Moses
I PACED BACK AND FORTH. Bas said Alex was physically fine, but I should have gone to get her myself. I didn’t like being in a state of limbo. I looked at my watch. Screw it.
I picked up my keys and headed towards the front door. I grabbed the knob, opened the front door and standing there was the voice of reason…the glue to our little family, Mom Connie. I tried to keep it together, but looking at her was like looking at an older version of Alex. I fell into her arms. “Hey, Mom.”
The anxiousness of not knowing what was going on with Alex, came rushing to the front and I was crying like a baby.
“Hey Son, calm down.” I didn’t want to let her go. “Son…son…”
I let go of my grip on her and quickly turned my head so she couldn’t see the distraught look on my face. I wiped my face and walked into the kitchen. I heard the door close, and Mom Connie’s footsteps following behind me.
“What did Bas say?”
I inhaled. “He uhm…he, said there was an emergency, and he was bringing her home.” I paced back and forth. “I should have gone and…”
She grabbed my hand. “Stop it..” She guided me to the stool and I sat down. “Listen, I know you’re concerned, but Bas did the right thing. Look at you. You’re in no shape to drive and you don’t have any details.”
She kissed me on the forehead. I knew she was right. “But…”
“I need you to get it together.”
I nodded. “I know, but I would have felt better had he given us more information.”
“We know she’s not hurt. Otherwise, he would have told us to meet him at the hospital.”
I let out a deep sigh. “You’re right.”
She placed a cup of coffee in front of me. I looked at my watch and then took a sip from the white cup. I dropped my head in my hands and prayed softly for my wife.
Suddenly the phone rang and I jumped up.
“I got it.” Mom Connie picked up the phone. “Hi Malcolm…okay…thank you.” She hung up the receiver. “He said Alex and Bas are on their way.”
I hurried to the front door and stood watching for the black Porsche. When the car turned the corner, I ran over and stood next to the driveway. Bas pulled into the driveway and as soon as he turned the car off, I opened the passenger door. Alex jumped out of the car into my arms, sobbing.
She was trying to speak but the tears and her gasping for air made it difficult. “Calm down. I can’t understand you.” She put her head on my chest and continued crying. “Come on, let’s go inside.”
I walked her upstairs and held her until she calmed down and fell asleep. Then I went back downstairs.
“How is she?” Mom Connie asked.
“She’s asleep.” I looked at Bas. “What happened?”
“She was doing an interview and…”
“She mentioned that this morning.”
“From what I managed to get out of her, the reporter doing the interview said she’s his mother?”
“What!” Mom Connie shouted.
“Shhh, Mom. What!”
“She said it started out like any other interview and then he started asking personal questions, and finally he said he had proof she’s his mother. She freaked out and told me to bring her home or she was calling a car.”
“This doesn’t make any sense.” The words were too shocking to process. “Mom, is this even possible?”
“No. I was there...I watched my grandson take his last breath. There’s no way this is possible.”
“Did you see the reporter?” I asked Bas.
“Yeah. She had me and Travis take his picture and send it to all the employees and post it in all the stores. Everyone has been told to call the police if he shows up. I also left copies at the guard shack with the same instructions.”
“Where’s the picture?” He handed it to Mom Connie.
“Oh, my God, it’s Alex,” Mom Connie gasped.
“Let me see.” She handed me the picture. “What did he say?”
“She said he told her he was born the same day as Terrence at Cedars and there was a mix up, and the babies were switched.” He looked at Mom.“Is it possible he could be telling the truth?”
“If I hadn’t seen this picture, I’d say no way. But after seeing this I’d have to say maybe.” Mom Connie stood shaking her head.
“What do we do?” I asked. “My wife is up there hurting, and all we have is a maybe.” I took a deep breath. “Here’s what we’re going to do. Mom, call Uncle Wallis and have him and Ed check out this kid’s story. I don’t care how much it costs. I need you and Bas to handle everything at the stores. I’m taking her away. I don’t want this guy trying to contact her.”
“Do you really think he’ll try to contact her again?” Bas asked.
“If he thinks Alex is his mother, yes. Call Quentin, get everything he has on him and send it over to Uncle Wallis, and copy me as well.”
“We’ll get on it now,” Mom said. “I’ll handle her girlfriends.”
“Thanks. Bas, I want you to step up security. I’ll pay for it. We’ll touch base in the morning.”
“You got it.” Bas gathered his things. “Miss Connie, do you want me to take you home?”
“No, I’m gonna stay here tonight.”
“Mom, we’ll be okay. You go home. Besides, you need to call Uncle Wallis, and I don’t want to upset Alex anymore than she is.”
“Okay, but first I’m going up to check on her.” I waited for her to go upstairs before saying anything to Bas.
“Do you think Thomas Pierce could be behind this?” Bas asked.
“I know he wasn’t too happy with the way things were settled with the company. But this…this kind of vindictiveness is the work of a sick mind.” I heard Mom walking down the stairs.
“She’s sleeping. Bas, let’s go.” She kissed me on the cheek and left. “I’ll talk to you later, son.”
“Bye Mom. Thanks, Bas.” I showed them out and went into my office.
I sat quietly waiting on direction from God. I didn’t know how to approach my wife. My first response was to run upstairs, wrap her in my arms and tell her it was a bad dream. After thirty minutes of thinking and praying, I went upstairs. I took a deep breath and slowly opened the door. I walked inside, climbed into bed and stroked her hair. I pulled the throw up on her and she woke up.
“Hey Beautiful.” I kissed her forehead.
“Hey.”
“How was your nap?” She shrugged her shoulders. “Hungry?”
“Not really.”
I stroked her cheek. “Put your pajamas on and I’ll fix us something to eat.” I helped her out of bed and met her downstairs in the kitchen. “What do you have a taste for?”
“I don’t care.”
“You name it. We have sandwich fixings, omelets, left over pasta, steak, fish, you name it.”
“Grilled cheese.”
“If that’s what my baby wants, that’s what she’ll get.” I opened the refrigerator and got the cheese and butter and walked into the pantry and got the bread. “Sweetheart, you cut the tomatoes and I’ll make the sandwiches.”
We sat at the counter eating.
“This is good. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” I wiped my mouth and sipped my wine. “Do you want to tell me what happened?”
She wiped her mouth and took a deep breath. “He said the babies were switched.” She rubbed her forehead. “Did you see him?”
“Bas showed us a picture.”
“What do you think?”
I rubbed her back. “I think we should wait until Uncle Wallis has a chance to investigate.” She bobbed her head. “But I don’t want you to worry about this because…”
“I’m not worried. I just can’t help but think--”
“Listen to me,” she turned to face me. “I promise to check him out from top to bottom, and if he’s your son---”
“What about his father?”
“We’ll deal with him, if and when the time comes.”
She gave me a half smile followed by a sweet and unbelievable, “Okay.”
“I think we should go to the townhouse.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“I think it is and while we’re gone, Uncle Wallis can investigate this for us.”
“I don’t know. What if he turns out to be Terrence, I…”
“Come here.” She got up and sat on my lap. “We need to put a little distance between us and this situation right now.” I brushed her hair behind her ear. “What do you say?”
She took a deep breath. “Can we go to the cottage?”
“We’ll leave as soon as I make the arrangements.”
“Thank you.”
My phone rang and I tried to catch it before it rang again. I looked at the caller ID and immediately recognized the number. “Hi Uncle Wallis, what did you find out?”
“I saw the boy.”
“What do you think?”
“Connie’s right, he looks like Alex.”
More confirmation this could possibly be Alex’s son. I’m trying to stay calm. I can’t let my mind absorb the thought that I may have to share my wife with her ex-husband. I can handle sharing her with her son, but…, “And his story?”
“I put Ed on it.”
“He’s your best?” What am I saying? Ed is a like truffle sniffing hog. He can sniff out the name of Alex’s doctor’s nurse’s mother’s first grade teacher. He’s the one that uncovered the truth about Royce Pierce’s will and Alex’s surprise inheritance. “I’m sorry. I know he is.”
“Son, I understand. He said he should have something for me in a couple of days.”
“Give him whatever he needs. I don’t…”
“Son, calm down. I need you to keep a clear head and look after my niece. How’s she doing?”
“She’s asleep.”
“Give her my love, and I’ll call you in a couple of days. Bye.”
“Bye.”
Second to making the decision to take Allegra off of life support, this had been the hardest thing I’d had to do…waiting to find out if my wife’s son is alive.
Every time my phone rang, my heart leapt into my throat. It had been two days since I last spoke with Uncle Wallis. This waiting was nerve wrecking.
I walked out to the patio and my phone rang with a much too familiar ringtone. I quickly picked up the phone and pressed the Answer Call button. “Hey, Uncle Wallis. Please tell me you have something definite today. I don’t know if I can take another day of…”
“There was a mix up.”
My heart dropped to my toes. “So, it’s him.”
“I’m not sure.”
“I thought you said there was a mix up?”
“There was a lot of confusion that day at the hospital, but we’re not sure if Terrence was part of it.”
“This sounds like more double-talk.”
“I know, and I’m sorry. Ed is busting his butt. He said if Alex would agree to a DNA test, he could get me an answer within forty-eight hours, if not sooner.”
“Fine, have Mom Connie go to the house and…”
“Son…Son…,”
“Here’s the problem. Baby Terrence’s hospital file was misplaced.”
“Are you serious?”
“I know. It sounds like one of your books.”
“Uncle…what do you need?”
“I can use some of Alex’s hair to compare with this boy. But if it doesn’t match, that clears him.”
“That’s a good thing.”
“But knowing what we know about the mix up, what if…”
“The baby she buried, isn’t…”
“We need to make sure the baby she buried was Terrence. So we might need to exhume the body to determine paternity of the body she buried.”
“You know she won’t agree to that.”
“I know, son. But it’s the easiest way to resolve this.”
I knew he was right. “Alex would never consent, and I can’t.”
“If it comes down to that. It would mean calling in quite a few favors, or I could call one person.”
“NO!”
“I don’t want to call him either, but if it will help get…”
“No. If exhumation is the only recourse, I think Collier has a connection we could use.” I sighed. “How did this kid find her? I thought medical records were supposed to be sealed?”
“That’s true.”
“Then how did he find Alex?”
“I’m still not quite sure. Ed’s found a lot of pieces, but no glue. The one thing we can confirm is this boy’s birth mother gave him up. Beyond that, I don’t know what happened.”
“I don’t believe this.”
“I know. It’s like we’re in a bad dream.”
“Tell me about it. Does he know about…,” I couldn’t bring myself to say his name. “Terrence?”
“No. I took care of that a long time ago.”
“Good.”
“Where’s my niece?”
“Asleep.”
“I’ll call you tomorrow. Bye.”
“Bye.” I pressed the button and ended the call.
I was starting to cringe every time my phone rang with Uncle Wallis’ ringtone. I picked up my phone, looked at the screen, took a deep breath and pressed the Answer Call button.
“Hello, Uncle Wallis.”
“How are you two doing?”
“We’re hanging in there.” I sighed. “Do you have anything new for us?”
“So far we haven’t been able to find Baby Terrence’s file.”
“So we’re back to square one.”
“I’m sorry. I told Ed he’s got twenty four hours to find the file, and then we’ll do the DNA test for this boy and hope for the best. At least we can solve part of this puzzle.”
“Have Mom Connie go to the house and…”
“I thought about that.”
“I sense a but.”
“I would feel better if we had both parents.”
I sighed. “Do whatever you think is best.”
“Including calling Terrence?”
“If you have to, yes.”
“Son, I hope you know what you’re saying.”
“Not really, but I need to get my wife some peace.”
“I understand.”
I hung up, turned around and saw Alex standing behind me. “Hey beautiful, how was your nap?”
“Who was that?”
“Uncle Wallis.”
“And?” I put my arms around her.
“He said if they can’t find what they need in the next couple of days, they are going to do a DNA test on this kid.”
“Okay, it’s the easiest way to get an answer. Have mama go to the house and…”
“She’s doing that as we speak.” I kissed her forehead. I hadn’t told her the details of the mix up. “I need to talk to you about something.” I pulled her closer. “There was a mix up that day.”
“I know.”
“Uncle Wallis is concerned that the baby you buried…”
“No!” She started backing out of my hold.
“Alex, calm down.” She was breathing hard. “There’s a chance he wasn’t your son.”
“What are you saying?”
“We may need to exhume the body to verify the baby you buried was your son.”
“No. No. No!” She was getting hysterical. I pressed her against my chest.
“Shhh…shhh…Calm down.”
“I know those are just bones, and that Terrence isn’t in that grave, but I can’t go through that again.”
Her tears soaked through my shirt. “Look at me. Uncle Wallis and Ed are going to get to the bottom of this.” I kissed her on the forehead.
“Baby, promise me you won’t let them dig him up. Promise me.”
“I promise.” That is a lie I will take to my grave.
Bas
WHEN I CAME TO WORK for Alex, it was understood I couldn’t date her girlfriends. But I broke that rule and had my heart broken in the process. But for some reason, Alex and her friends look at me like I’m the sixth girlfriend. This comfortability has, me privy to way too much information about them, and the men in their lives.
I’m a grown man with a list of ex-girlfriends twelve miles long. Yet the only women that have been constant in my life are my boss and her best friends.
Chloe walked into the store twenty minutes ago and hasn’t stopped talking. With Alex out of town, I’m her designated bestie.
I was shuffling through the rack of clothes pre-selected for her. “I see the stylist made some good choices for you.” I turned around and she was naked from the waist up. “WHAT THE CRAP!”
“What?”
“Why are you naked, and what’s that thing on the sofa?”
She smiled. “My breasts are killing me and I have to pump.”
“And you’re going to do that now?”
“Yes. Do you have a problem with this?” She continued hooking up her breast pump.
“To be honest, yes I do. Tell you what, I’ll come back when you’re finished.”
“What is your problem?”
“My problem is I’m still trying to get over the image of you giving birth.”
“Fine, you big baby,” she smirked. “I’ll cover up. But I’m on a tight schedule, and I really need to get some clothes and can kill two birds with one stone…”
“I’ll stay as long as you keep those things covered up.”
“You know someday when your wife---”
I held up my hand. “I don’t even want to think about that right now.”
“Have it your way. When is Alex getting back?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Where did they go?”
“Moses didn’t say.” I took a deep breath and tried not to look at her. “So what are we doing?” I sorted through the rack.
“I want to try on the two Oscars, the Zac, the Cavalli, the vintage Valentino, the vintage Chanel, the Michael Kors red shift, and that white Alaia on the mannequin downstairs. Oh, you know what, do you have that Carolina in the window in my size?”
“Let me call downstairs.” I called the stylist’s desk. “I need the Carolina in the window in a size ten. And bring up the cream Lanvin, size eight. Thank you. Okay what else?”
“I like the black Dior pumps, the grey Mui Mui ballet flats are a must. I want the brown Manolo booties, the green Alaia booties, the red Vivier flats, and the brown Weitzman sandals.”
“Is that it?”
“Oh, I need a great bag that can double as a diaper bag.”
“I thought you had a Birkin in every color?”
“I do, but I’m not putting milk bottles in my Birkins. So find me something nice and chic, please. And I need a couple of sweaters.”
“Okay, what’s going on?” I sat down. This is a major shopping spree even for Chloe.
“Nothing.”
“I may not be Alex, but I know something’s going on.” She sat down, unhooked her breast pump and covered up.
“Collier’s coming next week for an extended visit.”
“So.”
“We’ve sort of been seeing each other.”
“Really? You and Collier?” It took me a moment and then it hit me. “Are you CJ?”
“Why, what did he say?”
“Oh snap, you’re CJ.” She took the two Oscars and went behind the screen.
“Yes, I’m CJ. He’s coming to town next week and he said we need to talk.”
“About?”
“Us, Parker, where we’re going.”
“And where would that be?” She was finally saying something I wanted to hear, and not that rambling she was doing when she walked in earlier.
“I can’t believe Alex and Moses didn’t tell you about us?”
“No.”
She walked out from behind the screen. “Here, zip me up.”
I zipped up the dress and she primped in front of the mirror. “And where do you want to wear this?”
“Church and brunch. What do you think?”
I walked around and examined her from head to toe. “I think you look beautiful.”
“I don’t look fat?”
“No. You look beautiful.”
“Thanks. I really needed to hear that.”
“I know the most confident, sexiest woman I know can’t be nervous?”
“Thank you for the compliment, but I’m a nervous wreck.”
“Come here, sit down.” We sat on the sofa and I channeled Alex. “Why are you nervous?”
“Alex, Moses, Taylor, and now you, are the only ones that really know what’s going on. Collier and I dated briefly in college, and now I think I messed up and fell in love.”
“How is that bad?” She shrugged her shoulders. “Did you tell him?”
“No, I’m too scared, and I think it’s too soon.”
“What did Alex say?”
“She says it sounds like I’m in trouble.”
“She would know.”
“What?”
“I had a similar conversation with her. There’s nothing to be scared about. I understand your not wanting to be the first one to say it. But as a man, we like to hear it. And in your case, I think it’s best you let him know, so you don’t waste your time or his.”
“That’s what she said.” After fourteen years I’m starting to sound like Alex. How scary is that.
“I gotta tell you, if he’s been coming out here to visit—”
“And he invited me, Parker and the nanny to New York, but after I talked with Alex, I realized it was too soon.”
“She’s right. It’s too soon for you to go for a visit. And it’s safe to say I think he feels the same way you do.”
“So, what am I going to do?”
“If I know Alex she told you to pray about it.”
“She did and I did.”
“So you’re just waiting on an answer from God.” She nodded. “Sometimes when we think God hasn’t answered our prayer He has. Just because we don’t get the answer we want doesn’t mean He didn’t answer. He answered with the right answer. We just have to be willing to accept it.”
“I never thought of it that way. But you’re right.” She stood up. “Okay, so what do we think about this one?”
“We think its good, but we can do better.”
“Then hook me up.” She took a deep breath. “I need a dress to wear when I tell Collier I love him.”
“You got it.”
Now I understood why she and Alex were friends. Alex sees what Chloe works hard to keep hidden, her vulnerability.
Moses
I HAD BEEN SITTING IN front of my computer for the past three hours, but my mind was as blank as the computer screen. Alex had locked me out emotionally and physically. No matter how hard I tried to get close, she refused to let me in.
I grabbed my jacket and phone, quietly closed the door and started towards the lake. I stopped at the edge of the lake and looked up at the sky. God why is this happening? Please show me how to help my wife.
My phone rang with a ringtone from a number I needed to answer. I took my phone out of my pocket and pressed the Answer Call button.
“Hey, Dad.” I wiped my cheek.
“Hi Son, where are you?”
“I’m at the lake.”
“Where’s Alex?”
“She’s at the house asleep. Is everything okay?”
“Everything is fine. I wanted to talk to you.”
“What’s on your mind?”
“Turn around.” I turned around and saw a tall figure walking towards me waving. I pressed the End Call button, placed my phone in my pocket, wiped my face and waited for my dad.
“What’s going on? Is everything okay?” He asked. He stopped and hugged me. My Dad wasn’t one for public displays of affection, but he must have sensed I really needed that hug.
I stepped back and sighed. “Everything’s fine.”
“How are you?”
“I’m fine.” That really was a faith confession.
“How’s my girl doing?” We stood at the edge of the lake gazing out at the water. I wanted to break down, but I was trying to be strong in front of my dad. I was so angry. I really wanted to punch something.
“She says she’s fine but, she won’t let me in.” I didn’t want him to see the tears filling my eyes.
“And how are you doing?”
“This really threw me for a loop. I mean, I think I could have dealt with it a lot better had...if I…”
“Have you talked about how this might affect your lives?”
“Not really. She’s been sleeping a lot and not talking much.”
“I see.”
“I can only imagine how I’d react if a young woman showed up on my doorstep and said she was Allegra.”
“Son, this is different. Allegra wasn’t your child.”
“True, but--”
“No buts. If Allegra were alive, she wouldn’t have come looking for you. She would have come looking for Natalie, not you.”
“But I was Natalie’s husband.”
“But not Allegra’s father. Although you were willing to raise her. I know you wouldn’t have denied her father his rights. And you would have done everything you could for them to have a relationship.”
“I don’t understand.”
“You would have insisted he be listed on the birth certificate. So, if this had been Allegra, she would have done just like this boy. She would have gone looking for her mother and her biological father.” He picked up a rock and tossed it into the lake. “What you have to understand is Alexandra isn’t shutting you out, she’s trying to protect you.”
“Protect me?”
“She’s not scared. She’s just a little unsure of how you might feel about all of this.”
“All the more reason we need to talk. I know this isn’t her fault.”
“She knows that, but it’s your feelings she’s scared about.”
“My feelings? I accept her son no matter what.”
“That’s easy to say now, because you don’t have to make that choice.”
“Dad, remember I went through something similar with Natalie.”
“Son, this is different. Think about it. Not only would you be inviting her son into your lives, you’d be inviting his father as well. Unlike Natalie’s situation, this man would want to be involved. Are you ready for that?”
“Yes.”
“What about his father?” He looked at me. “This is not the same thing. You’re not talking about taking in your wife’s love child. You’re talking about your wife’s son from her previous marriage. If this is her son, which I don’t believe it is, he isn’t the result of unfaithfulness. He’s the result of a loving relationship.”
I hadn’t thought about it like that. He was right. That baby was the only thing that could have held that relationship together. Now that there was a possibility he was alive, how was that going to effect that relationship now? How was it going to effect our relationship?
“I’m confident of Alex’s feelings for me.”
“I have no doubt she loves you. That’s not the question. What she’s struggling with are your feelings. She’s wondering if you’ll be able to separate your dislike for his father from him. Would you really be able to love him completely…like a father?” He tossed another rock across the lake. “When your mother slipped up--”
“Excuse me?” I sounded like Alex.
“When your mother slipped up. I was faced with these same questions. How do I accept this child? Do I invite the father in? Like you, I was alone, yelling at God for help.”
“Mother had an affair?” I still couldn’t wrap my head around those words.
“Yes. And it’s something I’m not proud of.”
My dad was a very reserved and proud man who put his family’s well-being ahead of his own. To find out my mother cheated on him was just unbelievable.
“But you didn’t have the affair.”
“No, but I was the reason for the affair.”
“How?”
“I wasn’t the best husband in the beginning, and she wasn’t the best wife. I buried myself in my work, and she found solace in another man for two years.”
“What are you saying? I’m not your son?”
“No, it’s not you. Your mother and I had been engaged in a battle of bad behavior for years, and it climaxed with her affair. She didn’t understand to get the life she wanted required a lot of long hours. And I failed to understand she needed a lot more attention than I was able to give at the time. She met someone that gave her what she thought she needed.” I couldn’t look at my dad. The thought of knowing my brother or my sister and I didn’t share matching DNA was a little daunting right now. “So when she found out she was pregnant she decided not to tell him. It was her decision and as a result, she became this bitter woman.”
“Which makes Courtney--”
“Which makes Courtney your half sister.”
“Does she know?” My world had completely turned upside down. Not only was I faced with the possibility of being a stepfather, I discovered my mother had an affair for two years, and that my sister and I didn’t have the same father.
“No. I left that up to your mother. I accepted my part in what happened and I was perfectly fine with raising Courtney, but as she’s gotten older, I don’t like the person she’s become. I allowed your mother to get away with some things because I felt guilty.”
“I had no idea.”
“Just like you, I had to make a tough decision. I love your mother but I had to forgive her and myself for what happened.”
“I don’t feel guilty because there’s nothing I could have done to prevent this.”
“Exactly. None of this is your fault, nor is it Alexandra’s. She needs to know that no matter what happens, you aren’t going anywhere and that you love her more today than you did the day you married her. She knows God has this under control, but what she doesn’t know is how you really feel.”
“I can’t tell her that.”
“Yes, you can.”
“What am I supposed to say? Baby, I love you and I accept your son, but I don’t want his father in our lives?”
“No. You tell her you love her and you know none of this is her fault. And no matter what happens, you welcome this boy into your lives, and you will help her explain everything to his father, and the three of you will sit down and figure out a way to be a part of his life.”
“Dad, that’s asking a lot.”
“With God’s help, you can do it. Alexandra just needs to know that you will embrace this boy. Once she knows that, she’ll let you in. You cannot let this thing effect you like it did your mother and me. It has taken me a long time to repair the damage our mistakes caused.”
“Does Grams know?”
“Yes. And she was angry. She chewed us both out. And when your mother manipulated me into turning my back on you, she chewed me out some more. I never told your mother. Grams called me and really let me have it. She asked me how could I raise another man’s child while mine didn’t have a place to live. And she was right. I allowed an outsider to tell me how to run my family. Once I came to myself, I asked her to let you live with her.”
“I didn’t…” I covered my mouth with my hands.
“Every month I’d give her a check and every month she’d send it back. Finally, I just stopped sending the money to her and sent it to Mrs. Joseph. Grams said she didn’t need to be paid to take care of her grandson. That’s why she loves you so much. It’s like you’re her child.”
“I didn’t…”
“So what are you going to do?”
My phone started ringing with Alex’s ringtone. “Hey beautiful…I’m at the lake with Dad…he came to see you…uh-huh…why don’t you get dressed and come down here…no, I understand…okay, we’re on our way back…we’ll see you in a few minutes…bye.” I pushed the End Call button.
“Are you ready?”
“No. But I’m gonna do whatever I have to in order to get my wife back.”