Fated: An Alpha Male Romance (21 page)

I turned to face him. “What exactly did Gia do? I’ve been curious. How did she disappoint you?”

“She could have been so much more,” he replied. “Gia possesses so much intellect, yet she wastes it on easels and crass words.”

“Do you think Da Vinci was a disappointment?” I challenged. “You have all sorts of renowned, expensive art pieces around the house, but somehow Gia’s decision to become an artist is a disappointment?”

He squared his shoulders. “I wanted her to be a scientist. I wanted both my girls to be PhDs, but I gave you a pass since you’d decided to help Roderick with his running for senate. That was noble of you and I respected that. But now, with your trysts with the doctor, no other man will want to touch you. Alexandra, you’ve been sullied. Do you know how big of a man it makes Roderick to still want to marry you despite the way you’ve damaged yourself?”

My eyes flickered over to Roderick and he looked away.

“Because I’m not a virgin?” I asked.

“You let some random man take your innocence,” my father proclaimed.

“I see Roderick didn’t tell you everything,” I murmured. Neither seemed to hear. “Look, James, what I think you’re missing is the part where you love your children for who they are, not what you want them to be. Gia is not a disappointment. Actually, based on the strict way we were raised, I’d say she is a complete success. She was able to still retain her own mind even when you tried to warp it. I was not as strong, at least not in the beginning. I only wanted to please you. I enjoyed being seen as a star in your eyes, but as I got older, I realized that I wasn’t a star because I was your daughter. I was a star because I was your product. I became so preoccupied with not straying from the path that I turned into this nauseating version of myself. Everyday felt like a noose around my neck, and the only times I didn’t feel like I was being suffocated were the times I was with Ethan.”

He turned away. “I don’t want to hear any more of this. You will never see the doctor again and you will marry Roderick. Do you hear me?”

A small bit of fight ignited. “Or else, what?”

He faced me, a grin on his face that made him appear evil and conniving. His lips curled into a snarl. “I can get copies of those images and video of you and the doctor on demand, my sweet daughter. And with a flick of a wrist, they would be all over the internet.”

“And you’d risk your own reputation just to ruin mine?” I asked.

“You’re not thinking, Alexandra,” he replied. “Dr. Stewart is a pediatrician. He works with children. Children with developmental disorders. His practice is the only one in the area that delivers quality care for children with those issues.
The
only one.
How many parents do you think would continue to seek his medical services if they found out that he performs lewd acts in places virtually visible to the public eye? What do you think the board would have to say about that? How long do you think it would take before they revoked his medical license?”

I’ll be the first to admit that I was wrong. My father was malicious. He was willing to ruin a man’s entire career just to get what he wanted. It was as though the levels to which he’d had to stoop in the military to bring about order in a country was being transferred to the way he handled his family.

I looked over at Roderick and his expression was once again like the little boy that I would often feel sorry for. He wouldn’t meet my eyes directly, but I knew that he was watching me from their corners.

“You know what? Fine,” I resigned. “I don’t care anymore. Ethan and I are over anyhow. I won’t do anything else to interfere with his life. If these are lengths you’re willing to go to, so be it. Whatever. I’ll marry Roderick. I just don’t fucking care anymore.”

I returned to the stairway and didn’t wait to see if either of them would stop me before I ascended the stairs.

Ethan

The address was a dead end. At least, it was something like it. The address my mother had left led me to a single-story house that looked as though it hadn’t had an inhabitant in at least five years. The grass had grown high enough to obscure the slatted windows at the front, a few of which had pieces of plywood nailed across. Grass had cracked the concrete driveway to grow its way through, and the chain-link fence surrounding the property was rusted and falling apart. The carport looked as though it was ready to collapse at the first strong breeze that passed through. From my position at the end of the driveway, I could see the rusted bumper of an old Buick peeking from the backyard.

I hopped out of my rental and made my way into the yard anyhow, looking for any signs of life other than a hyperactive squirrel or oversized insects. It was springtime in Florida, which was unrecognizable from summertime in Florida. Humid heat scorched the back of my neck and warmed the apex of the baseball cap I’d thrown on. My forearms were already beginning to tan even deeper and sweat slicked my hair to my forehead.

There were other single-storied houses on the street, some with dogs or children playing in the yard. This one stood eerily desolate.

I peered into one of windows and the situation inside didn’t prove to be much better. The house was darkened, but I could still make out paint-stripped walls, the exposed wooden beams of an unfinished remodel, and tile floors covered by twigs, leaves, and branches. Yellow caution tape stretched from one side to the other and I reflexively searched the floor for chalk outlines.

“Can I help you?” a voice asked from the vicinity of the house next door. I turned to face a middle-aged woman with blonde curly hair and a black lab tugging on a leash by her side.

“I’m looking for someone,” I replied, walking up to the section of the fence that separated the two properties. “A woman used to live here probably a few years back now. This is the last known address that I have for her.”

Her forehead wrinkled and she absent-mindedly yanked on the leash. “What she look like?”

I started to respond but then realized how far into my memory I had to search to come up with a response. I was pretty sure that my mother looked markedly different from my six-year old image of her, but I had nothing else to go on.

“Um, well, it’s been a while since I’ve seen her, but she had the same color hair as I do. Brown eyes. Around your height.”

Her forehead wrinkled even more as she squinted at me. She and the lab continued with their game of tug-of-war until it eventually gave in and rested on its haunches. A pink freckled tongue hung out the side of its mouth and I couldn’t tell if it was panting from the struggle or the overbearing heat.

“You a doctor?” she suddenly asked.

“I am,” I replied, cautious. “Why?”

“Oh, then you must be Annie’s son.”

I stepped close to the fence. “You knew her?”

“Yeah. She used to live here with a fella named Carl. He owns the repair shop that fixed up my husband’s old truck so it runs like new.”

“Do you know where she moved to?”

She nodded. “Yeah. She and Carl ended up hitting it off and he bought her a house out in Plant City. Nice guy. I ran into her at the Sam’s Club a few weeks back and we talked for a bit.”

“How did you know I was a doctor?” I asked.

“Son, that woman talks about you all the time.” For the first time, a smile broke out on her face. “Did you just give some kind of presentation in California?”

A strong urge to grin tugged at my face. “Yes.”

“She told me all about you,” she went on. “Now, I don’t know her exact address, but I have her number. You want it?”

I didn’t hesitate. “Yes ma’am.”

She reached into a pocket on the front of her dress and handed me her phone. “I don’t know how to use this thing that good, but if you look under my phone numbers, she’s in there as Annie Stewart.”

I scrolled through the list and jotted down the number. “She still goes by Stewart?”

“Far as I know.”

I handed the phone back to her. “Thank you for all your help. I’m Ethan, by the way.”

“Sandra. Tell Annie I said hi and that her boy grew up to be hot stuff.”

I laughed, waved, and practically jogged back to the rental to call the number. I’d barely put the car into gear before the phone was ringing through the Bluetooth system. A gruff male voice picked up.

“Hi, is this Carl?” I greeted.

“That’s me,” he answered. “You got a car you need tunin’ up?”

“Oh, no sir. I’m looking for Annie. My name is Ethan Stewart.”

Silence crackled between the connection as I turned down the street and headed back towards the main road.

“You said Ethan?” he asked.

“Yes sir. Sandra gave me this number? Sandra with the black Labrador retriever? She said that you fixed her husband’s car up like new.”

“Yeah, I know Sandra.” He cleared his throat. “But, you said your name is Ethan? Like, Annie’s son, Ethan?”

“Yes sir. My grandfather recently gave me a letter she sent so I went to the address she gave me in the letter. I’m assuming that’s the old house you two shared?”

“Yes…yes it is.” He paused. “Son, where are you now? Come straight here, okay? If you’re looking for Annie, you come straight here.”

He gave me the address and I plugged it into the GPS. With a tight grip on the steering wheel, I pulled in a deep breath and followed the commands.

The house it led me to was situated on a beautiful, expansive piece of land that looked as though it spawned several acres. It had always been a dream of my mother’s to live on a farm, which was one of the only pieces of my grandfather that had rubbed off on her. She would always say that she could envision me running around the yard until I got tired, and then we would go inside where she “hoped” a good man would be waiting for her.

The wrought-iron gated entrance stood open and I drove down a dirt path up to the side of the house. The house itself wasn’t massive, but it was made of red brick and filled with charm. Potted flowers decorated the front porch and palm trees loomed over the roof.

I stopped the car and slowly got out. My knees wavered slightly. My arms suddenly felt too large for my shirt and the breakfast in my stomach became extremely noticeable. The front door opened and Carl, I assumed, stepped out. He motioned inside the house and then turned towards the person he was talking to. He lifted his hands over their eyes and helped them out of the house. Even from where I stood, I knew it was her.

When they were both fully on the front porch, he turned her to face me. Then, he dropped his hands. I held my breath and forgot every reason I’d ever been upset at her. Instead, I stood there, frozen with anticipation.

She tilted her head to the side and studied me. Then, her eyes grew large. “Ethan!”

She hurried down the front steps and took off towards me. She leapt into my arms and I pulled her close. She even smelled the same. It was a smell that I couldn’t place, but it could not be replicated.

She trembled as I let her down to her feet, her hands still latched to my biceps. Although she’d aged, to me, she still looked exactly the same. The biggest difference now, however, was that she looked healthy. And happy.

“I can’t stop shaking,” she said, removing her grip only to quickly wipe her eyes before she was holding onto me again.

“How’d you know it was me?” I asked.

“Ethan, I would never forget your face. You’re my son. My son is here.” She hugged me again. Then, she turned. “Carl, this is Ethan. My son. My little boy, Ethan. Ethan, this is Carl. He’s my fiancé.”

The man walked over and shook my hand. He had a head full of thick, black hair and light green eyes. He reminded me of a slightly taller version of Steve Mariucci, and from the way my mother looked at him, I could tell that he was nothing like the men I’d been used to seeing her with. This one had bought her a house and asked him to marry her. This was a man who truly treasured the woman he chose to love.

My mind began to wander to Alexandra until my mother grabbed my arm and started pulling me towards the house. I obliged and entered the warm space that smelled like a cinnamon spice scented candle. The cozy set up and wooden floors reminded me of a cottage.

She dragged me all the way over to the living room couch and pulled my hand between both her palms. Eyes glittering with tears gazed into mine and she reached up, pulled off my cap, and ruffled her hands through my hair, another gesture that I suddenly remembered her doing. Carl began to excuse himself to give us some privacy, but I shook my head and called him back into the room.

“You grew up to be so handsome,” she said, touching the side of my face. “I miss the chubby cheeks though.”

“I don’t,” I replied, laughing.

“And you have facial hair! I can’t believe my boy has facial hair. So handsome. Tell me, are you seeing anybody?” She picked up my left hand. “Married? Kids? Tell me everything. I want to know everything. Googling you and talking to Dad only skimmed the surface.”

I did want to tell her everything, even the situation with Alexandra, but I had some questions of my own that I needed answered first.

“I don’t mean to spring this on you like this,” I began, “but I have…questions.”

She nodded. “Of course you do. Ask me anything, sweetheart. I’ll do anything to make things right between us. That life is so far behind me that I’m not ashamed of the questions anymore. I’ve been blessed.”

She glanced over at Carl and he winked back at her.

“Well, there’s been something that’s been bothering for quite a while. Years, actually. It has to do with what happened with,” I glanced over at Carl, “John Ezra.”

“Oh, Carl knows everything so don’t be afraid to speak openly,” she assured.

“Well, I want to know what happened,” I said. “See, in my head, and you can tell me if this is twisted, the fact that you didn’t leave with me in the middle of the night and did what you did meant that, you didn’t choose me. That, you didn’t want me.”

Her lids gaped so wide that I could nearly see the entire whites of her eyes. Then, she began to frantically shake her head. “Oh no, baby. No. That’s not what happened at all. I told Dad to explain it to you once you were old enough, but I see now that didn’t happen. It could also be because he’d already began forgetting a lot of things by then. But I guess now is a better time than any to tell you the truth.” She tipped her chin towards the kitchen. “Carl, honey, could you start dinner? And, how long are you staying, Ethan?”

“Until the weekend is over,” I answered, my mind running to the Miller-Hamilton wedding.

Carl retreated to the kitchen and my mother began stroking the back of my hand in a circular motion. The freckles on her wrist caused another memory to surface; she was rubbing ointment on a cut on my knee that I’d gotten after falling from a park swing. I’d asked her how long she thinks it would take until I got better, and she’d told me that a silly little park swing wasn’t my kryptonite. To a kid with a Superman fascination, it was all I needed to hear to stand several feet taller.

It was funny how I’d had no recollection of that memory until now.

“Okay. I’ll set up the guest room,” she went on. She was stalling, so I remained quiet to give her a moment to ease into her story.

“I did kill John Ezra,” she started. “This isn’t a story about how I was framed and really didn’t kill him. I did do it, but it wasn’t because I didn’t choose you, baby. It was because I did.”

I got the feeling that in the next few minutes, all of my preconceived notions would be incinerated.

“John was a despicable man, and I was a different woman back then. Foolish. I’d somehow convinced myself that, because he was a married man willing to step outside of his marriage to be with me, it gave me a false sense of self-worth. Whatever his wife wasn’t able to give him, I was, so it made me feel important. But everyone has their limits, Ethan. That man hit me, berated me, and did things that I cannot tell you. Yet, even after all of that, I would still go back to him. The cycle of abuse is what they call it.”

She clasped my hand with hers. “My limit was you, Ethan. I remember once a woman telling me that she used to say that she could never kill another human being, but then she had her first child and all of that changed. She said that if anyone ever tried to harm her child, she would have no qualms about ending their life to protect her baby.”

She released my hand and walked across the room to lean against a brick fireplace that looked as though it had recently been updated. Her hands shook, but I could tell that she was enraged instead of unnerved.

“You probably don’t remember, but the night that we were supposed to run away, it was the last day of our lease. I hadn’t renewed because I wanted the entire experience to be liberating. John was leaving for the airport and I wanted it to be that the next time he dropped by the apartment, the entire thing would be empty. Maybe there would already be another family living there. I wanted it be like an atomic bomb dropped on him. I was choosing my baby and in order to do so, I had to leave him.

“So naturally, I did all the things I usually did. I made his dinner, we watched some TV, I put you to bed, and then I jumped in the shower. After my shower, I was going to walk him downstairs to the curb and then come upstairs, wake you up, and get the hell out of there. But when I got out of the shower, something didn’t feel right. It’s a Mommy thing; you can sometimes feel when something is wrong with your child. So, because of that feeling, I wrapped a towel around my body and went straight to your room. When I got to your room, I saw John sitting next to you on your bed. You were still sleeping, but there was a look in his eyes that I didn’t trust. When he looked up at me, it was all over his face. If I had stayed in that shower for even five minutes longer…”