool.

My heart

stopped.