Love Drunk: Chapter Thirty Six

Last time the band were touring Europe with great success. Lainie and Dex were missing each other terribly but Lainie was still hurt that Dex blamed her for his break-up with Jenna! Finding his journals and reading just exactly what he thought of her, Lainie came to the conclusion that something had to be done to put this matter to bed once and for all...while Dexter's antics in a young woman's bed gave him a moment of clarity! He was going to finally confess his love for Lainie as soon as he returned home! Will he? Or won't he?

When the gang finally arrived back at the building they called home, Dexter dumped his cases in his room and raced down to Lainie's. The diner was closed so he guessed she was spending a day with Keira.

When his mother answered the door, he hugged her tightly, "Mum! I have to see Lainie!"

"Oh honey she's not here!" Avril croaked, struggling to breathe from her son's tight grip.

Dexter let his mother go and gave her a worried look, "Where is she?" A voice behind her piped up,

"She's at the park with Keira!" 

It was Sadie, Lainie's mother. It seemed that while he'd been away, the two grandmothers had become close friends.

"Okay thanks!" He replied and raced for the outside door and bounded down the steps.

"I think he missed her just as much as she missed him!" Sadie nodded as Avril giggled.

"Yes my Dexter has always loved your Lainie!"

"It's plain for all to see...but them!" Sadie added and they both laughed.

Dexter ran as fast as he could to the park, as he ran he thought about what he was going to say to her, how he was going to just come out with it. But he imagined it would just come naturally!

As he reached the entrance. He saw Lainie and Keira by a bendy horse, Keira was giggling as Lainie cheered her on. When she saw him, her face lit up...

...she lifted Keira off of the horse and said, "Look Keira! Your daddy's home!" As the tot giggled and gasped flapping her arms about for her daddy to cuddle her. Dex smiled and walked towards his two favourite girls.

"Hi!" He said, almost a whisper.

"Hi!" Lainie replied as she handed Keira to her father and they stood in silence.

Roxy and Matthew settled into his flat. She wondered how she was going to break the news to her best friend that she was moving out. It meant that Keira could have a room all to herself since she was turning a year old soon. 

But having to tell Lainie something else was eating Roxy up inside! Lainie wouldn't take the news very well, she knew that! But it had to be done!

Matthew wrapped his arms around her and gave her a reassuring squeeze, "It'll be okay in the end!"

"I know Matty, but...Lain and I have been friends since we were kids! She won't forgive me I know it!" Matthew had no other reassuring words for her, all he could do was be there for her!

Lainie and Dex still stood in silence as he snuggled his daughter and she gurgled happily. Finally Lainie spoke up, "Love the hair, nice!"

"Thanks, it was...an experiment! I plan to wash it out as soon as!"

"You make a very cute blonde Dexy!" She giggled as Keira mimicked her and tried to grab his hair.

"Yeah I think our daughter would agree!" He chuckled back and swatted her hand away softly. "Anyway I..." Dex began as Lainie spoke too. They both laughed as Dex spoke again, "Sorry you go!"

"No you first!" Lainie held up her hands and smiled.

"No you! Ladies first!" Dex insisted.

"Okay!" She sighed and came straight out with it, "I wanted you to be the first to know that..."

"...I'm moving to Bridgeport in a couple of weeks!" Dexter's jaw hit the floor, she was WHAT?

"Uh...why? What..."

"Dexy it's for the best! Can we head home please? It's getting cold and..."

"Freckles you...you can't move! What about me? What about Kee Bee?"

"You will always get to see her Dexy, she's your daughter just as much as she is mine, she can come and stay with you all the time!"

"That's not what I meant!" Dexter fought back the urge to cry.

"It's not that far away, it will work out fine! Keira is cold, let's head back eh?" Dexter nodded, feeling numb as they made their way back to the building.

When they did arrive back, Roxy grabbed Lainie before Dex could talk her out of this ridiculous move. Taking her into Matthew's flat while Dex watched Keira, she took a deep breath and came out with what she had to say...

"Lain? When we were in Paris? Matthew and I...got married!" The flat was deathly silent as Lainie took in what her best friend had just told her.

"You got married...without me?"

"I...let me explain, there were circumstances that..."

"Oh no, don't mind me, I'm just your best friend! Circumstances come before friendship I'm sure! And I suppose the rest of the band and Erin and Charlotte wee all there?" Roxy hung her head guiltily.

"Only Char and Drew, they were our witnesses!"

"But everybody knows, except me right? I'm the last to know?"

"Lain..." Roxy began but Lainie shouted over her.

"Oh yes Dexter and the boys all knew, even Erin and Char! But me, your best friend since our first day of school! The one who saved your life when we were fourteen and you took those pills! I got you on the bus and took you to the hospital! I stood beside you and held your hand while they pumped your stomach! I battered that Emma Jones black and blue after she called you a fat sow! Remember? I never was a fighter, but I kicked her butt for you!"

"Lain..."

"You know something? I can't wait to get away from the lot of you!" Lainie spat and turned to leave.

"What?" Roxy gasped.

"You heard, I'm moving! And not soon enough!" Roxy grabbed her friend by the arm.

"Lainie, the reason we got married is because I became ill out there! Dexter found me and rushed me to the hospital...they told me I'd had a miscarriage! Dex was there for me, he called Matthew, he was amazing! He held me and let me cry for a long long time on that hospital bed! Just held me, didn't say a word! I soaked his t-shirt right through with tears, and he still sat there and held me, he's just the most adorable, kind man!" Lainie was lost for words as Roxy continued...

"It was a girl they said, but I don't know how they could tell, I was only nine weeks gone! We called her Molly, even though she was barely there when I lost her, we still named her! Dexter stayed with me all night until Matthew got there. He didn't tell the others, until I told him it was okay, they were amazing too! All my boys were my rocks! Then Matthew arrived and...we just felt...it felt right! I wanted to be his wife and he wanted to be my husband! Losing the baby made me realise that life is too short, there are no guarantees! So we did it! Dexter said he was happy for us but he couldn't be a witness, he couldn't betray you like that! And I accepted it!" She smiled faintly, a hint of admiration for Dexter.

"But Lain, I'd been through a horrible thing in my life! I didn't even know I was pregnant! Matthew and I, we didn't think that night when we slept together, no protection...we were just so in the moment you know? I was still devastated, I see you with Keira and it's beautiful, motherhood! She's beautiful, she's a combination of her beautiful parents! I realised that I'd missed out on that, it hit me like a bolt of lightning, I know now that I so want to be a mother like you! So please don't hate me Lain, because I never meant to hurt you!"

Lainie pulled her best friend in for a hug, "I'm so sorry! Oh Rox! You should have called me! I would have gone to Paris! I would have been there for you!"

"Lain, you didn't want to see Dex, I knew that! I didn't want to put you in an awkward position!" Lainie felt the hot tears sting her eyes and she smiled.

"Congratulations, Mrs Hayes!" Roxy began to sob in her arms.

"Thank you! I really missed you! It's been a loooong time!" Then with a grunt she added, "And what's this about you moving???"

Dex was waiting for Lainie to return from Roxy and Matthew's as their daughter slept soundly in her cot. When she did come home, she looked tired. "So she told you everything then?" Dexter looked a little worried that Lainie would be mad at him.

"Yes, she can't praise you enough!"

"I didn't do anything!" He shrugged, then frowned. "It's a horrible thing, losing a baby. I had no idea what was wrong when I found her! She was in so much pain and..." Lainie could see that it had been a traumatic experience for him. "...I just thought about you and if Keira had never been born..." He trailed off as Lainie kissed him tenderly on the lips.

It lingered for what felt like hours, but was only a matter of minutes as he kissed her back and wrapped his arms around her. He wanted it to last forever, he was reminded of their last kiss at the park. But this time it was between two single people who loved each other, like the night in the lift, the experience flashing through his mind as he breathed in that perfume that drove him crazy! 

To be so close to her again was like heaven. Neither of them wanted to let go, until Dexter finally found the strength to pull back.

"Freckles?" Dexter managed to mutter as he fought to get his breath back. "Please don't go!"

"Dexy I have to! I've been offered a job as head chef in Denver's! You do know about Denver's don't you? The biggest restaurant in Bridgeport?"

"Yes but..."

"Dexy, this is a big opportunity! It's a big chance for me!" Dexter was so tired, it seemed to just hit him like a ten tonne truck, he couldn't fight with her tonight so he'd leave it until his head was clear. 

He leaned in for another kiss and she didn't discourage him, it seemed that she needed to be close to him just as much as he needed to be close to her. 

And it comforted him, even made him feel quite calm about things. "Freckles!" he whispered as she let out a tiny sigh and rubbed his nose with her own.
"I love it when you call me that!" she brushed her lips against his and it made him want to throw her on the bed and...not in front of Kee Bee!
"I wanna stay...but..."
"And I want you to stay but it's not a good idea!" she finished for him. "And Keira's here so..."
"Yeah!" he nodded, he kissed her again tenderly and let her go. It made him feel a little better to know that she wanted him just as much as he wanted her!

But that didn't stop him from tossing and turning that night. Bad dreams invaded his mind, all about Lainie leaving with Keira and Dex never seeing them again. Or they got killed on a bus, or their plane crashed! This was worse than losing Jenna! This was losing both his daughter and the love of his life!

Ash and Erin were still blissfully happy. After Roxy's miscarriage and her elopement with Matthew, Ash wanted more than anything to marry Erin and start a family. 

But he was scared, after Melissa had jilted him, what was stopping Erin doing the same thing?

Erin could tell that something was troubling him, but had no idea what. Until she found a little velvet box in his jeans pocket while she was doing the laundry. Inside there was the most beautiful, shiny ring she had ever seen! And it filled her with excitement! Was Ash really going to propose???

When she told Charlotte about the ring, she brushed it off. "Andrew and I are engaged, we have been since he left for the tour. Doesn't mean marriage Erin, just means we are each other's!" 

Erin scowled at Char's negative attitude over marriage, she didn't see a ring on her finger anyway!

And Drew was starting to regret asking Charlotte to be engaged to him. He should have given her an ultimatum! Now he had agreed to be her fiancé for possibly the rest of their lives!

Dexter was telling his best friend and brother about Lainie moving. They were just as upset as he was at the thought of Keira going to Bridgeport! "What are you gonna do bro?" Ash adored his niece and was pretty fond of Lainie too, this was a hard thing for him to take!

"I..." Dex struggled to answer him, "...I dunno! What can I do?"

"She's your daughter too!!! She can't do this!" Ash's voice got louder.

"Come on elder Maloney!" Drew defended his best friend, "Calm down!"

"Look, Lainie is her mother! Other than move with her, what can I do?" Dex shrugged. Ash didn't like that idea either, with their debut album being so successful and the tour a huge hit, the band really needed to stay together!

"Dexter? I'm sure you can talk Lainie out of this, for Keira's sake! She must surely realise that separating her from you is the worst thing to do! You two are so close!" Drew believed that Lainie wasn't serious about moving, and that one word from Dex could sway her to stay.

"I may be Kee Bee's dad Drew, but Lainie is her mum and nobody in their right mind would separate a child from their mother so...I gotta accept this! No matter how much it hurts because if I don't I might drive her further away and never see Keira again!" Ash and Drew were not happy with Lainie's decision to leave Moonlight Falls with Keira, but if Keira's father could accept it, then they would have to as well!

When Dexter appeared to take his daughter for the afternoon, he thought about what he had suggested to his family earlier...move with Lainie and Keira! Lainie was putting some of Keira's toys away as he tickled his daughter and she giggled. Now was the best time to test the water! "So..." He mumbled, "...you're serious about this move huh?" Lainie sighed impatiently and frowned at him.

"Yes Dexy! I told you!"

"Okay cool!" Lainie's frown turned into a look of confusion.

"Dexy, what..."

"That's cool, I'll come with you!" And the confusion turned to shock.

"What??? Dexy..."

"We'll all move together, as a family!" Lainie couldn't believe what she was hearing, why was he saying these things??? He belonged here! After his horrid experience in Bridgeport when his father died, she was sure he wouldn't want to go back there ever again!

"Dexy no! You can't come with us!" The hurt on his face was obvious as she immediately felt guilty for wording her reply in such a cold manner.

"Why not? It's the perfect solution! Or you could always stay! I'm going to be raking in quite a bit of dosh soon with the album sales and merchandise and...I'm already writing new songs for the third album and we're planning on getting in the recording studio to do the second just after Kee Bee's birthday which Ash has totally planned out by the way! Cake, balloons, clowns..."

"DEXY!" Lainie yelled abruptly as his face turned white and that flash of hurt remained on his perfect features.

"Freckles you don't need this job! I will support you and Kee Bee! You can both come on tour with the band and we can be together all the time! Win win!" Lainie was holding something back from him, he could tell!

"Dexter, that sounds like a wonderful dream..."

"It doesn't have to be a dream..."

"BUT! We have to live in the real world, and in my world? I want to be a top chef, I tried it with the diner and it's just not big enough for me! I want my baking and my recipes to be famous! You get to be famous and loved by thousands, millions of girls worldwide! All I want is to be respected in MY field like you are in yours!"

"Freckles you can be, I'm just trying to find a solution to this stupid decision you've made!" Lainie's face grew red with anger.

"STUPID decision? Get out of my sight Maloney! I'm sick of you belittling me in everything I do! I've got STUPID things to do right now and you're crowding me! Take Keira and be back at 6 sharp!!!" 

Lainie stomped off into her room and slammed the door as Keira snuggled into her daddy, more than aware of the tension between her parents!

Dexter told his brother about Lainie's outburst and how he thought there was more to this than she was letting on as Ash played with his niece with a huge grin on his face. She always mad him smile! Being with Keira made him want his own baby so much, he imagined how good Erin would be with their baby like she was with Keira, and it made his heart swell! "Do I belittle everything she does?" Dex suddenly asked his brother as he was daydreaming about his future family.

"Um...no not as a rule, why?"

"She said I did!" Dex frowned.

"And it really hurt my feelings that she thought that! I mean I did a lot for her when she was starting out, we all did!"

"I know!"

"I built the diner for her...I er...WE built the diner for her!"

"Yeah don't take all the credit little bro or I'll steal your baby!" Ash chuckled as Keira played with her toy. "Yes, uncle Ash could just scoop you up and run far far away! That'd teach your mummy and daddy a lesson wouldn't it???" He laughed harder as Dexter put his sketchbook away and pouted.

"Don't even joke Ashton! I'm losing her anyway! I mean, why doesn't Lainie want me to go with them? Is there another guy in Bridgeport? Is she getting back with David??? What is she not telling me?"

"Bro? Just keep at her! You have two more weeks to talk her out of it! And I have beaucoup de balloons to blow up for this little one's party on Saturday so...you did ask Lain if it was okay to use the diner for the day?" Dexter's face fell, "I'm guessing you didn't, ugh!" Ash rolled his eyes and stood up.

"I'll do it! Although I doubt it will be a problem!" As Ash went to leave the flat, Dexter called to him,

"Ash? Don't say anything to her about the move okay? She's mad enough as it is!" Ash nodded and left Dex with his little girl.

Dexter had tried to convince Lainie to stay, even offer to go with her! It was time he finally accepted that she and Keira were going, and nothing was going to stop them!

Lainie was having second thoughts about the move. Even though Dexter had called it a stupid decision, she always thought it was the right thing to do. And now she wasn't so sure! After their kiss the night before, their TWO kisses, Lainie began to wonder if it could work between them. Just as she was thinking this, Ash came in through the back.

"Hey hey little sister! Gotta sec?"

"Sure what's up?" Ash grabbed hold of her and gave her the biggest hug he could muster.

"I missed you kiddo!" He mumbled and nuzzled her neck. "Right!" He suddenly shouted.

"Keira's birthday! Can we have it here?" Lainie smiled, Ash doted on her daughter, it was adorable.

"Of course!"

"It could also be a bit of a farewell party too, now that you're leaving us!" He pouted and punched her ever so softly on the arm.

"Well actually..." Lainie began as Ash started babbling on, not listening to her at all.

"And to think Dexter was finally going to tell you...I mean that redhead in Paris, she was just a bit of fun...in fact..." Lainie cut in...

"What?" Ash blushed and realised what he'd said.

"Oh you know, Dexter is a bit of a lad sometimes and...it didn't mean anything Lain it was just..."

"Oh it's none of my business, we're friends that's all! He can do what he wants!" She shrugged and smiled, trying so hard to hide the hurt she felt deep inside. Her lips tingled remembering the way he kissed her last night, so she wasn't so special after all! She was just one in a long line of conquests!

"Lain I...man I didn't...he came back to you to..."

"Ashton it's fine!" She laughed half-heartedly.

"No you don't understand..."

"Ashton? Really, I'm fine!" She kept the smile glued to her face and headed into the back store room.

The tears welled up in her eyes as the anger boiled over the hurt she was feeling as Ash cursed under his breath. That was it! She was going to Bridgeport, and that was final!

Oh no! Ash is such a blabber head lol! What will happen now??? Chapter thirty seven sooooon!