Chapter 77

• "Ray" Alexis breathed, letting out air she hadn't known she'd been holding. It took a lot of effort on her part to keep a neutral expression on her face. A few minutes passed as she just stood there staring at him, afraid of blinking in case he was an apparition. When she was convinced that he was real, she let her shoulders sagged in relief. At that moment she wanted to do a lot of things like hugging him or kiss him or slap him but her body wouldn't move. She was frozen in place not actually believing her eyes. It was him. He was there, standing in front of her looking dashing in a tuxedo suit. Her breath caught in her throat and she wondered if this is the same man she'd seen in that orange jumpsuit. There was no trace of that man at all. The beard he'd had from days of not shaving was gone. The Ray standing in front of her was different and dare she say happy? But why would he be happy? Shouldn't he still be mad at her? And when did he get out of prison anyway?
• "Come on" he took her hand and led her to a chair. She ignored the tingles shooting up her arm from his touch, to concentrate on her surroundings. They were on the terrace of her apartment. Or was it his? She couldn't tell. But it was one of the two. Instead of using candles, he'd put up a string of Christmas lights all around the balcony turning it into a magical place. The small round table held a bottle of champagne, chilling in a bucket full of ice, flowers in a vase that served as a centerpiece, two plates that were covered up and glasses. She wondered when he had time to do all this. How long ago had he been released? Clearing her throat she asked
• "When did you get out?"