So, how does two chapters in one day sound? I think it sounds pretty damn good. And you people better review 'cause now I have to bust my ass to get my English paper done. LOL. No, seriously, review.
Chapter Fifty-Three: Alex's P.O.V.
"Randy," I said, shocked at what he said. "That's the second time in three days you've said something about us getting married. You got something you want to tell me?"
"I love you," he smiled and kissed my forehead before walking into the kitchen.
I laid there on the couch for a few minutes, thinking about what Randy had said and eventually began to doze off when the phone rang.
"Babe, can you get that?" Randy asked, poking his head into the living room.
I nodded and reached over the side of the couch and grabbed the phone off of the table.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Lex. How ya doin?" Dave chirped through the phone.
"I've definitely been better, Dave."
"Why? What happened?"
I sighed before going into the fifteen minute story of how well court went that day. "And so now I'm stuck with Randy for the night," I finished.
"From what Paul says, you really don't have a problem with that," he chuckled.
"And men say all women do is gossip," I said, turning red in the cheeks even though he couldn't see me. "So, how are you and Mrs. Batista doing?" I asked, changing the subject.
"Very, very well. When we get back this week, we're going to start moving her stuff into my house."
"I'm happy for you and Trish. Congratulations."
"Thanks, Alex. So, uh, not to change the subject again, but how do things look for the trial?"
"Things are looking really good for us. And after the stunt Michelle pulled today, there's really no way we can lose."
"That's great. Listen, I got to go. Tell Randy I said hi," he said, rather abruptly and hung up.
I stared at the phone for a moment, confused by Dave's sudden change. I shook my head, setting the phone down and walked into the kitchen to see that it was empty.
As I slowly made my way to the backyard, Adam, Amy and Jayda came barreling in, almost running into me.
"We were just coming to get you," Amy smiled.
"Mr. Orton requests your presence in the backyard," Adam said in the most horrible British accent I have ever heard.
I looked at him as if he had three heads and made my way outside. "Is it a full moon tonight? Everyone is acting really…"I began to say to Randy, but was distracted by the beautiful sight before me.
"Really what?" he asked me, flashing me a seductive smile as he pulled me toward the candlelit table in the middle of the gazebo that had been decorated with soft white lights. The light breeze brought the aroma of the food setting on the table to us. The setting sun made the scene even more perfect.
"Weird," I finally answered. "What is all of this?"
"It's for you," he said, pulling a chair out for me. "I got to thinking today while we were at the hospital and I realized that we haven't been on a date since I won our first one bowling."
"You are the perfect man," I told him, repeating his words from a mere hour earlier.
"So you want to tell me what I am?" he asked, the smile never leaving his face.
"Gentle, sweet, sexy, clever…"
"I've never heard anyone describe me as clever," he interrupted.
"Well, you're somewhat clever. It's not hard to figure out that you had Dave call and talk to me while you set this whole thing up."
He smiled guiltily. "What else am I?"
I smiled back and took his hand in mine. God, I loved those hands. "You're a great dad."
We sat and ate the wonderful meal that Amy had made for us and afterward we found ourselves lying on a blanket underneath the stars.
"I noticed something on your release papers today while you were getting ready to leave the hospital," Randy said as he pulled me close.
"What's that?"
"Your birthday."
"What about it?" I had no clue where he was going with this.
"December 17, 1979. You never told me that you're older than I am."
"Does that bother you?"
He shrugged his shoulders and kept looking at the sky.
"It does, doesn't it? Or else you wouldn't have brought it up."
"It's not so much that it bothers me. It's just that the last woman that I was with that was older than me was Jayda's mom."
"Oh, thanks, Randy," I said, rather offended at being compared to a woman that Randy had had a one night stand with. I began to get up but sat back down when the sharp pain pulsed through my head once again.
"Are you okay?" he asked, reaching out to me, but I pushed him away. "I was just going to say that it's ironic that the only older women I've been with is my daughter's mother and the woman my daughter wants to have as her mother."
I suddenly felt guilty about my overreaction and tears sprang to my eyes.
"I know that this may come to a surprise to you, but Jayda wished for you to be her mom at her birthday party," he said, softly.
"I knew, Randy. I was standing right beside her. I heard her," I said, letting the tears fall down my cheeks as he reached up to wipe them away. "Is that why you've been saying all these things about marriage?"
"I can't say that it hasn't been on my mind. It has ever since she told me."
I didn't know what to say, so I just laid back down beside him. He kissed the top of my head as I nuzzled into the crook of his neck before eventually falling asleep underneath the stars.
I awoke the next morning in Randy's bed and looked beside me to see that he was gone. I got up and got in the shower and by the time I was out and dressed, Randy was upstairs with a plate full of food.
"Hey, I brought you breakfast," he smiled as he set the plate down on the bedside table.
"I can see that," I smiled back as I gave him a peck on the lips. "Thank you."
"Mike called last night and talked to Adam. We have to be at the courthouse in an hour, so hurry up and eat," he said as he got up and put a tie on over his striped blue dress shirt.
"Okay," I said taking a piece of toast off of the plate. "How did I get up here?"
"I carried you. Once you laid down last night, you were out. I couldn't wake you up for anything. Now eat, or we're going to be late. Adam and Amy are already ready," he said and walked downstairs.
I finished eating and walked downstairs where everyone was waiting on me. We made it to the courthouse on time and met up with Mike in front of the door in the courtroom.
"How is everyone?" he asked, cheerfully.
"Better than yesterday," I said as I bounced Jayda up and down in my arms.
"That's great," he replied, still unusually happy.
"What's going on with you, Mike?" Randy asked, finally voicing the question everyone wanted to know the answer to.
"I have two pieces of evidence that seal this deal for you, Randy."
"What are they?" Adam questioned, excitedly.
"One is the surveillance tape from the little incident we had yesterday and it not only shows how Michelle ran into Alex, it shows the sick, sadistic smile on her face afterwards."
"I knew that was going to comeback and bite her in the ass," Adam said, smiling.
"Language," Randy warned as Adam mouthed a 'sorry'. "What else is there?"
"Carrie Lynch's will that states that her daughter was supposed to be put in your custody."
