Chapter 19
Hydraulic ramps going up and down met Alex’s ears as he carried a takeout bag. Between rehearsals and traveling with the band, he didn’t get to see his father as much, so lunch proved to be a great idea. The smells of oil and grease overwhelmed his nose.
A few of the other workers in mechanic boots and grease-stained coveralls nodded at him. He waved with his free hand. Alex didn’t stop his stride, but continued to his dad’s office. He knocked on the cracked door.
His father smiled as he sat behind his desk. “About time.”
Alex rolled his eyes but smiled back. “Here’s your sandwich.” He passed his father his plastic bag.
“You look tired,” his father said.
Alex sat in the leather seat across from his father. He rubbed his eyes. “Rough night.”
His father nodded. “Let me know when you’re ready to talk about it.”
Alex’s eyebrows furrowed.
His father swallowed. “When you’re ready, I know you’ll ask.”
“I should know what to do, but I don’t.”
His father didn’t answer, but waited for his son to continue.
Alex rubbed the back of his head. “It caught up with me again, and I almost lost a good woman.”
“You thought dating around meant being a real man?” his father asked.
Could he blame Alex? That’s all he knew. “Not everyone wants commitment, Dad. I get it now, but I didn’t before.”
“Let me ask you something.” His father paused for a moment, but continued. “If a man treated your cousin, Lisa, the way you’ve treated women in the past, would you respect him?”
His father might as well have hit his head with a wrench from his tool chest. Alex’s skin crawled thinking about the pain Lisa went through during her divorce. He never compared his actions to her deadbeat ex-husband.
“How about when Celine gets older? How would you want a man to treat her?”
Alex dipped his chin. He grabbed his own sandwich, taking a bite. He chewed despite his dry mouth.
His father sipped his drink. “I know you saw some things growing up, and I did my best to keep you from all of that.”
Alex swallowed. “You did your best. I don’t blame you.”
“I know, but I should have told you that you can’t live in fear, son. You thought dating more than one woman protected you from being hurt, but you missed out.”
Alex rubbed at his chin. “There’s a photo online. It showed a picture of me with another woman. It was before Zoe, but it’s bad. I’m glad she didn’t push me away this time, but I hate that it happened.”
His father nodded.
“Well?”
“Well what?” his father asked.
“How do I fix it?”
“You’ll figure out the answer. I can’t tell you what to do, son. Take responsibility for your actions and learn from them,” his father said.
Alex felt a twinge of pain in his chest.
“And if you love this woman, you won’t let her go.” His father raised an eyebrow.
Love? Alex slouched in the chair. Did Zoe love him too? Another knock came to the door, and he sat up in his seat. Both men faced the door spotting Francesca Johnson. Alex watched his father rise from his seat to greet her.
“I’m sorry. I’m interrupting,” she said.
His father took her hand in his. “Father-son lunch.”
She beamed at him. “I’ll see you tonight then.” She kissed his cheek and smiled at Alex. “Nice to see you again. Enjoy your lunch.” Ms. Francesca left the men alone. A silly grin danced across his father’s face.
The corners of Alex’s lips curled up. “You look happy.”
“I want the same for you.”
Leaving the mechanic shop, Alex drove around Bridge Point. He had no place in mind, and he used his free hand to rub at his dry eyes. Love. Did he love Zoe? He had to after all it took to win her over. He couldn’t deny what he felt for her was real.
In the past, Alex avoided love out of fear of not only getting hurt, but choosing the wrong woman. It was another reason he kept options. Putting all his trust into one woman was too much power. If she left, she would take his heart with her.
Alex’s dad then came to mind. The man was just now picking up the pieces of his life. Then again, didn’t he seem happy? His father couldn’t fake the smiles on his face. He’d seen him at his worst.
Keeping his eyes on the road. He could have stopped by the bar or even Mac’s place, but he wanted to be alone. A vein throbbed in his forehead. How long had he been alone? Too long without someone genuine in his life. Was it worth it to keep his freedom as he called it?
Alex didn’t detour but headed home. He had rehearsal later that evening with the band. He wasn’t looking forward to it. Though he and Jackson remained civil, the group could sense the tension between them.
Pulling into his driveway, he cut the engine and stepped out of his car. Not ready to go home yet, he banged on his cousin’s door since he spotted her car.
“What’s that about?” Lisa asked once she let him inside. She held Celine on her hip.
“You’re home early.” He walked up and reached for Celine, who gurgled in his arms. Alex held her to his chest, reminiscing his father’s words.
If a man treated his baby cousin the way he did his exes, who knew how he would react. Celine and her mother deserved to be treated with respect. After all this time, Alex never connected the dots. Sitting on the couch, Celine touched his face with her fingers.
Lisa folded her arms. “That’s it? You bang on my door and don’t tell me what’s going on.”
“You’re not on social media.”
“I like my privacy. Why? What did you do?” his cousin asked.
“Why does it always have to be the man’s fault?” He didn’t mean to raise his voice, and he was grateful Celine didn’t cry.
Lisa raised her palm to him. “I’m not the enemy, so watch your tone. Second, it’s usually the man’s fault. Third, what happened?”
Alex explained everything to her from the beginning. His cousin’s mouth fell open.
“Now you see my problem,” he said.
Her mouth twisted into a grin. “I’ve seen that look. You had it with Layla.” Then she sat next to him. Lisa rubbed his shoulder. “For the record, you’re not a dog. You’ve been hurt too many times, so you figured you’d get to the women before they got to you.”
Alex frowned. “I guess…”
“Guess what?”
Alex didn’t respond. Thankfully, Lisa took the lead.
Her eyes softened. “I’m always on your side. We’re family, but I want you to get out of your own way and choose something good for once.”
“I thought it was better to stay single. Now… all I think about is wanting to make things work with Zoe.” He rocked Celine in his arms. Her eyes were closed now.
“It works for some, but most of us want real love. If you’ve found it with a good person, fight for it. Zoe’s a good one. I can tell.”
Alex looked at his cousin. “I know.”
“Good.” She then rested her head on his shoulder. “Because if you didn’t, I’d say get ready for another lecture from my mother.”
Alex gave a slight smile. First his father and then his cousin. The last thing he needed was a lecture from Aunt Pam.