FOREVER WITH HIM

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

We have a nice family breakfast with some light conversation. Alina and Darius are excited to go sightseeing with June and Harvey. I have plans to spend the day with my wife and our children.

I can't wait to show Rose the place where I grew up and let her into the life that I had here all those years ago.

***

ROSALIE POV:

A nice day out, as a family is exactly what we needed today, and doing that in the place where Lex grew up, is amazing. He has been on a serotonin high all morning and honestly, it rubs off on all of us. Even Aurora and Lennox seem like they are feeling a lot better. They haven't been fussy and the swelling of their gums is much better.

Soft music fills the car as Lex drives off. We're heading a bit out of the city. When I asked him about where we were going, he only shrugged and said I'll see when we get there. The cityscape morphs into suburbia and within a few minutes, the car stops in front of a yard. The house is visible through the fence.

It's a beautiful two-storey Edwardian-era-style house with a neat, trimmed lawn. A black sedan is parked on the driveway leading up to the house.

"This is where I grew up," he says. His voice pulls my focus from the house to him. My gaze meets his and a plethora of emotions runs through his eyes. He looks so vulnerable as we continue to stare into each other. I knew that they had sold the house a few years ago, a decision he made with Isadora. The house we're staying in while we're here is a rental. Lex said we should just buy a house here but I refused. There's absolutely no need for us to buy a house in a country that we rarely visit. Even when he comes here for business, he usually stays in a hotel.

Sure, we can afford to have a house here but we don't need it. I never understood the need to have a house in each and every country. It's flashy and unnecessary. Thankfully Lex gets my logic.

My hand lifts to softly touch his cheek and his eyes close as he leans into the touch. We've been together for about 3 years now and this is the first time Alexander fully opens up about this part of himself. I wasn't going to rush him and a part of me knew that one day we would get to this point. I am happy and will take in whatever snippets of himself and his past that he shares with me. 

His eyes open and he places a kiss on my open palm. "Come." He says before stepping out of the car and walking over to open my door. The twins are asleep in their car seats, probably exhausted from our day of family activities. We had a picnic after doing our own sightseeing, Lex obviously being the very informed guide. Sharing places and spaces around the city that hold so many precious memories for him.

He wraps his arms around me as he leans onto the car, my back pressed against his front. I welcome the warm his body heat and the jacket he has on bring. London is cold. I was not expecting this type of cold, nor am I used to it.

"This house is beautiful." I softly utter, my eyes continuing to admire the external beauty of the house. I can only imagine how exquisite it looks on the inside.

"The new owners have kept it pretty much the same except for a few modern twists on the interior."

We stay silent for a moment before he speaks again, "My father was an accountant and my mother was a homemaker. Whenever I asked why she wasn't working, she'd always say that being a mother to us and a wife to dad was the best job she could ever have." he chuckles.

"I always admired that about her. Mom loved being with us and taking care of us. You could see it in her eyes."

My heart clenches. "That's so sweet."

He gently squeezes me. "We were a middle-class family. We were happy. Isadora and I never lacked anything. Our father made sure that we had everything we needed. - the day they died..."

I shift in his arms and face him. Looking up at the emotional turmoil in his eyes. The tears shimmer and threaten to spill. My husband is not someone who is not in touch with his emotions but I have never seen him cry, so seeing him like this, breaks me.

"They were on their way back from holiday. Mom looked forward to it every year. Each year they'd choose a different destination and on that day, they were coming back from Australia."

His exhales, his breath shaky, "I remember June and Harvey coming to get us and tell us the news. Isadora was very young but I understood. I knew that we would never get to see them ever again."

I know the story from then onwards. June and Harvey were close family friends and they took them in. They cared for Lex and Isadora until they were old enough to go to university. Lex studied business management for which he has a Masters and he has Honours in Economics. The man is great with numbers. He definitely got it from his dad. 

My hands reach up to his face and wipe the tears that have begun to flow freely from his eyes. Standing up on my toes, I place a gentle kiss on his lips. His arms pull me in as he deepens it. My lips open when his tongue asks for entrance. When we pull apart, I hold his gaze.

"Thank you for sharing this part of your life with me Lex. I know it wasn't easy. I appreciate deeply."

"Thank you for being patient with me Rose."

We smile at each other before sharing another kiss. I turn back over my shoulder to admire the beauty of his former home and bask in this special moment that we just had. I once again turn my face towards his chest and snuggle onto him. I hold on to him and pour my love onto him.

You never know what people are going through. Lex has this pain in his heart and my heart breaks for that boy that lost his parents. He had to grow up too quickly, he had to be a protector for his sister. I am forever grateful to Harvey and June. What they did - how they took care of those two broken children and give them all the love and care that their parents still wished to give them. 

"I'm lucky- I get to have two sets of parents, one looking down on me from heaven and another pair with me here on earth."

He smiles at me, his eyes crinkling at the corners, "It's actually three sets now with Darius and Alina."

My heart swells with pride and love. My vision becomes blurry as tears fill my eyes. Once again I lean up to kiss him because I have no words. He just made me speechless. I know how much he loves my parents and how they love him back just as much.

We hold on to each other for a few more minutes before the rain starts to drizzle, prompting us to get back in the car and drive back to our temporal home with some lo-fi playing in the background, the rain pouring from the heavens onto the windscreen and the cute, happy giggles from our children.

A/N

I'm publishing this chapter from my bed. The flu has me by the edges.

I will also be updating another chapter by the end of this week.

Happy reading

Love : Thuli