It took Bobby nearly five hours to get to Alex was. She fell asleep waiting for Bobby to come, so Winnie was there to greet him.
She took one look at him and said, "I'm Winnie and I run this beautiful place. You're Alex's young man."
It wasn't a question, it was a statement. Bobby smiled at the young man part of the statement. He hadn't felt or been called young in quite a long time. He took her hand and kissed it softly and watched as she blushed. Then he told her, "I am. Can you take me to her?"
Winnie looked at him and shook her head, "She's sleeping. She's not done a lot of that lately. That baby of her's is giving her a hard time. What with the morning sickness and all that. How about you and I go outside and talk? I'll get some coffee and pie."
Bobby sensed that it was useless to argue. So, he went outside and waited for her to come outside. It was chilly, but beautiful. He could see why Alex had come here.
He smiled when Winnie handed him a cup of coffee and a slice of pie. They sat in silence for a moment and thee Winnie asked, "So, why did Alex run away from New York and away from you? It doesn't seem like something that she would do. Now mind you, I've only known her for a few weeks, but she seems exceptionally strong."
Bobby hated the turn that this conversation took. He wasn't sure how much Alex had told her. So, he said, "She is strong. She is the strongest person that I know. To answer your question about why she ran away. I panicked when I found out about the baby. I'm talking about full on panic. She thought that I didn't want her or the baby. She kicked me out of her house and then she came here."
Winnie sat silently for a moment and then smiled at him, "You remind me of my late husband. When he found out about our oldest daughter, he wasn't sure that it wasn't a role that he was made for. And we had been married for nearly five years. How long have you and Alex been together?"
"Romantically? About a month. Give or take. Professionally, nearly four years."
Winnie nodded and said, "So, you only been together for a month. I can understand why you panicked. Any man in your situation would have done the same thing."
Bobby laughed and wondered how this woman could know so much about them. She definitely had his number and said, "I love Alex, but there are a lot of things that I'm worried about. I'm not sure that I'm going to be a good parent..."
"Sweetheart, I hate to break it to you, but nobody knows that. Most of what I learned I learned by doing. I made my share of mistakes along the way. Even with my seventh child I was still learning."
"Seventh child?"
Winnie laughed, "Yes. My husband and I were very much in love. And Roger finally came around. He loved each and every one of our children, but our oldest daughter always held a special place in his heart."
"I can't imagine loving one child more than another."
She waved her hand around and said, "He didn't love her any more, but she made him realize that he could be a parent and a husband."
Bobby smiled, "Alex and I aren't married and we are having a baby. It scared me. Probably a lot more than it should have. I acted like an ass and I hurt her. I don't know if she will forgive me."
"She already has. I've caught her looking at a picture of the two of you. She even fell asleep with it on her stomach one night. That's a woman in love if you ask me. I've heard her talking to the baby. Of course she didn't know that I was listening, but the walls in these old houses here are paper thin. She talks about you all the time. Talks about how much she loves you and how much the baby is going to love you. She talks about what a brave and wonderful man you are."
Bobby felt a huge tightness in his chest. He had no idea that Alex had felt like that about him. Yeah, he knew that she loved him, or at least that she used to love him before he made an ass out of himself, but he was sure that had all ended when he hurt her. It was strange hearing all of this from a woman that he didn't know. However, she seemed to have befriended Alex and for that he was extremely grateful. However, he was tired and really wanted to talk to Alex. However, it was obvious that he wasn't going to get past Winnie to see her. At least not until Alex was ready. So, he asked, "Do you have an available room? I'm exhausted after the long drive."
Winnie smiled and nodded, "I'll show you to your room. It's right next to Alex's room." She started walking in that direction, but turned around and wagged a finger at him and said, "But don't you even think about going into her room and waking her up to talk. Remember what I said about these walls?"
Bobby smiled and told her, "Yes. They are paper thin."
Winnie smiled, "You are handsome and smart. I like that in a man. You would have gotten along with my my Roger."
Bobby laughed and knew that he really liked this woman. She had spunk and she wasn't afraid to put him in his place. So, he smiled at her and told her, "Yes Ma'am."
Winnie nodded and stopped at the desk to grab the key to his room. When she handed it to him she said, "Breakfast is at seven. If you're late then there will be english muffins and bagels. Coffee is always available. My daughter brought me one of those fancy single cup things. You don't even have to measure the coffee anymore. You just put a little cup in. I don't think I'll ever get used to that."
Bobby smiled as she walked him to his room. She stopped suddenly and then whispered to him, "I will let you peek in there for a minute, but for just a minute. Just so you can see that she's okay, but you don't do anything to wake her up. Got it? You do and I will make you do dishes for the remainder of the time that you are here. She needs her sleep."
Bobby very nearly saluted her, but thought better of it. This woman would make a wonderful Grandmother for their baby. Her grandchildren were very lucky children. She had obviously grown very protective of Alex.
He looked into the room and saw Alex asleep on the bed. She looked absolutely beautiful. It was too dark to see very clearly, but even in what little light there was, he could see that she was resting peacefully.
He smiled and then he felt Winnie's hand on his shoulder pulling him away from the room. When the door was closed, she told him, "You can see her in the morning. Lets go young man."
Bobby smiled and opened the door to his room. Then he told her, "Thank you. For everything."
Winnie waved her hand in the air and told him, "I didn't do anything. You need to work this out with her. Forget everything else. Just concentrate on you, her and the baby."
Bobby put his hands behind his head and closed his eyes. He drifted off into the first restful sleep that he had gotten in weeks...
