I sit up straight. “Where is this coming from?” I ask, feeling guilty.
“It wasn’t Bennett. Don’t worry. I just feel like you are sick of Jersey, and with me leaving in like a year and a half, it may not be a bad idea.”
“Great, so now we’re back to you doing a countdown until you leave,” I huff, and push out my lower lip and laugh.
“Mom, you know it’s my dream to go to Yale,” she says.
“And Connecticut is so much closer to Jersey than it is to Virginia Beach,” I say.
“That’s why there are airplanes. You know there’s enough money in my trust to take a plane to visit you often. Thanks to your stubbornness in not spending the money, I’ll be able to see you often,” she says.
“Well, then, I did good by not spending it,” I say. I watch my daughter pensively. “Sweetie, I know you worry about me. I worry about you too, but I’m good.”
“I know you are,” she counters quickly. “I’m happy you found Bennett.”
“I’m happy too,” I agree.
“So let’s go see Virginia Beach. I heard it’s pretty out there, and they have better weather,” she says.
“They still get snow. It isn’t Florida,” I say. And that’s when it hits me. We need to go to Disney World during Christmas break.
“Mom,” Jess says, staring at me like I’ve grown two heads. In her defense, I am sure my eyes are bugging out of my head.
“I have the best idea.” I clap my hands together.
“What?” she asks excitedly, no doubt anticipating what I’ll say.
“Let’s spend Christmas in Virginia Beach and then let’s head to Disney World,” I say, my voice high-pitched and filled with so much enthusiasm it feels like I’m bursting at the seams.
“Mom, you don’t vacation, like, at all. You’ve had a rough day—I get it. Let’s just chill and not make any plans. Let what happened today sink in and then we can decide where to go,” she says.
“When did you become the adult?” I ask.
“Do I need to remind you that I’m all grown up? You’ve clearly done a good job raising me,” she says.
“Thanks, sweets.” I lean up on my knees to kiss her forehead. My heart bursts with joy. When I sit back down, I stare at my daughter. “I loved raising you here. I love being your mom, but I was always worried about what was going to happen next. I always wanted to play things safe, so we didn’t vacation and I worked overtime, and life was good, but now you’re growing up and, like you say, you’ll be leaving me soon. I really want to do this. Let’s go to Virginia Beach and spend Christmas with Bennett and his friends, and then you and I will head to Florida together. Just me and you. It’ll be perfect. I always wanted to see Disney World, and when you were little and going through your princess phase, I wanted to take you there so bad, but I was in school at that point. Let’s do it now,” I say, hoping I’ve convinced her.
“Okay, yeah. I’m in,” she says, and we hold hands and bounce together.
“It means we need to get on a plane,” I say as butterflies swim in my stomach.
“You’ll be fine,” Jess says. She’s never been on a plane either but she doesn’t seem nervous at all.
“I’m not so excited about the flying part, but this is going to be really great,” I say. I’m finally stepping out of my safety zone and taking hold of my life. Resigning from my job is a good thing. It’s the first step to the new life I want. A life that’s in arm’s reach.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Avery
“Hon, it’s going to be fine,” Bennett says, looking at me with concern. We are sitting on a plane headed to Virginia Beach. I have Bennett on one side of me and Jess on the other. I am freaking the heck out. Bennett takes my hand in his and gives it a squeeze.
“Mom, it’s going to be fine. Flying is safer than driving.” Jess’s words don’t calm me either, although I am proud about all the facts my girl knows.
My heart beats fast and I’m trembling.
Bennett leans over. “You’re safe. We’re going to have a great time together. Deep, slow breaths,” he says, watching me. He takes a slow breath in and I follow, staring into his eyes. This man. He grounds me and makes me feel like everything’s going to be okay. I follow his slow breaths in and out, and tension slowly leaves my body.
“Are you sure it was a good idea to leave the cane behind?” I ask.
“Yes, I’m fine without it. You see how good I’m doing. I may always have a slight limp to my gait, but I don’t need a cane to support me anymore,” he says. I know the cane is a sore spot for him, so I don’t push. I just hope his knee is strong enough to carry his weight.
The pilot comes on the intercom and speaks. The plane begins to move.
“Is that normal?” I ask.
Bennett laughs. “We’re reversing. If we actually want to leave this place, it’s very normal.”
The plane heads toward the runway and in minutes we are speeding up, up, up, into the air like birds.
“This is so much fun,” my daughter says. “What a rush.”
Bennett leans into my ear. “If we were alone, I’d want to make you a member of the mile-high club.”
Heat gushes between my thighs from the promise of pleasure his words bring. The tilt of the plane causes any feeling of arousal to dim.
Bennett brings my hand to his mouth and places a soft kiss to the back of it.
The plane levels.
“Should we watch a movie or something?” Jess asks, pulling out her laptop.
“Sure. What do you have in mind?” I ask. Now that we are up in the air, I let out a heavy breath and feel the tightness in my chest easing up.
“I don’t know. How about After?” she asks. It’s a romance movie with two people in college. Jess has been telling me she’s wanted to see it.
“Okay,” I answer.
“Is this a chick flick?” Bennett asks. “Because if it is, I have some work to do. I’ll let you ladies get to it.”
I love how he gives Jess and I our space to just be mom and daughter. He gets how close we are, and he doesn’t come between us. In the past, I’d worried about bringing a man into our lives in case he was needy and tried to take me away from my daughter. Bennett isn’t like that all. When I am free or when Jess is out, he has me, but when Jess is there, he makes things all about her. I’d like to believe her dad would have been that way, too.
I sit back and share headphones with Jess. Our heads are tilted together so that we can hear and watch the movie together. A few minutes into the movie and I start to sweat. What if my daughter leaves for college and finds a bad boy with tattoos and piercings? I look over to Bennett briefly. I bet he was the stereotypical bad boy when he was younger, and he has tattoos. He’s also a great man.
“Mom, don’t look so worried,” Jess says, looking over to me like she can read my mind.
“Me?” I feign innocence. “I’m not worried.”
“Ha, funny. I would say the male lead isn’t my type but look how cute he is,” she says.
“Dylan doesn’t look like him,” I say. Dylan looks like a quintessential surfer. Longish floppy brown hair, tall and muscular.
“I don’t plan on marrying Dylan. We’re just dating. He wants to go to college on the West Coast so he can spend his time surfing. Don’t get me wrong, I like him a lot, but I don’t know what I want,” she says, sounding very much like a teenager.
“You have all the time in the world to figure it out,” I say.
We get back to watching the movie and before I know it, we are landing in Virginia Beach. Nerves bubble inside me. This is Bennett’s hometown. His friends are here and technically, his job is here. How will I fit in with his friends wives? What is Bennett like around his people?
I take a deep breath. Showtime.
Chapter Forty
Bennett
I head into the kitchen at Liam and Nat Dempseys’ house, and grab a beer from the fridge for Liam and me. The ladies are situate
d at the kitchen table, and when I walk over, everyone hushes.
“Don’t keep quiet on my account,” I say, looking at Avery. Her cheeks flame red.
“Stop thinking that everything is about you,” Avery says, smiling wide while shaking her head.
“Isn’t it, though?” I smile.
“Get out of here.” She waves me off.
I’m glad to see Jess and Avery getting along so well with everyone. We just enjoyed a nice Christmas dinner at the Dempseys’, and now the men are in the family room, chatting, while the women are at the kitchen table having a gossip session, which I seriously think is about me.
I walk back into the family room and pass Liam his beer.
“Thanks, man.”
I twist my bottle cap open and take a seat on the couch before sipping my own. The guys have been left in charge of watching the kids, which means that we have to keep our talk clean.
“Avery and Jess are really cool,” Liam says.
“Yeah,” Mark nods as he chases his daughter and son around the couch.
“Thanks. I’m just really glad she agreed to come out here for the holidays,” I say.
“She seems to be fitting in,” Mark says, and I know what he is insinuating, what all the guys seem to be hoping for.
“I can’t pressure her now. She’s been through a lot. She’s lost her job, and she has Jess to worry about. I can’t go bulldozing her life.” Again.
“I totally get that,” Jackson says. Since I’ve been working at Cole, we’ve gotten a lot closer. Of course, I am his employee, but Jackson has also become a good friend.
“Thanks,” I say, then pause. I swipe a hand over my mouth. I do have something on my mind, and I could use some relationship advice.
“What is it?” Quinn asks, staring right at me. Of course, he’d be the one to notice my discomfort. We were on the same team for years.
“It’s fine,” I say, looking around at all these men with their children. I was never surrounded by families before. Most of the guys had been single, and then Quinn went and fell hard for Ashton. Trevor was the only married guy on our team, and his wife left him more than a year ago.
“Spit it out, Asshat.” Liam smirks.
“Don’t go calling me that here,” I say. Avery knows why it’s my call sign but I don’t need the kids hearing it too. “I think we should change it to Studmuffin or something, so my woman thinks I’m all that.”
They all burst out laughing.
“Thanks . . .” I’m about to say assholes but then think better of it with all these kids running around us.
“You’ve clearly got something on your mind, so just spit it out,” Quinn says. I know he’s not going to leave well enough alone.
“Fine. I haven’t told her I love her yet. I’m not sure how to do it,” I say.
Jackson raises one eyebrow and takes a deep breath. Liam sighs beside me. Quinn gives me a wide-eyed look, and Mark just laughs at everyone.
“What the hell, guys? Was it that bad?” I ask.
“Not per se,” Mark begins.
“Can someone say something helpful?” I ask, looking at these grinning idiots.
“Fine. Look, there never is a good time,” Liam says, looking pensive.
“Shit, you guys are making it sound like I just asked you how I should tell her about a critical illness. All I want to do is tell Avery that I’m completely in love with her,” I say, my volume a little louder than I intend. The guys suddenly look a little wide-eyed.
“What?” I snap. They are clearly fucking with me.
Liam tilts his chin to something behind me. I turn around slowly because I am sensing that I’m being watched. When I turn, I see all the ladies have walked into the room. Natalie has a dreamy look on her face. Catherine is smiling from cheek to cheek. Ashton has a hand clapped over her mouth. Jess is smiling from ear to ear, and my woman has the brightest smile and her eyes are filled with tears.
I just told her I loved her in front of all of my friends.
My jaw goes slack. It wasn’t what I intended, but it’s done, I better own up and make it right. I stand from the couch and slowly walk over to her. “I love you, Avery Malone.”
“I love you too.” She beams, and I give her a quick peck on the lips.
Everyone cheers and I take her by the hand and lead her over to the couch. My idiot friends continue to whistle and holler, and Avery blushes, but she takes it well. She laughs as I pull her down to sit beside me. “Sorry. I’ll try to make it up to you,” I whisper against her ear.
“No, this was perfect,” she says.
Jess takes a seat on the couch on the other side of us. “I’m really happy for you guys.”
“Thanks, Jess. That means a lot.” I smile.
“Aw! You guys are completely adorable,” Nat says.
Avery leans into my chest, and I lay my arm around her shoulder. We all start playing charades with the kids. Everyone is laughing and having a good time. Sitting here in Liam’s family room with my arm around Avery, I finally feel at home. I kiss her forehead, and she gets up when it’s her turn to act something out. I can’t believe that this beautiful, good-hearted woman is mine.
Chapter Forty-One
Avery
Since Jess and I leave for Disney World tomorrow, Bennett asked if we could have one night alone. Jess agreed to stay with the Dempsey’s, since Arabelle took a liking to her and says my daughter reminds her of Princess Elsa because of her long, blond hair.
“Where are we going?” I ask Bennett.
“You’ll see when we get there,” he says. Nat lent us her car for the drive, since Liam has some kind of obsession with his car that is apparently named Robin.
“Okay.” I lean back in my chair. Bennett takes my hand and brings it to his lips. I can’t believe he told me he loved me in front of a group of people I just met. I mean, his friends are amazing, but it was awkward and perfect at the same time. Nothing has gone simply for Bennett and me, but we seem to work regardless.
The sun is setting, creating beautiful hues of pink and peach sorbet across the sky. The weather in Virginia is definitely warmer than Jersey but it’s still cold.
“How much longer?” I ask. He looks at his GPS, which has been deliberately angled away from me.
“Almost there.” He grins. We drive through a range of mountains, winding up and up then when we crest, the turquoise ocean stretches out from the cliffs before us.
“You know it’s too cold to go to the beach,” I joke.
“I don’t plan on leaving the bed for the next twenty-four hours,” he says.
I squirm in my seat. The promise in his words sends a jolt of liquid heat between my thighs and up into my stomach.
His hand drops between my legs, and he rubs me there. Breath flees my lungs. “Bennett,” I warn.
“I want to get you off,” he says. “I want to see you really squirming.”
“Bennett,” I say, losing my train of thought.
“I wanted to have you naked under me the first time I told you I loved you,” he says, rubbing faster. My hips gyrate against him. He flattens his palm against me and rubs faster.
“I’m going to . . . you need to drive . . . bad idea . . .” He’s made me forget how to speak.
He smiles. “My focus is on the road and I can drive with one hand.”
I grab the handle above my head as sweat breaks out over my body. Suddenly, he slips his hand into my leggings and beneath my panties.
“Fuck, you’re soaked,” he hisses.
I moan. He rubs me with his finger, moving my wetness around. “I want to get inside you so bad.”
My head falls back against the headrest and my eyes shut as he rubs me relentlessly. I come hard and fast, pressing against him with wanton abandon. My heart beats rapidly and my insides contract, making me feel like it’s too much and too good all at once.
When I come down off my high, he pulls his hand out of my panties, sucks his finger into his mouth, and says
, “Yummy.”
This man. He’s amazing. He’s everything.
We turn right, drive along a road, and then pull up to a beach house. “What is this place?” I ask, my voice raspy from my recent orgasm.
“The town is called Corolla. This place belongs to Quinn’s grandmother. He gave me the key for us to stay here tonight.” A blue two-story house on stilts with plantation shutters and a wrap-around porch sits on a large piece of land far off from the road. It’s close to the water. The view from inside must be spectacular. “Nat and Liam got married here, and Quinn and Ashton spent time here. This place is supposed to be magical.”
“Oh, yeah?” I ask intrigued.
“Well, I just had my appetizer. Let’s get in there because I’m ready for the main course,” he says, sliding the car into park.
I give him a stupid grin, probably because I am still high off the orgasm he just gave me.
He leans over to the back seat and grabs the overnight bag I packed us.
“Come on, baby. Let’s go make our own magic.” We leave the car and I follow him toward the picturesque beach house.
Chapter Forty-Two
Bennett
I turn the key and open the door.
“This place is perfect,” Avery says, walking in after me.
“You’re perfect, babe,” I say, pulling her into me from her waist.
Her eyes soften and she gives me one of her warm smiles. “Thanks. You aren’t so bad yourself,” she says, and presses a kiss to my lips.
My stomach grumbles. “I better whip up something to eat,” I tell her. “We both need our energy for what I have planned.” I wink and head deeper into the house. While I take the grocery bags and situate them on the kitchen counter, Avery walks over to the floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook the ocean.
“What a view,” she murmurs, her shoulders rising and falling.
Irresistible: A Salvation Society Novel Page 18
