Many of you are probably wondering why this is such a short chapter. There is a lot to it so I didn't want to go overboard. Anyway, I hope everyone likes it. I'll be back soon with the next installment. Love you all, Enjoy. - MJ123 :)
It was a bit darker outside once Norma finally pulled into Laura and Patrick's parking lot. She got out and walked up the stairs to their home, dying to get out of her pumps. When she made her way inside, she automatically kicked off the shoes and slid into the kitchen.
"Hello, dear. Can I get you anything?" Laura asked, she was sitting at the counter with a mug of tea in front of her. Her face was still a bit red from the tears that were shed at her son's funeral.
Norma gave her a look of confusion. "No...no I'm okay," she exclaimed, taking the seat across from her, "Why aren't you still at the service?".
Laura sipped her tea and glanced up, making eye contact with her. "It was just too sad for me. I couldn't be there, I love my son more than anything else on this earth, and to see people mourning him was too hard" she sniffled, not wanting to reignite the stream of tears that fell earlier.
She held up her hand and shot an understanding expression Laura's way. "I understand completely, believe me. I have two boys of my own" she admitted.
Laura was happy that she could bring up something that moved the topic away from the funeral and her son's death. "They must be younger, huh?" she smiled.
Norma laughed at that, shaking her head. "Actually no, Dylan is 24 and Norman is 18".
"Hold on a minute...Norma and Norman. What struck that?" she laughed.
Norma smiled sweetly. "You know that's one of the first question your nephew asked me when we met for the very first time," she laughed a little more now, the thought of nostalgia hitting her, "Normally, the boy takes his father's name but my ex-husband and I figured we'd change it up a little bit. I wanted him to have something related to my name. Norma actually came from my grandmother, she was a lovely woman, very tough".
"That's kind of cute actually" she smiled. The conversation went silent for a few moments, when Laura took Norma's hand across the table. "I...Patrick and I are thrilled that Alex brought home someone like you. We were about to give up hope on him finding a woman" she said with a serious look on her face.
"Why? Because his schedule is always busy? I mean he's the sheriff of the whole town. It takes a lot of time, effort, and work to get to where he is. I can't tell you how much he's done for my family and I" she admitted, enjoying the feel of care she received from Laura.
"No...nothing to do with his profession" she said with a confused face. "He um...he told you about what happened a few years back, didn't he?".
Norma sat puzzled for a few seconds, thinking about everything Alex told her. "Well, when we met he was incredibly stoic and just hard to get along with but after about two years I think I broke through his shell. Since then...he told me about his family. That his father was an abusive, alcoholic and his mother was a runaway drug addict".
"Well, yes that's all true. But…," she stopped for a pause, taking a deep breath, "Didn't he tell you about Callie?".
Norma's heart was beating in her chest, her constitution grew weaker by the moment. She had so many questions rattling around in her head. Who was Callie? Was she some girl Alex was hiding in White Pine Bay? She didn't want to jump to conclusions. Finally, she just decided to break, not wanting any secrets with Alex. "Who's Callie?".
Laura took another deep breath and reconnected eyes with her. "When Alex was training in Portland for the police force, there was a coffee shop across the street that he would always go to afterwards. Doing that, he met Callie, she worked at a small art museum next to the force station. She was lovely...incredibly beautiful and a total free spirit. She was a struggling artist when Alex met her. Their attraction to one another was almost instant. Anyway, they bought and moved into a house after around three years together. Soon after that, Callie became pregnant. God...Alex was...Alex was overjoyed. He was always telling us about the baby, looking forward to being a father. We'd never seen him that happy in his life...he was almost giddy" she explained, taking a harsh deep breathe, getting ready to delve deeper into the story.
"One night when Alex was on duty and Callie was at home, I guess she needed something at the drugstore a few minutes from their home, she didn't want to bother Alex because she knew he was working. It was around 12 am when she got on the road...it was pouring down rain on that night. She just started driving and uh... it was really dark, she could barely see anything...there was a drunk driver on the road that night. I guess he drifted into the wrong lane and hit her car head on. It was...it was a fatal collision" she revealed, her eyes about to water over. "Alex was the one who had to find her like that...and he just couldn't handle it".
Norma couldn't say anything, she was in plain shock. The story certainly explained why Alex was so inward when they met, she always knew there was something big that he was hiding. She felt bad that he wasn't comfortable telling her about it. At that moment, all she wanted to do was see Alex and wrap her arms around him. A guy like him didn't deserve to go through such a horrible loss. She rose her head, looking at Laura. "What happened to him after that?" she asked with concern.
"He slipped into this deep depression. I mean it was awful...Alex wouldn't get out of bed, he wouldn't eat anything, he took a four month leave from work. He wouldn't even speak to anyone. That's when he turned stoic and stone faced...when you met him, that wasn't the real Alex. That was the depressed version of him. But I have to tell you something, Norma...that man loves you so much. You can tell, he hasn't had this kind of energy or happiness since...well...Callie" she smiled, tightening the grip on her hand.
Norma was overjoyed to know Alex loved her to such a multitude, she would have never guessed. "That really means the world to me. I love him too...he's done so much for me. I've needed stability for a long time now and Alex is perfect. Sometimes I wonder if he's too good for me and other times I worry that he will leave me because he'll end up finding someone better".
Laura shook her head abruptly. "No, no, no honey. Believe me when I say you two are perfect for one another, you're so good together. Patrick was just saying so last night, you guys have great chemistry. You never have to worry about Alex leaving you...he's such an amazing man and he's impeccably loyal. You pulled him out of depression, Norma. If he lost you he'd be heartbroken".
She gave her an almost astounded look. "I pulled him out of his depression? Me?," she paused, scoffing lightly at the thought, "Are you 100% sure about that? I mean...I know he loves me, I get that. It's just I can't believe it. To be honest with you, Alex hated me when we first met. Then again, I'll admit I can be a bit...abrasive sometimes" she explained, crossing her legs and looking her straight in the eye, anxious for an answer.
She laughed slightly, shaking her head. "I'm sure you weren't that bad".
Norma stifled a sarcastic chuckle. "Oh if you only knew...I mean I was always stopping by the police station asking for his help with the endless shit that never quit storming into my family's life. I was just such a pain in his ass...I'm shocked he could put up with me. And I'll tell you something, it certainly wasn't love at first sight, Alex had to grow on me. It wasn't until a year later, I finally realized how protective he was, what a good man he could be...I'm a sucker for strong, reliable men" she blushed, biting her lip.
"Well then, you found your perfect match with him. I know for sure that Alex always takes care of the women he dates, he puts them first, and treats them with the utmost respect" she promised with a kind smile.
At that same moment, Alex walked into the kitchen, moving behind Norma, and wrapping his arms around her waist. "Hi" he greeted, pressing his lips into her warm skin. She rested her arms on his and looked at Laura who got the signal.
"I'm going to lie down for a little while...it's been a long day" Laura sighed, walking into the master bedroom.
Alex twisted Norma around in his arms and kissed her lips quickly. "That was a beautiful service" she exclaimed, wrapping her arms around him.
"Yeah it was. Chris would've loved it. A lot of people came up to me after and told me stories about him, what a great guy he was, and of course how they were all happy Judith didn't show up" he laughed softly.
Norma stayed silent and stared into his eyes, reaching up to run her fingers across his cheek. She had no intention of bringing up Callie, she didn't want him to be sad or angry with her. She just wanted to appreciate him. She was practically gazing at him, her eyes shiny.
"What?" he scoffed with a wide smile across his face.
"Nothing. I just...I love you" she cooed, giving him the warmest smile she could. Her eyes stayed sunny and bright, her grip around him strengthened. He returned the grin, "I love you too, Norma".
He leaned in then, planting his lips firmly to hers for the thousandth time. He pulled back to push her hair behind her ear. "Now, what do you say I take you out for lunch?"
"I'd like that very much".
"Let's go".
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