Page 42 of Forever Flirting

“If you can pop the trunk of your car,” Alex began, hating that he was emotional in front of her. “I bought him some clothes, shoes, a few toys, and got you a bunch of diapers. I didn’t know I was mailing you the wrong size diapers until I went to buy them. Please tell me if you can’t use something, because I’m only trying to help.”

Mallory nodded.

“Did you talk to Everly?” she asked him bluntly. “She stopped me, and knows what happened.”

“I did – and I had no idea you were friends.”

“I had no idea at the time that you were her Alex,” she admitted in a very quiet voice as she opened the trunk of her car dutifully.

“She calls me ‘her’Alex?”

“She used to,” Mallory winced. “I have no idea what she is calling either of us anymore, because she’s not exactly thrilled to find out about our past.”

“I can’t imagine why,” Alex said drolly, handing Caleb over so he could start loading the purchases into her trunk.

“Hey – I’m not trying to be rude or mean to you. I’m just talking and letting you know what’s happening.”

“I know, and I have a favor to ask – please?” Alex began, not pausing to wait for her to answer, because his emotions were frazzled, and he didn’t want to fight with her. “If you could just let me know how Caleb is doing, send me a few photographs, or maybe an update – it would be much appreciated. I know things get busy, but I’m not here, and I would really like to be included.”

“I will try.”

“Thank you,” he said, feeling awkward as he closed the trunk and hesitated. “And thank you again for letting me take him the entire time I was in town. It meant a lot.”

“Of course.”

“I’m going to try to visit him again and will give you the dates as soon as I have them.”

Mallory nodded as they both stood there, unsure what to say.

“I really am sorry how this happened,” Alex said quietly. “But I can honestly say that I really love being his father, and appreciate you being flexible with my schedule. It means a lot – and I wish you well, Mallory.”

“Thank you,” she replied quietly, looking at him strangely. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

She nodded and turned to put Caleb in her car, hearing the frustrated ‘Noooo’s’ of confinement from his car seat, smiling knowingly. Alex walked back towards his car, feeling so strange and bereft, like someone had taken his heart from his chest, and he was still standing there, existing, somehow.

“Daddddeeeeeee!” Caleb screamed angrily, and Alex barely made it into the driver’s seat as the first of many tears fell. He put his face in his hands and broke down there in the McDonald’s parking lot – emotionally devastated.

CHAPTER11

EVERLY

Everly was gettingready to leave the office and drive out to the airstrip on the south side of town when her cell phone rang. Breathing out a heavy sigh, she swiped the screen to answer it.

“Hello?”

“Hey…”

Mallory’s voice was strangely quiet and thick – and she could hear Caleb’s wretched sobs in the background as he was screaming and blubbering about something.

“Are you okay?”

“I don’t know,” Mallory answered openly, and before Everly could ask her to elaborate, she continued speaking. “I’m probably going to even regret saying something, and being miserable is a bitter pill I swallow daily with my morning coffee… but I wanted to let you know that Alex just dropped off Caleb – and he’s upset.”

“I can imagine,” Everly said knowingly. “He loves him and is really trying.”

“I know.”

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