What He Needs - CH 2

Chapter 2

Author's Note: I know the whole 'trip to Disney World' thing is WAY over done, but I couldn't avoid it... I wanted to do Universal Studios, but I don't remember anything about that place... So I was forced to use Disney World... Please forgive me...



“Ok, just follow me to the guestroom,” Justin spoke to Alexia, who was walking behind him.

“Um, Justin. It’s the same house we lived in when I left. I remember where the guestroom is,” Alexia reminded him.

“Right. I guess I just, forgot about you when you left. Sorry,” Justin said curtly, hauling her bags with him as they made their way toward the room she’d be staying in.

Alexia decided it would be best if she didn’t try to talk to him at the moment. He is obviously still pissed at me.

“Alright,” he dropped the bags he was carrying on the bed, then turned to face her as she gently set her suitcase on the floor beside her. “Here’s the deal. I’m not happy that you came back. I don’t need or want you here. However, my son seems to, so I have no choice but to let you stay. You stay away from me when at all possible.”

“Justin, he’s not just your son. He’s our son.”

“And God help me if you leave him again. He went through too much the last time. If you don’t plan on sticking around for the long haul, then just pick your bags up again, and say goodbye now. Because I won’t let you hurt him like that again.”

“I plan on staying. For a long time. I want to see my baby grow up.”

“Hate to break it to ya, babe, but you already missed quite a lot.”

“That wasn’t fair, Justin,” she looked at the ground, not able to bare looking at her lost love any longer.

“I beg to differ. It was quite fair. It was your choice to leave us, not ours. We went through that pain, and we moved on. We got over you, and just when things start to go right again, you show up out of nowhere. How did you expect us to react?”

“Josh is accepting me rather quickly. You’re the one having problems.”

“I’m not going to get into this. You can “bond” with Josh, just stay away from me whenever possible. I want nothing to do with you.” With that, Justin walked out, slamming the door behind him.


~ That Night ~

Justin watched from the doorway as Alexia tucked Josh into bed and kissed his forehead, whispering something to him before she said good night. Before she had the chance to see him, he walked across the hall into his own room, closing the door behind him.

Settling down on his bed, he rested with his hands behind his head. His eyes scanned the room. It felt strange to have Alexia back in the house. His gaze settled on the top drawer of his dresser. The drawer that held the future that could have been. The drawer that held the engagement ring he had bought for Alexia just before she left. Slowly, he walked over to the dresser.



Alexia debated whether or not to say goodnight to Justin before she went to bed. Silently, she opened his door a crack to see if he was still awake. She watched as he opened his dresser drawer and pulled out a small black box. When he opened it, she noticed it was a ring. He must have a girlfriend. Alexia felt a familiar pain settle in her heart as the thought entered her mind. She closed the door and made her way to her room.



Justin continued to stare at the ring. It was simple, because Alexia always hated gaudy things. It was just a small, princess cut, .75 carat diamond, set in a platinum band that wasn’t too thick or too thin, just the right size, with small baguettes on each side. If one looked, they could see the small heart that was in the bottom of the diamond’s cut. When the light hit it just right, it glittered in the most mesmerizing way. Justin had made sure the jeweler gave him the clearest diamond he could find, because he could only have the best for his girl. A tear slid down his cheek. My babydoll. My Lexi. He turned the ring slightly in his hand and noticed to inscription. He’d almost forgotten the message. It was simple, like the ring itself, but it still said so much. Forever, my babydoll.

Justin hadn’t cried over her in nearly a year, but her presence in the house, and the reminder from the ring of the future that never was, was just too much, and the dam of emotion finally broke. The tears fell, as did he. He leaned against the dresser as he sat on the floor. It was too much. It had been almost five years since she left, but the pain was still so fresh.

For now, though, he had to pull himself together and get some rest. He couldn’t let anyone see how much he was still hurting.

“I’ve made it this long. I’m not gonna let her ruin it,” Justin said to himself as he pulled himself off the floor. “I just need some rest. That’s it. I’m tired, and my nerves are on end. Just need to sleep.” He laid down in his bed, pulling the covers over him. “Sleep,” he mumbled as his eyes slowly shut.


A week had passed, and Justin was gradually adjusting to Alexia’s presence. Considering how well she was getting along with Josh, it didn’t seem like she would be leaving any time soon. He entertained the idea of telling her that she could only stay with them until she found another place to live, but then realized that if she moved, Josh would throw a fit that would last for a very long time. Not to mention, he knew it was better for Josh if she stayed there. When he finally realized the fact that she wasn’t going anywhere, he began to ease up on her.


It was Saturday and Josh’s father and “uncles” had decided to take him to Disney World.

“Mommy, will you come with us?” Josh asked Alexia while she was cooking breakfast for everyone.

As soon as the words left Josh’s mouth, Justin started choking on his orange juice he’d been drinking.

Seeing Justin’s reaction to their son’s question, Alexia softly told the boy no.

“Why not?” he persisted.

“Your mother has things to do today,” Justin jumped in before Alexia could say anything.

“I think I can speak for myself, Justin. And ya know what? I changed my mind. Sure, I’d love to go with you, sweetie,” she glared at Justin, then smiled at her son.

“Yea! You need to go get ready, Mommy. Dad said we’re leaving soon.”

“Ok. I’ll be down in fifteen minutes.” Alexia rushed up the stairs after she set their food in front of them.



“Man, what are we waiting for?” Chris complained.

“Mommy is coming with us, Uncle Chris!” Josh answered excitedly.

All heads turned to Justin, who sat on the couch, staring off into space with a scowl set on his face.

“Justin, you don’t you look too happy,” Lance commented with a smile.

“Dad? Why aren’t you happy? We’re going to Disney World!” Josh exclaimed.

“I know, Josh. I am happy,” Justin pasted a smile on his face, so his son would no longer see his discontent.

“Ok, I’m ready,” Alexia called into the living room as she reached the bottom of the stairs.

“Finally,” Justin stood, making his way towards the door.

“Hey, Josh, you wanna ride with Uncle Jace and I?” Lance asked.

“Yeah!” the boy said excitedly.

“But…” Justin started to protest, but Josh was already in JC’s car.

“I guess I’m with you,” Alexia stated quietly.

“Just get in,” Justin snapped at her.

Silently, she did as she was told. And that’s the way it stayed the whole ride to the park, silent.


“Let’s go to the Haunted Mansion!” Josh yelled, as he dragged his parents and “uncles” along.

Justin wasn’t the least bit happy with the group. The whole day, they’d been pushing him and Alexia together, and they seemed to have recruited Josh for their mission. Alexia was simply uncomfortable. She knew he wasn’t too fond of her, and he had a girlfriend.

“Josh, I think I might want to sit this one out,” Alexia said uneasily as they approached the line for the ride.

“Mommy, you can’t miss the last ride of the night,” Josh pleaded with her.

“Alright,” she agreed hesitantly.

When they were close to the front of the line, Justin looked over to Alexia and noticed the nervous and unsettled look on her face. That’s when he remembered her fear of the dark. He recalled how she could only be calmed if she felt someone near her. When they were together, he would have to have his arms around her at night or she couldn’t fall asleep.

His thoughts were broken as someone led them into a room. The lights suddenly went out and he heard Alexia scream loudly beside him. He wasn’t sure if he should try to help her calm down or not. That would show that he still cared, and he was determined to prove that he didn’t. The lights came back on, and they were taken to a small car. Josh pleaded with his father that Justin sit in the middle. Unable to deny his little boy, he agreed, leaving Alexia in an even more uncomfortable position. The ride moved forward, and the darkness came quickly. Justin could see the fear and anxiousness on his ex-girlfriend’s face. Hesitantly, Justin put his arm around Alexia’s waist and pulled her tensed body to his side. He felt her relax a little, then cling to him when something popped out and scared her. She didn’t let go for the rest of the ride. However, all Justin could concentrate on was how her touch still affected him and the electric chemistry he still felt between them. As soon as the ride ended, Alexia jumped out of the car and practically ran out the exit to wait for the rest of the group, who occupied the cars behind them. Justin grabbed Josh’s hand and followed her, afraid of losing her in a crowd of people.

“Alexia, wait!” he finally caught up with her. “You can’t just run off like that. What if we’d lost you? You should know better.”

“What the hell? I’m not a child, Justin, and I don’t appreciate being spoken to as if I were one!” Alexia spoke angrily.

“Just don’t do that again.”

“I can take care of myself.”

“That’s why you’re still scared of the dark at the age of 27, right?”

Tears of embarrassment and anger filled her eyes. “Go to Hell, Justin!” Alexia ran, as the rest of their group joined them.

“That was out of line, man,” Chris commented.

“Find her, before we really lose her,” JC took Josh’s hand.

“She said she can take care of herself.”

“Go! You’re wasting time. We’ll meet you at the castle for the fireworks, and don’t show up without her.” Lance pushed him in the direction they’d seen her go.

Justin jogged lightly, searching the area. His eyes caught on her figure, sitting on a curb, her knees brought up to her chest, her head resting on her knees. Instantly, Justin felt bad for what he said. He hadn’t realized it would make her cry. Who are you kidding? You knew she’d cry. You knew it would hurt her. That’s the whole reason you did it.



“God, he is such an asshole sometimes!” she said to herself in frustration.

“Only sometimes?” a voice asked beside her.

She turned quickly, recognizing the voice instantly. “You’re right. It’s more than sometimes. Now, go away.”

“Listen, I know it was out of line for me to say that, and-”

“You’re damn right. Why do you do that?”

“Do what?”

“Make me look like a fool and humiliate me in front of my own child.”

Justin was quiet. He hadn’t thought about it that way. He’d been too concerned with just trying to hurt her, the way she’d hurt him.

“I came back because I realized what a big mistake I made. I didn’t expect everything to be easy, but you’re making it fucking impossible. I just wanted to be a part of my son’s life.”

“Then why did you leave?”

“I was messed up.”

“You weren’t the only one. But I could’ve helped you. We could’ve helped each other.”

“You and I were the problem.”

Her words pierced him. He didn’t want to hear that he was the reason she left. That was something he’d refused to believe since the day she walked out. Now, here she was, telling him straight out, that he was the cause of her absence in his life.

“We should get back. The fireworks are going to start any minute, and I promised the guys that we would meet them before they started.”

“Justin, we’re not done talking.”

“I said we should go, and I can’t show up without you.”

“What do you mean? Are you saying that they made you come after me?”

“Well… yeah.”

“You are unebelievable, Justin! Let’s just go. I want to get out of here. I don’t even want to look at you right now.”



“Where are they? Shouldn’t they be back by now?” Joey voiced his concern.

“They’ll be here soon. Just keep an eye out for them,” JC said.

They heard a loud whistling noise and looked up to see the beginning of the fireworks. Their search was forgotten.



Justin watched Alexia watch the fireworks. He missed her. His arms found their way around her waist and he pulled her back against him.

Shock registered across Alexia’s face, though he couldn’t see it, when Justin brought her body against his. He went from completely humiliating her in front of her own son to holding her in his arms. He probably just feels guilty for what he did. He’ll never feel the same about me as he once did. She looked up at him and found him staring back at her.

Justin took a chance and began to lean down to kiss her. Just as their lips were about to touch…

“Mom! Dad!” a little boy’s voice broke into their moment.



Chapter 3

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