The Truth (14 page)

Marissa had been a part of the Wayne family forever, it seemed to Lexie. With her husband gone for business more than he was home, she’d was almost always present on Sundays, holidays, or any occasion the Waynes invented to get their children over to the house.

Lexie watched her brother’s face as he listened to the conversation going on between Marissa and their father. Jordan had been in love with Marissa since high school. She’d been his first kiss and his first broken heart when she met Steve at college, and married him within six months. Sadly, Lexie knew that Marissa wasn’t happy in her marriage. Over the nine years they’d been married, Steve had changed his mind about starting a family, and spent most of his time in the city. Marissa had spent the last four Christmases and Thanksgivings with her, instead of with her husband, and the family she’d always yearned for.

“Marissa, when are you going to give me another grandbaby? If I have to wait on these two to get married before I get another one, I’ll be six feet under first.” Betty never missed an opportunity to steer the conversation back to the topics she felt most important.

Her family was honest, loving, and warm, but to Lexie’s dismay, they were also nosey, opinionated, and intrusive. Marissa may not have been born into the family, but she was a part of it, and that meant she was also subject to Betty’s scrutiny as well as her demand for more grandchildren.

Somewhere in span of time Lexie’s mind had wandered, the conversation had turned to Grayson, or his absence to be exact. She realized that everyone was staring at her, waiting for her to respond to a question she hadn’t heard.

Marissa slid in, trying to defuse the onslaught they all knew was coming. “I think they are just trying to get to know each other better before the sounds of wedding bells ring in their future.”

Betty was famous for her interrogations about a husband for Lexie, and picking a wife for Jordan. Lexie knew Betty wanted the same wife for Jordan that he wanted for himself, but unhappy or not, Marissa took her vows seriously.

Jordan looked over at Lexie, rolled his eyes, and sighed with tremendous exaggeration. His actions only fueled their mothers fire, and Betty began her rant of how she wasn’t getting any younger, and neither were they. Lexie was sure her mother rehearsed for this day the entire week leading up to their visits.

Ignoring Marissa’s attempt to steer the conversation in another direction, Betty locked onto Lexie. “Alexis Rae, it’s time you settled down. You’re lucky Grayson wants you. You’re never going to get another man to stay for long with that sassy mouth of yours. You finally have a great man who’s crazy about you, and you’ve changed your mind already. You can’t run forever. Grayson has the patience of a saint to put up with you and you’re just going to let him get away?”

As Betty continued with her outburst, Lexie laid her head on Marissa’s shoulder and making a dramatic crying sound pleaded, “Please make it stop. Shoot me now.” Marissa leaned over and placed her arm around her in mocking support.

As the afternoon wore on, the men eventually took their beers and moved from the table to the lounge chairs in the sand.

Inside, the women were working together clearing the dishes and putting away the leftovers. Conversation was once again on Lexie’s inability to commit for the sake of her own happiness.

“I don’t understand it. You’re beautiful, intelligent and successful. It saddens me that you can’t find one man who could make you happy. Besides, Ryan loves him, which should count for something.” Betty
tsked
accusingly.

“Mom, enough already! Jordan is single and two years older than I am, why aren’t you out there pestering him?” Lexie recognized that she sounded like a whiny three-year-old. She wasn’t sure how to tell her mother the truth about Grayson. Maybe because she wasn’t sure exactly what the truth was. Her eyes threatened to spill the tears she was fighting back.

“Lexie, we know why Jordan is single. There is no reason for me to worry about him being alone forever.” Betty said.

“Why is Jordan single?” Marissa asked.

Lexie shook her head at her friend’s naivety but said nothing.

Betty’s head snapped up. She studied Marissa as if finally realizing that she was clueless as to her son’s feelings for her. “Jordan is just waiting for the girl of his dreams. It’s just a matter of time.” Betty snapped the lid closed on the potato salad and slid the bowl into the refrigerator. Digging into the cupboard for another container, she continued. “Now Lexie, on the other hand, is the one I worry about.” She straightened and looked into Lexie’s face, her eyes radiating with sadness. “After Kyle died, I was sure she’d never love again. Watching her with Grayson, I know differently now. My confusion is why she is pushing him away.”

Lexie looked down, not wanting her mother to see the pain in her eyes at the mention of his name. She could feel the heat of Marissa’s gaze as it locked onto her.

“It’s more complicated than that,” Marissa whispered. “Lexie has learned some things about Grayson recently.”

Lexie’s head shot up. She eyed her friend, who stood still, wringing a hand towel with shaky hands. Looking up, Marissa gave Lexie a sheepish, innocent look and shrugged her shoulders.

Lexie narrowed her eyes into challenging slits, pursed her lips, and mimed the removal of an imaginary knife from her back.

“What does she mean, Lexie?” Betty leaned against the counter, her large brown eyes conveyed concern.

“Tell her Lex,” Marissa prompted. “Maybe she can help.” Rubbing Lexie’s shoulder, Marissa picked up her water bottle and headed outside.

Walking around the counter, Betty climbed onto the stool beside her daughter and waited quietly. Lexie sat down beside her, and struggled for the right words to explain her situation.

“I … ” Lexie looked into her lap, and chewed on her bottom lip. “Grayson … ”

Betty reached over and took hold of her daughter’s hand. “What is it, what happened?”

“I … ” Lexie paused, swallowed, and wiped the tears from her cheek. “Mom, Grayson is Ryan’s father.”

Betty gasped, her mouth open, her eyes confused. “Why would you think that?”

Lexie inhaled a breath and let it out slowly. Turning to her mother, she explained the photograph, and reading Maggie’s journal.

“You haven’t talked to him since that night?” Betty asked, sounding troubled.

Shaking her head, Lexie leaned forward and laid her head against her mother’s shoulder, needing her comfort.

Betty ran her hand over her daughter’s hair. “You have to talk to him, and if you’re sure, you have to tell him about Ryan.”

She knew her mother was right, but her fear of the unanswered questions was paralyzing.

“Maggie thought he was dead,” Lexie whispered. “What kind of man would let the woman he’d loved believe he had died?”

“You said Maggie hadn’t told him she was sick, right?” Betty asked, her eyes glancing upwards as she searched through the pieces of the puzzle.

Lexie nodded her head. “But even if he thought she’d just walked away from him, what justification would that be? That’s one hell of a heartless way to get revenge.”

“I don’t know him as well as you do, Lex, but it just doesn’t sound like him.”

“What if he knew about Ryan? What if he came back here to take him from me?” Lexie’s voice cracked.

“If he did, why would he pursue you on a personal level? He would win in court if he’s the biological father.” Betty crossed her arms across her chest as if comforting herself. “You don’t think he’ll take Ryan away from us, do you?”

Tears streamed down Lexie’s cheeks. Unable to speak over the lump in her throat she shrugged.

“I’m beginning to understand your frustration. None of this makes a lot of sense, and it’s much more complicated now that you’re in love with him.”

“No! I’m not!” Lexie snapped.

Betty grunted and rolled her eyes.

“I can’t be, Mom, I won’t be! This is too much. It’s too hard.” Lexie stood up and tugged her purse strap onto her shoulder.

Betty slipped her arms around her daughter and pulling her close, she whispered into her ear, “Doesn’t change the fact that you are.”

“That would make me a fool.” Lexie stepped back and called out to Ryan that it was time to go. Looking back at her mother she added, “I won’t be a fool.”

“Talk to him, Lexie. Don’t make any rash decisions right now.” Betty advised, scooping her grandson into her arms as he bolted into the kitchen from the back yard.

“Look, Grandma, I drew this,” he bragged.

Tilting her head back to get a clear view, Betty smiled. Lexie looked over her mother’s shoulder at the stick figures standing on either side of a policeman wearing a red cape. She recognized immediately that one of the figures was her and the other one was Ryan.

“It’s beautiful, Ryan, really beautiful.” Betty cooed, and pointing to the superhero policeman asked, “Is that Uncle Jordan?”

“No, it’s Grayson.” Ryan said, pushing out of her arms. “I miss him a lot, but Mom won’t let me see him anymore.” His green eyes pooled with tears. “She’s mad at him. He made her cry.”

Lexie turned her back so her son wouldn’t see she was crying again.

The fog was dense, gloomy, and matched her mood perfectly. It was also blocking her view of the ocean. Lexie pulled her sweater tighter against her chest and leaned back, closed her eyes and listened to the calming crash of the waves. She hadn’t been able to sleep and finally gave up the attempt around three in the morning. Now, close to five-thirty, she prayed for the sun to break through and lift her mood along with the fog.

The weekend had been an emotional rollercoaster, and she felt drained. Her arms felt like lead when she tried to lift them, her legs like jelly. She couldn’t eat, sleep, or concentrate. It’d gotten so bad that she’d even called her mother into to open the coffee shop, without any thought of the questions that would arise from it.

Marissa was coming to pick up Ryan at eight; it was time for her to face Grayson. The thought of it made her want to crawl back under the covers and hide. She had no idea what she was going to say to him, no words she came up with made sense. If they didn’t make sense to her, how was she going to explain this to him? “Grayson, I’m not sure if you know this but Ryan is your son.” Or, “Grayson, if I tell you Ryan is your son will you take him away from me, move to Kentucky and raise him with the southern bimbo?”

Sighing, she stood from the chair on the balcony and walked inside. The scent of coffee wafted through the house and her mouth salivated in expectation. She poured herself a cup and turned on the morning news, curling up on the couch.

The lead story was the wedding of Emily Sinclair’s long lost daughter and her marriage to Marcus Lee over the weekend. There was footage taken from helicopters that had flown overhead during the reception, but very little else as the security staff had kept the photographers at bay.

She reached for the remote to change the channel, when a camera zoomed in on Grayson leaving the reception with Darla Mae Pruitt. He held open the door to a car she didn’t recognize and before climbing inside, Darla Mae cupped his neck and kissed him.

Lexie felt the wind expel from her lungs. She hadn’t wanted to believe when Darla Mae told her she’d been with Grayson, but watching them on the morning news was impossible to ignore. Clicking off the television, she pulled her knees to her chest and rested her forehead against them.

“Mommy, are you sad?” asked a sleepy voice.

“Good morning, sweet boy,” she pulled him onto her lap and cuddled him against her. “I’m not sad, just a little tired,” she lied.

Concentrating on breathing evenly and not letting the tears fall, Lexie rested her cheek atop her son’s head. She didn’t think she could survive if Grayson tried to take him away from her. Ryan was her life now, and she’d promised to take care of him. Again, the thought of not telling Grayson her discovery ran through her mind.

Ryan shifted, still content to snuggle against her, and picking up the remote, turned the television back on and flipped it to his favorite cartoon channel. She sat with him, gently stroking his silken hair, enjoying the quiet connection between them, until Ryan decided he was “starving to death.”

Settling on the stool in the kitchen, Ryan drank milk from a Disney cup and chatted about his plans for the day while Lexie cooked him pancakes. The routine felt different today. Part of her wanted to etch this moment into her mind, to ensure not a moment would be forgotten. Another part of her knew she would fight like hell to have these instants continue for the rest of her life.

After eating five pancakes, Ryan ran off to get dressed and Lexie cleaned the kitchen. When Marissa arrived, Lexie poured her a cup of coffee and sat beside her at the counter.

“You look like hell,” Marissa pointed out.

“Gee, thanks,” Lexie tried to chuckle, but couldn’t make the sound.

“Are you nervous?” Marissa looked at her intently. “Do you know what you’re going to say?”

“Yes and no,” Lexie replied, sipping from her mug. “I don’t think I can do this. What if he takes Ryan from me and runs back to Kentucky to raise my son with that she-devil?”

Marissa cracked a smile, shook her head, and then turned to her friend and said in a no nonsense tone, “You have to do this. You
need
to do this.” She placed her hand over Lexie’s in comfort. “I know it’s hard, but it’s right. Try to put the shoe on the other foot. If Ryan was your son and Grayson knew and didn’t tell you because he was unsure of what would happen next, would that be fair to you or to Ryan? No, it wouldn’t.” Marissa answered her own question.

“Grayson isn’t some stranger, Lexie, you know him. He knows you. Do you really think he would just thank you for the information and tell you to have Ryan packed and ready to move out after dinner?”

Lexie shook her head, but the tear that ran down her cheek portrayed her fear.

“You two can work this out. You love each other, and you both love Ryan. This could be a great thing for both of you.”

“He doesn’t love me,” Lexie sobbed. “He’s already out fooling around with that southern gutter rat. I didn’t want to believe it, but they were kissing on the damn news this morning!” Lexie reached for a napkin and wiped her eyes. “I can’t let that tramp raise my son. I won’t do it! I promised to protect him, and if I have to pack up and move and change our names, that’s what I’ll do.” She could feel the heat creeping onto her cheeks. She preferred the hot anger she felt now over the scared hopelessness from a moment ago.