Unbreakable

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

“Where the hell were you?” Alexis stalked to the open door the moment Lynn ambled inside their penthouse apartment. “I’ve been worried sick about you! I tried to call your cell phone, but you didn’t even take the damn thing with you.” Alexis held up Lynn’s shiny pink phone before slamming it down onto the table. “Jeez, Lynn, do you have a death wish or something? You waltz out of the apartment to who knows were and you don’t even take your phone! Now who’s the one not thinking, because it sure as hell wasn’t me.”

Lynn slammed the door closed and glared at Alexis. “Well now, I guess you know how I felt when you ran off at the store.” She maintained her grip on the doorknob in an effort to immobilize her trembling fingers. During the taxi ride home, she’d debated on whether or not she should even tell Alexis about seeing the man from the store. After all, if Alexis couldn’t be honest with her, then why should she be honest? Of course, that seemed childish, but it was her reasoning for keeping silent. “I just needed some air.” Lynn kicked off her high heels and sauntered to the kitchen, yanking out a bottle of water from the refrigerator. “I went out for a drink, okay. It was no big deal.”

“A drink,” Alexis spoke through gritted teeth. “Why did you…”

Lynn turned, holding up one hand when she looked at Alexis. “Stop! Please. I don’t want to argue anymore tonight. I can’t take it, okay? Just leave it alone, Alexis.”

“You’re shaking.” Alexis stepped forward, grasping Lynn’s quivering hand. Her voice softened when she probed, “What aren’t you telling me?”

“You didn’t want to talk earlier. Well, you know what,” Lynn spat. “I don’t want to talk now. Leave me alone.” She jerked away from Alexis’s grasp, slung the half-full water bottle at the sink, and stalked down the hallway. The tears she’d been fighting wracked her body the moment she slammed the bedroom door closed behind her. Between fighting with Alexis, too many unsuccessful pregnancy attempts, and once again having some crazy man stalking her, the pressure was overwhelming. For once in her life, she’d made herself believe that her life was finally on track. Now, she wasn’t sure what to think. Lynn sunk onto the bed, dropping her head into her upturned palms.

“Lynn,” Alexis whispered when she opened the door and stepped into the bedroom.

Lynn sniffled. “Go away!” She swallowed hard, trying to hide the tears from Alexis.

“No.” Alexis walked over to the bed and sat down beside of Lynn. “Please, talk to me.”

“I said go away.” Lynn looked up, glaring at Alexis.

“And I said no.” Alexis seized Lynn’s hands, drawing them into her lap. “Sweetheart…I’m sorry about earlier. I was irritated and…” Alexis sighed. “You’re right. Sometimes…sometimes, I do act without thinking when it concerns you.” She paused when their gazes met in the semi-darkened room. “I love you and protecting you and Calista will always be my top priority.”

“You can’t always protect me.”

“I know,” Alexis whispered. “That’s why I need to tell you something. I should have told you earlier but…” she looked away. “You were already depressed and I didn’t know how to tell you. It’s about the IVF procedure.”

“What about it?” Lynn stiffened. Her chest constricted when she dared to meet Alexis’s eyes. All she needed to hear was more bad news.

“Doctor Rollins suggested I take the hormone treatments too. He thinks we should use one of my eggs to increase your chances of conceiving, along with one of yours.”

“What,” Lynn whispered. Her shoulders slumped and she looked down, staring at hers and Alexis’s joined hands. “He thinks I’m too old, doesn’t he?”

“Honey,” Alexis squeezed Lynn’s fingertips. “He just believes that with your age the eggs may not be as viable. He said that by using both yours and mine it would increase the chances of conception.”

“How…how long have you known this?” Lynn’s voice broke when she looked up.

“Since yesterday’s appointment,” Alexis confessed. “I asked Doctor Rollins to let me be the one to tell you. I haven’t started the shots and I won’t do it if you don’t want me to.”

Lynn tried to keep the tears at bay, but it was no use. The past twenty-four hours had sent her on an emotional roller coaster and now this. “You should have told me. Yesterday you let me believe that maybe it would eventually work and the entire time you knew this. Damn it, Alexis.”

“I was trying to protect you!” Alexis shook her head when Lynn pulled away. “I know you’re upset with me and you have every right to be.”

Lynn blinked in attempts to clear her blurred vision. “You’re damn right I’m upset. You’re always doing this.”

“I know.” Alexis’s voice was barely audible when she looked down, staring at the floor. Silence lingered between them for several moments before Alexis finally spoke again. A faint smile tugged at the corners of her lips. “Our relationship started with me protecting you. I’ll never forget that night.”

Lynn slowly exhaled. “Me either,” she whispered as she wiped away the wetness beneath her eyes. “I was exhausted and turned on all at the same time. I half hoped you would pull out a pair of handcuffs and arrest me. You called me a jezebel!” Lynn grinned when she glanced at Alexis.

“Well you…you were half naked. In my defense, your breasts were distracting me.”

“That’s because my breasts are delectable.” An arrogant smile danced onto her lips when she waggled her eyebrows.

“I will have to agree with you on that one. I happen to find those beautiful girls absolutely scrumptious.” Alexis moved her hand to Lynn’s chest, daring to stroke the tender flesh that lay beneath her sheer blouse.

Lynn trembled, recalling that night. “I never told you this but…the second I was inside my beach house, I had to relieve myself.” She could feel the heat rise onto her cheeks when she looked at Alexis.

“You…” Alexis arched a brow in amusement. “Wow I…the image of you…” she licked her lips. “That is so hot.”

“It would have been even hotter had you been the one to assist me in taking care of my dilemma.” Lynn smiled. She had no idea exactly how they had gone from arguing to this conversation. It felt good to be calmly talking for a change. “You know I love you, right? I just…” she tugged Alexis’s hand nearer. “I know you feel the need to protect me, but…”

“But…” Alexis moved to brush a dangling strand of brown behind Lynn’s ear. “You’re a much stronger woman than I ever seem to give you credit for. I’m sorry for that. I just feel like I should protect you. I promise that I’ll work on that.”

Lynn smiled. “Baby, I don’t want you to change. All I want is for you to be honest with me. I don’t want you to shield me from the truth. I’m a big girl, Lex. So maybe I won’t always like the truth, but that’s life. I also want you to be more careful. Can you do that for me?”

“Can I promise to try?”

“Yeah, you can promise to try.” Lynn wrapped her arms around Alexis, holding her body near. “I need to tell you something too.” She frowned when she pulled away. “Lex I…I saw him tonight.”

“Who,” Alexis asked when she looked up.

“That man who was following us yesterday. He must have followed me tonight or something, I don’t know. All I know is I saw him when I was standing there waiting to flag down a taxi. If the cab had been a couple minutes slower I…I don’t know what he would have done. Once I was inside the taxi, I saw a knife in his hand.”

“Shit.” Alexis turned to Lynn, roughly squeezing the tips of her fingers. “I need you to make me a promise too. You are not allowed to go anywhere alone, not until we find out who he is.”

Lynn nodded. “I promise. It was irresponsible of me to go out tonight alone anyways, especially this late.”

“I shouldn’t have shut you out earlier. It was my fault you were out there alone like that. If something happened to you I would have never been able to forgive myself.”

“No,” Lynn firmly stated. “I was the one who made the choice to go out. You didn’t force me to walk out that door.” Lynn moved her palm to Alexis’s cheek. She brushed her fingertips across the dampened flesh when their gaze held. “But the next time you turn your back on me like that,” she grinned. “I’m going to roll your cute ass off that sofa and straight into the floor.”

Alexis laughed. “Do it!” She leaned in until their lips brushed together.

Lynn savored the sweetness of Alexis’s kiss for several long moments before finally pulling away. Her mind continued to mull over what Alexis said about Doctor Rollins. She’d known her age could prove to be an issue from the time they begun trying to conceive. It was a fear that constantly lingered in the back of her mind from day one. “So…Doctor Rollins he…he really believes my eggs aren’t viable, doesn’t he?”

“Oh, honey.” Alexis whispered as she stroked the curve of Lynn’s arm. “He didn’t say your eggs weren’t viable. He’s just a little concerned after so many failed attempts with the inseminations. He only suggested that I donate my eggs for the in vitro process simply to improve our chances. We don’t have to do it.”

“No.” Lynn forced a weakened smile. “I want to do it. I’m not getting any younger and…look how many times the inseminations have already failed. What if Doctor Rollins is right? What if the IVF doesn’t work either?”

“What if he’s wrong? Doctors don’t know everything.”

“Maybe,” she murmured. “I hope like hell that he is wrong. At the same time, I also need to be realistic. Whether it’s my egg or yours, it would still be our child. So maybe it wouldn’t be biologically mine but what does that really matter anyways?” Lynn tried to hide her disappointment. Having a biological child would be nice, but biology and genetics wasn’t everything in life. Her love for Calista proved that already. She could not have loved Calista more if she were her biological child. No matter whose egg was fertilized, the baby would still be hers and Alexis’s child. “Lex,” Lynn whispered. “Are we…are we okay?”

“We’re more than okay, sweetheart.” Alexis embraced Lynn, pulling her trembling wife against the center of her chest. “You look exhausted. Why don’t you lie down and see if you can get some sleep?”

“Is that your way of telling me that I look like hell?” Lynn laughed a little, closing her eyes when she tried to stifle a yawn. “Although, sleep does sound like a good idea.”