I DO NOT OWN ANYONE OR ANYTHING IN THIS STORY BESIDES THE OC'S.
Tara's Point of View-
I got up the next morning doing the normal routine before I headed to work for my long shift before my plans for after work that now included Alex, which I didn't mind and I couldn't be happier that he said the things he said but I still was unsure about this whole situation, nervously afraid that he will leave me at any given moment. I went into work seeing Stephanie pouring herself a cup of coffee in the break room.
"Morning Tara…" She said.
"Morning…did you talk to Alex?" I asked curiously as I begun the process of clocking in.
"Yeah, why?" She asked walking out holding the cup that she poured her coffee in.
"Did you perhaps tell him where Xavier's daycare was?"
"Yeah, I didn't think it was a problem since you two were dating….aren't you?" She asked.
"Well sort of….next time please don't tell anyone unless if they are family." I said.
"Okay, I'm sorry…" Stephanie said.
"No, don't worry about it…it's just complicated okay…" I said, I knew that Stephanie would probably understand but I don't want to go into great detail as I went to my desk beginning what needed to be done before I started my other duties. I clocked out at my scheduled time driving over to the day care signing my son out and headed home already seeing Alex's car parked out front and he was sitting in it as I pulled into the drive way knowing that my mom was probably already gone. I climbed out of my car seeing Alex heading up the driveway twirling the key ring on his finger.
"Good afternoon." He said smiling.
"What's with that smile?" I asked opening the back seat seeing Xavier already climbing out of his car seat.
"Nothing, hey buddy!" Alex said grabbing Xavier setting him down on the ground.
"Hi Alex, is he coming with us to get a tree?" Xavier asked looking up at me.
"Yes I am…" Alex said.
"But I got to pee…" Xavier said as he ran through the garage that I had opened by the remote, I turned around from watching my son having Alex pressing his lips against mine for a kiss. After our lips broke, he smirked.
"Are you going to invite me inside?" Alex asked.
"I'll think about it." I said.
"You got to go in some time to check on your son and maybe change out of that bright ass outfit." Alex said.
"Fine, you want to come in?" I asked smiling.
"Thought you'll never ask." Alex said as I led him through my garage going into the house closing the door hearing the toilet flush and the sink water running.
"Will you watch-" I begun to say stopping myself after that biting at my bottom lip.
"I'll watch Xavier whenever you want." Alex said when he chased Xavier down the hallway picking him up and tossing him onto the couch from what I could see, I could hear Xavier screaming and laughing. I went into my room changing into something more comfortable before I walked down the hall seeing Xavier sitting on Alex's lap reading a book and Alex was helping him sound out words.
"What book are you guys reading?" I asked.
"We are reading Dinosaurs En…c..c..cy…" Xavier said trying to sound it out.
"Encyclo…" Alex said.
"Encyclo…encyclope…encyclopedi…encyclopedia?" Xavier asked looking up at Alex and Alex nodded.
"Yep, that is it buddy…good job!" He said giving my son a high five.
"Xavier, where is your jacket?" I asked looking around the living room.
"Um…the bathroom!" He said running past me to grab the jacket he was wearing earlier.
"What are we doing after getting this tree?" Alex asked.
"Um, going to come home and put it up…haven't decided if I want to decorate it yet or not…" I said shrugging as I grabbed a new jacket from the closet not wanting to go back to my room to grab the one I was wearing already today.
"I want to help." Alex said.
"I'll see." I said.
"I'll pinch in for some pizza." Alex said.
"Fine, only because I don't feel like cooking dinner tonight." I said smiling.
"You have a lot of decorations?" Alex asked when Xavier came back in trying to zip his own jacket.
"I can't get it." He said.
"Come here bud." Alex said squatting down helping my son zip up the jacket, he then picked up my son flipping him upside down as we went out the front door. "You want to take my car?" Alex asked.
"What kind of car is that?" Xavier asked as Alex flipped him back over setting him back down onto his feet.
"You have sheltered this poor kid…that is a mustang." Alex said.
"But the-" I begun to fight with him.
"The car seat? I can move it over."
"But the tree? My car would be a better fit for a tree." I said.
"Well, then I'll take him for a ride to go get the pizza." Alex said as Xavier followed me to my side of the car helping him into the Blazer watching him climb into his seat and helped him very little to buckle up. I climbed into the drivers seat seeing Alex already playing with the buttons, glove box and the visor. "Not that shabby." Alex said.
"It does what it does…" I said shrugging as I pulled out of the driveway.
"Mommy, the street boys…"
"The street boys?" Alex asked looking from the back seat to me.
"He means the Backstreet Boys…" I said slightly embarrassed.
"Well buddy, let's not listen to them, I got some better music for you…" Alex said as he was unbuckling himself.
"Alexander, put your belt back on right now!" I said as I turned into the traffic freaking out.
"Ooohhh, using my full name are you?" Alex asked smirking.
"Just put your seat belt on please." I said as he did so after he retrieved what he wanted.
"I am, mother." He said sarcastically as I watched him out of the corner of my eye pulling the seat belt over his chest.
"Click it or ticket." Xavier said from the back seat.
"Remember that buddy." Alex said as he opened the compartment between our seats finding the iPod plug in to the radio that all the Blazer's come with.
"What are you doing?" I asked as I merged onto the freeway.
"I'm going to play my iPod, I promise there isn't anything too bad." Alex said smiling as I was hoping and trusting he was right. He begun playing a song that sounded familiar from the cruise, I smiled because I actually recognized it. "You recognize this don't you?" Alex asked.
"From the cruise…when am I going to get that CD?" I asked.
"Whenever you hand over the money." Alex said smirking.
"I like this." Xavier said as I looked into the backseat by the rearview mirror seeing my son trying to dance in his car seat, his head bobbing back and forth and his legs swinging to the beat of the music.
"Your kid has good taste…" Alex said.
"I guess he does…" I said smirking.
"I've heard kids are good people readers…"
"Your making that up."
"Maybe I am or maybe I'm not…" Alex said smirking as I rolled my eyes, "Do you always get a real tree?" Alex asked.
"No, my mom said she wants to do Christmas right this year by getting a real tree since this year Xavier will remember it unlike the previous years where he barely remembers it due to how young he was." I said.
"You prefer the fake trees?"
"Much so, I am Miss Go Green and don't like using the real trees…prefer to reuse my fake tree as much as I can." I said.
"You never picked out a tree before?"
"Nope, when I was younger it was always my mom or dad that picked the tree out and I refused to go with."
"I think this will be fun…" Alex said smirking.
"What about you?" I asked.
"I do a fake Charlie Brown small tree at the apartment that Chris and I share here in Florida but my parents always get a giant tree for the holiday."
"You going home this year?"
"I don't know yet…why?"
"Just asking." I said, I would hate to know that he wasn't going home and would be spending it home alone without anyone, "I'm just saying if you don't go home, that my mom won't mind if you want to spend the day with us because we usually have our big meal on Christmas and we do some festivities on Christmas Eve." I explained hoping he didn't think that was too much.
"I may take you up on that offer." Alex said smirking, "Did you finish your shopping?"
"No, I haven't even begun my shopping…" I said letting out a sigh knowing just how much stress that adds on since I had only a week of shopping before the big holiday.
"Mom, when are we going to go see Santa?" Xavier asked.
"He hasn't even seen Santa yet?" Alex asked.
"Friday sweetie, I don't have work then and grandma shall be here." I said.
"May I tag along?" Alex asked.
"Yeah, if you don't mind my mom coming."
"Not at all, I love mom…" Alex said smirking as I pulled off the next exit, "Are you going shopping then too?"
"Probably." I said smirking.
"I'll help you then." Alex said as I turned right and drove a few blocks to the tree lot parking the car, I unlocked the doors as I climbed out after putting it in park. I opened the back door seeing Xavier standing there, I helped him down to the ground where he ran up to Alex who was standing in front of the truck and Alex grabbed Xavier's hand and as I approached them Alex grabbed my hand with his other hand.
"I don't even know where to begin." I said looking at all the different trees that they had.
"What's your price range?" Alex asked.
"What is normal for a tree?" I asked looking to Alex as Xavier broke from Alex's hand, "XAVIER!" I yelled.
"Mommy, they have a play area!" He said stopping and pointing to the play area that had fake snow along with other toys he could play with.
"Just let him play…" Alex said.
"Fine, be safe and do NOT leave that area." I said.
"I won't mommy." Xavier said as he ran into the area playing with the other kids as Alex wrapped his arm around me leading me down an aisle of trees.
"Whoa, that's a lot." I said reading the price of one tree we had walked by.
"They have cheaper ones….how much you willing to spend?" Alex asked.
"Not that much…" I said as we walked further into the numerous amounts of trees hoping I won't get lost in that maze of trees.
"What about this one?" Alex asked stopping in front of a tree, I stood next to him letting our hands fall between us.
"Looks nice, it's not too small is it?" I asked.
"I've seen smaller…is the price alright?" Alex asked.
"I think this is the cheapest we can find here." I said still not amused with the price but I guess that is what you get for buying a real tree.
"This one it is." Alex said as he went to pick it up.
"What are you doing?" I asked pushing a strand of hair out of my face looking the areas nearby of anyone else that can see this.
"I'm picking it up to carry it over to the cash place to purchase it."
"We can go get an associate to do that Alex."
"Why waste the time? I have muscles and can do it myself." Alex said as he did it anyway, I covered my face from embarrassment as he led the way and I dragged my feet behind him as he carried the tree to the place setting it down where I paid for it and Alex helped them net the tree as I went and got Xavier walking with him back to the netting spot seeing Alex standing next to my car with the tree holding the tree holder and water container. We walked out to the car where I unlocked the doors standing aside as Alex climbed on the edge of the back seat where he begun tying it down so it won't fly off.
"Is that our tree?" Xavier asked as he looked up at the roof seeing Alex finishing the knot he had started.
"Yeah…you like it?" I asked looking down at my son.
"Why do we need a new tree?" Xavier asked.
"Grandma insisted we get a new one…" I said.
"I liked our old one…"
"Me too." I said as Alex climbed down from the Blazer walking up to us.
"That should be tied down well and we should be ready to go…" Alex said putting his hands on his hips.
"May we decorate it tonight mommy?" Xavier asked.
"Yes, we'll decorate it tonight." I said as Alex smirked before he leant over pressing his lips against mine for a small peck before I went and helped Xavier into his car seat driving home carefully so the tree won't fly off.