Chapter 108. His Wife, Right?

Chapter 108. His Wife, Right?
The younger woman leans her head against the jet's seat, leaning toward Alexandra, closing her eyes for a few minutes while listening to the soft music play in the background. It's the first time in four years that she's returning to Texas, and she can't decide whether the feeling growing inside her is excitement, nervousness, or something much more complicated than either.

Texas is still home in so many ways, yet it's also the place where she leaves behind a frightened sixteen-year-old version of herself. She never imagines she will return under circumstances like these.

By the time the aircraft begins its descent, the landscape beneath them has changed completely. Endless stretches of ranchland spread across the horizon, divided by narrow country roads, fences, and clusters of oak trees that Roxanne recognizes almost immediately. Even from several thousand feet above the ground, the sight stirs memories she doesn't realize she still carries so vividly.

She remembers riding horses with Robert before sunrise, helping him bottle-feed calves abandoned by their mothers, watching her father repair broken fencing, and watching thunderstorms roll across the plains from the porch of the ranch house. None of those memories disappear simply because she leaves.

The jet lands smoothly before taxiing toward the private terminal, where another vehicle is already waiting for them. One of Alexandra's drivers steps forward the moment the cabin door opens, greeting them politely before loading their luggage into a black SUV parked only a few meters away. The entire transition from aircraft to car takes less than ten minutes, and soon they're leaving the airport behind as the city gradually gives way to the familiar countryside surrounding Cypress Creek.

"They'll know me as Alexandra Romanov, Brandon's wife. That's something you need to remember," Alexandra says, her expression becoming more serious as she looks at Roxanne. "Whatever happens when we get there, that's who I am to them."

She pauses for a moment before continuing, making sure Roxanne understands what she is trying to say. "I'm still not your mother, and I've never been one. I never adopted you, either. So don't forget that when we're around your family."

Her words are careful rather than harsh, but Roxanne understands the meaning behind them immediately. Alexandra is reminding her that whatever relationship they share privately, Texas will see something very different. To Robert, Madelyn, and everyone else who knows the Stephen family, Alexandra is still the woman married to Brandon, the Romanov who arrives with Roxanne as his wife and nothing more.

"Don't act like my mother," Roxanne says, giving her a small pout.

Alexandra rolls her eyes, although the corner of her mouth lifts. "After everything we've done together? I'd have to be completely insane to start acting like your mother now."

Roxanne laughs softly because she knows exactly what Alexandra means. The thought of Alexandra suddenly trying to behave like a parental figure after everything between them is ridiculous enough to make her smile.

She shifts closer and starts thinking about the moment of their stay at the ranch. "You're sleeping in my room," she says casually. "The bed is small, but we'll manage. You'll stay with me, right? Not at the hotel?"

Alexandra slowly turns her head toward her, thinking as she stares at Roxanne. "My love," she says with exaggerated patience, "with all due respect, that's probably the worst possible idea."

Roxanne raises an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Think about it," Alexandra continues, already amused by the situation. "Everyone there is going to assume I'm your stepmother, and then I'm supposed to share your bedroom while you're walking around half-dressed in front of me? Me, I used to have you naked on top of me. Me. You really want to make that situation more complicated?"

She laughs softly, but Roxanne can see the way her eyes narrow with amusement. "I don't see the problem."

"Of course you don't."

"You don't want to sleep in my room?"

"I didn't say that."

Roxanne's smile grows when she catches the hesitation. "Then stay."

Alexandra studies her for a moment, clearly recognizing the challenge hiding beneath Roxanne's innocent expression. "Don't provoke me, Roxanne Romanov."

She reaches out and gently takes Roxanne's chin between her fingers, tilting her face upward while trying not to smile. "Seriously. Don't."

Roxanne's eyes sparkle with amusement. "Don't you know you're never supposed to provoke or challenge a Romanov?"

Alexandra stares at her for a second before letting out a laugh. Roxanne is truly fit to be a Romanov. "Oh, you're going to regret saying that."

Roxanne only smiles wider, clearly pleased with herself as Alexandra releases her chin and shakes her head. Whatever argument they're supposed to be having has already turned into another playful competition between them, and neither seems particularly interested in being the first to surrender.

The drive to the hospital takes a little over an hour, and every few miles another familiar landmark appears. A weathered feed store that Robert visits almost every month. A roadside diner where the family always stops after selling cattle at the livestock auction. An old water tower that used to tell her they were only twenty minutes from home whenever they returned from town.

Everything feels exactly as she remembers it, as though the past four years have somehow passed without changing this corner of Texas at all. Alexandra lets her have those memories without interruption, only asking an occasional question whenever Roxanne quietly points out a place from her childhood. Listening to the younger woman speak about the ranch, the neighboring families, and the routines she grows up with makes Alexandra realize just how deeply rooted Roxanne still is in this place despite everything that happens afterward.

When the SUV finally turns into the entrance of Cypress Creek Community Hospital, Roxanne feels her heartbeat quicken almost immediately. The building is exactly the same modest community hospital she remembers from childhood, built from warm red brick with only a few stories overlooking the parking lot.

It's nothing like the enormous medical centers she has visited when one of her friends was hospitalized. This place feels smaller, quieter, and somehow more familiar. Families sit together beneath shaded benches outside the entrance, nurses greet patients by name, and volunteers push carts filled with books and flowers through the lobby as though everyone knows one another.

The moment Roxanne steps through the sliding glass doors beside Alexandra, more than a few people glance in their direction. Alexandra naturally attracts attention wherever she goes. Her height, composed posture, and effortless elegance make her stand out even without trying, while Roxanne herself no longer resembles the ranch girl who leaves Texas four years earlier.

She carries herself with the confidence Brandon spends years teaching her, her tailored clothes replacing the simple jeans and boots she once wears every day. The curious looks linger only briefly before people politely return to their conversations, allowing the two women to continue toward the elevators without interruption.

The walk down the second-floor hallway feels far longer than it actually is. Every step brings Roxanne closer to a family she hasn't embraced in years, and despite everything she has accomplished since leaving Texas, she suddenly feels like the same uncertain teenager who once walked these halls after Caleb broke his wrist falling from a horse. She pauses outside the room for only a moment, drawing a slow breath before softly pushing the door open.

Madelyn is the first to notice her. She has been sitting beside Caleb's bed with a book resting unopened across her lap, though it's obvious she has not read a single page in quite some time.

The sound of the opening door makes her glance toward the entrance absentmindedly, expecting another nurse or perhaps their father returning with coffee. Instead, she finds herself staring directly at Roxanne.

Madelyn simply stares at her, realizing that the sister she remembers is still there, but everything about her appearance has changed. Roxanne looks much more beautiful than she remembers, not because she's wearing anything particularly extravagant, but because there's a polished, prim quality to the way she carries herself now.

Her skin is clear and smooth, her dark hair is glossy and neatly styled, and even the way she stands feels different from the girl who once ran around the ranch with dust on her boots and her hair tied carelessly behind her head. There's an elegance in her appearance that makes Madelyn realize how much she has changed during those four years. Yet when Roxanne smiles at her, warm and familiar despite everything, Madelyn can still recognize the older sister who used to fuss over her, tease her, and make sure she was never left behind.

Madelyn is already crossing the room before she is fully aware of moving. She throws herself into Roxanne's arms without caring that several nurses passing by the hallway briefly glance inside after hearing the sudden movement.

Roxanne barely has time to set her handbag aside before wrapping both arms around her younger sister, holding her tightly as Madelyn buries her face against her shoulder. She can feel the younger girl's entire body shaking as days of fear, exhaustion, and relief finally overwhelm her.

She says very little, choosing instead to gently stroke her hair and hold her close until the tears gradually begin to settle. Four years disappear within that embrace, leaving behind nothing except two sisters who have missed each other far more than either is ever willing to admit.

Robert slowly rises from the chair near the window while watching them. He has imagined this reunion countless times, yet none of those imagined conversations survive the moment he actually sees Roxanne standing in front of him again.

She looks older now, more confident, carrying herself with the assurance of someone who has found her place in the world, but when she turns toward him and smiles, he still sees the daughter who used to follow him around the ranch asking endless questions while trying to do work far too heavy for someone her age. Before he can speak, emotion closes his throat completely.

"You're here," Robert says, his voice weak and unsteady as he looks at her.

"I'm back, Daddy," Roxanne answers, and the moment she says it, her eyes fill with tears.

Alexandra remains a few steps away, watching them without interrupting. She knows this moment belongs entirely to them, so she simply stands there quietly and gives father and daughter the space they need to finally have the reunion they have both waited years for.

She steps into his embrace without hesitation, and Robert holds her as though he is afraid she might disappear again if he lets go. Years of guilt settle heavily inside his chest.

He thinks about every unanswered phone call, every birthday spent apart, every moment he should have fought harder for her instead of convincing himself that Brandon could give her a better future. He has spent four years believing he loses his eldest daughter forever, only to realize too late that she never stops thinking of him as her father.

The reunion finally draws Caleb from sleep. His eyes slowly open before he blinks toward the figures gathered beside his bed, still hazy from medication. It takes him only a few seconds to recognize the familiar face standing beside Robert.

His expression immediately brightens with sleepy disbelief, and the first smile he manages since arriving at the hospital spreads naturally across his face. "Roxie! You're here!" He says weakly, but there's excitement on his face.

"Hey boy." Roxanne notices him almost immediately and moves beside the bed, gently brushing his messy hair away from his forehead before checking the bandages on his arm.

Looking at the healthier color already returning to his face, hearing his steady breathing, and watching him smile back at her, Roxanne finally allows herself to believe what everyone has been telling her since yesterday. Her little brother will be just fine.

"And you are?" Robert asks, his eyes moving past Roxanne toward the woman standing a few steps behind her.

He stares for a moment, clearly trying to place the familiar face and the absolute beauty with striking blonde hair before recognition finally settles in his expression. "Oh, Alex. Brandon's wife, right?"

"Yes," Alexandra replies, keeping her voice polite despite the slight tightness that slips into it.

Roxanne immediately notices it. She hates hearing Alexandra introduced that way, even though she knows it's technically true. To Robert, Alexandra is Brandon's wife, and there's no reason for him to know anything beyond that yet.