Mila passed away two weeks later in her sleep, which was a great relief to the family. Nick and Aria didn't witness her suffering. Avery, on the other hand, had decided to stay up with Mila the previous night because she somehow knew this would be her last night. Avery’s gut had churned all day, like rocks rolling around in her stomach, and she knew that something terrible was bound to happen. That night, under Avery’s watchful eyes and the small room blanketed in darkness, Mila recounted to Avery all the memories she had of her growing up, and Avery shared with her the ones she remembered so fondly. Both of their favorite memories were those when she would sneak Avery into the nursery to play with Aria in the early morning. The women wept as Mila struggled to take her last breath. In that final breath, she whispered the words that would run through Avery’s mind for the rest of her life. The words were so powerful, yet they came from a woman writhing to gain oxygen in her lungs.
As if she was transfixed in another world, staring ahead into the blank space, Mila whispered, "Love hard, Avery. When you feel you have nothing, open up your heart, it's what we all want from you. Don't turn a blind eye to love. You'll be scared and try to fight against it, but you need to love. You need to embrace it. I love you so much, Avery. You were the best daughter I could have ever asked for. It won't be for long, but love Aria and Nick fiercely, you'll need it."
With tears in her eyes, Avery whispered to Mila her words of love. She watched as Mila closed her eyes and took her last gulp of air, the pressure in the room squeezing Avery’s lungs in response.
Sitting in the church after Mila's burial, Avery decided to withdraw from her classes for the time being and take care of Aria. Luckily, any savings Mila had were left in Avery’s name so she had enough to live on for a while when supplemented with her small part-time job as a housekeeper.
Spending time with Nick and Aria helped to heal her broken heart. It was like losing more than her mother, she was her everything. All she ever knew. The only person to ever show Avery affection and love until meeting Nick.
Nick and Avery grew closer after Mila's death and after a full year of dating and living together, he proposed with a beautiful solitaire diamond ring. Nothing large or extravagant, but enough to show how much he loved her. Avery’s world finally seemed brighter after accepting his proposal and she spent her downtime dreaming of being his wife.
A few mornings after the surprise proposal, Avery was sitting at the kitchen table, planning their small affair. Nick suggested that Avery enroll herself back in school since he would be graduating in a few weeks. Excitement radiated through her, and the two contacted the school advisor straight away to reinstate her scholarship and enroll in classes for the summer. After tallying up her credits, Avery would have a little less than a year remaining.
Poring over wedding magazines, glancing at bridesmaids dresses with Aria, Avery’s phone rang from across the room, startling them both. She answered the phone to an automated message reminding her of Aria’s dental appointment in the morning.
“Crap,” Avery said out loud to no one in particular as she stomps her foot in frustration.
“What’s wrong, baby?” Nick called from the bedroom.
“Aria has a dental appointment at nine tomorrow morning, but I scheduled that meeting with my financial advisor so that I can sign some papers to reinstate my scholarship. I hate to ask you to take her, you have class.”
“It’s fine, Avery. We’re just meeting in study groups for the final. I’ll let my group know I can’t make it and email them my notes.”
Walking to the back room, Avery wraps her arms around her amazing fiancé and breathes in his masculine scent.
“Thank you.” she released him with a sigh. “You’re a life saver.”
“No sweat. I’m happy to take her. Maybe we can all meet up for lunch after.”
“That sounds great. Want to help us look at dresses?”
Laughing, he turned Avery around in his arms and gently pushed her out of the room.
“That’s ok, babe. I’ll let you girls stick to the wedding dresses.”
Returning his laughter, Avery rejoined Aria at the table and they continued their perusal of over-the-top wedding dresses.
The incessant pressing of kisses against Avery’s neck and shoulders awakened her from a deep sleep. Moaning into his mouth as he turned her over, Nick wasted no time in removing her small panties and seeking entrance for his hardened member. Sex with Nick is always pleasurable, but this morning it feels different, more explosive, more fevered - like he can’t get enough. Avery comes quickly, in powerful waves, at his violently thrusts, and he quickly follows as her body milks him dry.
“That was incredible.”
“It sure was. Very unexpected. Any particular reason?”
“Nope. I just woke up, looked over at your beautiful face, and knew I needed to have you.”
Giggling, Avery shoved him lightly on the shoulder and moved out of bed, heading for the shower.
After getting herself ready for her meeting, Avery woke up Aria and helped her make some breakfast before she needed to leave for her dental appointment.
Minutes later, Nick asked Aria to get in the car while he says goodbye to Avery.
Standing before her, hands stroking her hair, he stared lovingly in her eyes.
“I love you so much, Avery. I am thankful every day that I ran into you at that pizza shop. You marrying me is going to be the happiest day of my life. I want you to have all the happiness you deserve.”
With tears sprinkling her eyes, Avery had to bite back the sobs that wanted to escape.
“I love you too, Nick. So much. I can’t wait to be your wife.”
Bringing her face to his, Nick kisses her slowly, taking his time to explore Avery’s mouth. Breaking away from the kiss before things become too heated, she walks with Nick to the car so that she can also say goodbye to her sister. Pulling her in close, Nick’s sweet words from moments ago rang in her head and she held Aria tighter.
He’s the best thing to happen to me and my sister, she thought.
“I love you, Aria. Be good for Nick.”
“I will. I love you too, sissy. We’ll see you at lunch.”
With one more hug and kiss from Nick, the two maneuvered into the car and back out of the lot, both waving out the window.
Avery arrived at the meeting with her advisor and they went over the scholarship paperwork, then nailed down her schedule for the summer. As they went through the course list it surprised Avery to learn she only had one more class and an externship to complete. In response to her baffled look, the advisor informed her that some of the dual enrollment courses taken in high school had transferred over and she wouldn’t need to repeat them. Avery hadn’t realized she was so close to getting everything she had ever wanted.
Stepping out into the bright sunshine on the warm spring day, Avery’s ringing cell phone startled her from her reveries.
“Hello?” Avery queried, not recognizing the number.
“Is this Avery Poindexter? Guardian of Aria Poindexter?”
“Yes,” she replied hesitantly, chills racking through her bones, “this is she.”
“I’m sorry, miss. This is Officer Stewart. I need you to meet me at St. James Hospital, ma’am. There has been an accident.”
“Excuse me, what? What kind of accident. Is Aria alright? Is she with Nick?”
Some mumbling goes on in the background, but Avery can’t hear what is said.
“We can explain everything when you get here, miss. I’ll meet you in the hospital atrium.”
Waving her hands frantically in an attempt to hail a cab, Avery asked the driver to speedily take her to the destination, her heart beating profusely along the way. A sinking feeling spirals in the pit of her stomach and she’s afraid that everything in her world is about to shatter.
Approaching the hospital entrance, Avery shoved a twenty dollar bill at the driver and jumped out of the cab before the vehicle had even come to
a complete stop. Rushing through the automatic doors, she looked around anxiously until she noticed the solemn-looking officer waiting in the corner for her arrival.
Looking in his direction, Avery could see the despair in his eyes.
“Ms. Poindexter?”
Pleading with the officer, Avery cried, “Please, please, tell me she’s ok, that her and Nick are ok.”
Ignoring her requests, Officer Stewart continued, “Have you seen the news ma’am?”
“No, I’ve been in a meeting. Please, I need to see Aria.”
“I’m sorry, Ms. Poindexter, so sorry, but Aria and the driver of her vehicle were killed in an automobile accident this morning.”
“What? No. No, you’re wrong. She’s at the dentist. Please tell me you’re wrong,” Avery exclaimed, sinking to the floor as desperate cries wreaked havoc upon her body.
“I’m very sorry, Ms. Poindexter, but we need you to fill out some forms,” the Officer said uncomfortably.
Avery couldn’t bring herself to remove her body from the cold marble floor, so she continued to let out heartbreaking wails of pain. All Avery could think about is that they’re gone. Her entire world had been completely stripped of everything she loved.
A compassionate nurse lifted her into his arms and carried her to a secluded room while another nurse injected her with a sedative. The medication must have been strong, because Avery soon found herself drifting off into nothingness.
Avery woke hours later to numbness she had never felt before; a hollowness encompassed her entire being. The same officer, Officer Stewart she recalls, returns with forms and Avery scratched a non-legible signature across the marked spaces. Within the blankness she heard him speaking to her, telling her about the accident… how an overly tired truck driver was rushing through a turn at an intersection and overturned his vehicle that was carrying heavy concrete highway material. It crushed Nick’s and another’s cars. Both sets of passengers were killed instantly by the heavy load. In Avery’s world of despair, she murmured a silent and fevered prayer that they didn’t suffer.
Her sweet sister - she had so much life to live, so much to learn and experience since being whisked away from that hellhole called the Poindexter Estate.
And Nick. He was more than the man Avery loved, he was her best friend. Thinking of her remarkable fiancé brought forth a new level of emptiness. No tears remain, her emotions completely drained.
Avery thought back to his words from this morning and wondered why her happiness continued to get stripped away.
“Holy, cow,” Melanie whispers behind her shaking hand. “And then you met Declan.”
“I thought Declan was going to be my happy ending, you know?”
The pain still emanating in her chest, she has to rub at the heated spot before she closes her eyes and loses herself in more memories as Melanie cries softly on her shoulder.
Walking into the break room of the small medical practice where she worked, Avery dumped her bag into the locker with her affixed name, shutting the door and exiting quickly, making sure to avoid the looks from her coworkers.
For the past two years, Avery worked at this office and she made sure to avoid conversation with everyone. They know something tragic happened, of that she’s sure. There is no point in denying it, but her life ceased to exist the day Aria and Nick died. After a few weeks of one-word answers and a lack of enthusiasm at getting to know the other employees, most of them just gave up interacting with her.
Avery came into the office to do her job and do it well, then she would go home and hide in the apartment she had once shared with her family. Only one person attempted to break through to her. Melanie was a medical assistant for another physician in the practice. She pestered and pestered her until eventually Avery conceded to eating lunch with her every day. Mainly, she Avery would sit there and listen to Melanie ramble on about her escapades the night before.
Avery still blamed herself for Nick and Aria’s death. She was supposed to be the one driving Aria to her appointment that day. But, as the saying goes, the past is the past and nothing can change it. It reminded Avery that she needed to start living her life as a memento to the people she had lost.
As Avery headed toward the receptionist desk to see who they had as patients that day, she stopped short at the sight of a tall, lean-muscled man hovering above an employee with a sexy smirk on his face. The older receptionist blushed furiously as she pages another nurse, Max, to the front desk. Avery assumed that's who the handsome man was here to meet.
Then her body’s appreciation of the mysterious man sends Avery’s heart into over-drive. No one, not a soul since Nick had caught her eye; not that she was ever looking.
When Max came to the desk, they did the typical male handshake-hug combination and the two made quick conversation about meeting up for lunch.
Sneaking up from behind, Melanie whispered in her ear, "What are we staring at? Oh, look at him. Yum."
Turning her head, hoping to shush Melanie, Avery turned back just in time for this sexy guy's eyes to meet hers. She released a gasp from between her parted lips as he continued to stare in her direction. Turning quickly, she headed back towards the break room and decided to wait a few minutes before heading back up front to see the daily patient log, unable to control the fluttering in her belly that arose from the stranger’s gaze.
Willing the clock to move faster, Avery let out a heavy breath when five minutes have passed. Walking down the deserted hallway she ran into Melanie with a smack. Melanie smiled as Avery apologized, then handed her a note and sauntered away with an extra sway in her hips.
With shaky hands, Avery opened the note and read the manly scribble.
Hello Gorgeous. I know you felt the spark between us but you ran off so quickly I didn’t get a chance to introduce myself. I’m going to call you later and take you out to dinner tonight. I’ll pick you up at 7. You can thank your friend for giving me your number. I’m looking forward to it.
Declan
“Melanie!” Avery shouted before exploding simultaneously into nervous giggles. “What am I going to wear?”
Avery anxiously sat on the ratty couch in the apartment she had shared with Nick, Aria, and Mila as she waits for Declan to pick her up. He called while she was on lunch and they chatted for a bit before he asked for her address, mentioning as a side-note for her to dress casually.
Avery’s nerves were so high she continued to feel the urge to vomit. Needing a distraction, she turned on the television, but it did little to calm her nerves.
A loud knock on the door startled her from her reverie and she let out a small yelp. Taking a few deep breaths, she walked to the door and hesitantly reached for the handle before opening it wide. The sight that greeted her was nothing short of amazing.
In front of Avery, Declan stood in faded denim that hugged his muscular thighs, a tight black t-shirt pulled tight across his lean muscles, light brown hair styled back into a ponytail.
Images of Jared Leto when he won his best supporting actor award the year before flooded her mind. That’s who Declan resembled as he stood at her door.
“You look beautiful, Avery,” Declan said as he stepped forward and handed her a bouquet of pink gerber daisies.
Running her hands down the pale yellow sundress she had chosen to wear that evening, she nervously thanked him before inviting him inside while she placed the daises in a vase.
“You have a cute place. How long have you been here?”
“Um, a few years,” Avery answered, filling the vase with water from the sink.
After placing the glass on the counter, she stepped out of the tiny kitchen to find Declan staring at the pictures on the wall - the picture of her, Nick, and Aria.
“Your family?” he asked, pointing over his shoulder to the picture as he turned to look at her.
Replying shyly, she said, “Yea,” and offered no further explanation.
Taking the hint, Declan stepped closer and put his hands
on both of her shoulders, immediately calming her nerves.
“Ready for some fun?”
Smiling graciously at his change of subject, Avery nodded her head and followed him out of the apartment to his awaiting car.
The drive was quiet and Avery was surprised when they arrived at a music festival. She followed Declan as he walked through the gates, then she took a hold of his hand and glanced up at him.
“Thank you. I needed this.”
Stopping in the midst of throngs of concert goers, Declan pulled her close and placed both of his hands on her cheeks.
Looking deep into Avery’s eyes he whispered, “This is just the start, you’re going to be extremely special to me.”
Not knowing what to say, Avery smiled and continued to look into his dark chocolate eyes. Leaning forward, Declan pressed his soft lips against hers in a chaste kiss; just long enough to leave Avery craving more of him and his touch.
Stepping back, he brushed his fingers through her hair and took her hand before leading her closer to the stage. He found a deserted spot off to the side and sat down, pulling Avery to sit between his legs. Leaning back, she rested her body against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her.
“Let me know if you get cold, Avery.”
“I will,” she relented, knowing her body would crave the heat from being wrapped up in him.
During breaks in the music, Declan and Avery talked about their lives. He felt like a kindred spirit, even then, and she found herself disclosing her darkest secrets - the life that at every turn seemed to follow a darkened path. Declan revealed that he, too, had felt his share of loss. His mother died during childbirth and his father passed a few years back of pancreatic cancer. The pain in his voice was just as strong as Avery’s when she talked about her own tragedies. They stayed wrapped up in each other through the remainder of the festival and she found sublime comfort in the arms of this stranger who had, just that morning, knocked her so off kilter.
Coming Alive: Welcome to Carson, Book One Page 3
