Page 16 of His to Love
Chapter Eight
Alexa
I’d been gone a total of six days by the time I pulled back into Austin. Luciano had assured me that everything was going to be okay. I was to go to Patton’s new home on the outskirts of town, and he’d fill me in on everything.
I hadn’t lost my job, so that was a plus. I would most definitely need it to cover my expenses with the pregnancy and the baby.
I’m going to be a mother!
Rubbing my belly, I couldn’t help the joy I felt that there was a little one growing inside of me. I didn’t care that its father was the worst man on Earth. I loved the little baby unconditionally. And I hoped my mother would somehow find it in her to love her unexpected grandchild too.
Luciano had told me that he’d come up with what he thought would be a foolproof plan about telling our parents about my condition. He said they would even be happy about it. For now, though, I wasn’t to even hint at my news when speaking to Mom. And that proved hard to do, as we’d had some long phone calls as I drove back.
I had to hide the fact that I was driving so much from her. She couldn’t know that I’d taken off to go to California, or else she’d be upset. My brother told me that her condition had gotten worse, so I knew I had to watch what I said to her.
Being alone for the last six days hadn’t been easy, with so much weighing on my mind. I was looking forward to the day when I could be honest about my baby with others. It was a very strange time in my life. I was ecstatic about the baby, yet sad about the baby’s father being such a jerk. And I was sad about how my mother might be affected by the news. I wanted her to be as happy as I was about it. But I knew that wasn’t going to happen. At least, not at first.
I had prayed that the idea of me being a single mom would grow on her. I had a great job that would allow me to keep the baby at work. There was a daycare at the resort, so I wouldn’t ever be too far away from my little bundle of joy. I was going to be okay.
Things could’ve been much worse, and I hoped my mother would see that. I wasn’t some helpless teenager. I was twenty-two; I’d be twenty-three by the time the baby came. The only thing I had to do between now and then was to get myself a nice home. My baby deserved a nice place to live. I would make sure my child never wanted for a thing.
As I crossed the border into Austin, I put Patton’s address into the GPS. He’d moved into his new house a few weeks back and I’d never been there. Being able to stay with him while I looked for my own place meant a lot to me. He was a great friend to my brother, but also to me.
He’d given me a dream job, and now he was going to help me out while I got my life together. Patton Nash was a godsend. I wasn’t sure how I would repay him for all he’d done for me, but I would find a way to show him how grateful I truly was for all of his help.
Luciano hadn’t told me what he’d told Patton about why I’d left or my situation. I supposed my brother wanted me to explain my actions to Patton on my own. Which was okay. It would be a difficult conversation for me, as I’d never dreamed that I would have to tell him such intimate details about myself, but there were worse things in life, so I couldn’t complain.
The GPS took me to the entrance of a suburban community that led me around through a maze of gorgeous homes. Finally, it told me to stop in front of a set of iron gates with a huge letter N in the middle of them. “Wow.” The home behind the gates was amazing—the star of the entire neighborhood.
I hadn’t realized how wealthy Patton had become since opening the resort with his brothers. He’d never acted like he had tons of money. He was still the same old guy he’d always been—a real sweetie with a heart of gold.
Looking at the texts my brother had sent me, I found the one with the gate code and punched it in. The driveway was smooth as glass as I drove up it. The lawn was lush, green, and manicured to perfection. Tall oaks that had to have been hundreds of years old flanked each side of the driveway.
The two-story home with off-white natural stone siding looked welcoming. Parking near the front door, I got out. My legs felt like jelly, as I knew the time had come to open up to Patton about things that I never thought I’d be saying to him.
Before I could ring the doorbell, the door opened and there he stood with a welcoming smile on his face. “You’re home.”
“My home for now, thank you very much.” I wasn’t sure why he had a huge smile on his face. But then it occurred to me that my brother must’ve told him everything. Blushing with embarrassment, I ducked my head, staring at the ground and not knowing what to say.
His fingers caught my chin, pulling my face up to look at him. “You’re not the first or the last young woman to be duped by a charismatic jerk. There’s no reason to be embarrassed about what happened.”
Staring into his blue eyes, I liked how soft and non-judgmental they were. “I feel like an idiot.”
Reaching out to me, he pulled me into his arms, hugging me while rocking me back and forth. “Don’t feel like that, Alexa. You’re not an idiot. I can’t imagine being able to hold someone off for five months—especially since you lived with the guy.”
“It wasn’t easy.” Patton’s words—and his hug—gave me comfort and a sense of being cared for. I needed a little of that after the mean things Alejandro had said to me. “What hurts the most is that he lied about everything he ever said to me. Seeing him in California… it was like he was a completely different person. He’d been completely fake with me. And he’s got the wool pulled over his parents’ eyes too.”
Releasing me from his embrace, he took me by the hand and pulled me along with him into the living room. “Some people are masters at being fake. Much like a chameleon that changes its colors to blend into their surroundings, some people have that same ability to hide from their prey. It doesn’t make you an idiot to fall victim to someone like him.”
He sat me in a comfy chair then walked away, giving me a chance to look around at my stunning surroundings. “This is a gorgeous home, Patton. You’ve done an amazing job.”
“Thank you.” He went behind a bar made from a dark red wood. “I wanted everything in the house to come from somewhere close by. This bar was hand-carved out of a solid piece of mahogany wood by a craftsman right here in Central Texas. The rocks that make up the exterior siding come from a dry riverbed about ten miles from here.”
I had to get up to take a closer look at the piece. Running my hand over the shiny surface, I thought that I’d never seen anything like it. “It’s a work of art, Patton. Not just a bar at all.”
There must’ve been a mini fridge built into the back of the bar, as he leaned over then came back up with a frosty mug of milk and a muffin. “Here, you need a little snack after your long ride home. I’ve got a rack of lamb in the oven for dinner, but that won’t be ready for another hour or so.”
I was hungry, and very grateful for his forethought. “Thank you, Patton. That sounds yummy. I’ve never had lamb before, but I think I’ll love it.” I took a bite of the bran muffin then a drink of milk as he came around the bar, taking a seat on one of the overstuffed barstools. I climbed up on the one next to him, continuing to eat the muffin.
