“This was thrown through your window.”
Keep your boyfriend out of my business.
I reread the penmanship, which appeared to have been written by a child. Confused, I looked back at Stone for answers.
“Do you have any idea what this is about? What business?”
He drew in a deep breath and ran this hand through his hair. Trouble brewed in the air; I could smell it for miles, and Stone knew the source of it. I saw the shift in his eyes, the moment he drew in that heavy breath. Without a sound, it was loud and clear in his beautiful eyes.
“Sit down, Avery.” He gestured toward the edge of the mattress. “First, I swear I had no idea this was going to happen.”
Stone followed my robotic movements and joined me on the bed. Worry lines creased his forehead and I was filled with dread, like the wind was about to be knocked out of me. I knew I wasn’t going to like what he was about to tell me.
“Let’s hear it,” I pressed.
“Jared Rollins, the investigator, emailed me the closed report of his findings. The letter Misty gave to Gammy was legitimate. He also confirmed that her mother was in fact behind the whole scheme, but he also discovered that her son-of-a-bitch brother, Daryl, was the one who placed me and your mom in the barn. Who knows who took the pictures, but Pamela Kline made them go viral. When Jared questioned Daryl, the bastard tried to deny it until he was shown the evidence. Jared said he became unstable, threatening to blow a hole in his heart with a sawed-off shotgun if he didn’t get off his property.”
“So you think this Daryl person is responsible for throwing a brick through my window?” Heat burned my face, radiating pure anger through my pores.
“Yes,” he said without hesitation.
“Or maybe it was the family of the lady in the wreck? Maybe someone still holds a grudge.”
“This makes more sense. Avery, I haven’t drummed up anything with that family, haven’t spoken to them since the day I was found guilty. I stirred up Daryl Kline. He’s the only person it could be. I don’t have any other business enemies.”
“Why? Why did Pamela pick my family to destroy?”
“I don’t know.”
Stone Mitchell hadn’t been able to lie worth a shit as a teenager, and he sure as hell hadn’t changed. Unable to look directly at me, his tone changed, just like it used to. He ran his hands up and down his leg, reminding me of the time he’d told me he found Callie, my calico cat dead underneath the willow tree. He’d said she looked like she’d gone to sleep, but left out that she’d been mangled, likely attacked by a coyote. He’d tried hiding her suffering to keep me from being traumatized, to save me from breaking apart, but in the end, I’d found her purple collar with jeweled paws in three pieces, and he’d finally told me the truth.
“Don’t even try it, Stone. Tell me everything you know.”
He hesitated, but then everything poured out in a rush. “Pamela had a crazy notion that your dad was in love with her. She told her brother he promised to leave your mom and they were going to get married. She had a ring to prove it. When that didn’t happen, she decided if Lee Anderson, West Tempie’s most reputable pastor, was tainted by infidelity, he’d have no choice but to file for divorce. Under her delusions, she envisioned herself filling Georgina’s shoes. She’d become Lee’s wife, chair the annual homecomings, serve as president of the PTO, be the woman everyone adored. Daryl was only too happy to help her, and I just happened to be in the right place at the right time. Together, they created the scandal of a lifetime, except it backfired. Your dad forgave your mom and moved his family far away from the gossip. Apparently, Pamela had a drug addiction, because when her toxicology screen came back, she tested positive for everything.”
I absorbed the information, and there was one question I was afraid to ask, but needed the answer. “Did my dad have an affair with her?”
Looking me square in the eye, without flinching or a hint of nervousness, he said, “Jared said there wasn’t a trace of evidence supporting that. Pamela suffered from a mental illness and had colorful delusions, and Misty confirmed previous mental health treatment at hospitals. She said her mother would always come home better but then would slip into manic stages. Misty was adamant that her mother did not have an affair with your father but said her mother really believed there was more than a pastor-congregant relationship. She also said her Uncle Daryl would go to the ends of the earth to make someone pay if he thought they hurt his sister.”
“Why are you just now telling me all of this?”
“I found out while you were getting dressed for our date. The moment I saw you, I only wanted you to have a good time, and call me selfish, but I wanted the night to be perfect.”
Tears spilled from the rims of my eyes. “It was a perfect date. Stone, I can’t stop thinking about my parents. This is going to break my mom into a million pieces. I mean, their marriage was so burdened by her supposed infidelity. She kept her head high because my dad wouldn’t have anything less. He has the most forgiving heart in the entire universe, but this time my father is the one being accused. When does all this shit just stop? Damn it to hell, Stone, when? My parents don’t deserve this!” My raised voice had Stone reaching for me.
“I’ll take care of everything.” His arms held me while every emotion sank to the pit of my stomach. Slowly the anguish and adversity morphed into pure anger. I began breathing hard and fast, seething from the crown of my head to the very ends of my toenails.
“And now some asshole threw a damn brick through my window! What if Savannah had been here? What if she’d been standing in front of the window? That bastard could have hurt my daughter!” I spat, standing up and pacing like a maniac. “I need to call the police!’
He jerked me around, holding my upper arms. “I’ve already called them. They should be here any minute. It’s one thing to mess with me, but I won’t tolerate him fucking with you or Savannah. The documents Jared sent me will give the police a lead in the investigation. It’s late, so I’ll call your dad in the morning and let him know what’s going on.”
I laughed. “That’s in less than three hours.”
He drew me into his arms. “As soon as I can get in touch with my parole officer, I’m taking you to West Tempie. It’s time for Gammy to meet Savannah, and it’ll get you away from here. When I have you in a safe place, I’ll take you on plenty more dates. Everything is going to be fine.”
“Since that’s where it all began, I’m not so sure West Tempie is any safer than here.”
“Sheriff Winston would never let anything scare Gammy. One call and he’ll have an officer posted at her place.”
When the deputy finished up, he assured us he’d be in touch then left. Stone positioned himself behind me, wrapping his arms around me and pulling my body into his. Standing at the open door, I stared into the eastern sky at the breaking dawn. Gorgeous yellows and oranges should have been the promise of a beautiful day, but it was anything but cloud nine.
“We should try to get some sleep,” he whispered into my hair.
I nodded, reaching into my pocket for my phone. “I’m going to send a text to Lindsey. Unless something pressing comes up, she won’t mind watching Savannah until about noon.”
Ten minutes later, I lay curled up against him, my head resting on top of his chest. Stone ran the fingers of one hand through the strands of my hair and caressed my shoulder and upper arm with the other.
“Don’t worry, Ave. The police will handle everything. The officer said they’ll up the patrol on your street. Plus, since they have a good idea who it is, it won’t be long before they detain him for questioning.”
My eyes clouded over before unstoppable tears spilled from my eyes onto his chest. I cried for love lost and second chances. I cried for my deceptive role in keeping Savannah from a wonderful family who would have loved her regardless of the circumstances. I cried for the rocky pathway life had dished out to Stone. Totally wrecked, I cried for the hope of us.
<
br /> He placed his hands firm against my ribcage, dragging upward. His hands cupped the sides of my face, thumbs brushing against my cheeks and wiping the wetness away.
“I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere. We’ll get through all of this together. Don’t be afraid.”
I laughed. “I’m everything but afraid.”
“Why are you upset?” he demanded softly, his thumbs continuing to gently caress my face.
“Me. You. Us. Savannah. Dovie. Everything that’s happened, everything I can’t undo.”
His gaze held me captive as he latched onto my bottom lip. “You’re mine, Avery. I’ll make it all go away.”
Our eyes stayed open while he claimed my mouth and I desperately sought his tongue. I never wanted his kiss to stop. I never wanted to be separated from him, from this moment. It was like he had the power to make me forget the pains of yesterday and only remember the happy times.
In a quick roll, he was on top of me, kissing me hard. I wrapped my arms around his neck and let the emotions pour out of my soul. Breathless and broken down, I kissed him hard and met each stroke of his tongue with my own.
“You need to sleep, Avery. I’ll hold you in my arms and make everything all right. We have all the time in the world to catch up on each other. I’m not going anywhere. I’m here, baby.”
At that moment, I knew I loved Stone, knew I’d always love him. My mouth belonged to him, my body belonged to him, and my heart had always belonged to him. Deep down, I felt his love for me. Maybe he wasn’t ready to admit it to me or himself, but it was there.
I let out a heavy sigh, closed my eyes, and let him hold me until I drifted off into a peaceful sleep.
Chapter 27
A few days later, parked in Dovie’s driveway, I admired the wraparound front porch of her farmhouse. Eyeing the white wooden swing, my mind drifted down memory lane. So many stolen kisses and magical moments between me and Stone had happened there with nothing but crickets singing in the night air, and then there were the countless visits with Dovie, talking about anything and everything.
“I’m regretting not telling her about Savannah before showing up,” I whispered softly under the music playing in the car.
“Relax, Ave. It’s going to be okay.” He smiled, showing his teeth. Behind his aviators, his penetrating eyes reached my very soul, calming my nerves as only he could.
“Tell that to my insides. It feels like I’m about to jump into a pit of fire.”
“It’s Gammy. I’ll let you in on a little secret: all my life, whenever I confessed my shortcomings, not once did she ever kill me. And just think, you have a peace offering.” He grinned like a school boy, tipping his head toward Savannah, who was secured in her booster seat.
I rolled my eyes at his bad sense of humor as I silently grimaced. Telling Dovie was the hardest thing I’d faced, aside from telling my parents I was pregnant by the man who’d screwed my mother.
He drew my hand to his mouth. “It may be hard at first, but I can promise you she’ll come around. It’s Gammy, and you know her as well as I do. That woman is incapable of hating anyone.”
Stone killed the engine, stepped out of the car, opened the passenger door, and unfastened the booster seat. “Come on, Savannah. Come meet your Gammy. You’re going to love her as much as she’s going to love you, princess.”
The second my sandals met the pavement, peace and an unexpected tranquility washed over me, like I belonged. Stealing a glance at the property next door, I took in the home where I’d grown up. On all the other visits to Dovie, I hadn’t ever mustered up the courage to really look at the place. A colorful floral welcome flag hung from the rafter and swayed back and forth in the breeze. The once yellow shutters were now a soft blue, and our old bright red door had been changed to white.
Stone intertwined his fingers with mine and held Savannah’s small hand in his other. As we approached the top wooden step, the front door flew open. My heart lurched in my throat, and I wished I had thought this through better. Showing up unannounced was the worst idea Stone had ever had, and me listening to him ranked at the top of the list of stupidest things I’d ever done.
“What a wonderful surprise, Stoney and Avery. I’ve missed you two.” Dovie fixated her attention on Stone’s mini-me, her voice like that of a peaceful dove. She’d once told me she’d been named after the beautiful bird, and I understood why. She was beautiful, inside and out.
“Gammy.” His boyish voice had a way of warming my heart.
She reached down, taking Savannah’s small hand. “What’s your name?”
“Savannah.” Her big blue eyes lit up and she smiled a smile full of life.
“That’s a beautiful name for a pretty little girl. Come on inside. I’m too old to enjoy these hot temperatures, and you must be thirsty.”
We stepped into the foyer, guilt gnawing its way through my gut, tearing its way into my soul. For the first time in my life, she didn’t have much to say to me, if anything at all. I’d expected her reaction, but it still twisted me into a mess when it actually happened.
Biting the bullet, I cleared my throat. “Dovie, I want you to meet your granddaughter. She’s…”
Stone interrupted, like he knew I needed saving. “She’s my daughter, and a true Mitchell at that. She loves baking and eating chocolate chip cookies, and she enjoys picking up shells in front of Dovie’s Sandcastle.” He ruffled the top of Savannah’s hair. “Don’t you, kiddo?”
“You’ve been to my beach house?” Dovie’s eyes went wide and her smile wider, flattening out some of the wrinkles around the edges of her mouth.
Savannah bobbed her head, excitement dancing on her face. “We’re going back so I can build more sandcastles.”
“Oh, how fun! Do you know how to make a house for the little sea creatures?”
She narrowed her eyes, shaking her small head.
“It’s easy as pie. I’ll have to teach you in one of my flowerbeds so when you go back you can make them like I taught your daddy when he was a little boy.” She beamed and stepped aside without acknowledging my presence.
“Dovie?” Her name slipped from my mouth, unable to keep from desperately seeking her attention.
Her disappointed eyes slowly moved toward me. My chest hurt like a piercing knife slammed through the main artery, and I felt as though I were drowning in my own blood.
“Come on, honey. I’ll show you around.” Stone clutched Savannah’s hand, leading her up the wooden staircase. “We’ll be upstairs.”
They disappeared, leaving me with a woman who had put a wall between us, and it was my own fault. I met her artic blue eyes, and we stared for what seemed like hours. A rush of apologies stopped at the tip of my tongue, knowing that was the last thing she’d want to hear.
“You could have told me, Missy. You’ve always been able to tell me anything.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat that wouldn’t go away. My eyes welled with hot tears, some slipping through the lower lashes onto my cheeks. Maybe she’d never forgive me. If I were in her shoes, I doubted I’d ever forgive me either.
“I wanted to. Oh my God, how I wanted to tell you. I wanted her to know you, wanted Savannah to have the best Gammy the world has to offer, but I couldn’t, Dovie. If she knew you, then she would have had to know Stone. We all believed Stone slept with my mother. I couldn’t let her ever find that out.” I lowered my head in shame.
Silence.
A hellish silence lingered.
Tears dripped off my chin. “I’m so sorry. I’m so very sorry, Dovie. I never meant to be selfish. I thought I was doing the right thing by her. I thought hiding her from Stone was the only option.”
“But it wasn’t. Stone had a right to know he had a daughter, just like his parents had a right. I had a right.”
“All of that is true. I know that. I knew it then, but I didn’t want my baby to ever hear that her daddy slept with her grandmother. Please, Dovie, please try to understand. It was never out of
spite. I did it to protect her.”
Dovie softly nodded, taking in all that I said. “You visited me without ever saying a word. It’s not okay that you kept her from us, Avery.”
A ball of pain hit my stomach as shame washed over me. It had been one thing to keep it from her, from all of them, but it was a completely different thing for me to waltz in and sit beside her on the porch swing like nothing ever happened.
My shoulders sagged in defeat. “I’m sorry a thousand times, but it’ll never take away what I did. I love you, Dovie, and I hope one day you can forgive me. I’m begging you to try.”
“I think I need to lie down for a bit.” Weary lines creased around her eyes, ones I was responsible for.
“Are you okay, Dovie?”
“I’ll be fine, Missy.” She left me standing alone in the shadows of my own sorrow.
I found my way to the solitude of the porch swing with the red toile cushions. On the verge of sobbing, I swayed back and forth, listening to the familiar sounds along the country road. Birds chirped, leaves rustled, and a dog barked in the distance as I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the strip of wood.
The creak of the screen door drew my attention to Stone. He was so beautiful and sexy. I drank him in, my eyes shifting over to his arms bulging from the sleeves of his light blue polo. A wicked gleam flickered in his eyes, reeling me in.
He dropped in front of me, kneeling between my knees. “Savannah’s eating a grilled cheese sandwich. How’d it go?”
“It didn’t. She’s hurt and mad, and she’s never going to forgive me.”
“Give it time, Ave. You have this way about you that one can’t simply walk away from.”
“If I could go back in time, maybe things would have been different.”
He sat down beside me, causing the swing to push back. The chain pulled on the hooks from the ceiling, causing a squeaking noise as Stone wrapped his corded arm around my shoulder. “Don’t live for yesterday. Live for today.”
Chasing Wicked (The Mitchell Brothers - Wicked Series Book 1) Page 19
