** WARNING, SPOILERS**
*There will be spoilers relating to Lilly and Connor's story- Marriage reunited *
Alexa fought to keep her eyes on the bride and groom who were renewing their vows, rather than letting them stray to the best man. None of them had expected Cam to turn up for his brother's renewal. And why would they? After all he certainly hadn't shown up for their first attempt. Nor had he turned up when his teenage sister had discovered she was pregnant or when she had given birth. Yet when Alexa had arrived for the ceremony there he was at the front of the church as though nothing had happened and he had never been away.
As soon as the service had finished and they were back at the hotel where the reception was being held Alexa made her escape and tried to avoid him as she drifted from group to group and chatted with people who had become dear friends in the last few years. She knew the moment he tracked her down though, she could feel the tingling in her spine that alerted her to his presence. Slowly she turned to find him looking down at her with curious eyes as though assessing the small changes that had occurred in the last few years.
"Alexa," he murmured with a smile on his face and she longed to hit out at him and demand to know why he had punished her by staying away all this time. Instead she offered a faint smile in return.
"Cameron," she replied in as cool a tone as she could manage and his smile wavered a bit as his eyes became a bit more assessing. Did he see the pain she tried to hide? Could he possibly see that he had achieved what even her father could not? He had offered her the chance of happiness and then cruelly ripped it away leaving her as nothing more than a shell of herself for a long time. At least her father had only ever offered pain and suffering. He had never offered her hope only to snatch it away again moments later.
"You look beautiful," he said softly as he moved closer to her and Alexa had to stop herself from automatically backing away.
"Amazing what a dress and some makeup can do," she replied with a fake smile in place and his eyes narrowed.
"You always look beautiful," he offered in a husky tone that sent shivers through her. She could almost believe that he was serious. Instead she reminded herself that he would say the same thing to any one of the women he had been with in the last few years. He hadn't seen her in months and even then they only saw each other for a few moments. She was surprised he remembered her at all. Alexa wanted to take the anger and pain that filled her and throw it all back at him. She wanted to tell him that there was no way he could know whether she was always beautiful when he barely ever saw her. She wanted to accuse him of abandoning her when she most needed someone and to scream at him until all her anger and pain disappeared. But that would reveal too much and would let him think she was so weak she actually cared what he did.
Instead of shouting at him she summoned her most winning smile though it cost her everything she had in her to keep it in place.
"It's lovely to see you Cameron. Unfortunately I have to go and rescue your sister now but I hope to see you around," Alexa told him before she turned and walked away without a backward glance and trying not to run as though the hounds of hell were on her heels.
Cameron stared after his wife as she slowly walked away and his eyes were glued to the way her silky blue dress clung to her every curve. She finally reached his sister and he watched through narrowed eyes as she picked up his four year old niece and stood talking and even laughing with his sister.
He had expected Alexa to be angry with him for not seeing her in a few months but he had thought she would understand that he was setting up his new business and couldn't handle any distractions. He didn't think that she would completely ignore him though and act like they were nothing more than strangers.
