Choices of Fate (Fate Series) Read online

  Alexa merely nodded. The receptionist had explained most of that when she scheduled the appointment and had also mentioned that they did not accept any form of insurance. Having not had health insurance since she left her job shortly before Chloe was born, that wasn’t a concern. When the receptionist indicated that they would require a large deposit before the visit, Alexa had been a little surprised, but for the first time she was truly grateful for the large trust fund her parents left her that she’d only learned about on her eighteenth birthday.

  When she left the attorney’s office that day all those years ago, she felt anything but grateful. Abandoned, betrayed, furious, those words better described the emotions radiating from Alexa as she not so politely thanked Mr. Smith and stormed out of his office.

  Snapping back to the present and feeling more like herself with Chloe playing so contentedly on Dr. Kline’s lap, Alexa finally began answering his question regarding the change in Chloe.

  “I think it started a little over two weeks ago. At first she was just a little fussy around meal times. Within a few days she was pushing away any solid foods that I would offer and crying constantly. The only time she doesn’t cry is when she’s asleep or nursing, which that doesn’t last long. She only sleeps in short spurts and I am so sore from the constant nursing and the biting that I can barely stand it long enough for her to calm down. I’ve tried everything to soothe her, warm baths, wearing her in a wrap, rocking, walking, bouncing, swinging, singing to her…nothing has worked for more than a few minutes at a time.” Alexa considered the most troubling change that had occurred, of course that wasn’t something she could mention to the doctor, or anyone else for that matter, so she only made a general reference to that issue. “I used to be so, um, intuitive about her needs, but I can’t read her at all anymore.”

  Bouncing Chloe on one knee, Dr. Kline leaned over to the small counter and scribbled some notes on his pad. “When did you first introduce solids, and what did you offer?”

  “I started her out around seven months with all of the recommended foods, orange and yellow vegetables, bananas, baby cereal. She did great with all of it. I didn’t try anything new until she started refusing to eat, but she never does much more than let the spoon touch her tongue before she pushes whatever it is away.”

  “Did you notice any changes in her nursing habits before she started refusing solids?”

  “Um, yeah, I guess so, she started biting me sometimes and was a bit rougher than normal. I took that as a sign that it might be time to start weaning, but she seemed to want to nurse more than ever.”

  Not one to be shy about such things, Alexa continued. “She really seemed to favor my right breast, but the nipple was so raw, and I even noticed it was bleeding some so I tried to only let her nurse on the left side for a while. She was so rough though, it wasn’t long before that nipple was in pretty bad shape too. I tried to express the milk by hand and feed her with a bottle or a sippy cup, but she won’t take it that way. She only wants to nurse directly, so I’ve been doing my best to suffer through it.”

  As Alexa spoke, Dr. Kline remained quiet, nodding occasionally as he scribbled a few more notes and did a brief examination of Chloe as she looked up at him adoringly, seeming to love the attention. He looked in her ears, eyes and mouth. Felt her glands and listened to her heart, lungs and stomach.

  ✧

  “Ok, Alexa, may I call you Alexa?”

  Nodding her agreement, she couldn’t help but feel that spark of recognition again as he said her name.

  “I would like to draw some blood to run some tests, if that’s all right with you.”

  “Of course, whatever you need to do. I just want to help my baby.”

  Smiling at the sincerity in her voice, he added, “We will need some of your blood as well. There are some genetic tests that can aid us significantly in narrowing down the possibilities for what is going on with Chloe.”

  Again, she quickly agreed to do whatever was necessary, though it occurred to her that she couldn’t remember ever having her blood drawn before. Actually she didn’t think she’d ever even been to see a real doctor. She never got sick and when she was pregnant, she opted for a midwife and a water birth at a birthing center. It didn’t matter, he could have asked for one of her pinkies and she would have gladly sacrificed the appendage if it would get Chloe back to normal.

  “Could you have her father drop by the office as soon as possible, we will need to collect a sample of his blood for the tests as well.”

  Alexa felt the blood drain from her face as the doctor’s request registered in her mind.

  “Oh, um, I don’t think that will be possible. He’s out of the country, for work. I’m not sure when he’ll be back.” The lie came out easily. It was far simpler and infinitely less embarrassing than trying to explain the truth. At least the doctor hadn’t presumed she was married like most people did. Of course that was probably only because she had to indicate her marital status on the paperwork she completed. Alexa had conveniently left the information about Chloe’s father blank. Of course, she couldn’t have provided most of the information if she wanted to since he had left her before she even knew she was pregnant.

  “We’ll run the tests that we can with your two samples. If we determine there is a need based on those results, perhaps we could make arrangements to get a sample of her father’s blood shipped to us?”

  Alexa shook her head in agreement, hoping further tests wouldn’t be necessary. She would cross that bridge when she got to it.

  “If you will excuse me for a few moments, I’ll get one of my nurses to come draw your blood. When you are finished she will escort you to my office to discuss the next steps.”

  He stood and moved toward Alexa as Chloe reached out for her with a big smile on her face. It seemed like forever since she had seen her baby girl smile. Alexa scooped Chloe into a big hug as relief washed over her.

  Dr. Kline reached for the door knob looking back at them with a knowing smile on his face. “Everything is going to be all right, Alexa.”

  She leaned her cheek on the top of Chloe’s head and inhaled the sweet smell of her fine chestnut hair. Feeling her baby’s body relax into her as she drifted off for a much needed and overdo nap, Alexa smiled back. Without even trying to dig into the how or why of it, she believed him.

  CHAPTER 2 - Girl's Night Out

  Standing in the exam room with her eyes closed, gently swaying back and forth while Chloe slept peacefully against her shoulder, Alexa’s thoughts drifted back to the night her life changed forever. A year and a half had passed, yet the memory, and the pain, were as fresh as if it had occurred only hours ago.

  She was out for the first time in months at a happy hour with Jenny and Sarah, a couple of coworker friends. At least they were the closest things resembling friends that she had at the time. Sarah was sweet and quiet, but she seemed to go along with whatever Jenny wanted. No one could really blame her since Jenny was technically her boss and she was pretty awful to work for if she didn’t like you. She was petty and jealous, especially of Sarah and Alexa. While she always put on a fake smile and said only nice things to her face, Alexa would overhear Jenny ridiculing her weight and general appearance behind her back. It was that way since the first day she started in the tax group at Ernst & Young in Indianapolis. This night was no different.

  I can’t believe she is wearing that at her weight, though it would look amazing on me. Doesn’t she own a mirror? Shit, I’ll need to do an extra hour on the treadmill to work off all this food and alcohol tomorrow. At least sitting next to her makes me look hotter. Oh my god, that guy staring over here is so fucking hot. Is he looking at me or Sarah?

  Alexa rolled her eyes. She loved her outfit. The gray v-neck blouse with a hint of lace trim showed off just the right amount of cleavage and the flirty black skirt hugged her ample bottom perfectly. The wide red belt and red and black open toed pumps added an ideal splash of color. She couldn’t really blame Jenny
. It’s not like she would have ever said those things to her face. How could she know Alexa could hear her thoughts?

  She normally kept her shields up to keep from being bombarded by the thoughts of everyone around her. That skill had developed out of necessity shortly after her strange ability had emerged when she was a teenager. Strangers were the easiest to filter. It took a considerable amount of concentration for her to block out people she knew, particularly those she had spent a lot of time around. The better she knew a person, the easier their inner voice registered. With the cloud of alcohol covering her mind, it was damn near impossible to block close acquaintances. Especially with a loud broadcaster like Jenny whose drunken thoughts were blaring loud and clear over the thump of the bass coming through the speakers in the crowded club.

  This is why I don’t drink, Alexa thought as Jenny’s mind continued to interrupt what would have otherwise been a very pleasant buzz. At least Sarah was there.

  I’ll probably have to drag Jenny out of here tonight and get stuck paying for the cab again. I love Alexa’s blouse, I’ll have to ask her where she shops sometime. Better make sure Jenny isn’t around, I don’t know what her problem is, Alexa is so nice.

  Sarah’s sweet thoughts made Alexa smile. She didn’t get those two being friends. Jenny was mean spirited and overbearing. She wondered if she had only befriended Sarah in adhering to the old wisdom of “keep your friends close and enemies closer.” Based on her thoughts, she was even more jealous of Sarah than she was of Alexa. Sarah’s sweet nature and exceptional beauty made her very popular with men, which Jenny couldn’t stand since she was desperate to be the center of attention at all times. If it wasn’t for Jenny, Alexa thought she and Sarah would probably be much closer.

  Of course, Alexa never got too close to anyone. She knew better. Anyone who really got to know and spend time with her would eventually notice she was different. It was so hard to hide all of her emotions when she could hear every thought going through her companion’s head. Even if they didn’t notice anything strange about her, she would ultimately push them away as their innermost thoughts betrayed their true character.

  Having a boyfriend was practically an impossibility. Alexa usually found herself completely disgusted within the first twenty minutes of any date she had ever been on. Either the guy was mentally fucking every other woman that walked by, or he was critiquing her body and all of the things that he could ignore just to get laid, just not if he wanted to seriously date her.

  Holy fuck! He’s coming over here. Does Sarah see him? Maybe I should get up and go to him before he gets all the way over. If I stake a claim it would be a violation of girl code for that little cunt to try anything. Shit, he’s so hot!

  Well, Jenny certainly wasn’t wasting any time tonight.

  Oh wow, he’s really cute. I wouldn’t mind dancing with him tonight. Sarah’s thoughts were considerably tamer.

  At this point Jenny was staring past Alexa practically drooling as she flipped her thin, shoulder-length blonde hair while Sarah played with her straw nonchalantly, trying her best not to look at whoever had captured their attention from across the room. Alexa rolled her eyes and sighed.

  She could have been at home, curled up on her comfortable old couch with a nice glass of pinot and her best friend lying beside her. So what if that friend had bad breath and liked to chew on her socks from time to time. Tilly was a great roommate and the faithful Great Dane made Alexa feel safe.

  Taking the opportunity to make her escape unchallenged while her companions were busy ogling some stranger, Alexa stood making her excuses about having to get an early start the next morning even though it was obvious the two women weren’t hearing a word of it.

  She grabbed her clutch and turned to make her way to the coatroom, walking right into someone in her hurry to get away.

  ✧

  “Excuse me, I’m really sorry,” she blurted without even looking up.

  “I am the one who is sorry, if you are leaving. I spent the last ten minutes gathering up the courage to come and ask if you would let me buy you a drink.”

  Her breath caught as the stranger’s accented voice registered in her mind and tingling warmth gathered in her core and washed over her entire body. She turned to look up at him and felt her knees start to buckle as he swiftly wrapped his arm around her waist to steady her on her feet.

  Where his voice had made her feel warm, his touch set her body on fire. Unable to speak, or remember her own name for that matter, she drank in the physical perfection of the man who seemed to be quite at home holding her.

  His nicely tousled chestnut locks made him look like he had just rolled out of bed in the best way possible and were just long enough to make her think how good it would feel to run her fingers through them while he was pressed up against her so closely.

  Moving her shameless stare down to look into his beautiful eyes that fell somewhere in between green and grey, she almost melted as the darkness of desire clouded them while he stared down at her lips.

  Following suit, she gazed down to his full lips and felt her lacy black panties moisten as he wet his lips with his tongue and held on to the bottom one with his teeth.

  Oh. My. God. She thought he was going to kiss her. A complete stranger whom she had bumped in to literally fifteen seconds ago was going to kiss her in a crowded bar and God help her, she had never wanted anything so badly.

  As she held her breath, waiting, hell, practically praying that he would lean down and press his mouth to hers, he turned and pulled out the chair that she had vacated just a few moments earlier and eased her onto it effectively snapping her back to reality.

  The flood of Jenny’s less than kind thoughts, which she had been oblivious to moments before, hit her like a slap to the face.

  Why the hell is he talking to that fat bitch? Is he fucking blind? He must be looking for an easy lay. Lucky for him, he can do better than her if I have anything to say about it.

  With that, Jenny patted the seat next to her on the end of the booth between her and Alexa.

  “Why don’t you join us?” She purred suggestively.

  Without taking his eyes off Alexa, he slid into the seat.

  “I’m Jenny and that’s Sarah over there, what’s your name, handsome?”

  Still looking at Alexa and clearly addressing only her he replied, “I am Ethan, what is your name, beautiful?”

  Still a little thrown and feeling a bit embarrassed about her reaction a few minutes ago, Alexa kept her eyes averted as she mumbled, “Um, Alexa.”

  Not to be dissuaded by Ethan’s inattention, Jenny continued in what was obviously her “sexy” voice, “I feel like moving my body, come on, uh, Ethan, was it? Dance with me.”

  “Thank you for the offer, but I was actually just about to ask Alexa if she would dance with me.”

  Alexa looked up at him through her thick black lashes. Was he serious? This guy was definitely out of her league. Not that she was unattractive, she was actually fairly confident about her appearance, despite constantly hearing how she has such a pretty face, if she would just lose some weight. Sure, she could probably stand to lose twenty pounds, but Alexa loved food and she was not the kind of girl who would starve herself just to fit some mold people tried to force on her. She was a real woman, with curves that she embraced and liked to show off from time to time.

  Trying to get a read on what this guy’s game was, Alexa relaxed her shields a bit, but she couldn’t hear his voice. That was a first. She could feel his mind and the wave of desire that seemed to genuinely be directed at her, though his thoughts felt just out of reach, like they were covered by some sort of veil. Lowering her shields a bit further in an attempt to hear him, the cacophony of all the minds in the room started barreling in forcing her to snap her shields back in place.

  Her face flushing slightly from the exertion, Alexa felt a tiny bead of sweat trickle over her temple just as Ethan reached up and gently brushed it away with his thumb as he cuppe
d her cheek.

  With him touching her like that, everything else fell away. She could no longer hear Jenny who was staring at her murderously or Sarah who simply watched curiously with a slight smile on her face.

  “So, how about it, Alexa? Will you dance with me?”

  Overwhelmed by his touch and unable to find her voice, Alexa nodded as Ethan’s hand left her face and slightly grazed over her neck before he took her hand and led her through the crowd to the middle of the dance floor.

  ✧

  Just then, the upbeat song that had been playing ended and was replaced by a much slower song that Alexa had never heard before, but in that moment, she thought it was the sexiest song she had ever heard. The lyrics weren’t being sung in English. It sounded exotic, African maybe.

  Ethan twirled her around, wrapped his arm securely around her waist and pulled her body tightly against his as they began to sway slowly along with the music.

  Alexa was overcome with the sensations his nearness evoked. She had never experienced anything so intense or consuming and she felt incredibly embarrassed at how strongly her body was responding to this stranger. She kept her head turned to the side, pressed up against his hard chest with her eyes closed in a vain attempt to get ahold of herself. Ethan brought his hand up and lightly traced the outline of her ear, continuing down along her jaw until he gently lifted her chin to bring her eyes up to his. The uncertainty she felt only a few minutes earlier was completely erased as she looked up into his smoldering eyes. She might not be able to hear his thoughts, but the attraction radiating between them was like a tangible force that surrounded them and shut out everything else.