Unbeautifully Loved (Breathe Again) (25 page)

“Yeah, how could I forget, Lukas’ head almost exploded every time one was delivered,” she laughed nervously. “Thank god they stopped.”

I looked at her nervously as my teeth released my bottom lip. “They didn’t exactly stop,”

Mollie stiffened. “What’re you talking about? What do you
mean
they didn’t stop?”

“I mean, yeah the flowers stopped but last night...” I paused, having no clue how she was going to react. “You went to bed and I forgot today was trash day so I took it out and found a wrapped box sitting on the step... for me.”

“Oh God, was it a body part? Wasn’t a human head or ear was it? Oh God, oh God!” she exclaimed as she shot up to her feet fanning her hands in front of her frantically.

“What? Mollie no, calm the fuck down it wasn’t any type of body part, who goes from sending flowers to body parts? I think you watch too much
Criminal Minds
,” I said rolling my eyes.

She took a deep breath as her frantic fanning stopped. “Sorry,” she said sitting back down. “Okay, I’m okay. What was in the box?”

“A bottle of my favorite wine and a box of chocolate hedgehogs.”

“That’s it? No card?”

Shit.

Fuck. I didn’t want to tell her but I couldn’t lie to her either.

“No, there was a card.”

“What’d it say?”

“Okay, well... don’t freak out. But it said ‘soon’.” And I braced myself for her reaction.

“What the
fuck
,” she shouted as she jumped to her feet again. “What does that mean?”

I jumped at her outburst. “Mollie, calm down,” I hissed looking over my shoulder making sure Finn hadn’t heard.

“Calm down? Yeah okay ‘cause you getting something personal like that delivered with a card that says something so cryptic is going to make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside,” she snapped, her words dripping with sarcasm.

“I tossed it in the trash. Hopefully whoever left it saw me do it and takes a hint.” I pulled my knees up and into my chest, not thinking about what I just said.

Mollie’s head snapped in my direction the minute the words left my mouth. “I’m sorry, come again? Hopefully who saw what?”

“Again, don’t–”

She raised her hand stopping me. “Hopefully
who
saw
what
Lexie?” she snapped.

This wasn’t going to go over well. She never got mad, unless it was bad– Dex bad.

“It felt like someone was watching me last night.”

I purposely left out the part about it not being the first time because I knew she’d ask if I told Lukas and when I told her no she’d call him herself and that was the last thing I needed.

“Seriously!” she exclaimed. “I think we have to tell Lukas about this. Or did you already? What if it’s the guy who attacked you or worse, what if it’s Dex? He could help and keep you safe.” She ran her hand through her long blonde hair, pulling it into a pony tail.

“No.” I stiffened. “Lukas is not to be told about any of it. If and when it comes time to tell him,
I
tell him,” I urged. “Now promise me you won’t tell him Mollie.” I said tightly, my eyes almost glaring in her direction.

“Lexie–”

“No, I mean it, promise me.”

Mollie looked at me and wasn’t at all happy. Her eyes were lit with anger, while her lips were in a tight straight line. “Whatever.”

“Molls,” I warned.

“What if it’s–”

“Mollie!”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “I promise,” she bit out. “What if it’s Dex though, what are you going to do? Run?” Mollies voice snapped.

“I don’t know Mollie. Do I think it’s Dex? No. Could I be wrong? Maybe, because let’s face it, it’s Dex. Maybe, if whoever it is
was
watching and they took the hint that will be the end of it.” I said shrugging my shoulders.

“And what if that just pissed him off more?” she retorted.

Him?

“Him, what makes you think it’s a he?” I asked puzzled.

She rolled her eyes at me. “I know you’re hot and all but I highly,
highly
doubt it’s a woman doing this. Though it did happen in that episode of
Criminal Minds
when the unsub–”

“Swear to God Moll, you compare this to that damn show, I’ll ban you from watching it again,” I warned.

“Well it could happen, it being a woman but I don’t think it is, I think it’s a man and hopefully a man who, if he
was
watching you– there’s a sentence I never thought I’d say, but I hope he took the hint and you never get another one of his ‘gifts’.” Mollie said making the air quotations and flopping back down on the couch.

Before I said anything,
Titanium
began playing from my cell.

“Lukas?” Mollie questioned looking from the phone to me.

I picked it up and looked at the screen.

Oh, my God.

Seeing his name on the screen made my stomach drop and I swear I could feel the blood drain from my face. Without looking at Mollie, I saw from the corner of my eye, her sit up as she saw my reaction.

“Hello?” I answered my voice cracking in the middle.

“Alexia,” the familiar voice asked.

“Hi Dad,” I said nervously. Mollie slide closer to me, resting her hand on my knee giving it a small squeeze.

“Alexia, God, it’s so good to hear your voice,” my dad said his voice low, almost like a whisper. “You okay? How are things going? I hadn’t heard from you so I thought I’d call, Mollie gave me the number when we last spoke.”

“Yeah dad I’m good and things are fine,” feeling anxious talking to him after so long. “Uh, I’m sorry I didn’t call you, things just got busy with settling in and work.”

“No, it’s okay, don’t worry about that. I’m just glad you guys are safe and doing okay considering what’s going on,” he said in his deep comforting voice that made me miss him and my mom.

“Yeah, no things are good. Thanks for doing what you did for us, it was very thoughtful and really helped us out,” I said pulling my lip between my teeth.

“Alexia, I’d do anything to make sure you’re safe. I wish I knew about what was going on with Dex; I could have stepped in and done something,” he said sounding resentful.

“Dad, don’t. It’s happened and now... well it’s behind us, and Finn and I are fine,” I somewhat lied.

Behind us for now at least.

“That’s what I’m calling about... I need to talk to you about
Dex
,
”
he said surly.

Dex? Oh, God.

“What about him?” I questioned quickly, panic rising in my chest.

He didn’t say anything for a few beats, and knowing my dad, he was figuring out his shit before saying anything. “You know he’s looking for you guys.”

That wasn’t anything I didn’t already know. “Yeah, kinda figured that,” I said releasing the breath I was holding.

“He came to see me a few weeks ago. Asking if I knew where you guys were, tried telling me he was dying without you.” My dad scoffed. “Fuck, that bastard. I so badly wanted to wrap my hands around his throat and kick him around a bit, see how he fucking liked it. Hurting my baby girl like that, I could kill him,” he seethed.

“Dad, don’t. We’re fine, really. Dex has no idea where we are or anyway of contacting me,” I assured him even though I didn’t feel as confident as I sounded.

“Alexia,” he whispered. “I’m sorry sweetheart, your mother and I did wrong by you and Finn. We should never have kicked you out and turned our backs on you. I’m so sorry baby girl,” I could hear the sorrow in his voice at just how horrible he felt.

I swallowed the large lump that formed in my throat. “It’s alright dad, it happened and we can’t change it, but we can move forward. How’s mom?”

“She’s your mother, she worries.” He paused. “She blames herself and just wants you guys back home, she misses you,” he finished.

Home?

I didn’t know what it was like to have a home, a place where I felt safe every night and every morning when I woke up.

I hadn’t had that since well before Dex came into my life.

“Tell her we’re fine and she doesn’t have to worry much anymore,” I said completely ignoring the last part my dad said. “Listen dad, I have to go, I have to be at work in an hour and I still need to shower and what not. I’ll be in touch though, okay. Love you both,” I said quickly then disconnected before he could say anything else.

“You okay?” Mollie asked.

I forgot she was sitting so close to me, listening to our conversation.

I swallowed the lump and blinked back the tears. “Yeah, I’ll be fine, he was just checking in. I’ve been meaning to call him, thank him for helping with the house,” I lied.

“What–”

“Lukas is going to be here in a bit so I need to get ready for work.” I cut her off. “Please don’t say anything to him about anything, including the phone call okay,” I told her forcing a smile as I stood up and left Mollie alone on the couch.

As I finished getting ready for work my mind felt like a super speed merry-go-round that was turning so quickly the only way to keep up was to drink forty cups of coffee. My thoughts were jumping from the call from my dad, to the gift left on our porch, to who could be behind it, to Dex, to Mollie, to Lukas and back again in a revolving cycle.

But as I looked down on top of my dresser, I noticed something wasn’t right. I don’t know what, but the way it looked, nagged me. I looked at the objects scattered across the top.

My watch I rarely wore, my almost empty bottle of body spray, which I needed to replace soon, some change Lukas threw down the other night, my birth control pills, a small ceramic dish, a picture of Mollie and I at graduation, a framed photo of Finn and I in the hospital just after he was born and a second photo frame with another photo of Finn and I, one Mollie had took when we took him to the park a few weeks ago.

Something’s missing.

I couldn’t place what it was. I went through the items again in my head a few times until it struck me, my white gold cross was missing. It had always sat on top of my dresser, no matter where we went, in the ceramic dish because the chain had broke and I had yet to get it fixed. Yet it was gone, and I knew it was there Friday morning because Lukas saw it and picked it up in his hands, admiring it, asking why I never wore it when I told him about the chain.

“Hey,” I jumped at the sound of Mollie’s voice in my doorway, “sorry, Lukas is downstairs waiting for you.”

“Thanks,” I said distracted as I looked down at my dresser once more, my eyes searching everything, making sure I didn’t miss it, “have you seen my cross?”

“Cross?” she asked her brows creasing together.

“Yeah, my white gold one my parents gave me as a graduation gift, I always wore it until the chain broke,” I said moving things on top around hoping it was just hidden under something. “It was here a few days ago and now it’s gone.”

“No idea, maybe it fell on the floor or something?” she asked shrugging her shoulders. “Maybe it fell behind your dresser?”

I looked on the floor and around the dresser, “Yeah, maybe. I’ll have to look later I guess,” I said preoccupied by it. “I should get going or I’ll be late. Thanks again for watching Finn.”

Monday wasn’t my usual work day but Leah was out sick and I could use the extra hours.

“Don’t mention it; Erik’s coming over later for dinner. He said he was stopping by Fisher’s after work to see you then bringing over a pizza for the three of us.” She beamed talking about Erik, her smile was big and white and her eyes sparkled in excitement.

I grinned. “You really like him don’t you.”

“Is it that obvious?” she said modestly.

“No, not at all,” I laughed. “Have fun tonight and I’ll see you in the morning.” I leaned in and kissed her on the cheek on my way out. “Love ya Molls.”

“You sure you’re okay?” The sound of Lukas’ voice caused my head to turn away from the moving trees outside my window and in his direction.