Runaway Bride (Across the Stars: Book 2) (11 page)

Chapter Twelve

A thrill shot straight through Lexie.  Who knew kissing someone could be so exciting?  Mark wrapped his arms around her, drawing her closer, and she snuggled up to him, enjoying his protective embrace.  She never wanted the moment to end.  A moment where no one else existed.  A moment where it was just the two of them and no one else mattered.

No mothers to disappoint.  No expectations to aspire to.  In this place, this one moment of time, she was free to be herself, free to do what she wanted.  With Mark, she didn’t have to pretend to be someone she wasn’t.  And she appreciated that about him more than anything else.  The kiss ended all too soon, but she remained in his arms and rested her head on his shoulder.

“Lexie,” he whispered in her ear.

“Hmm?” she asked, aware that for the first time in a long time, she was at peace.

“There’s something I have to tell you.”

Noting the serious tone in his voice, she straightened up so she could get a good look at him.  In the time she’d known him, she hadn’t seen him apprehensive about anything.  “What is it?”

He offered her a tentative smile.  “This is going to sound crazy.  Promise me you’ll hear me out before you decide whether or not you’ll spend the rest of your life with me.”

His statement about spending the rest of her life with him made her heart leap with excitement, but she held her emotions in check.  She had to find out what the catch was first.  “What is it?”

“I’m an alien from another planet.  I came here to find a wife.  You see, on my planet, there are no women.  There are only two planets with women who are compatible with men from my world, and Earth is one of them.  I chose to come here because I heard women on Earth want to establish a lifelong commitment to one man and have children with him.  Those are things I want, too.  And I can’t think of any other woman I’d rather share that with than you.”

She stared at him, waiting for him to tell her he was kidding, but he didn’t.  “You’re an alien?” she dumbly asked.

“I know it sounds crazy.”

“No, it doesn’t sound crazy.  It sounds like a lie.” She glanced around them.  “Did someone put you up to this?”

“What?” He took her hand in his and gently tugged on it so she’d look at him.  “No.  Lexie, I’m not lying.  It’s the truth.”

“So do something a man from Earth can’t do.”

He furrowed his eyebrows.  “Like what?”

“I don’t know.  You’re the alien, not me.  Do you have an extra eyeball somewhere, or some magical ability?  Can you fly or jump on top of a building?  Can you run at the speed of light?”

He chuckled.  “No.  I’m just like any other Earth guy.”

“Which makes what you’re saying hard to believe.” She shook her head and stood up.  “It’s impossible to believe.  There are no such things as aliens.  Thanks for the joke.  What I want to know is who put you up to it?” She scanned the beach and houses on it, wondering if someone was hiding somewhere.

Standing up, he said, “No one put me up to anything.  I’m telling you the truth.  If you don’t believe me, then ask Caitlyn and Chris.  Chris came from the same world I did.”

“I can’t believe you’re dragging them into this.”

“It’s true.”

Exasperated, she grabbed her shoes and walked away from him.  How did she end up falling in love with a lunatic?  She should have listened to her mother.  Her mother would have seen right through him.

“Lexie!” He jumped in front of her, stopping her.  “I know it’s hard to accept.  Your world hasn’t been exposed to all the different life forms on other planets, but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist.  It’s just that you’ve been shielded from it.”

“And yet, you managed to come here from…where?  Mars?  Jupiter?”

“Pandoran.”

“No such planet exists.”

“Not in your solar system.”

“I’ve heard enough.”

She tried to go around him, but he dodged in front of her and gently held her arm.  “Will you please talk to your sister and Chris?  I came across the galaxy to find my life mate and I didn’t know who I wanted her to be until I met you.  I know we’ve only known each other a short time.  I know this is happening fast.  But I want to spend the rest of my life with you.  I want to marry you and have children with you.  Please, give me a chance.  Talk to your sister and her husband.  If after you talk to them, you decide you don’t want to be with me, I’ll leave you alone.  But please talk to them first.”

With a sigh, she relented.  “Alright.  I’ll talk to them.” They would tell her that Chris was just as human as she and Caitlyn were.  Chris would probably reveal that Mark was taking medicine for a mental illness.  Then the whole mess would make sense.

Mark let go of her and smiled.  “Thanks.  I meant what I said, about wanting to marry you.”

Unfortunately, she wanted to marry him too, but she knew better than to marry a man who harbored more mental issues than she could handle.

“I’ll let you go back to the party so you can talk to them.  I’ll wait for you on the bench.” She was ready to tell him that she wouldn’t bother going to the bench if Caitlyn and Chris confirmed what she suspected, but he added, “One hour.  I’ll wait for one hour.  If you don’t come to me in that time, I’ll go home.  Then I’ll never bother you again.”

She nodded.  “Fine.”

At least he wouldn’t be waiting for her longer than an hour.  She hated the thought of him waiting at the bench indefinitely for her return.  She headed back to Nick’s house where everyone seemed to be having a good time.  Despite her better judgment, she glanced back and saw that Mark was sitting at the bench.  She had the crazy impulse to run back to him but reason held her in check.  If she was going to spend the rest of her life with someone, he had to be sane enough to handle a relationship.  While romantic feelings had their place, she still saw the value in making logical decisions.

Turning her attention away from Mark, she shielded her eyes from the bright sun as she scanned the beach for Caitlyn and Chris.  Why was she even doing this?  Was it a good idea to feed further into Mark’s delusions by talking to them?

“Lexie?”

Putting her hand down, she turned in time to see her father bounding down the patio steps.  She looked up at the room where Nick had been talking to people about his awards and inched closer to the side of the house so he wouldn’t see her, just in case he decided to look out the window.

Her father reached her side and offered a sympathetic smile.  “Why are you hiding in the shadows?  You should be in there, enjoying all the attention.”

“I don’t like large gatherings.” While that was true, she sensed he would pick up on the fact that there was more to the story than she was telling him.

“They’re not my thing either.  But still, all of these people are here to see you.”

“Yeah, I know.” And in some ways, knowing that made everything worse, especially since she didn’t want to marry Nick.  “I just don’t feel up to it right now.  I wanted a moment to get away from the action.”

“Okay.  Well, if you need anything, give me a holler.”

“Thanks, Dad.” As he turned to leave, she reached for his arm.  “Oh, did you see Caitlyn and Chris anywhere?”

“Nope.  Sandy said they came with her and Mark, but I haven’t seen them.”

“Do you think they’re hiding from Mom?”

He chuckled.  “Probably.  And who can blame them?  The wedding’s all she talks about.  Even I’m trying to steer clear of her.  As happy as I am for you, sweetie, if I hear anything else about the wedding, I’ll go loco.”

“You’re not the only one.”

“If I see Caitlyn or Chris, I’ll let them know you’re looking for them.”

“Thanks.”

Her father went back up the patio steps and she scanned the beach.  She didn’t think they would venture anywhere near the house, but she didn’t see them anywhere.  After a minute, she decided to check and see if Caitlyn’s minivan was parked near the house.  She walked to the front of the house and scanned the parked vehicles, and sure enough, Caitlyn’s minivan was there.  So she and Chris had to be nearby.  But where?

She turned her attention back to the house.  She was hoping she wouldn’t have to go back in there, but it seemed she had no choice.  Bracing herself for her mother and Nick, she headed up the steps to the front door.  As she reached it, Sandy opened it.

“Hi, Sandy,” Lexie greeted.  “Have you seen Caitlyn or Chris?”

“No.  They headed down the beach when we got here.  I haven’t seen them since.”

Though disappointed, she managed a smile.  “Thanks.”

Before Lexie entered the house, she asked, “Is there anything I can help you with?”

She hesitated.  Sandy was good friends with Caitlyn.  Just how much did Caitlyn tell her?  Would she tell her if Chris came from another planet?  Or maybe she would tell Sandy that Mark believed he was an alien but really wasn’t?  Either way, it probably wouldn’t hurt to ask, especially since it involved Mark.  “Maybe,” she finally replied.  “Do you mind if we go somewhere private?”

Sandy’s eyebrows rose in interest.  “Must be good.”

Her face grew warm.  “More like…crazy.” Mark was right.  It was crazy.  And Sandy was about to laugh her head off or warn Lexie to stay as far from the lunatic as possible.

“Where do you want to talk?”

Lexie scanned the beach.  While there were a few people enjoying the day, she knew Mark was out there, waiting for her, and she’d rather be in a place where she couldn’t see him.  It was such a contradiction, she knew, especially since she’d wanted to see him so badly before.  But she needed to think with a clear head.

Her gaze went to the folded up beach chairs leaning against the side of the house.  “How about there?” It was the perfect place.  They would be out of everyone’s sight.

“Okay.” Sandy led the way to the chairs, and after they unfolded them, they sat down.  Leaning forward with her elbows on her knees, she ventured, “Does this have something to do with Nick?”

“Yes.”

“Let me guess.  You don’t want to marry him?”

“Yes.  How did you know?”

“Just a hunch.  I noticed he couldn’t stop talking about himself in that ‘Nick’s Hall of Fame’ room he has.”

Giggling, Lexie relaxed.  “It’s not a ‘Hall of Fame’ room.  It’s just his award room.”

“Which is basically the same thing, if you think about it,” Sandy replied, shooting her a pointed look.

She considered Sandy’s words and relented.  “Alright.  I guess it can be seen that way.”

“And he’s in love with himself.”

Though hesitant, she nodded her agreement.

“If it was me, I’d be screaming and running out of there.  It’s one thing to have a good dose of self-esteem, but he takes it to the extreme.”

Lexie wasn’t sure what to say to that.  She’d talked to Sandy in the past when Caitlyn was around, so she knew Sandy usually said whatever was on her mind.  But for some reason, it shocked her that Sandy was so blunt about Nick.  She was right.  Deep down, Lexie knew it.  However, it still was hard to hear, especially when her mother was excited to have him as a son-in-law.

“I know it’s not easy to call off an engagement,” Sandy softly began, “but sometimes you have to do the hard thing so your life will be better in the long run.  I also understand that your mom has her heart set on this marriage.  She sees a man who has a good job who is going places and she wants her daughter to have financial security.  But there’s more to marriage than money.  You need to be with someone who will be your friend, someone who will always be there for you no matter what.  There’s so many unexpected things that can happen in a person’s life and you’d be surprised at how quickly someone will drop you if you can no longer give them what they want.  I hate to say it, but from what I’ve seen, Nick is the type who is marrying you for what you can do for him.  You deserve better than that.  You need someone who will do what’s best for you, even if he has to give up something in order to make it happen.”

Lexie’s heart pounded in her chest as she considered Sandy’s words.  After a moment, she ventured, “And if I happened to find someone else, someone who honestly cares about me, but he says he’s an alien from another planet…what then?”

Sandy’s eyebrows furrowed.  “What?”

“It’s silly.  I know it is.” Lexie let out an uneasy chuckle and twirled a few strands of hair around her finger.  “You see, I met this other guy recently and he’s wonderful.  He listens to me, he’s funny, he’s kind.  He’s everything I want in a man, but I think he has a mental illness.  Do you think I should try helping him with that or should I cut things off and look for someone else?”

“This guy says he’s an alien?”

“Yeah.  Crazy, huh?” She let go of her hair, crossed her arms, and shrugged.  “It doesn’t seem to prevent him from doing his work or interacting with people.  He doesn’t think he has any special abilities, so I guess that makes it better.  He would act like a normal person, right?  If he saw a good psychiatrist, maybe he could even pull out of his delusions.”

“Lexie, is this guy Mark Tanner?”

“Yes.  How’d you know?”

“Because he
is
an alien.  He came to Earth with Chris.  They’re from a planet with no women and they were lonely so they came here to find wives.”