Free A Leap of Faith by T. Gephart Page B

nodded before turning to respond in Hannah’s ear in an equally hushed voice.
    Hannah smiled at me before joining the guests who had resumed eating and drinking. The music had been turned up and laughter had once again filled the room.
    I couldn’t help but be curious as to Alex and Hannah’s poignant exchange.  “What was all that about?” I threaded my arms around Alex’s neck, tilting my head back to look in his astonishing blue eyes.
    “She told me if I ever let you go I was a fool.” Alex leaned down and kissed the corner of my mouth, his teeth catching on my bottom lip and giving it a discreet tug.
    “Hmmmmm. And what did you say?” I mumbled
    “I told her I have no intention of ever letting you go.” Alex had no hint of humour in his voice as he kissed me again.

Chapter 7 – Families, Freebies and Face-offs
    It was late when we finally got back to Alex’s apartment. We had lingered at the baby shower even after the last guest had left and Danielle and her crew had started cleaning up. Alex accused me of having OCD and not being able to help myself by straightening furniture, but I was just used to being “hands on” and found it difficult to step back and let others do the work. I knew it was something I was going to have to work on with Matt coming onboard, after all that was the reason I was hiring him... I couldn’t do this ALL myself.
    “What are you thinking about?” Alex ran his thumb across my forehead, the light pressure sending shivers down my spine. He turned onto his side to face me, I had assumed he was sleeping by his relaxed and steady breathing and I had been staring into space.
    “You.” I gave him a weary half smile.
    “You are such a liar.” Alex laughed, pulling me tighter against his naked chest.
    Ok so technically NOW I was thinking about him as I pulled my leg up to his hip, looking at him underneath my lashes.
    “You trying to distract me?” mused Alex as he ran his thumb down the bridge of my nose before resting it on my lips.
    “Me?” I asked innocently, unable to hide my amusement.
    “As much as my ego would love for you to be thinking about me 24/7, I know that it is highly unlikely, especially given your obsession with shoes. So. What were you thinking?”  Alex gently tapped my temple as his sparkling eyes stared into mine.
    I could see he wasn’t going to let this go, the truth is my mind was a jumble. Sometimes I was sure I had some undiagnosed condition like ADD. I had been replaying the events of the day as I always did, my internal audit of the hours gone by.  It was both a comfort and a curse, there was no off button for my brain and I only slept when everything was sorted and compartmentalized. One thought I couldn’t explain was Alex’s reaction to the cupcakes.
    I had initially wanted to ask him about it but then with the drive, our sordid romp in James and Hannah’s pool house and the party it had slipped from relevance. But there was something about his expression that I couldn’t let go. I knew he was holding back, almost like the day of his father’s funeral when he walked away from me, from us. I knew it was deeper than an issue with swirled frosting.
    “What was with you and the cupcakes?” I blurted out, not realizing I’d actually vocalized my thoughts.
    Alex looked at me, bewildered. “Is there any precursor to that random thought or am I supposed to fill in the blanks?”
    “Earlier, when you came to my apartment and you saw the cupcakes,” I clarified, filling Alex in on my internal conversation, “you had a strange look on your face, sort of like the day you walked out on me.”
    Alex swallowed, “Baby you know I didn’t want to leave you, I thought I had no choice. I thought you didn’t love me. I should never have walked out on you. I should have told you right there and then that I loved you. ”
    “I know baby, we both made mistakes back then. I’m not mad, just seeing that look again earlier made me think that maybe