The two-day drive wasn’t as bad as the two girls thought. Sully and Tommy followed them the entire way, taking as many stops as the girls wanted or needed.
When they finally did arrive at Alex’s new house, the guys even stayed a few days to help them unload the truck and place furniture where she wanted.
For dinner the second night, they decided to order pizza. Alex went into the kitchen to call in the order, but fifteen minutes after making the call, she still hadn’t come back.
Sully walked into the kitchen to look for her. “Alex, you in here?” he asked, walking in and finding the kitchen door slightly open. He walked over to the door and looked outside, thinking she may have stepped out onto the patio for some fresh air.
He almost panicked when he didn’t see her on the patio, but breathed a huge sigh of relief when he saw her near the water’s edge.
“What are you doing out here?” he asked as he walked up behind her and slipped his arms around her waist.
“I just needed a little peace, just for a few minutes,” she said quietly. She sighed deeply, then spoke again. “My mom loved the beach. I remember only one trip that Da took us to the beach, but it was only to the Gulf of Mexico; we never made it to the ocean,” she laughed softly, remembering as tears formed in her eyes. “He promised that when I was able to take a vacation that he would take us to see the Atlantic Ocean. He was going to rent a beach house for a week and I could take as many pictures of him as I wanted to. Two weeks later a drunk driver out on the spillway killed him, my mom & older sister as they were coming back from dinner in Baton Rouge.” She started to sob and Sully turned her around, pulling her to him. “Sully, I miss them so much! Why did they have to be taken from me?” she cried as she put her arms around his neck.
“I don’t have the answer to that question, baby. I wish I could turn time back to give them back to you, if only to see a smile. You’ve been brooding all day; now at least I know why.” He held her close and stroked her hair as she cried.
Ten minutes later, they walked back into the house as the doorbell rang, announcing that the pizza had arrived.
“I’m gonna go wash my face, Sully. I’ll be right back,” she said as they passed the stairs leading to the second floor loft.
“Ok, I’ll make sure that Tommy doesn’t eat any of your pizza!” he joked, placing a gentle kiss on her lips, then walked into the living room.
“What happened to the two of you?” Lynn asked as Sully walked into the living room.
“Alex needed some air and I found her out on the beach. She needed a shoulder to cry on and I was available,” he explained as he sat on the couch.
“I’m surprised she cried in front of you; she rarely cries in front of anyone – even me!” Lynn said. “She must’ve been pretty upset.”
“But I’m ok, now, Lynn,” Alex said as she walked in and sat down on the floor at Sully’s feet. He noticed that she had also brushed her hair out, leaving it loose to fall down her back and over her shoulders. He impulsively reached out and took a lock of hair between his fingers, gently curling it around his fingers. He smiled slightly as she looked over her shoulder at him when she felt the slight tug.
“As long as you’re ok, I’m not gonna worry, girl!” Lynn said as she took a slice of the pizza.
“Like I said, I’m fine now,” Alex said, reaching for the pizza. “What movie did you guys decide on, anyway?” she asked as she settled back against Sully’s legs, handing him a slice of pizza.
“The Indiana Jones trilogy. It was the first thing I pulled out of the ‘videos’ box!” Tommy said. “Oh, SHIT! That’s hot!” he yelped as some of the pizza sauce dripped onto his finger, much to the amusement of Sully and the two girls.
“Careful, the pizza’s hot, Tommy!” Sully joked. He and Alex laughed as they ducked a pillow thrown in their direction.
“Thanks, man, needed that pillow! Come here, girl!” he said, as he pulled Alex up onto the couch and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her quickly. They smiled at each other slightly, then turned their attention to the first movie.
