Hi Readers: And welcome to another new story I hope to write for you guys. I know that things have been slow of late when it comes to me getting stuff out to you, and then keeping it on the site; but, I can only hope that things will change this time around. Enjoy.
Chapter 1
Dana Point, CA – July 4, 2015
It was just her and the girls, as well as her 2-week-old son Tyler. Her best friend, Gabriela Dawson, as well as her boyfriend's best friend's girlfriend, Kim Burgess. Just taking it easy and working on their tans. Or so, that was what the trio of women originally hoped to do today on this gorgeous fourth of July. However, being the new mom's best friend, Gabby could just tell that something was off with Alexandra Marie Taylor. Her head seemed all over the place, rather than where all of their heads were currently: admiring their guys as they surfed the pacific ocean behind Alex's home she shares with her boyfriend, Jason "Jay" Halstead. "Earth to Alex. You there?" Turning her head when she heard Gabby's voice, Alex checked on Tyler. "Oh, sorry. I was just checking on Tyler." Laughing as she turned her head while tanning topless, even Kim knew that was a lie. "Alex, I'm not even looking at you and I know you're lying that you were paying attention to the conversation. And don't even try and say that you were looking at the guys as they surf."
Alex sighed, as that was the truth; she did have something on her mind, she just didn't want to bother her friends with something so trivial. Something that really shouldn't be bothering her but seems to be doing just that. "It's nothing." Looking at her friend, Gabby shook her head as she knew that was a lie. And since she's Alex's best friend, there was no way that she would let this go. "Alex, you know that I see you more as a sister, than I do as a friend. You know that. So, why are you trying to lie to me, when I can clearly tell that you're lying through your teeth?" Alex sighed as she looked at her friend, as she was so grateful to have a friend who knows her as well as Gabby does. After all, they've known each other for over fifteen years now since they went to the same elementary school. In fact, all six of the friends gathered here today have been friends that long. So long, that one of them was actually engaged. And that woman was Gabriela Dawson, who's been engaged to her fiancé Matthew Casey for the past year…and was pregnant with their kid.
And that was why she was in the dumps at the moment, as she could see that sparkling ring on her finger; as well as the baby she was currently pregnant with. However, as she held her little boy in her arms, she couldn't see the same on her finger. There was no engagement ring, and she didn't have that title from her boyfriend yet. She wasn't his fiancé. She was his long-time girlfriend and the mother of his child. And she can't help but wonder if this is all life has for them. Sure, he's a busy man who works as a personal trainer. And does that mean that he only wants this? Does he only want to be boyfriend and girlfriend as they raise a family? And that was currently what was on Alex's mind, which she was going to share with Gabby. "It's been eleven years." Looking at Alex when she said that, Gabby already knew what she was talking about: she and Jay have been together for eleven years. And even though they have a kid, their relationship still had the same time as it did when they were in high school. They were nothing but boyfriend and girlfriend.
Meanwhile, Gabby has only been with Matt for less than two years, and they were already engaged. "Gabby, I need to ask you the truth. Is it wrong for me to want this by now?" Looking at Alex, Gabby shook her head as there was no way that it was wrong for her to want what she just described: a firm commitment from the man of her dreams, the father of her child. After all, that's what she has. "Alex, I've seen you looking at my engagement ring ever since you learned that I was pregnant; especially while you were still pregnant with Tyler. So, I already know what you're thinking about…you want to know where you stand with Jay. You want to know whether you have a future with him, Tyler, and Max." Smiling as she turned her head, Alex looked down at her boyfriend's German Shepherd service dog for his PTSD, Max. "I mean, I already feel like we're a family. And while I'm not thinking about this anytime soon, but I could see us having more kids in the future. God, I can only imagine how Jay would be if we have a daughter." Gabby agreed with Alex.
After all, Jay is very protective of her already; so, he would be very protective of his daughter. "He'd be protective, just like he is of you." Alex agreed with Gabby. "I just don't want to pressure him." Gabby nodded. "Well, I hate to say this Alex but…you do realize that he's been through a lot this past year. I don't need to remind you that his dad had a cancer scare around his birthday." Sighing, Alex knew that was the truth…especially since it almost caused her to go into premature labor. "Yeah, I don't like to think about that." Turning her head to look down at Tyler, Alex smiled as he fed from her breast. "It almost caused me to go into premature labor with this guy here." Gabby agreed with Alex. "He almost done feeding?" Turning her head, Alex agreed as he unlatched from her breast. "Yeah, he just finished." Gabby smiled as she extended her hands. "Ok. Then hand him over to Aunt Gabby. I need to practice." Alex agreed as she handed Tyler over to his aunt Gabby. "There you go. Just remember to support his head." Gabby agreed with Alex.
After which, she smiled as she laid Tyler down in her arms. "Hi buddy. I'm your aunt Gabby." Smiling, Alex went to grab her bra again, only to put it on so that she can relax and keep talking to Gabby. "Don't forget to burp him." Nodding, Gabby agreed as she laid Tyler down on her chest and tapped his back. And just then, her fiancé couldn't help but smile as he came out of the ocean to grab some water. "Getting some practice in?" Looking up at Matt, Gabby agreed as that's precisely what she's doing. "That I most certainly am." Going to grab his water, Matt smiled as he looked at Gabby; only to lean over her and kiss her softly. "Remember to drink your water. I don't want you and our baby girl to overheat." Alex laughed as she heard her cousin say that. Yes, Alex's best friend just so happens to be engaged to her maternal cousin. "Seriously Matt? Just take it easy and calm down. And don't get your slobber all over my 2-week-old son. I don't need to have to take him to the hospital." Matt agreed with Alex, quite scared of her as she's very protective.
And that was why he pulled away right away. "Sorry." Alex agreed with Matt as she laid back. "And don't even think about tickling my feet. I'm still dealing with the blisters on there from while I was pregnant. I do not need to have another man, other than Jay, touch my feet." Matt laughed and shook his head. "Let me guess? Someone's a bit cranky today? Did Tyler not get enough sleep last night?" Looking up at her cousin, Alex gave him a glare. "No. It's not that you fool. It's the fact that you have a fiancé, and I don't." Nodding, Matt agreed with Alex as he could see that was bothering her. "I mean, you can commit after 6 months to both of the women you were engaged to. Why can't he do it after 11 years?" Matt sighed. "Have you talked to Jay about it? Talked to him about what you want when it comes to the future?" Alex sighed, as she hasn't. "I thought he was going to do it so many times. When we learned we were expecting, when Tyler was born, when I got home from the hospital; now, I'm just frustrated and need to vent to someone."
Nodding, Matt agreed with his cousin; though, he had a favor of her. "Ok. If you want to vent, then you can do so to Gabby. However, just promise me that you take it easy on her. You know that I've always wanted to be a dad. She's pregnant with our kid, and she's going to make a dad." Alex laughed. "Matt, that's your fault that you stayed in that toxic relationship as long as you did. If I had it my way, Gabby would've been your ONLY fiancé, and you would already have a kid before me. I tried to make you see the light so many times since high school, yet you didn't listen to me and went back to Hallie all the time. So, don't you dare talk to me about being calm to make sure that you're a dad. I was just pregnant, and I know what to do. It's your fault that you waited this long, so shut up and don't tell me what to do." Matt laughed. "Yet, you can tell me what to do?" And that was when Gabby spoke to Matt. "Matt, can you just do it for your cousin. We both know that you have a certain way with people, convincing them to do things." Matt sighed.
After all, that was true; yet, he also needed to remind his cousin of something. "Alex, I love you and I want to help you. But, you need to remember that I need to take it easy when it comes to Jay. After all, he's not just your boyfriend…he's also my boss." Alex sighed, as she knew that was true. You see, Jay is not just the love of her life and the father of her child; he's also the owner of JAYFIT. A gym chain around southern California with a couple locations, including the one in Anaheim, which is co-managed by her cousin Matt and his fiancé Gabby. "I know that Matt, but I'm his girlfriend and he knows that firing you would be something that makes me mad and not want to give him a daughter." Turning her head, Gabby was shocked. "Is he already asking you to go for a daughter?" Alex laughed, as Jay was already asking her to go for a daughter. "What do you think? Do you think that he wants one bad?" Gabby agreed, as she had a feeling that Jay really wanted a daughter, especially after what he said to Alex a couple months back at the gender reveal.
Though, he seems happy with Tyler. "Is he glad that you guys have Tyler?" Alex smiled, as he was happy about it. "He loves being a dad and is thrilled with the fact that we have Tyler. He apologized for ever wanting a daughter." Gabby snickered. "He's so not sorry about that. You know that he wanted one pretty bad." Alex agreed, as that was the truth; something which Matt acknowledged as well. "I mean, what guy doesn't want to have a little princess to spoil rotten?" Looking at Matt, Gabby smiled as she knew that was precisely what her was going to do for their daughter if they have a girl. "Emma Grace will be spoiled, that's for certain." Smiling, Alex just loved that name more than anything. "God, I love that name. If I didn't think it was perfect for your future daughter, and we didn't have a boy; then that would definitely have been my first choice for a name." Matt agreed with Alex. "Jay suggested it. He thought about it too." Alex laughed. "Then why did he suggest it, so that we can use it in the future?" Matt looked at his cousin when she said that.
After all, why couldn't they use the name if he did. "Why couldn't you use the name?" Alex sighed. "Christmas. Two Emma Graces? I'm not going to go around saying Emma Halstead at family gatherings, just because we both like the same name. So please, just take it easy and relax. Now, how about you go get my boyfriend and tell him that he needs to come get some water. It's been a while since he did that, and I want him to stay hydrated." Matt agreed, as that was something he could do for Alex. "I'll send him over soon." Alex agreed as she watched her cousin run away, while also turning her head to look at Gabby. "I swear, you have a good man as your future husband." Gabby laughed. "Oh, like you aren't biased since he's your cousin." Alex nodded, as she most certainly is biased. "I'm just glad that he has you. I know that he wouldn't have this great life if he hadn't found you." Gabby smiled. "My brother said the same thing, as he's known him since he was a firefighter." Alex agreed. "Still can't believe he quit to move here to work for Jay."
Gabby sighed. "His friend dying scared the crap out of him. And I wanted to stay with him, so I decided to move here too. And I can tell you this, I have no regrets in doing so because the weather is so great here. Add in the fact that I have a great family here, and I am just so happy to be here in California." Alex agreed as she reached out to her best friend and smiled as she grabbed her hand. "You make sure that our kids are raised like siblings." Gabby agreed, as that was something she wanted to do as well. "Yeah." Smiling, Alex turned her head to look at Tyler again, only to hear Jay come over to her. "Hey, you needed something? Is it TJ?" Smiling as she looked up at her man, Alex shook her head. "Me and TJ are fine. You just need to get some water. It's hot here, and the last thing we want is for you to get dehydrated." Jay agreed as he went to grab his water, only to smile at the love of his life and their son. "How are you feeling? You need to go home, or are you okay?" Alex smiled. "I'll be good for a bit. I promise." Jay agreed and smiled at his girlfriend.
And as he took a sip of his water again, he bent down and rubbed the top of Max's head. "You be a good boy for Alex and TJ, okay buddy? I'll be back soon." Smiling, Alex loved how adorable that was. "Now, that was adorable." Jay smiled as he agreed with his girlfriend, prior to running away so that he can keep surfing. Meanwhile, Gabby turned her head and looked at her best friend. "I promise, Matt will talk to him and make sure that he gets the message that you're ready to take the next step." Alex sighed, as she wasn't too sure about that. "Do you really think Matt is going to want to do that and get involved in our relationship?" Gabby laughed. "He got involved in Christie's relationship when she was getting screwed over by Jim and his mistress." Alex agreed, as that was the truth. He truly did help her other cousin (and his sister) when she needed the help. "I just love the fact that we aren't with guys who are such douchebags like Jim." Laughing, Gabby agreed as she felt the same way. "Amen!" Alex agreed, smiling at Gabby.
He always felt at home on the ocean, as if he had a special relationship with it. It was a place where he could let all of his worries drift away from him, while he concentrated on just taking it easy and breathing. And that was precisely what he planned on doing right now, as he continued to surf. But first, it seemed like Matt wanted to talk to him. "Ok. I can see you floating there right next to me, as if you want to say something Matt. And I'm not going to lie when I say that it's a bit creepy when you do that." Matt sighed, as he knew that it was creepy; he just didn't know whether it was his place to talk about this with him. But, he decided that he was going to anyways. "Well, I've been asked to talk to you about something." Turning his head, Jay got worried. "Is it about Alex? She okay? She seemed fine when I was just on the beach." Matt nodded. "She's fine, but it does relate to her….and your relationship." Jay sighed as he looked at Matt, as he had a feeling this conversation would be coming up soon. "Let me guess, she wants to have a commitment?"
Matt was surprised, as he thought (based on what he heard from his cousin and Gabby) that he didn't know. "Wait, you know that?" Jay sighed, as he did know that; he's known that for a while now, he's just been nervous. "Yeah. I may have used her iPad once by mistake, and I saw that she had rings open. So, I know that she wants commitment from me. I just…" Taking a breath, Jay turned his head and looked at the woman he loves. "I guess I was naïve to think that we could just go on as it is. We have each other, we have Tyler, and we're committed to each other. Hell, I already see her as my wife." Matt agreed with Jay, clearly able to see that's the case based on the way he's looking at her right now. "I just don't want to rush it. I mean, sure…we've been together for a long time. But, what if the baby is too much for us? What if we realize that it's all too much." Matt just looked at Jay. "Jay, she's been there for you through your military deployments, your mom's death, and your father's cancer scare. And she's helping you with your PTSD."
Jay agreed, as Alex most certainly is helping him with his PTSD; more than she'll ever know. "She's my rock. And I want to show her that, I really do. I want to show her that there's a future for us, I'm just not there yet. And I feel like I should be there but…I'm not even thirty yet and we have a baby. I mean, I love Ty. I love being a dad. But, he's only two weeks old, and it worries me that she wants to push for a commitment so fast. I mean, I know it's been years that we've been together. But, I just worry." Matt agreed with Jay, as he could understand why. "Hey, you won't hear me complaining. My late fiancé was the same way. She never wanted to get married, even though we were engaged for years." Snickering, Jay turned to look at Matt. "Just to let you know, Alex always said that there was a 0% chance that you would ever marry Hallie." Matt snickered as he heard Jay say that. "Oh, I already knew that. The minute I got together with Gabby; she was actually happy to be around me. When I was with Hallie, she gave her the cold shoulder every time."
Jay agreed, as that made sense. "I think we both know that's due to the fact that she's always wanted you to be with Gabby, which you are now. You guys are together, and you have a bright future with each other." Matt agreed. "A future which I cemented by proposing to her. Listen, I don't want to force you to do anything." Jay snickered. "However,…" Matt sighed. "Can I at least give you a word of advice from a man who's been there twice?" Jay agreed. "Of course." Matt nodded. "The truth is, I never should've gotten engaged to Hallie. She was the wrong woman for me. Me and Gabby, it's always been easy. What I see when I look at you and Alex, it's what I saw with me and Gabby when I decided to propose to her. Put aside the fact that I'm Alex's cousin. Just tell me, do you see a future with her?" Jay sighed, as he does see a future with Alex. "I do. She's the only woman I see a future with, as she's my rock and other half. I just feel like things are going so well, that I don't want to add the stress of getting married. You know, the actual planning."
Matt agreed, as that made a lot of sense; and he also understood what he was saying, as he was going through it right now. "I get that. You don't want the stress of planning a wedding, so you aren't proposing." Jay agreed. "But, you could always elope." Jay sighed. "And that's my problem. I know that. But, Alex is too special to me for us to just elope. If we get married, I want to do it right; I want to give her a real wedding with our friends and family in attendance. I just…I don't know if I want to go through the planning. It sounds like a lot, and it'd just be so much work in my opinion. And with us just having a baby…" Matt sighed. "Jay, you really need to talk to Alex. That's all I can say. You need to talk to Alex, tell her how you feel…and see whether you guys can come to an agreement on what's best for you guys. And if you guys not getting married is something you want, then you need to tell Alex so that you guys can just know what the future holds. I know for a fact that I want to be a husband. I want to marry Gabby and proudly wear a wedding band."
Jay agreed, as he could understand that. "Well, then you guys are getting married in the future; maybe right after you have the baby." Matt agreed. "We'll see. All depends on how she feels afterwards. But, right now, we need to concentrate on your future. A future which you need to figure out with my cousin, as I know that she wants a long future with you. A future which probably includes marriage and more kids." Jay smiled, as he could see them having more kids in the future. "I actually like that idea, as I want a daughter in the future. But for now, I only need her and TJ." Matt agreed with Jay, as he could clearly see that he was extremely happy with the life he has with Alex and their son, TJ. And that's precisely what he hopes he and Gabby can have in the future when they get married. But for now, he just needs to help her finish the pregnancy, give birth; then, they can figure out when they can get married. "If you want to propose in the future, let me know. I'll help you out." Jay smiled as he agreed with Matt, liking that idea. "Thanks."
Halstead Home, Dana Point – After spending another hour at the beach with her best friend and cousin, Alex took a breath as she was happy to finally be home; just taking it easy in some comfortable clothes. Clothes which aren't the ones Jay said he would love to see her in on their way home: lingerie. After all, they need to calm down and just take it easy; she is still recovering from giving birth to TJ, after all. However, it wasn't just Alex who wanted to take it easy and relax. Rather, Jay wanted to do that as well as it would give the two of them some time to do what they need to do. It would give them some time to talk, so that they can come to an understanding as to what's on each of their minds. And that all started with them getting in bed, something Jay was about to invite Alex to do as he walked into the bathroom behind her in some loungewear which was perfect for the summer weather. "You have fun with the girls at the beach?" Looking up at Jay, Alex smiled as she did have some fun with the girls at the beach. "Yeah. Gabby is dealing with it too."
Jay snickered, as he already knew what Alex was talking about; she was talking about some of the same symptoms which they dealt with together when she was pregnant with TJ. "You give her some of your tips on how to deal with it?" Alex agreed, prior to sighing. "Did Matt talk to you?" Jay nodded as he did talk to her, which is why he's in here in the first place. He wants to ask her if they can talk. "Yeah, he did." Wrapping his arms around Alex as he walked up behind her, Jay proceeded to bend down and kiss her shoulder as a way to make her smile, which is precisely what she did the moment he pressed his lips to her shoulder. "So, I was thinking that…while TJ is asleep, maybe me and you could talk?" Taking a breath, Alex agreed as she knew that was something the two of them needed to do. They needed to talk, as they take it easy and just relax with each other. But first, Alex just wanted to say something to the man she loves. So, she turned around and looked at him. "Can I say something first?" Jay agreed, as she can always tell him anything.
That's why he was so surprised that she hasn't said anything yet, especially when he suspected something was up. "Always." Jay said, as he wrapped his arms around his beautiful girlfriend and held her close to him. After which, Alex placed her hands on his arms as she stared into his gorgeous eyes. "I just want to be clear about something. Under no circumstance do I want you to feel like I don't want there to be a future for us. I want to be with you Jay, and I always will. I just…" Nodding as he leaned in, Jay proceeded to leave a soft kiss on her lips as a way to let her know that he already knew that. He knew that she wanted to be with him in the long run, which was why she decided to have a baby with him in the first place. Had she not wanted to be with him in the long run, then he knew that they wouldn't have Tyler. "Hey, I knew that from the moment we agreed that we were going ahead and having Tyler. I promise." Alex agreed with Jay when he told her that, only to get close to him and wrap her arms around his neck so that she could hold him close.
Meanwhile, Jay wrapped his arm around Alex and placed his hand on the back of her head to make her feel safe, which is precisely how she always feels when she's in his arms and has felt ever since they got together all those years ago. "Can we agree that this will be a civil conversation? I don't want us to yell at each other and wake Ty up." Leaning back, Jay agreed as that was already something he knew they could do. They could make sure that this was going to be a civil conversation, as he wants to let Ty get the sleep he needs. "I promise, Ty is going to stay asleep and just take it easy in his crib. Meanwhile, me and you are going to take it easy as you continue to recover, and we just work things out." Alex sighed as she grabbed Jay's hands. "Jay, I want to apologize first." Confused, Jay looked at the woman he loves. "For what?" Alex sighed once more, prior to explaining. "I hate that I'm giving you the impression that I'm not sure about us having a future." Jay shook his head, as that was the last thing he was thinking; nor would he think that way.
He knows that she wants to be with him, as they've been together for so long. "Hey, do you really think I even want to think that way? Babe, you have no idea how lucky I am to be with you. Alex, this is why I want to have this conversation. Me and you…we're solid and I never want you to think that there's no future for the both of us. If anything, I want you to know that I'm always going to be in your bed. I mean that babe. It's just…we need to talk and figure things out. We need to figure out what's next for us." Alex agreed with Jay, as that's what she wants to do as well. She wants to figure out what's next for the both of them. "I like the idea of us figuring out what's next for us. Just know that it isn't us having another baby." Smiling, Jay agreed as he got close to the woman he loves and wrapped his arms around her. After which, he pressed his lips to her forehead as a way to let her know that he loves her and that he's happy. "I love you babe." Alex agreed, more than ready to go lay down in bed as she spoke to the man she loves today.