Chapter 28
Alex looked to him with a pleading in her eyes. It was begging him for two things, one, to not be pissed as hell, and two, to keep it.
"Here let me help you with that Nora," Trevor volunteered. He jumped up and helped Nora carry it to Gavin.
"She ain't kidding," Trevor laughed. "This is heavy."
Setting the box down in front of Gavin he looked to Alex and read her perfectly. He shook his head and gave her a wink to agree to both demands in her eyes. She let out a breath of relief. She knew he would love it, it was going to be the price tag that was going to infuriate him. Especially with the fact she could have used the four thousand dollars to purchase a car that wouldn't have left her stranded on the side of the road.
She then thought back, perhaps if she would have just let him loan her the money for a car this wouldn't be such a torturous moment now. Perhaps if she would have just accepted his help then, she wouldn't have been walking on egg shells for the past month. She wouldn't have had the blowup that nearly ended their relationship. She then smiled and remembered what her father always told her, using his favorite Nietzsche saying, 'That which does not kill us, makes us stronger'.
Gavin shook his head and looked at little Nora who was watching him intently.
"I might need a little help here, how about it?" he smiled at her.
She nodded enthusiastically and began to rip the paper with him. Alex covered her mouth at the way they worked together, Gavin in typical Gavin fashion, precise and careful. Nora more like her, ripping in utter abandon. More like the Tasmanian devil from her cartoons, with paper flying in every direction.
As soon as it was uncovered Gavin immediately tightened his jaw. Alex didn't miss it and it forced her to hold her breath. Please, please, please! She begged inwardly.
"Who told you?" Gavin said as carefully as he could. "Madelyn?"
"Absolutely not!" Alex immediately defended. "It was pure luck!"
"This is from Raul's shop, is it not?" Gavin asked turning his head to look at her. She was in the submissive pose, he didn't know if that was intentional or not. He shook his head at her and smiled as he looked to the box. Running his fingers over the dark deep wood.
Alex watched his hand and it reminded her of the way he touched her, exploring and admiring all at once. It told her he was infinitely pleased.
"It is," Alex smiled, only because he was. "But Lena and I just stumbled on it by accident, we were sent there by a lady at the watch counter at the mall. Once we got to Raul's shop, he guided us to this!"
"Lena was with you? She let you spend this exorbitant amount of money?" Gavin teased. He was trying to come across as very happy but inside he was livid she spent money that was better spent elsewhere.
"Well, in her defense, she was against it. I mean we both knew it was perfect, but she knew you would be against the price tag and warned me," Alex said as he began to open the doors and touch the fine amenities.
"Raul told me this wouldn't be in until after the first of the year!" Gavin remembered softly still trying to figure out how Alex bought him this perfect gift! Somebody had to tell her, if they did, she would never tell him. Then again, her story wouldn't be beyond the realm of possibilities.
"Serendipitous?" Alex tried with an innocent shrug of her shoulders. "He said it came in early, even he was surprised. I got there a few hours before he was going to call you."
"It's beautiful!" Nora gasped. "Don't you like it?" She asked Gavin innocently. "Didn't Aunt Alex really do good?"
"She did fantastic!" Gavin agreed with a hug. "It's just I don't like people spending money on me." Gavin explained.
"You bought her a diamond watch!" Nora argued for her Aunt, pointing out he bought something as expensive.
This made Gavin laugh. Hard. He looked to Alex.
"You have had way too much influence on this one!" he chuckled with a nod at the small curly headed blonde.
"It comes naturally," Alex shrugged winking at Nora for her defense. "But you do like it?"
"Like you, I adore it," he smiled kissing her gently.
Leaning into her ear, "You spent way too much!"
"Not nearly enough," she whispered back in his as they hugged one another.
"I love you," he said with a tender kiss on her cheek. She couldn't reply because her voice got stuck in her gasp, as he said it in full view of her family.
***
Alex was outside watching Nora play with her toys, she had switched her Disney dress three times already. Now she was Elsa from 'Frozen'. Trevor was in the street with his hockey jersey playing some street hockey with some of the guys from the neighborhood.
Livy came out with hot coffee for Alex and stood next to her as they watched the gentle fall of snow flurries in the sky, swirling in the occasional wind. The sky broken with a soft gray overcast, mixed with shards of sunlight that broke through.
"You went crazy with the gifts," Livy pointed out as she sipped her coffee.
"I did," Alex admitted. "But I had the money this year, so I splurged."
"Gavin seems nice," Livy smiled from behind her coffee cup.
"He's fantastic," Alex corrected.
"Mom has doubts on him," Livy warned. "She says any man that doesn't go to church can't be very good."
"Mom has doubts on me, and I haven't set foot in a church other than a wedding in years!" Alex frowned. "So I guess that means I'm not good either!"
The warning wasn't a surprise. It still hurt, she wanted them to realize just how great Gavin was. How lucky she was to have him.
"Well I don't know if she put it that way!" Livy teased causing Alex to laugh.
"She won't like anyone she doesn't pick out," Alex said firmly. Livy nodded as she knew that was the truth. Alex was the first sister that did not marry a man that their mother set up for them.
For her mother it wasn't about love, it was about a good match, for appearances. Love was something in make believe land. You loved only God, everybody else you got along with and with prayer you were happy with. Livy used to believe that. She used to think Alex was wrong for wanting the fairy tale.
"Don't let her pick out anyone for you," Livy frowned. "You'll get a Don. Which will make you miserable and loveless. I don't know how I would have made it this far if it wasn't for Nora."
"What do you mean?" Alex asked, but Livy said nothing, only watching her daughter play with her imaginary friends as they paraded around the snowman in the yard. Something she remembered Alex doing in their childhood.
"What are you going to do?" Alex asked her putting her arm around her comfortingly.
"I don't really know," Livy admitted softly as a tear fell. "I hate myself right now."
"She is going to work it out," said Krista, her oldest sister as she came out, interrupting the conversation. "God forbids divorce."
"He doesn't forbid it," Alex disagreed. "He just wants marriage to work. It says in the bible she can get a divorce if he fails to honor his wife."
"It would look bad," Brandy, the second oldest pointed out as she came out behind Krista.
"Who gives a damn on how it looks?" Alex growled. "Doesn't Livy have a right to be happy? Doesn't she deserve to find someone who appreciates her? Who will love her?"
"Doesn't her oath to God mean more than one mistake, or one's pride?" Brandy countered.
"This isn't one mistake," Livy defended. "He has been doing this for two years! And you two have a lot of nerve talking about my pride! All you care about is how this might embarrass you!"
"This isn't just about you, this is about all of us! So you go to church and get counseling," Krista instructed forcefully, sounding more like Marylyn every day in Alex's mind. "Prayer and with the help of our pastor, this can be resolved."
"What about the trust?" Alex asked. "Once that is violated it can't be had back fully!"
"God will fix it if you pray for help," Krista said her voice straining with her anger that she was being challenged. "You just have to have faith that the Lord will give to you in your time of need!"
"How did that work out that last time?" Livy suddenly raged. "I did that! All of that! Then the bastard goes out and knocks up someone! Even though I've been begging for another child, a child he said we couldn't afford! Why shouldn't I just drop him on his ass? Isn't he disobeying God by not giving me a child? Isn't he disobeying God by not honoring me? Obeying the oath he took in front of God and our family to forsake all others? What about my shame? How does this look on me? Alex doesn't it make me look weak if I take him back?"
"No," Alex said with a shake of her head. Surprised her sister erupted. Livy was normally so calm, so demure. "You are not weak, but taking him back is not a sign of strength either. In the end, you have to do what is not best for just you, but what is also best for Nora."
"Have you thought about how that will look on the family?" Brandy asked her. "It's bad enough we have one sister bringing shame on us!"
"I'm bringing shame on you?" Alex gasped. She anticipated an attack on her as she was on Livy's side, although an attack on her would have come whether she was defending Livy or not, but still hearing it out loud was always a blow.
"First you try your hand at being a lesbian," Krista pointed out, alluding to the last Christmas she spent here with Lena. "Now you are living with a man, obviously sexually involved, without being married! The entire church knows! They feel sorry for mother that she has to endure the humiliation and she is doing it like a good Christian should."
Alex let the smile cross her face, it was all she could do. She was shocked beyond words. Lesbian? The church feels for them?
"What kind of fucking church is so judging?" Alex finally managed to say. "What kind of church dictates based on appearance? Sounds more like a cult to me, the church before family? I don't even live here. Mother is doing what she does best! Trying to get attention or sympathy from any who will listen, the only way she knows how. Telling stories on her bad daughter Alex. It gets attention away from any other problem she's having!"
"The church is our family," Krista frowned.
"Bullshit!" Alex growled. "Sounds like you are one step from Westboro type shit! What's next picketing the funerals of fallen heroes?"
"Typical," Brandy frowned. "We are trying to have an adult conversation and you are acting like a teenager with foul language and a temper tantrum in an attempt to provoke us into a similar response!"
