by Dawn Martens
Half the time she’s around me, she boasts about how great Cameron is in bed, the size of his penis, or his stamina. More times than not, I tune her out. Other times, I try not to gag, knowing Cameron has slept with her.
“What are you doing here all by yourself?” a husky voice asks me. I jump slightly; I thought I was the only person over here. I was actually hiding.
“I’m sorry. You scared me,” I say with a slight laugh. I look at up at the man who just startled me, and I’m thinking I might need to wipe up some drool. Holy shit. This guy is hot! His hazel eyes flicker between green and brown in the light, and his smile is dazzling. He doesn’t look stuffy like all the other suits here.
“Mrs. James?” he asks me, his brow raised.
“Um, yeah, yes. I’m Avalynn. Ava,” I stutter out. I can’t believe I still have issues talking with hot men.
“I’m Zach, Alana’s brother,” he says, holding out a large hand. I blush, remembering what I have always heard about men with large hands. I didn’t know Alana had a brother, especially one who looked like him.
I take it and shyly say, “Hi.” What is wrong with me? He chuckles at my dork-self.
“I see you giving laser eyes at Rebecca.” Busted.
“Uh, yeah.” I shrug and look back in that bitch’s direction. Her hand is firmly on Cameron’s arm as she laughs flakily at some lame joke.
“Don’t worry about her. Trust me,” he tells me. “I know all about the marriage. Becky has a big mouth, tells everyone she can about the whole thing.”
“Oh,” is all I can say. How embarrassing. Everyone seems to know what a disaster my life is.
“She’s already got her dress and venue and everything all bought and reserved. I think she’s nuts. I don’t know what the hell Cameron is thinking when it comes to her, not when he has someone as beautiful as you around,” he tells me, smirking. His eyes rake over me approvingly.
I blush. Oh, God, do I blush.
“How about we break out of here and go get some greasy burgers or something?”
My eyes bug out. “Dude, that would be wicked. Becky planned this party, and the food sucks,” I blurt out.
Zach laughs. “I know. I’m pretty sure everyone here would prefer a burger, or at least something filling.” He holds out his hand again, and I take it. “Let’s go say goodbye to some people, and we’ll head out?” My God, he has a firm grip.
“Yeah, sounds good,” I say as we walk toward Becky and Cameron.
“Hey, man,” Cameron says when he sees Zach coming toward him. He’s smiling at first, but when he sees me holding his hand, his whole body stills and his face falls.
“We’re going out for some real food,” Zach informs him, pointedly looking at Becky, who now has her face all scrunched up.
Cameron looks at me once Zach makes that comment. “Real food? Why didn’t you just make that for tonight?” he asks me, looking confused.
“Because your girlfriend right there won’t allow your wife to host these things and picked the menu. Avalynn here didn’t have a say.” Oh no. Zach is going to cause a problem. Shit. Shit. Shit. “So we’re heading out, since you can’t even spare a minute of your time with your wife to get something that actually tastes good.”
“No one wants whatever fatty, greasy thing Avalynn here would probably serve. We all don’t need to be as fat as she is,” Becky snarls, looking directly at me.
I shrink under her glare, and Zach wraps an arm around me. “Speak to her like that again, and I won’t stop Alana from busting up that ugly ass face of yours next time.”
I gulp when Cameron cuts his gaze back to me, glaring. I look away and see Becky fuming. Oh my God, she’s gonna blow up, like totally one-hundred percent lose it. I need to get out of here, stat; otherwise, this ugly dress she made me wear will be ruined. Wait a minute, that wouldn’t be so bad.
“Before we leave, Avalynn here is going to change out of this ugly dress your mistress made her wear and throw on something comfortable,” Zach, again, speaks up.
Oh, shit, did I just ramble all that out loud?
Zach leans down and whispers in my ear, sounding amused. “Yeah, babe, you did.”
I hang my head down in shame, feeling more than embarrassed.
“Um, yeah, so we’re gonna go now,” I say, finally speaking up. It feels good to take a stand, however short-lived it may be.
I feel Cameron’s eyes still on me, glaring. I know he’s glaring; I can feel his angry vibe. I walk out of the room behind Zach, him tugging on my hand as we go up the stairs and to my room.
“I’ll wait out here. You change,” Zach says, pushing me in my room and shutting the door behind me.
Oh dear.
As I’m pulling on a pair of pajama jeans—yes, I wear those because they are so comfy—my door swings open, startling me, and I fall to the floor.
“Shit,” I groan.
“You okay?” My head shoots up, and I see Cameron standing against my door, scowling at me.
“Uh, yeah, fine. Um, did you need something?” I ask him.
“Why didn’t you tell me about how Becky has been treating you?”
I shrug. “Not a big deal. Three more years and I’ll never have to see her again.”
Cameron’s jaw clenches. “From now on, Becky stays out of our house. For all parties, work or otherwise, you are in charge. If you can’t do it alone, bring in Connie. You know she’d help you. As for your clothes, if I find you wearing one of Becky’s forced items again, I’ll spank you.” When he says ‘spank you,’ my thighs clench.
“Um, okay.”
“Have fun with Zach, but if he kisses you or touches you again, I’ll kill him.” With that, he storms out of my room, slamming the door shut behind him.
What the hell was that about?
Is he, dare I say, jealous? And why does the thought of making Cameron jealous bring me such pleasure? I smile and finish getting dressed to go out with Zach. I can hear Cameron threatening him, telling him not to touch me but to show me a good time. Why should he care if another man wants to touch what he ignores?
A thrill shoots through me. I’ll show Cameron what he has been missing.
Chapter 7
Present
Ava
Cameron still calls me several times a day, leaving a voicemail each time, on top of all the texts he sends me. Why can’t he just talk to me through his lawyer? It would be easier. I don’t want to talk to him. It hurts too much. We have nothing to say. I already walked away with nothing. Why can’t he let me go? I don’t understand.
Mom and Dad have been supportive. Mom, over the years, has come to really like Cameron, especially the last two years when she realized we were making something of the marriage. I ended up telling her the truth about a week after the wedding, and she was pissed. Then she got this weird twinkle in her eye. I never got it, but two years ago, I sure did.
Dad is pissed. He wants to string Cameron up by the balls. I’ve talked to Alana a few times this week, and yesterday, she let me know that she is moving to Calgary to be with Bryce. He just opened up a BMX shop, and she wants to help him out.
I have known Bryce since I was a kid, and he’s a good guy. His little brother, Vincent, is part of that cool biker club, Angels Warriors. If I wasn’t terrified to ride a bike myself, I totally would have joined up. What they do for kids and abused women is so damn cool.
Although, I’m pretty sure Jasper, Vinny, and Mason have me banned from town, considering I spray painted one of their bikes and pulled a shitload of pranks around town on them. Including the one I pulled on feisty Mrs. Shepard.
I decide to call up my friend, Kristi, to see where she is. I know she’s been going to school in Calgary, but she spends some weekends at her dad’s house. I met her in high school. She, her dad, and her sister had just moved from Rocky Mountain House, and we became instant best friends. I have to say, though, her sister, Emmalyn, is extremely high maintenance and completely over the top boy crazy.
>
“Hello?” Kristi answers.
“Hey, I was hoping for a visit today. You around at your dad’s, or are you in Calgary?” I ask her.
“I’m at my apartment. Need the address?” she replies instantly.
She gives it to me after I say yes, and I pack a light bag. As I’m walking down the stairs, Mom comes out from the kitchen, her cleaning gloves on.
“You going out?” she asks.
“Yeah, I’m going to visit Kristi. I don’t know how long, maybe a day or two. Just need a break for a bit,” I tell her.
“Okay, baby. Have fun, and call me if you need me.”
I hug her goodbye and head out. As I’m about to take the cut off to Calgary, my phone rings, and I hit the button on my car to answer it. “Hello?”
“Avalynn?”
“This is she,” I answer.
“This is Sam Mayer. I wanted to inform you that your husband has been served with papers, but he is contesting it. I would like to know now what you would like to do.”
I’m in shock. “He’s contesting it? Why on earth would he do that?”
“I honestly don’t know. From what you told me, this was a marriage of convenience, and he recently got his mistress pregnant. So I don’t even know what is going through his head.”
“I want to go forward with this. Do whatever you can do, please,” I practically beg him.
He’s quiet for a moment. “As you wish. I’ll call again soon to update you. Good day, Ava.” He clicks off, and my radio goes back on.
“What on earth is he doing?” I question out loud.
*~*
I go up the stairs to Kristi’s apartment, and I’m cursing her. Why on earth does she live in a building with no elevator? This is just ridiculous.
I’m pretty much huffing and puffing as I reach Kristi’s door. I knock, and it opens right away. I look at her, all decked out. One side of her head is shaved close, but a flower dye pattern is there. The other side is long and a dark purple color. I look at her face, noticing she got new piercings. “What are you trying to do, set a record or something,” I observe, laughing.
She laughs too and hugs me tight. “I’m so glad you’re here!”
She leads me into her apartment, and I look around. It’s cozy and somewhat bare. She leads me back to her room, and that’s when it all makes sense. I stare at her for a minute. “Seriously?”
“What? I like it.”
I laugh. She’s nuts. She has Monster High bedding with the matching curtains on her windows.
We sit out in the living room, and I ask her about her hair. “What made you shave it?”
“I wanted a change, and technically, it’s not totally shaved. I just flipped all my hair over to the other side. The underneath is shaved all the way around.”
Still weird, but hey, it suits her.
“Well, tell me what’s going on. What have you been up to lately?”
I tell her everything. She listens, and she gets mad, upset, and then finally asks, “Do I need to kick his ass?”
I shake my head. “No, I just want this over with.”
“I’ll be here for you, anytime you need me. You know this,” she says softly. “Oh, I have good news! My website design for Haylix is a hit! I’ve gotten tons of emails and phone calls to help other businesses set up a website or redesign one.”
“That’s so awesome, Kris! Are you still staying in college, or…?” I ask, trailing off.
“No, I’m staying in college. I want to get into gaming—you know that. Design awesome games, or help design them. Whatever. But this is awesome, because I can use all these websites as my homework and get references from them. Heck, I can probably still do this sort of thing on the side, and make a little extra cash from it.”
We spend the time talking and eating junk food, and I tell her about my latest book before we both fall asleep on the couch.
Cameron
I walk up the front path to the Lyle’s house, determined. By the end of today, I will be bringing home my wife—my idiot, runaway wife. Once I explain everything, we’ll be fine. I knock on the door, and a woman I don’t know answers.
I frown. “Mr. and Mrs. Lyle in?” I ask.
The girl shakes her head. “No, sorry, they moved a few months back.”
I step back in shock. “What? Where’d they move to?” Why didn’t Ava tell me they were moving?
“I have no idea. I’m sorry. My husband, Mason, bought this house from them, and a week later, it was ours.”
“Is your husband home?” I ask her.
“No, he’s at work. Works down at Angel’s garage.”
I know where that is. I’ve had my car fixed up there before, all the times I would be here before marrying Ava. “Thanks.”
Her hand comes out. “Name’s Moira, Moira Harris.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Cameron James.”
“Oh, you are Avalynn’s husband. I’ve heard about you.” She gives me a small smile. “Good luck.” She steps back into the house and closes the door.
Sighing, I walk back to my car and drive off to the car repair shop. I see bikes all lined up outside in the parking lot with Angels Warriors MC cuts hanging off them. This will be good. I’ll talk to Mason and maybe get him to find my wife for me.
“What can I help you with?” Do they make fucking giants in Airdrie or something?
“I’m looking for Mason Harris,” I state.
“I’m Jasper. I’ll get him for you.” He pauses and then looks at me. “You aren’t a lawyer, are you?”
I shake my head. “No, I’m looking for someone. Was told he might be able to help me.”
Jasper nods and goes into the bay. A few minutes later, out walks the scariest fucker I’ve ever seen.
“What can I help ya with?” he asks, wiping his hands on a greasy oil rag.
“The Lyle family. I went by, but your wife told me they moved. Was wondering if you knew where,” I say, sounding hopeful.
“Sorry, I didn’t ask,” he tells me simply.
“Any way you could help me out? Find them for me?”
“Man, we don’t do that. We find kids, help kids, shit like that. Not track down people just because.”
“My wife, she left me. I’m hunting her down to bring her home.” I fill him in on my story, and he smirks.
“Runaway wife, huh? I can’t help you, but we have a tracker in the club who can. I’ll have him run a search, see what he comes up with. I’ll give you a call,” he tells me.
“Great. Thanks. What would I owe you?”
He shakes his head. “Nothing. I like Avalynn. Good kid. We’ll get her found for ya. Although, she is one feisty girl, so she might just cut your balls off instead of hearing you out,” he says, chuckling.
I frown. Ava. Feisty? Maybe he’s confused as to who I’m talking about. Maybe there is another Avalynn living around here. He must see the confusion on my face.
“I take it you didn’t know your wife has a temper? A wild streak?” Mason asks, sounding amused.
I shake my head. “She’s always kept her head down, acted sweet.” She has always been more of the turn the other cheek kind of woman.
Mason lets out a loud laugh. “Jasper, man, come here!” he shouts suddenly.
“Sup, brother?” Jasper asks, coming out of his work bay.
“Avalynn Lyle,” Mason states with a smirk.
Jasper sighs and shakes his head. “The guys and I have had to bail her out of shit more times than I could count. Mrs. Shepard, God bless her, was convinced Ava was the devil in human form. Avalynn made Eden look like a choir kid. No joke.”
I’m stunned. “The six and a half years I’ve known Ava, I never would have thought that, not ever,” I tell them honestly.
Another guy emerges from the shop and stands next to the guys. “What’s up?” he asks, scratching his head through the beanie on his head.
“Avalynn Lyle,” Jasper and Mason announce in unison, grinning.
T
he third guy groans. “Please tell me she’s not back in town. I really don’t feel like doing another paint job on my bike after the last time she got up to no good. Plus, Kristi is here next week on vacation. Those two together would cause a natural disaster.”
This is amusing me, finding out more about my wife, a woman I thought I knew better than anyone. At the same time, I’m getting frustrated. “This is interesting and all, and I will be looking forward to hearing more, but right now, all I know is that you bought my in-laws’ home, and I’m trying to find my missing wife.”
The third guy looks at Mason and gives him a sad smile. “Yeah, Reaper and his wife bought that house recently.”
Mason’s demeanor changes, and he storms away, slamming the shop door.
“Sorry, it’s still hard sometimes, bringing up his deceased wife. She only died a little over a year ago, and it still hits him hard,” Angel tells me. “Reaper and I’ll go over what you were telling him about Avalynn. We’ll find her.” He raises his hand for me to shake, and we part ways.
As I’m about to get in my car, my name is shouted. I turn around, and the third guy comes up to me. “Name’s Zippo. Here’s my card. Want some juicy dirt on your wife, I got tons of stories,” he says, smirking at me, and walks away.
I’m not sure I want to know what he means by that. Did any of them date her? The thought of her with any other man kills me.
I shake my head as I slide into my car and grab my phone, calling up my lawyer. “Stall this divorce. Do everything in your power to find a way to stop it altogether. I’m not giving her up.” I hang up my phone and drive off.
Chapter 8
4 Years into marriage
Ava
Zach and I still haven’t done it yet. It’s annoying the hell out of me. I want him, and he wants me, but he won’t do it. He says he wants to wait until I’m a free woman before we actually ‘do it.’ True to Cameron’s word, Becky was never again in charge of anything to do with my life. In fact, I haven’t seen her since the party last year.
