Chosen Heart (26 page)

“Tonight isn’t over yet.” 
Slowly, he leans down, running his supple lips softly over mine, hands
traveling down my body, caressing each curve.  “I want you…but not
here.”  I frown as he releases me.  “Pack a bag; you’re coming home
with me.”

“What?”  I stand in
shock.  Okay, I know this little episode has put a damper in things, but
really?  I don’t think we have to leave my apartment.  Cole isn’t
stupid enough to come back.  If he hasn’t already started to walk home,
I’m sure he’s passed out down the street.

“I’m not leaving you here alone
in case that asshole comes back,” he glares at me, daring me to argue.

“Alex, you really don’t need to
worry about me.  Cole wouldn’t hurt me.”  But, even as I utter the
words, I know my voice deceives me, leaving out the main ingredient. 
Conviction.

“Elyssa…this isn’t up for
discussion.  I’ve seen what alcohol does to people.”  Alex shakes his
head.  I really hope this hasn’t dredged up too many painful memories from
his past.  “You’re coming with me, even if I have to throw you over my
shoulder and carry you out.”  I decide not to push him any further into
the darkness, and grab an overnight bag and start to pack.

As we leave the apartment, I
warily glance around checking for traces of where Cole may have ended up. 
Alex holds the passenger door open for me and I feel uneasy as I continue to
scan the parking lot.  The feeling of being watched rushes over me and
suddenly I feel afraid.  Not afraid for myself, but fear for Cole. 
What would Alex do to him? 

Pulling away from my apartment,
the memory of Cole’s research of Alex’s arrest and his possible violent past,
repeats in my head.  Glancing over my left shoulder, sits this amazingly
polite, beautiful, and deep man that for some reason cares for me.  At
this moment, there is not a violent bone in his body.  He only wants to
keep me safe.

The outside lights are on,
showing the tall trees and immaculately kept bushes that line the long curved
driveway.  His house is quite intimidating.  Too much for someone his
age, but I completely understand his need to make a home for himself and his
grandmother.  I’ll never be able to understand how he’s amassed so much in
such a short amount of time.  Let’s just hope he’s as driven in his
personal life as he is in his career. 

I’m out of the car before Alex
can come around and open my door.  It’s nice that he’s always a gentleman,
but I can take care of myself.  With a pout, he accepts my outstretched
hand and leads me up the cobble stone pathway to his front door.  “You
have such a beautiful home, Alex.  I never had a chance to tell you that
before.”

“Oh…on the detour?”  A sweet
smile spreads across his lips.  The dimples that I love so much make an
appearance. 

“Yes, the detour,” I
whisper.  He remembers the little details of our beginning, which warms my
heart. 
He is paying attention. 
Back when I was afraid I was
nothing but a number to him, those moments meant something to the both of
us.  The pain and frustration over the past couple of weeks have been more
than worth it.  I’d do it all over again just to end up right here, right
now with him.  I literally traveled to hell and back just to have him call
me his girl and make me feel whole again. 

Leading me through the front
door, the foyer is exactly as I remember.  Beautiful, intricate sculptures
and pottery, made by his mother, rest on the oversized table lining the entry
way.  I don’t think I’ll ever get over the overwhelming feeling just
walking into his house.  Luckily my hand is still in his as he drags me
towards his kitchen.  If it wasn’t for the fact that he was pulling me
along with him, I might have stood in awe for hours, taking it all in.

We’re not alone as we enter the
kitchen.  “Alexander?”  We’re both startled, not expecting
company.  Standing in the doorway, wearing a purple floor length
nightgown, his grandmother looks ever so fragile and petite as she rubs the
sleep from her eyes.  

“Nana, what are you doing out of
bed?” Alex immediately releases me and walks towards her, tenderly reaching out
for her hand.

“I had a nightmare.  I can’t
fall back asleep.”  His face falls, wanting nothing more than to shield
her from the ugliness of the world.  Alex is strong, but there is only so
much within his power, and he knows it.

“I’m sorry.  Come on, let’s
get you back in bed.”  He grabs her hand, trying to pull her back into the
direction of her room.

She stills.  “Are you
hungry?  I should make you a peanut butter and banana sandwich.”  I
really need to ask him about this.  This is the second time she’s
mentioned the odd meal and it must have some sort of significance.  I watched
a documentary about Elvis and remember this was his favorite food; I wonder if
there is a connection between the two.  Well, Alex is the King of my
heart.

“No, Nana.  I’m not
hungry.  Come let’s get you in bed.”

“No, Alexander.  I told you,
I couldn’t sleep.  Sing me a song, instead.” 
Now I can see where
Alex gets his demanding attitude from.
  She’s just as adorable as he
is when he’s being bossy.  I smirk and suppress a giggle.  There is
someone who’s able to give him a taste of his own medicine.

“If you insist, Nana.”  Of
course he gives into her.  He glances at me nervously, asking for my
forgiveness?  Permission?  I don’t know what he wants, but whatever
it is, he has it.

“Come on Katherine, Alexander’s
going to sing for us.”  She rushes over, grabbing me by the hand leading
me in the direction of her room. 
Katherine? 
Alex sighs from
behind us, grabbing the guitar from the corner, as we walk down the hallway and
enter his grandmother’s sitting area.

Nana continues holding my hand,
as she leads me to the couch.  She waits in anticipation as Alex sits on
the rocking chair directly in front of us.  Her eyes light up and I see
the love and adoration she has for her grandson.  Alex looks
nervous.  Or, is he embarrassed? 
Maybe he doesn’t want me here
for this.
 I signal to him with my hands, pointing to myself and then
the doorway, asking if he would like me to leave.  Without hesitation, he
shakes his head.  My heart sighs, as I pat Nana’s hand, squeezing it
gently.

My attention on Nana is broken
once Alex strums the guitar.  His melodic voice starts to echo through the
sitting area as he begins singing an acoustic version of Elvis Presley’s,
Can’t
Help Falling In Love
. 

“I love Elvis,” Nana exclaims,
tightening her grip on my hand.  I smile at her, only taking my eyes off
Alex for a split second before returning my attention to him.  His voice
is pure, masculine and deep, yet he sings with such emotion.  His fingers
gracefully glide over the strings as he continues to croon with his eyes
tightly closed.  Drops of dew touch my hand and I realize there are tears
streaming down Nana’s face.

“Are you okay?” I whisper to her,
not wanting to interrupt Alex. 

She nods, patting my hand. 
“Just happy, dear.  We did good Katherine.  He really has grown into
an amazing man.”

I nod my head in agreement, while
Alex finishes the song.  Strumming the guitar string one last time, Alex
opens his eyes and grins.  “Alright time for bed.”

Leaning over, she kisses me on
the cheek.  “Good night, Katherine.”

“Night Nana,” I whisper as Alex
takes her by her hand.

“I’ll be right back,” Alex
murmurs, leading his grandmother into her bedroom. 

Waiting for Alex’s return, I lay
back against the cushions, my eyes fluttering shut as I’m bombarded with
emotions from the past twenty-four hours.  Starting off my day in complete
and utter dismay thinking Alex was the root of all evil, I’ve gone from
depression to utter rage, imagining ways to not only rip his head off, but
Autumn’s as well.  Then there was our showdown at my apartment.  I’ve
never yelled at anyone the way I screamed at him and yet here we are.  I’m
in my boyfriend’s house. 
My boyfriend…my man.
 
I like the
way that sounds.
 
I’m in a relationship!
  After so long, I
finally feel the excitement and passion that I always knew I wanted.  This
is what it feels like to fall in love. 

Alex glides back into the room,
closing the door behind him.  Walking over, his face is full of
sorrow.  His brows are creased, trying to force a smile.

“Is she asleep?” 
Why is
he so upset?
  He nods sinking into the couch next to me.  Leaning
over his body, he places his head in his hands. 

“Sorry we were interrupted,
again.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry
about.  It’s gratifying to see how you are with her.  At least it was
your grandmother and not one of your many exes.”  I bump his shoulder with
mine trying to lighten the mood, which seems to work as I’m rewarded with a
partial smile.  I pause, not knowing if I even want to know the answer to
the next question, “Who is Katherine?”

“Katherine’s my mother.  She
called you that a few times, didn’t she?  Sorry about that, her memory
goes in and out.  Sometimes, she doesn’t even remember who Delores is,
which has started to pose some real problems.  But, she hasn’t forgotten
me yet, but one day...”  He gazes down at his long fingers, sitting in
silence.  My heart aches for him.  I can’t even fathom how hard all
of this has been on him.  Taking care of his grandmother is one thing, but
to also contend with a debilitating disease, one that will only get worse with
time, has got to be tough.

I try to lighten the mood, taking
his hand in mine, kissing each knuckle.  “Are you a fan of peanut butter
and banana sandwiches?

He smirks. “It was my favorite
snack as a child.  As you can tell my grandmother loves Elvis, so I didn’t
really have a choice.”  He laughs, but his mood darkens with the blink of
his eyes.  “When things got bad with my Mom and Dad, when the arguing got
really bad, I would climb out my window at night and run to my grandmother’s
house.  No matter the time, day or night, she would always be there to let
me in.  She started to make me peanut butter and banana sandwiches and for
some reason, not sure why, they always made me feel better.”

Tears brim my eyes just thinking
about Alex as a small boy.  The woman lying in the next room, with
vanishing memories, was his savior.  Now I fully understand why he feels
he owes her so much.  Why Alex goes to extremes to make sure she is
comfortable and cared for.  He’s just paying her back for the love and
care she gave him.  But, Alex deserves to be cared for and taken care of,
as well.  I want to do that for him, to show him that there’s more to life
than the pain of his past.  Slowly reaching up, I grasp the back of his
neck, bringing his lips down to reach mine. 

Our kiss deepens and for a moment
I forget that we are in his grandmother’s living room, and lose myself in the
moment.  Unfortunately, my stomach doesn’t care about the aching between
my legs, deciding to speak up, and loudly at that.  The grumbling from my
belly causes Alex to break our kiss.  Pausing he glances down at my navel
and breaks into laughter. 

“Hungry?”  Although slightly
embarrassing, I’m glad that his jovial mood has returned.

“I haven’t exactly had an
appetite for the past four days.”  Alex looks pained, guilty, at my
confession.

“Well I guess I need to fix that,
don’t I?”  Standing, Alex grabs my hand and leads me towards the
kitchen.  Bringing me to the breakfast bar, Alex lifts me, placing me on a
barstool.  With a brief kiss, he heads around the counter in search of
food.  “So do you want me to cook something or would you prefer to order
in? 

“You cook?”  I don’t know
why anything he does surprises me anymore.  He nods as he leans against
the island.  “I’d love for you to cook me something.”

His face brightens. 
Clasping his hands, he rubs them together as he bites his lower lip. 
“So….do you have any cravings?”  My brows raise; his question seems
partially laced with a sexual innuendo. 
Well, this is Alex we are talking
about.
  Shaking his head, he smirks.  “Food…do you have any
preference in food.”  I giggle hiding my face in embarrassment.  He
knew exactly where my mind was headed, but of course for me, these thoughts are
new and seem to only appear when he’s around.

“Surprise me.” 

Alex gets to work, grabbing
chicken, cilantro, green onions, and an array of other items from the
fridge.  Dashing around the kitchen, Alex seems to be in a dozen places
all at the same time.  Pulling pans from the upper rack and grabbing
cooking tongs from the drawer inside the island, bending and stretching his
body, he is giving me images to fantasize about later.  I’m practically
salivating before he even begins to make the food.  My eyes are completely
fixated on the way he moves and how his forearms flex as he cuts the vegetables
with pure precision.  I could watch him for hours.  “Is there
anything I can do to help?” 
Besides sit here and feel like a complete
stalker.

He looks up without breaking his
concentration, grabbing an onion he begins to chop.  “No, just sit there
and look beautiful.”