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Thank you everyone for being patient with me and this story!!! I’ve been meaning to post (and write) as much as I can, so thank you. :green_heart: I hope you enjoy Chapter ten.
"Hey Mariah! I have to show you this new dance move I learned. It's really awesome and surprisingly easy to learn!" Hoseok beamed.
"Now is not the time." Jimin mumbled.
"Babe, are you getting jealous?" Hoseok said as he walked over to the younger.
"No..." Jimin mumbled as he looked through papers. Hoseok sighed and shook his head with a slight smile. He leaned his mouth towards Jimin's ear and whispered something. This made Jimin smile. He took his attention away from the papers and gave Hoseok a quick kiss.
"Save that for later. There are children here." Jin said as he pulled up a chair for Namjoon and himself.
"Don't act all innocent, Eomma. You are just as bad, maybe worse." Jimin scolded.
"I have no idea what you are talking about." Jin turned red and started going through his stack of papers. Namjoon chuckled and leaned over to kiss Jin's cheek before starting his own pile.
10 minutes before Yoongi and Jungkook show their faces.
"It's about time you two showed up. We're almost done!" Carmon smiled.
"Really?" Yoongi smiled.
"No!" everyone yelled. Yoongi's smile faded and grabbed a chair. He moved his chair next to Mariah and stole her papers.
"Hey, what are you doing?" Mariah asked.
"Helping you go through papers. And you've done enough today, I'll take it over." Yoongi showed her his gummy smile. Mariah turned pink and smiled.
"Thank you... Buuuut I'm going to help anyway." She grabbed another pile. Everyone chuckled a little.
"You're so stubborn. Let the man be cute and help you." Lexi said quietly going through her papers.
"Says the one who denied Tae's help five minutes ago." Mariah sassed back.
"Hey, the more people we have to work on it the faster it'll go." Lexi stated.
"But you wanted Yoongi to help Mariah?" Namjoon asked.
"Yeah because he just got out here. He needs to catch up to all of us." Lexi challenged.
"Hey! I had a good reason for not being out here. I was working very hard. And I'll have you know, I can catch up to you guys in no time." Yoongi stated.
"Oh really? I bet I can do more than you." Lexi leaned over the table.
Yoongi leaned over and stared at her. "Bring. It. On." As soon as Yoongi said that they both quickly sat down and got to work.
"What just happened?" Tae asked.
"Well, Lexi doesn't like asking or receiving help from anyone. I can tell she doesn't want to be a burden to anyone. And she just tricked Yoongi to work faster by challenging him." Namjoon stated without looking up from his papers.
"Is he right? I mean about her not liking help?" Tae asked looked at Mariah and Carmon. They both nodded their heads and continued to work. Tae let out a small sigh and went back to his pile.
Everyone sat quietly while looking through their papers. Occasionally stopping to ask another a question or two. Except for Yoongi and Lexi, who egged each other on. The others didn't like it so much, so they banned them into Yoongi's office so they wouldn't disturb anyone any more.
It took them an hour and a half to finish everything, well everyone except Lexi and Yoongi. It took them and extra half hour to complete their piles.
"Ha! I told you I would win!" Lexi shouted as she left Yoongi's office.
"That's because you had less than me!" Yoongi yelled back.
"We measured the stacks before we started it." Lexi said as they made their way towards the group.
"It's about time you finished. We've been done for a half hour." Carmon yawned, ignoring their bickering.
"Wait... Seriously?" Lexi asked sounding defeated. Everyone nodded their heads. "Well now I feel bad for taking so long."
"It's alright. It's not too late." Jimin said. "You guys want to get something to eat?"
"I would love to, but I have to go home and let the babysitter go and I have to get Alex ready to leave." Lexi sadly chuckled.
"What? Why?" Tae asked.
"Alex's father is flying in to take him back home for a month." Mariah said.
"Awe, really? Does he have to go?" Jin frowned.
"Sadly yes. But it's only for a month." Lexi said grabbing her purse. "Are you girls going to stay here?"
Carmon and Mariah stood up and grabbed their bags. "No. We want to say goodbye to the boy before he leaves." They said in unison before they started laugh at what they just did.
"Can I say goodbye too?" Tae asked.
"Of course you can." She smiled and look at everyone else. "Would you guys also like to say goodbye?"
"Yeah!" they all yelled and stood up.
They quickly cleaned up the area and grabbed all of their belongings before going towards the elevator. They talked to one another on the way to the parking lot before splitting up into Lexi's and Jin's cars.
"Ugh....This is so hard to do.... I hate it." Lexi frowned as she pulled into the airport parking lot. She turned off her car and looked in her rearview mirror. "I'm going to miss you baby... You be good for daddy..."
"It'll be okay Lexi. I'll be here with you." Mariah smiled.
"I know. But it's not the same!" Lexi started to cry a little.
"Aw, Lexi. You're going to make me cry!" Mariah leaned over to hug her sister. They sat there for a minute until they heard a tap on the window. They looked up from their hold and looked at the window. It was Tae.
Mariah and Lexi let go of each other and got out of the car.
"Are you guys alright?' Tae asked.
"This is where we are meeting Alex's dad. She doesn't want to see him leave. She doesn't trust his dad at all. He's lazy and pays more attention to his phone. By the way, how did you get here? I thought you stayed back with the guys?" Mariah asked.
"I took a cab. I wanted to meet this guy and make sure he wasn't going to try anything funny." Tae explained.
Lexi hugged herself as she looked down at the ground. She started to cry again. Tae didn't hesitate to pull her into his arms. He rubbed her arms as she cried and watched as Mariah brought Alex out of the car. Tae whispered in Lexi's ear and she peeked up from his arms and smiled sadly when she saw her baby. Tae let her go so she could say goodbye to him again.
"I'm going to miss you so much. Be safe and be good. Eat all of your mushy vegetables and fruits. Have sweet dreams when you sleep. I love you Alexander. Mama will see you in a month but I will make sure to call everyday so you can hear my voice." Lexi softly told Alex as she held him.
As she was holding him, a male figure started walking towards them. He was shorter than Tae, thicker in the middle and had a beard which wasn't kept properly. And his hair looked like he just woke up from a nap. All in all, he looked very sketchy and gross.
"Who are you?" Tae asked before the man got too close. The man stopped and looked around Tae towards Lexi. Tae stepped in front of Lexi and Alex and asked the male the same question. He still didn't say anything. Lexi poked her head out so she could see around Tae. She let out a sigh seeing who the man was.
"It's okay Tae. That is Alex's father, Chris. He doesn't speak Korean, he can only understand some symbols so he knows where to meet me." Lexi explained as she slowly walked towards Chris.
"Hello. Make sure you watch him closely. He's learning to move around and pick up things. I don't want to get a call hearing that he choked on something. I made a list of the things he likes and dislikes. His schedule and some numbers for you to call if you need any help. Which, if you do need help, do not hesitate to ask. He's not a toy or anything you can gamble on." Lexi said in English.
"I know Alexis. Why do you talk like I'm going to hurt him or something?"
"Because you're lazy and your phone is more important to you than anything! Should I remind you when I was in the hospital?" Lexi started getting mad.
"Okay, okay. I'm sorry. I'll make sure he is 100% by the time he comes back. I won't let anything happen to him."
"Good. I'm going to call every day to check up on him and so he can hear my voice. He hasn't seen you since I moved here so he's going to be scared. And I will send my mother to check up on you and you better let the rest of my family see him too."
"But it's my time with him. Why do they have to be there?" Chris raised his voice a little.
"What are they saying?" Tae whispered to Mariah.
"Oh, she's just telling him that he better be careful with him and that he better ask for help if he needs it. And now they're fighting because Lexi told Chris to take Alex to visit the rest of our family and Chris doesn't want to." Mariah said crossing her arms.
"Why can't he do that for her? It's not like her family gets to see him very often." Tae asked getting annoyed.
"Because, excuse my language, he's an asshole. He's mad because she doesn't want to be with him and that she moved here."
"How can he be mad at her for something like that? He left her, didn't he?"
"Yup. But as far as I'm concerned he has no right being mad or getting involved with Alex now. He didn't want him to begin with." Mariah slapped her face. "I think I said too much....."
Tae's face got red after hearing this and walked over to Lexi and Chris, who were still arguing. Knowing Chris couldn't understand anything, he still spoke to him.
"You need to leave now. You have no right talking to her that way after all she does for Alex. She is his mother, at least show some ounce of respect and take Alex to see his family. She is a great mom and for you to come over here and expect her to be okay handing her son over to someone who didn't want him to begin with. I don't care if you are Alex's father, you do not treat her that way. Especially in front of him. She is an amazing women and I'm glad you left her, because then I would've of had the chance to meet her. " Tae yelled in Korean.
Chris just stood there with an angry look on his face and looked at Lexi. He looked back at Tae. "What did he say?"
"He said that you need to leave now and not talk to me that way. That you should show me an ounce of respect and take Alex to see his family. I am his mother, not some random chick you met in a bar!" Lexi yelled with tears threatening to fall. Chris kept his eyes on Tae.
"I don't know who you think you are, but you need to leave. This isn't your business." Chris spat at him.
"Don't talk to him like that you ass. And it is his business whether you like it or not. And I'm going to tell you for the last time, you better take him to see my family or I will call the court. You would be going against your papers." Lexi argued.
Chris cursed under his breath. "So, you guys are a thing is that it? Fine. Do whatever you want. I want nothing to do with you anymore. This was a waste of time and money coming out here."
"Seriously? You're going to leave now because I don't want to be with you? Did you seriously try using Alex to get closer to me in hopes of us getting back together? You are PATHETIC!" Lexi yelled as he stormed off. Alex started to cry. "Awe, baby. I'm so sorry.....I....didn't...m-mean.." Lexi just broke down and cried.
Mariah came over and took Alex from her so Tae could hold on to Lexi. "What the hell did he do?" Tae asked Mariah.
"He's done. With Alex, with everything. By you defending her and vice versa, he put two and two together. He thought he could use Alex to get closer to her and hope one day that she would come crawling back to him. He didn't think she would find anyone else to love her. So now that she has, there is absolutely no chance. I honestly don't know what was running through his mind thinking she would take him back after what he did to her." Mariah explained as she calmed Alex down.
"C-can we leave before I do something I regret?" Tae asked coldly. Mariah nodded her head and loaded Alex and his things back into the car. Tae lead Lexi over to the enger side of the car and opened the door for her. She got into the car, still crying. He kissed the top of her head and shut the door. He walked over to Mariah and made sure didn't need any help.
After everyone was situated, Tae started the car and sped off.
"Not that I don't love him but, I thought he was going home? And where is Lexi and Tae?" Jimin asked while holding Alex.
"Long story and they are just in her apartment. He's trying to calm down." Mariah explained.
"What the hell did we miss and why weren't we there?" Jin asked.
"A lot. I can only imagine what happened. Because when we were getting ready to leave the US, he threw a fit." Carmon said as she watched the tv. Everyone, minus Lexi and Tae, were sitting in Carmon's and Mariah's living room watching Yoongi and Jungkook race on Mario Kart. Except for Jimin, who was paying more attention to the bouncing baby in his lap.
"NO! GO THE OTHER WAY!" Yoongi yelled.
"You have to make it go that way, hence your steering wheel." Jungkook chuckled as he played.
"Well, if someone didn't cheat, then I wouldn't have an issue playing." Yoongi scowled.
"Hyung, how many times do I have to tell you I do not cheat? I never cheat. I'm just a fast learner." Jungkook shrugged his shoulders.
"Jagi, I can prove to you that he doesn't cheat." Mariah said as she rolled up her sleeves. Yoongi was about to reply but someone started to yell.
"BRING IT ON! I've been practicing." Jungkook cracked his knuckles cutting Yoongi off.
"You're still going to lose. Sorry Jagi, but she has you beat." Carmon said.
"Nope, I got it this time. I worked out a plan to beat her." Jungkook confidently said.
"Is that so? Let's see it then." Namjoon said waving his hand towards the tv.
"YES! And fine! Mariah! Are you ready to get beat!?" Jungkook yelled.
Mariah cracked her knuckles, walked over to Yoongi and sat down on his lap as she grabbed the steering wheel. She took the wii remote out of the wheel and connected it to one of the nunchucks. "Let's do this." Yoongi just laughed as he wrapped his arms around her.
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"Tae.... Really, it's okay..."
"No, it's not.... I can't believe him! I mean, who the hell does that to their own child?! He would rather walk away from his child because he can't have you than to be with him?! If he loved you so much he shouldn't of left or cheated on you! And to use Alex to try and get closer to you? That is just sick on so many levels..." Tae loudly sighed as he slumped onto the couch.
"I'm sorry.... I didn't mean for this to happen.... It wasn't supposed to happen..." Lexi said quietly as she sat next to Tae. Tae turned himself to face Lexi, his facial expressions softer.
"Why on earth are you apologizing for this? You did nothing wrong..... I'm mad, sorry, disgusted with that man."
"Well, it's my fault that he came here in the first place..." Lexi said quietly.
"He came here to get his son, but left him here because you don't want to be with him. That isn't your fault...Did you call your attorney and explain what happened?"
"I emailed him and he told me he would call when he got the chance." Lexi said, still quiet. Tae nodded his head and placed his head in his hands. He hated seeing her like this. He wished there was something he could do to make this all go away, but he knew it would take a miracle for that to happen.
Lexi just sat there quiet, thinking. With everything that has happened in the past hour and how it affected Tae, she felt terrible and needed to figure out a way to undo this. She didn't know what to do. While sitting there her anxiety got the best of her. Now she was thinking that Chris was going to try and take Alex away for good or that she might have to move to the US. All these thoughts were running through her head. She was so focused on these thoughts she didn't even realize she was crying.
"Lexi..." Tae softly said as he pulled her into his chest for the fourth time today. She sat there and cried. She didn't want to cry anymore, but she couldn't help it. "How could someone do this to their little boy?" She thought over and over again. She knew what it was like to grow up without a father.
Her parents were divorced, so every other weekend was their dads. He always made up an excuse not to get them. And there were a couple of times where he would tell her that she wasn't even his kid. Who does that to their child? She didn't want that for her son, but it seemed to be happening which broke her heart. Suddenly, Tae slowly pulled her away and looked at her.
"I have a feeling you are over thinking right now..." Tae said. She slowly nodded her head while wiping her tears away. "Jagi, look at me..." He put a hand under her chin and tilted her head so she was looking at him. "I may not know much about this situation, but what I do know is that we are going to get through this."
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