Dani looked over and said, "You are going to make a great mother one day." Silence descended upon the vehicle, as they were each lost in their own thoughts. Alex was surprised to see the gate rolling open and realized they were home. When the car came to a stop, she sat patiently and waited for Dani to hand her the crutches before attempting to climb out on her own.
Alex turned to her and smiled. "Would you like to stay for lunch?"
"I wouldn’t want to impose."
"I’ve invited you, thus ruling out the possibility of imposition." Alex slowly headed towards the front door. "Come on then, I have French fries with Madison’s name on them." By the time she’d reached the top of the steps, a sleepy Madison was standing beside her. As she reached for the door, it opened, and she looked into Nikki’s scowling face.
"Where the hell have you been? Maria said you left hours ago." The tone in her voice raised Alex’s hackles, and transported her back to the numerous arguments between her and Jo. As her anxiety began to rise, her palms began to sweat, and the memories became stronger. She stepped around Nikki and entered the house. She could hear her begin to question Dani, and stumbled as the memories of Jo’s constant badgering and abuse flooded her mind. She cowered against the wall, expecting to feel the blow Jo would have delivered. When none came she pushed herself upright and turned to face her imagined attackers.
"Enough!" she bellowed. "I am not a possession to squabble over, nor am I a child to be coddled and controlled. I am a grown woman, completely capable of taking care of myself." She was so wrapped up in her fear and anger that she failed to notice Maria enter the room. She stepped closer to Nikki and said, "I will not let you do this to me again. Get the hell out of my house."
Nikki reached for Alex and paled when she saw her flinch away as if expecting a blow.
Maria quickly stepped between the two, as she quietly spoke to Alex. "Tesoro, you are safe here. No one is going to hurt you." Alex slowly raised her head and looked at Maria. "Do you trust me?" Alex nodded. Maria stepped aside, revealing Nikki. "Look at her Alexis. She is not Jo, she will not hurt you, and does not deserve your wrath." When she nodded, Maria gently squeezed her arm and walked away.
Alex looked down at Madison and forced a smile. "Hey, sweetie, do you want to help me make some French fries?" She smiled when Madison jumped up and down with excitement and ran for the kitchen. "Wait for me." As she turned to follow, Nikki reached for her, causing her to flinch away again. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Nikki stuff her hands into her pockets. "I’m sorry," she whispered, and quickly left the room. She caught up to Madison as she entered the kitchen. Together they pulled items from the refrigerator and placed them on the counter.
"That’s a lot of vegetables," Madison said as she eyed them warily.
Alex looked down at Madison with a very serious expression and said, "Yes it is. Did you know that it is vegetables that help you to grow up big and strong?" The little girl shook her head. "It’s true. I eat lots of veggies every day. That’s what made me strong enough to be your angel."
Madison thought about it for a minute before she said, "I want to be strong like you, but I don’t like very many veggies."
"Will you promise me you’ll try them?"
Madison sighed as she looked at the vegetables piled on the counter. "Okay, but you’re gonna make French fries too right?"
Alex smiled and ruffled her hair. "Yes, sweetie, I will." She looked up and saw Nikki watching her with a smile. She was leaning against the doorframe with her hands in her pockets, and appeared to be hesitant to join. She knew that her blow-up earlier was the cause, and felt her heart sink at the thought. "Can you handle a knife?" she asked.
Nikki looked into Alex’s smiling face and said, "I’m very good with my hands I’ll have you know."
Alex looked down as Nikki pulled her hands from her pockets. She wondered if they were soft or calloused, and how they would feel roaming over her body, touching her in places that hadn’t been touched by a woman in over two years. Nikki cleared her throat, snapping her out of her thoughts. She immediately blushed as she looked into Nikki's startled brown eyes. Alex quickly looked away as she tried to explain what she needed her help with. Soon Nikki was slicing vegetables and preparing them for the grill, and wondering if she’d imagined the look on Alex’s face.
Dani walked into the room a few minutes later, sliding her cell phone into her pocket. "Rachel is done for the day, so I invited her to lunch with us. I hope you don’t mind."
Alex paused briefly, took a deep breath, and then continued chopping as she said, "How convenient." She finally looked up at Dani, who was watching her closely and said, "Rachel is more than welcome, but please don’t push me, Dani. I’m not quite there yet, and it must be done on my terms and in my time."
A faint blush rose on her cheeks. "I didn’t mean…I’m sorry." She bit her lip and pulled out her phone. "I’ll call her back and cancel."
"No need. Rachel is more than welcome to join us for lunch. As for the rest,
