Chapter 7: Chapter 7

Stunned, Alexis shut her mouth and sat rigidly until Ray stopped the car on 5th Avenue. She got out and followed Marjorie into the store not bothering to know which one it was. Her head was spinning in circles trying to understand why he would say that when he didn't mean it. He couldn't.

Before the kiss, he'd ignored her. Once when she was ten she had decided to bother him until he noticed her. Determined she'd gone to Vince's house to spend the weekend and she'd started with parking herself in his room. He had acted like she was invisible until she had started singing at the top of her voice. Then, he'd carried her out of his room and deposited her just outside the door and locked himself in. She had tried everything to make him like her but she'd failed. At least that's what she thought. It was what she was going to keep thinking. What he'd said didn't matter because she knew he was trying to get under her skin just as always.

"What's with the face?" Marjorie asked her face already lit up from all the gowns in front of her. The look in her eyes would have worried Alexis if she wasn't so distracted. "Silver or gold?" she held up two metallic dresses waiting for an answer that never came. "Alexis?"

"What?"

She sighed. "What did he do now?"

"Nothing. Silver" Alexis sidestepped her moving to a row of prom dresses. She stared at them not really seeing anything. If Ray had wanted to ruin her afternoon he'd succeeded but this time it was her fault because she asked for it. This whole day had been a series of events, most of them she'd rather forget. Shaking her head, she pushed everything to the back of her mind so she could concentrate on shopping. Marjorie had already acquired a handful of clothes and Alexis almost pitied her. There was no way she was going to pay for all that.

"Before you start, half of these are yours" she defended flashing her famous smile. Add the dimples peaking through from her cheeks, and it was meant to disarm anyone out there including the heartless people. Just not Alexis.

"Two Marj. I'm only paying for two"

"Four. You forgot my birthday this year"

"I threw you a party..... "

"After I reminded you. Four dresses Alexis"

"Fine. Four dresses" she said grabbing the pile Marjorie handed her. Chances were she'd only end up liking one at most. Heading to the changing rooms, she froze midway when she saw Ray seated on one of the leather chairs outside. She didn't see him come in. Ignore him, Alexis. He's the invisible one now. Sailing past where he sat pretending not to see him, she locked herself in one of the rooms then dropped the dresses she was holding on the floor. The staff there would definitely not appreciate how she was handling their merchandise.

But that wasn't her problem. What bothered her was why she was acting all weird over what Ray had said. He wasn't the first person to declare that he loved her. She got that all the time, even in London. Guys approached her professing their love for her and she hadn't freaked out. It was natural especially when the press followed her around. So why freak out now? Because it was Ray. She knew him. This wasn't one of those guys she could ignore because she might never see them again. This was Raymond who practically lived in her house. He came and went like it was his because that's how close their families were. She couldn't just ignore him. But then again she was the queen of ignorance. Wasn't she?

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Ray wanted to kick himself for opening his big mouth. He didn't mean to tell Alexis he was in love with her because he knew how she would react. She wasn't ready to hear the truth yet. For the first time ever they weren't fighting or arguing about anything. Instead, they had talked like civilized human beings. She even wanted to know why they weren't friends and if he was clever, he would have started right there. By being her friend. Not by blurting out his feelings to her. And now she was doing what she always did. Run.

She couldn't get out of the car fast enough. Way to go Ray. Why don't you put her on a platter and hand her over to that idiot Connor? He chastised himself following her into the shop. She was talking to Marjorie and as much as he wanted to know what they were talking about, he didn't want her to pull farther away. For a second there they'd gotten along. He wanted to see her laugh the way she did today with him. He wanted her to stop and look at him. Even if it was just as a friend. He could figure things out from there. And to do that, she had to stop running from him. So he went to sit outside the changing rooms just like other men who took their wives, girlfriends, sisters shopping. He would tell them how good or sexy or horrible they looked in their dresses just like what friends did.

Pretending to be fascinated with his phone he watched as Alexis ran to a dressing in front of him then smirked knowing she was trying to avoid him. Just like she did everything else that bothered her. Then Marjorie passed in front of him and he had to suppress a chuckle. He'd seen shopaholics when he was in college. Some of his friend's girlfriends drove them crazy with the number of things they bought and never used and he'd thought it was funny back then. Even now he had listened to his father complain about the number of dresses Jasmine bought, praying his little girl Sasha wouldn't turn out like his mother. But all of them combined couldn't compare to Marjorie. She had two staff people carrying a handful of clothes and shoes both women sporting sour expressions, while she followed behind them her hands full too. He could only imagine the dent she was going to put in Alexis's credit card. Rich or not, that was a lot of things she had picked, not forgetting they were in a high-end store.

Now Ray didn't mind spending money in a shop like that once in a while. But he wouldn't think of offering to take Marjorie shopping. Ever. How he pitied her future husband. "Can I get some help in here?" Alexis said poking her head out through the small crack. Seeing as Marjorie had taken everyone, Ray thought it would be wise to go help her. But outside the door, a thought stopped him. What if she was naked? And that got him thinking about how smooth her skin would be or if her breasts could fit in his palm, so he turned around and went to find one of those staff Marjorie had taken with her.

Four hours later they exited the shop. That was after Alexis had argued with Marjorie because apparently they'd decided to buy only four dresses but she'd found six that she really liked and wouldn't let go off until they were paid for. Then there were the shoes and since they hadn't talked about those, they argued for about half an hour until Ray decided to pay for them so they could just leave. But not before putting a reminder on his phone that said 'Never take Marjorie shopping' so he never fell into that trap again. Now that they were outside, he could almost hear Alexis' thoughts. She wanted to go with Marjorie but he wasn't going to let her. He had to clear some things up.

"I'll put those in the car" he snatched the bags she was carrying then walked to where his car was parked without looking back. He opened the back door placing the bags on the seat then turned around only to see them fighting again. Ray leaned against his car, watching as they both stomped their feet like the spoiled brats they were. He wondered how they met and managed to become friends. Women were so complicated sometimes. He knew Alexis like the back of his hand, mostly because all he did was watch her but sometimes she surprised him. Like when she fell into that ass hat's arms today after spending the whole night crying over him. The only reason that man's face was still intact was because for some stupid reason they hadn't broken up. He wanted to know why she was back together with him, but to do that he had to be her friend first. She had to trust him and Ray only hoped that he hadn't botched that opportunity. He had a plan on where to begin but first, he needed to correct the mistake he'd made earlier. Because if Alexis was ever going to feel anything for him, it would have to start with her trusting him.

"What was that about?" he asked when she approached him.

"Nothing. Just Marj being Marj"

"Okay. Where to now?" he opened the door for her realizing he was acting as her chauffeur. The things we do for love. He inwardly sighed.

"Home. I'm tired and since I didn't get much sleep last night I think it's catching up to me now."

Don't ask. Don't ask. "Why didn't you sleep last night?"

"It doesn't matter" she closed her eyes leaning her head back on the headrest indicating she was done talking. And as much as he wanted to insist she tell him so he could have an excuse to beat up that boyfriend of hers, he didn't. He kept his mouth shut and drove her home.

Forty-five minutes later, Ray watched Alexis as she slept, marveling at how beautiful and peaceful she looked. She must have been tired if she actually fell asleep for real. He spied Marjorie walking to where he'd parked in front of the Rutherford mansion and opened the window quickly before she had the chance to bang on it. "Shut up and go inside Marjorie." shocked by what he told her, she bent down to see why.

"I see. She almost looks like an angel when she's asleep. Doesn't she?"

"She is an angel. Now do me a favor and keep walking. I don't want you waking her up with your big mouth"

"Wow. And here I thought you were a charming gentleman when I met you this morning. You know what? I take it back. You're not nice at all" she huffed then turned around and went to the house where Jayden opened the door and took her bags. If he didn't know better, he'd think the guy had been biting his nails all day waiting for her to get back. Poor guy. He was in for the first heartbreak of his life.

Normally Jayden Rutherford was the one who broke girl's hearts. At the age of ten, he'd gone to Ray asking for advice on how to handle the 'babes' as he'd put it then since they kept following him around. Maybe Ray could take credit for the part he played in making Jayden the player he was, but most of it was all him. That Rutherford gene was there alright. But with Marjorie? He was way in over his head. That girl would wrap him around his finger and have him doing her bidding in no time. It was hard to imagine that he'd only met her that morning. She was the kind of person who made you feel like you'd known her forever. He realized that Alexis had been right. As much as Marjorie was annoying, she had her moments. Like when she'd made them remember their first kiss.

Smiling he turned back to his Princess. She was facing him and Ray took another moment to study her. Her thick eyelashes rested against her skin while her mouth parted slightly forming an o. Suddenly he had this pressing feeling to kiss her. He never forgot how she tasted. That innocent kiss was burnt in his mind, probably because he'd thought about it every single day. Would she still taste the same? Or had London changed her? He didn't want to think about how she'd kissed Connor that afternoon. Dwelling on it, or how it made him feel wouldn't change a thing. What he ought to do was start planning his moves. Getting out of the car, he went over to her side and picked her up, carrying her inside. She stirred then nuzzling her face in his neck, went back to sleep. He smiled down at her and whispered "Watch out Princess. Because I'm done standing on the sidelines"

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Hayley sighed as she watched Ray carry Alexis upstairs. She'd watched him fall in love with her daughter silently. He'd never made a move even after Alexis had grown up. She knew that she would sleep better if her daughter ended up with him because he was a good boy. Being Vincent's son was also a great bonus but that wasn't why she wanted them to end up together. Also, JR wouldn't freak out over their relationship like he had when Alexis had introduced her boyfriend to them the first time. Maybe she could help Ray win over her daughter. She went back to the kitchen, a few ideas already forming in her head.

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Remember Alexis plotting? Well, now the tables have turned. Let's see what mama bear comes up with.

I also can't get enough of Marjorie. I think we need to find her someone who can keep her in check. Agreed?

About Alexis, there's a book about Hayley and JR up on Dreame. Titled UNBREAKABLE. If you're curious about their story, check it out.