Page 57 of Better Together

Maggie stood with her hands on her hips. “Where’s my brother?”

“How should I know?” Alexis felt her eyes mist, and she turned her head and grabbed a throw pillow from one of the boxes.

Maggie came over and took the pillow from her, placed it back in the box, and wrapped her arms around her. A sob broke loose, and Alexis couldn’t stop the tears from falling. Maggie directed her to the bed and they both sat.

“Tell me what happened.”

Alexis wiped her flannel-clad arm across her face, took in a deep breath, and hiccupped. “I told him we weren’t going to work and that he hadn’t changed and that I wasn’t ready to be the flavor of the month. He nodded and then accepted a call from Luke. Then he left, saying he had a job and didn’t know when he’d be back.”

“Why didn’t you call me?”

“Nothing to say. He made up his mind, Maggie. We weren’t meant to be. I’ve always been a friend, then lately, a friend with benefits, but it wasn’t good enough. I let him loose to explore all the ‘angels and witches’ out there.”

“This is about those women at the costume party?”

Alexis nodded.

Maggie folded her hands on her lap. “I love you, Alexis. But you used those girls as an excuse to distance yourself from Zeke. You’re afraid of getting hurt because of what Ryan did to you, and I don’t blame you. But don’t accuse Zeke of being something he isn’t. He waited for you to finish dating the men we set you up with. Why do you think he rescued you from Mitch and took you to dinner? Or stayed with you when you threw out your back? He waited for you to see him, the same way you were waiting your entire life for him to see you. Sometimes love is right in front of you, and you choose not to see it. Sometimes you realize it too late, and sometimes you never see it. In your case, you refused to see it out of fear of being rejected and you pushed Zeke away.”

When Maggie had something to say, Alexis knew not to interrupt. “Are you done?” She raised a brow at her friend.

“Yes.” Maggie fell back on the bed. “That was a pretty long rant, huh?”

Alexis joined her, looking at the ceiling. “It was good. I needed to hear it.”

Maggie patted her leg and stood. She tossed the throw pillows onto the bed. “Here, arrange these pillows.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

They finished making the bed and placing a few items on the nightstands in silence until Maggie asked, “So, what are you going to do?”

“No idea. Everything you said was true. I pushed him away. I had hoped he’d fight for me. Instead, he walked away.”

“Maybe he’s tired of fighting, Alexis. Give him time. Things will work out the way they are intended to. I promise.”

By the time Alexis and Maggie were done with the bedroom, the living room furniture had been placed and the other two beds were put together. They had a long night in front of them, but they lived for this stage in a renovation.

Owen had called for pizza, and they ate and talked about the days to come.

“I can’t believe you scored all this furniture at the warehouse sale. It actually matches.”

Maggie laughed. “Of course it does. Would you expect anything less?”

“No.” Alexis threw her arms in the air. “What was I thinking?”

Ethan took a swig from his water bottle and said, “Alexis, this place looks amazing. I especially love the built-ins and the pillars connecting the kitchen and living room.”

“I love the short part of the kitchen counter,” Nikki said.

Alexis smiled. “I do too. It will be great for someone in a wheelchair. They can sit at the counter and eat or prepare food.”

Nikki contemplated her words. “I like that idea.”

Roman smiled at his daughter and said, “Alexis, the house is a winner. So many great touches throughout. The Hennings will be pleased.”

“Thanks, you guys, that means a lot.”

They all tiptoed around the fact Zeke wasn’t there, and she appreciated the unspoken words. She knew Maggie had Owen spread the word about not mentioning Zeke’s departure.