Life Unexpected (Naughty Addiction's Part2)

Chapter 12

Dylan

I stepped into the shower, hoping I could wash away the disappointed look on Lexi's face. I thought about inviting her into the shower with me but, I needed some time apart to get my head on straight. Last night had been amazing; lying in bed, holding her, talking and sharing our hopes and fears. Honestly, it was the best night of my life so far but, when I woke up this morning, I felt mentally exhausted. Maybe, I just needed more rest, it was past three in the morning by the time I fell asleep. I spent most of the time watching Lex sleep; captivated by her beauty. Sometime when I'm with her, I need to take a step because being with her feels surreal; like a dream but, I know it isn't.

After drying off, I throw on my shirt and slacks. Normally, I would wear cologne but, I didn't bring any. My hair smells like coconuts; I guess it could be worse, I could smell like lavender. Parker is sitting on the sofa; cell phone in hand, engrossed in whatever it is he's looking at.

"Hey man, what's up?"

"Not much, you ready to go I'm starving."

"Yea, let me grab my jacket."

I don't really need a jacket because it isn't cold out but, it's been raining all day. The girls are sitting at the table and Lex seems a little overwhelmed. I hug her tight and notice how tense she feels against me. I whisper to her that I won't be long and turn to leave.

·

Not to my surprise, we end up at Outback because Parker has a deep love affair with bloomin' onions. We make casual small talk while we wait for the first onion and it takes less time for us to eat it than it does to order a second helping.

"So, what's up with you and Lex?"

"Nothing and everything."

"What does that mean?"

"Well, I love her, she's everything I've ever wanted, so much so that I pretty much told Tripp where he could shove it."

"Seriously? What about the agreement you made with him?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure I was thinking straight when I made that agreement. I was worried about Lex and unfortunately, I was stuck there waiting with him. I think I was just so anxious to see her that I wasn't aware of what I was agreeing with. I could have made a deal with the devil and been unaware of it."

"I think you did man."

"Nah man, I let him know who's in charge, told him Lex would be too busy for him to visit."

"Really? Bet he didn't like that."

"Oh, I'm sure he was pissed but, he'll get over it, he'll have to because I won't allow him to try and come between Lex and I."

"Yea, I hear you on that bro. I told Lex the same thing."

"What?

"I basically told her that if it was me, there is no chance in hell I would allow him near her, or in my case Leanne."

"What did she say?"

"She didn't say anything, I dropped her off and that was that."

"Did she seem upset when you dropped her off?"

"How should I know dude, she isn't my girl."

"Yea, but you've known her longer than I have."

"That doesn't mean I know her; know her. Besides who can tell with these chicks nowadays, their so emotional, especially now that their pregnant."

"Yea, to be honest, I'm anxious about the birth man."

"If I were you, I would be to."

"So, what would you do if you were in my shoes."

"I would never be in your shoes but, for arguments sake; hypothetically, I love Leanne unconditionally, so I would be there for her regardless of whether it was my kid."

I nod knowingly, the possibility of the baby not being mine has caused me so much unwanted stress. I've weighed the pros and cons about staying or leaving and no matter what the results were, I always felt like leaving wasn't the right thing to do. The love I have for Lex has grown too deep and the very thought of her not being with me; of us not sharing a life together causes me more stress than any other scenario. I feel lost without her; so much so, that the very idea of leaving her alone at night bothers me.

"Hey, you ready to leave man."

"Yea, let's get out of here."

As we get up to leave, the waitress comes over with a container and hands it to Parker.

"Did you seriously get one of those onion things to go?"

"Fuck yea, and I promised Leanne I would bring one home for her, she loves these things as much as I do."

"I'm surprised you and Leanne haven't tried to make them yourselves."

"Oh, but we have, and it was a huge fail, never going to do that again."

I laugh so hard and it's a good laugh because I can feel the pleasure of it spread throughout my body. I really needed that, I haven't had a good laugh in a while. Lexi can make me laugh sometime, she has a great sense of humor but, with all the stress I've been through, it's been hard for me to just let go and be free with her.

Parker and I talk about work on the way home. The job we're doing is almost finished, at least is should be before the snow flies. He wants to know if I'll be working with my dad again this winter and if I am he's asked if he can join me. I let him know that it shouldn't be a problem and that the extra help would be nice but that it doesn't pay much. He tells me that getting paid less isn't an issue and that doing the kind of work my dad does is worth it. I must agree, making furniture is a lot more appealing than building wind turbines.

The girls were busy designing cards at the table and barely noticed when we walked inside. It didn't take long; as soon as Lex saw me, she jumped up and wrapped her arms around me. I pressed my cheek to her head; breathing in her coconut shampoo. Right then in that moment, I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I never wanted to be without her again. After Parker and Leanne left, I turned to Lex and sensed that she was nervous about something.

"Dylan?"

"Yea babe."

"What would you say, if I asked you to move in with me?"

I was relieved to say the least, it was like she could read my thoughts. For a split second, I thought I was dreaming but, then I looked into her eyes and I could see the truth in her question. I wanted nothing more than to spend every waking moment with this woman. I walked over and pulled her close to me; gently I lift her chin and peer into those big beautiful blue eyes.

"I thought you would never ask."