He walks out without another word.
Chapter 16
Brie
Ifeel like I shouldn’t even be going. I haven’t heard from Alex—not a word—since we ended whatever it was we were trying to start. He’s purposely showed up at Daphne’s when he knows I’m not there. Not just last Saturday but again on Wednesday when I was at court with Laura and Mackenzie, which he knew because I texted him to tell him she had another hearing. He responded with nothing but a “Thanks” and a crossed-fingers emoji. When he texted me hours later to see how it went and I told him, he responded with a smiley face and a thumbs-up. I forced myself not to respond with the middle finger emoji. I hate that he’s just walked away from me. And I hate that not wanting him to walk away makes me feel like a lovelorn fool.
Still, when Rose Caplan and her sisters sent me an Evite to his housewarming I accepted. I would have invited Len for moral support, but she offered to stay at my place and unofficially babysit Mac, who pitched a fit when I used the actual term “babysit.”
Yeah, she’s almost fifteen but I still feel like someone should be with her. She thinks it’s because I don’t trust her. I do, but I’m new to this guardian thing and I’m terrified something will happen if she’s alone at night, like a murderer will try and break in or the gas will leak and explode or something. What if she goes to sleep before I get back and gets woken up by a sound and thinks someone is trying to break in and terrifies herself? I did that the first night my parents left me alone to go out to dinner when I was thirteen. They came home and I was hiding behind the couch, holding a croquet mallet and sobbing. I don’t want Mac to have to freak out like that. Is this the level of worry my parents went through when I was a kid? God bless them.
Anyway, I really should have lied and said I was busy, but Rose mentioned that her sisters were really hoping to talk to me more about Daphne’s House and there was no way I was going to miss the opportunity to get any kind of help for the place. If they were interested in donating or volunteering it would be stupid to miss out on that because of a guy.
I turn onto his street in Tribeca and start looking for his address. It’s a loft building. There are many in this area and none of them is cheap. I’m not shocked he wanted a loft, with his aversion to small spaces. I’m greeted by a smiling doorman and tell him I’m here to see Alex Larue. He grins. “The housewarming. Head right up.”
Everything about the building is big and airy from the lobby to the hallways and I see, as he opens the door, his loft. He gives me a tight smile and motions for me to enter.
Everyone is already there and the people I’ve previously met call out greetings. I wave and smile and walk slowly into the expansive, sparsely decorated space. He’s got twelve-foot ceilings and enormous windows on two sides. His bedroom is a large nook. You can see a track where there used to be sliding doors but he’s removed them. The bed is positioned to face out into the living room, toward the giant windows, none of which have curtains. I’m sure someone tonight will make a joke that he’s an exhibitionist, if they haven’t already. I’m also sure he’s used to it. I have a feeling he’s never lived in a space with many walls or curtains.
“Thanks for coming,” Alex says but his tone is gruff and cool.
“Yeah, you sound super excited to see me,” I scoff back and move quickly toward the kitchen to Rose and her sisters. Their greeting is much warmer and much more believable. Each of them hugs me and thank me for coming.
“Please excuse your host,” Callie adds with a smirk. “The guy who will talk to anyone in a skirt is suddenly as perky as Oscar the Grouch.”
Alex rolls his eyes and walks over into the living room area where a bunch of guys are drinking beers and talking. I recognize Devin, Jordan and Luc, but there are other guys here too who, judging by their hulking sizes and in some cases scars and bruises, are also Barons players.
I spend the first forty minutes at the party talking to Rose, Callie and Jessie. They’re genuinely interested in the charity and they tell me tales from their own childhood. There’s no love lost for their grandmother and they don’t hide it, but Callie tries to find a bright spot. “In the end, Lilly did us a solid when she kicked the bucket because that’s the only reason we went back to our hometown. If we hadn’t, Jordan wouldn’t have found Jessie again and I might not have found Devin, and Rosie would still be wishing she could make Luc notice her.”
Rose gives Callie a shove. It’s light but it makes her clutch her stomach and turn green. I worry she’s about to puke, but she seems to gain control of the situation. Jessie narrows her green eyes suspiciously. “You’ve had the flu for a while now.”
“Uh-huh.” Callie grabs the glass in front of her that is filled with what looks like sparkling water.
Rose watches both her sisters carefully for a second and then the oven bings behind us and she jumps off her bar stool. The delicious smell of caramelized onion and melted cheese fills the air as she opens the oven door. Except Callie turns green again and jumps off her own stool. “I’m going to go ask Devin something.”
She’s darting across the living room before either of her sisters look up. Jessie looks suspicious again. She grabs her glass, which also appears to be filled with water, and follows her sister. I watch Rose take a tray of bite-sized appetizers out of the oven. She looks around for her sisters. “This is Callie’s favorite. Goat cheese and caramelized onion in puff pastry. Where did she go?”
I point to the living room. Rose’s dark eyes dart from Callie to Jessie. “And why is Jessie wearing a baggy sweatshirt to a party? Sure, she’s glamming it up with a scarf but I didn’t even know she owned a sweatshirt.”
I smile and Rose starts to smile too. “Oh my God…I think they’re both…”
“Pregnant?” I conclude for her and she immediately starts to tear up.
“Oh my God, you think so too? Oh my God!” I step closer to her and put a hand on her shoulder to calm her down.
“It’s just a guess. Don’t freak out until you know,” I advise her cautiously but I have a feeling nothing about these girls is cautious.
Rose walks around the island, puts her hands on her hips, one of which is still covered in an oven mitt and asks in a loud voice that seems very un-Rose-like, “Are you two pregnant?”
The room is suddenly and completely silent. Jessie and Callie both look up at their sister. And then turn to each other. I feel like I’m watching a reality show on TV, but judging by the way these girls act no one is surprised by this and honestly, their honesty and bluntness are refreshing.
“You girls are horrible liars and ridiculously bad at keeping secrets so I’m going to tell the truth for you,” Alex says firmly.
“Alex…” Jordan and Devin both say in a warning tone and then they’re looking at each other, baffled.
“They’re both pregnant,” Alex announces firmly.
Rose starts screaming. Callie and Jessie start screaming and pointing at each other. Alex walks over to watch the show next to me. He leans down and with a half smirk on his lips whispers, “And not by me. I thought I should make that clear since people think I like to mess around with my friends’ girlfriends and wives.”
