"I think I got the message, you know," Aleks said from behind him, and Remey turned to see him in the kitchen doorway, Willow snuggled against his chest, her head resting on his shoulder and her eyes half-closed. "Are you about ready to go? I have a sleepy princess here who'd like her own bed."
Remey nodded, quickly rinsing the plate and passing it to Jess to dry, turning off the water and rolling the sleeves of his sweater back down. "Sure, I'm ready. I can go and warm up the car while you get her bundled up?"
Aleks shook his head. "Don't bother. It's a short drive, so we'll live."
In the front hall, Remey helped get Willow's jacket on without disturbing her too much and then put his own on and took Willow so Aleks could do the same. Aleks hugged Stevan and kissed Jess goodbye, waving as he opened the front door and held it for Remey, who still held Willow.
"See you guys later. Thanks for dinner."
No sooner had he shut the door behind them than the world seemed to explode in a turmoil of flashing lights, shouts and rapid-fire questions as a group of paparazzi swarmed toward the porch, like sharks sensing fresh kill.
Remey instinctively turned to shield Willow from the cameras and the chaos, but it didn't help as she startled awake from her half-doze and promptly burst into tears at the abrupt cacophony of noise. An instant later, Aleks snatched her from him, backing up against the door with her.
"Hey! Hey, back up. You're scaring the baby, guys... Jesus!" Remey shouted, glancing back at Aleks.
Aleks cradled Willow close and turned to open the front door, slipping back inside. Remey swore his chest felt like it was going to explode at the look Aleks gave him before the door shut. Disgust, whether aimed at him or the people causing his baby girl to be scared out of her mind, it didn't matter. It hurt like hell to see.
Remey shook his head, refusing to answer any questions. "This is private property, so get back on the sidewalk or we'll call the sheriff." He didn't care Allison would probably scold him for threatening the paps with the cops, a big no-no usually. This was a special case. He jerked open the front door and stepped into the entryway, shutting the door behind him.
"Oh my God, what happened? What's going on out there?" Jess asked, rushing forward to smooth Willow's hair back as she cried and clung to Aleks.
Aleks scowled, swaying with Willow and murmuring soothingly to her. "Shhh, baby Squish, it's okay. I'm sorry you got woken up like that, but it's all right now. All gone, see?" He met Jess's gaze over Willow's head. "What happened? The fucking paparazzi happened."
Remey's stomach knotted with regret and his breath hitched at the sight of Willow and her teary face. Then he met Aleks's eyes. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry. Is she okay?" He moved forward, one hand out toward Willow, and Aleks shook his head sharply and held his hand up to stop him.
"Stop. Just... go."
Remey wanted to blame him, wanted to be mad at the way Aleks was dismissing him, but he couldn't. There were going to be pictures of his baby in the fucking tabloids, on the gossip sites, the trashy entertainment news shows. Speculating about Aleks, about her, about who they were to Remey. He'd be furious, too, if he were Aleks.
"Stop it and go, Remey." Aleks bit off every word, jaw clenched tight.
Remey pressed his lips together, dropping his hand back to his side. Aleks was glaring at him, Willow still had her face buried in his shoulder, and Jess was looking back and forth between them, her eyes concerned. He wanted to apologize again, but he could already tell there was no way Aleks was going to listen to him, and the last thing Remey wanted to do was upset Willow even more.
Instead, he met Jess's eyes and gave her a tight nod. "They'll be gone soon. I'm sorry about all the trouble." Remey turned and headed back for the front door, glancing back with his hand on the knob. Aleks was turned away, murmuring to Willow, his shoulders stiff and tense as he held her and soothed her.
Remey sighed and let himself out, ignoring the paparazzi and their shouted questions as he pushed his way through the throng on the walk, climbing into his car without a word. Just when it had seemed like Aleks was starting to look at him like a real person and not a product of the Hollywood machine, the stupid paps had to ruin everything. Clenching his teeth, he gripped the steering wheel and started the car, pulling away from the curb. He'd always been able to tolerate the paparazzi attention, but right now, he hated it.
Aleks had been sitting in front of Remey's house for the past five minutes. Luckily, there were no cameras to witness it. In fact, he'd noticed a much smaller media presence in town yesterday. Those damn news vans were gone, and the number of men with their gigantic cameras had dwindled.
It was part of the reason Aleks was there, sitting outside Remey's house, answering the voice-mail Remey had left early Saturday morning. A quiet, regretful sounding voice-mail telling Aleks that Remey had his paintings still and was keeping them safe at his house and to please let him know how he should return them.
Aleks spent most of Saturday pissed off. Willow had kept peering through the drapes to see if there were "scary, flashy men" on their porch, too. It had taken an explanation that the men with cameras hadn't meant to scare her, they only wanted to take her picture because she was so pretty, in order for her to decide she wasn't worried anymore.
The problem was, as pissed as Aleks had been, and still was, it wasn't and couldn't be aimed at Remey. Remey wasn't responsible for what happened on Thursday night. Remey hadn't wanted it. Anybody with eyes could see it. He'd been horrified and felt awful, and Aleks was pretty sure Remey would have done almost anything to keep it from happening.
Therefore, it was hard to hang onto the anger when the people he wanted to punch in the face for scaring his three-year-old weren't even around anymore, it seemed, and Remey was certainly not a fair target in their stead.
Aleks sighed and climbed out of the car. He'd get his paintings and then he'd go. There was no reason they couldn't be civil, especially since Aleks was sure Remey hadn't intended for any of this to happen. It was, however, a very firm reminder to Aleks that
this,
whatever it was, couldn't go any further. Otherwise, the same thing would happen again and again and again until, God forbid, he began to think of it as normal... or worse, Willow did.
He strode up the walk, took the steps two at a time, and rang the doorbell.
Best to get it done and over with.
When Remey opened the door, a hoodie tugged close around himself and regret in his eyes, he didn't say a word before he gestured Aleks inside. He had the look of a man expecting to be led to the gallows.
Once the door closed behind Aleks, Remey let out a sigh. "Aleks, look, I'm really sorry about the whole incident. I didn't know they were there. They weren't when I got there and..."
Aleks shook his head. "There's no point in apologizing. I know it wasn't your fault."
Remey bit his lip. "Is... is Willow okay? I know she was scared and upset. I feel so bad... I should've gone out to check before we brought her out, but since they hadn't shown up at the school or the café or anything, I thought it'd be okay."
"She's better now." Aleks quirked a small, humorless smile. "She was pretty freaked at first, but I told her they wanted to take her picture because she's so pretty and it seemed to do the trick."
Remey let out a relieved sigh. "Well, good. I'd hate to think she was upset by the whole thing." Remey glanced up at Aleks, chewing on his lower lip. He looked so nervous, Aleks felt bad for him. "I know it probably reinforced all your reservations about me, but they're mostly gone now."
"Are they?"
Remey nodded, fiddling with the drawstrings on his hoodie. "Yeah. Somebody's cheating on someone, I guess. I was out doing errands Friday and I didn't see any of them, and I was sure I would, after the other night. I checked a few online sites and figured out they've all gone chasing after bigger prey. There's only a couple still hanging around, and I'm sure they'll be gone in the next day or two." He looked down at the floor, then back up at Aleks. "I've been hoping them being gone might work in my favor."
Aleks let out a sigh. "I'd hoped them being gone would be a good thing, too. Before Thursday night, anyway."
"And now?"
Aleks shrugged, hands fisting to keep from reaching for Remey because, fuck, he could
not
get their kisses out of his mind. "You're not the only one who checked a few websites recently, Remey. Those pictures... they're all over the place. Your fans are tweeting them and that Perez asshole is debating whether we're some secret, hidden away family of yours you've been waiting to spring on the world once gay rights went completely mainstream." He shook his head. "Speculating about my daughter, Remey. Maybe this is all run of the mill for you, but it's not for me. And I don't want it to become the norm for me or my family."
Remey shook his head. "Me neither, believe me. I just... It's part of my life. I can't stop it, I can't control it and trying to makes things worse. I realize it's a big negative mark in the 'pros and cons of getting involved with Remey' list, but... I'm not sure what I'm trying to say except I'm sorry and I don't want what happened to ruin... whatever else could happen." He sighed and shrugged helplessly. "I'm sorry."
Aleks felt like a complete jerk, but he wasn't sure what to do to make Remey feel any better when he didn't feel any differently than he had this morning or five minutes ago. He did feel like he owed Remey a partial explanation, though.
"Willow's mother is sort of famous. Did you know?"
Remey blinked up at him. "No, I didn't. She is?"
Aleks nodded. "Jazz singer. Remember I said I managed a club in New York?"
"I remember."
Aleks let out a small sigh, and Remey gestured to the couches in the living room. "Do you want to sit?"
Aleks shook his head, running both hands through his hair.
"No. I feel like I should explain. Regan--that's her name--performed fairly often at the club I managed. It's how we met. We got married and had Willow, but it wasn't the life she wanted, I guess. Turned out she was sleeping with her manager. I found out courtesy of the gossip rags. The local media had a field day with it. There were gossip and rumors floating around every which way, since Regan's fairly well known on the jazz scene. It was ugly. When I got custody of Willow, I moved back here to Haven to keep her away from all that, among other reasons."
Remey blew out a shaky breath. "I see. Does she see Willow at all?"
Aleks shrugged. "She drifts in and out a couple of times a year on her own schedule, with presents and her new husband. We've come to terms and are amicable, but Willow needs security, which wasn't something Regan was ever going to give her. Regan loves her, but it's not the kind of life Willow needs, which Regan knows, so she never fought me for custody. But you can see why I'd want to keep Willow from getting dragged into that kind of environment now."
Remey nodded. "Absolutely. I understand, Aleks. Believe me, I do. If I were in your shoes, I'd feel the same way. And even from this side of it, I do understand. I don't like the paparazzi, but they're part and parcel of being famous, so I've learned to deal, like I've learned to deal with spending weeks and months at a time living on a tour bus. If you're determined not to get involved with me, then I can't and wouldn't try to change your mind. I guess, I hate it might be because of something I can't control or stop."
Aleks knew he should leave it at that. Remey was agreeing they shouldn't mess with this attraction anymore, so case closed, right? But, like most things in Aleks's life, it was never as easy as it ought to be. His head might say, Okay, you got what's best, so let's drop it, but his heart--and maybe parts of him that shouldn't get a vote--wasn't quite ready to turn it in yet.
"Why did you move here, Remey?" He waved his hand abruptly, shaking his head. "I don't mean the whole 'I saw a postcard and decided to' story. I want the real story.
Why
did you move to Haven?"
Remey blinked, then glanced down, nodding. "Take off your coat and come sit down, please. I feel awkward doing this in the entryway."
Aleks slid his coat off and hung it on the coat rack in the hall, then followed Remey to the living room. He'd done a lot of unpacking and arranging, and it looked nice. Sparse still, but more like somebody lived there than before. He couldn't help but smile, gesturing to the bay window area. "You got the piano at Carl's."
Remey glanced over his shoulder and smiled, nodding. "Yeah. I couldn't resist. Here, sit."
Aleks did, watching as Remey sat, folding his legs under him in the large chair beside the couch. He looked so small there, and in his loose track pants and a clingy long sleeved T-shirt, he looked so young, too. Vulnerable, almost. All of Aleks's protective instincts reared up, making it even harder to convince himself this was going to be a good thing, not getting involved.
"You're not the only one who had a bad breakup get dragged through the mud by the media, you know." Remey let out a breath and met Aleks's gaze. "Maybe I didn't have a child to worry about, but believe me when I say it didn't make it hurt any less when my boyfriend--very nearly fiancé, I thought--and I broke up right before the start of my last tour."
"What happened?" Aleks asked, his voice quiet, and Remey sighed, taking his glasses off and setting them on the side table.
"Theo was one of the studio musicians who worked on my first two albums. When the second album came out, it was crazy how well it did. My management and label were so thrilled, and they threw this party for everyone who had worked on it.
"One thing led to another and Theo ended up coming home with me. I was worried it'd be awkward, but it never was. He moved in pretty quickly, flew out to see me sometimes when I was touring, and I thought everything was going great."
Remey paused, and Aleks frowned, sympathetic, but a little confused. "Did he... did he cheat on you? I mean, it sounds like that's where this is heading, but I can't see why he would."