by Lexi Whitlow
The car fires up just fine and the temperature gauge sits still. I give it a minute, watching all the dials on the dashboard before I take a deep breath, check traffic, and then pull back onto the highway when all is clear. Five minutes down the road, passing through hilly, nearly mountainous country, I pass by an exit for a town called Sunny Valley. From there the road tips up into the hills. A highway sign tells me that Portland is 292 miles away. That seems forever. I’m making lousy time, but things haven’t gone entirely smoothly between having to stop to pee every couple hours, feeling sick to my stomach, and now radiator issues.
I guess it could always be worse. I have a lot to be thankful for.
The day is warm and dry. It could be raining. It could be cold. Traffic is light and I’m driving through lovely, rural hill country. It could be so much worse.
I make it exactly ten miles down the road before things get so much worse.
It begins when I notice an odd, sweet scent in the air, and then see small puffs of steam pouring from the cracks around the hood. I look down at the gauges on the dash and I see the temperature indicator is climbing fast to red line territory.
Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit.
This time around there’s no fix. When I look under the hood I see that water is dripping from all over the place and pooling on the ground beneath the car. There’s a big leak somewhere, and it’s drained the radiator completely and permanently. I’m shit out of luck.
I look around. My whereabouts can best be described as the middle of freaking nowhere. The only thing I see is trees, hills, and highway stretching off to the crack of doom, north and south.
I have exactly two choices. I can sit here with the car and hope for the best, or I can take matters into my own hands and hike to the next exit to get help. It’s not a tough choice. I grab my bag and my water bottle, and I start walking. I have no clue how far ahead the next exit is. Maybe it’s miles and miles. I figure if I pass out on the highway, then maybe someone will stop to help – otherwise – I’m on my own.
It’s a not a good feeling. I’m scared to death, but it seems I have very few options.
Chapter 26
Maddox
I know that Avery made it as far as Grant’s Pass. That’s where she stayed last night. I’ve only been on the road about six hours – hauling ass – when I see the sign for that exit. I need to stop for gas or I’ll be burning fumes if I go much longer. I take the exit and fill up, hit the men’s room, then I’m on the road again. This country is nothing but rugged low mountains, rural with more trees than people. I’d like to live somewhere like this some day, but right now I’m too wired to think about much except keeping my eyes peeled on the road ahead, looking for even the most fleeting sign of Avery.
Ten miles or so north of Grant’s Pass, I get that long anticipated, long prayed-for sign – at least I think I do. I blow past a beat up old Honda Civic pulled over in the breakdown lane. I’m going too fast to even get a glimpse at who is inside it. All I can see as I check my rear view mirror is that the hood is up. I hit the breaks and as soon as I’m slowed sufficiently to pull to the side, I pull over and stop, slip the truck into reverse, and start backing up.
I hope there are no cops nearby. This move is the height of illegal.
Stepping out of my truck, approaching the Honda, I see plainly that the car has been abandoned. No one is there. I don’t even know if this is Ella’s car. I check the tag and see that it’s registered in California. I pull my cell from my pocket and call Ella.
She picks up in half a second.
“What’s your tag number?” I ask, skipping the formalities.
She calls the letters and numbers out as I read them from the plate. It’s her car, but there’s no Avery in it. I walk around the vehicle and see the sticky stain of antifreeze on the ground beneath the engine block.
“Looks like it may have blown a hose or maybe the water pump,” I say. “Anyway. If you hear from her, tell her to stay put and call me to let me know where she is.”
I end the call and look up and down the road. All I see is pavement and trees.
Somewhere down that highway there’s a pretty redhead walking by herself out there in the middle of godforsaken nowhere. She could get picked up by a serial killer, or a car load of stoned rednecks, or one of those people who kidnap vulnerable young women and sell them into the sex trade.
She could be sick, passed out in a ditch beside the highway, out of sight.
Jesus, Avery. What are you thinking? You should always stay with the car. Everyone knows that. The cops will always pull over to help stranded motorists. I wish I’d had the opportunity to tell her all these things, and now I’m just praying to whatever higher power there is, to give me a second chance.
Please keep her safe. Please.
I put my truck back on the road, praying, making deals with my maker the whole time as I drive.
If you let me find her safe and well, I’ll be the best partner, the best father, I’ll never take her or our life for granted. I’ll cherish her and the baby, and always do my best for them.
I drive for several miles along winding hilly highway with those deals running in a loop in my brain. I come around a bend in the road and the grade turns down toward a valley. A sign ahead says, “Canyonville – 1 mile.” I see a tiny figure far ahead, walking on the side of the highway exit ramp. I give my signal and move to the right, then I nudge over into the exit lane.
I pass by her going slow, and see that the walker is Avery. My heart leaps into my throat as I slam on brakes and pull off to the side, jamming the truck into park, bolting out the door toward her.
She looks up, shocked, and then realizes its me. Her face dissembles into tears as she throws herself into my embrace.
I don’t say a single thing. I just pull her close and hold her, rocking, while she bawls into my chest.
She’s shaking and crying. “I was so scared… so scared… I didn’t… I didn’t know what to do...”
“Shhh, baby. It’s okay. You’re okay. I found you. You’re safe. You’ll be safe from now on. I’m so sorry. I’ll never leave you like that again. I’ll never do it. I swear. I love you so much.”
We stand on the highway like that – just hanging on to one another – for a ridiculously long time. Finally she pulls away and looks up at me. “I’m so thirsty. I drank the last of my water a long time ago. Do you have any?”
She’s thirsty, hot, dirty, exhausted, and freaked the fuck out about everything. I put her into my truck, hand her a cold bottle of water, and tell her she’s gonna get a shower and a rest. I can’t stop looking at her, holding her hand as I drive the short stretch into the little town. I keep kissing her hand, tasting her skin, reassuring myself that she’s really okay and really with me.
There are exactly two hotels in Canyonville, Oregon. One is a truck stop Holiday Inn, and the other is attached to a casino. It’s not a difficult decision. I pull into the Seven Feathers Resort and Casino, and navigate to the hotel. I pay a premium for a king suite with no reservation, but the price is worth it, because Avery is with me, safe.
“Tell me what happened with my parents,” Avery asks as we step into the elevator to go up to our room.
“I’ll tell you everything,” I say. “After you get something to eat and take a load off. You walked at least five miles.”
“Was it that far?” she asks, leaning against my shoulder. “It felt like forever.”
I nod at her, slipping my arm around her tiny waist. I almost want to scold her for leaving the car, but I can’t. The salt of her tears still stain her face. She’s sunburned, and she looks beaten with physical exhaustion. I want to get her off her feet and get some food in her before any serious conversation takes place.
The hotel room is just perfect. It’s spacious and tasteful, and once inside I realize why it’s expensive. It’s probably the nicest hotel room I’ve ever stayed in (which is not saying much). It’s huge too, with a couch and a desk and
a massive, floor to ceiling tiled bathroom.
“Oh. Nice,” Avery chirps, stepping in, looking around. “Who knew Oregon had decent hotels?”
Indeed. Who knew? How in the world am I ever going to keep this girl in the manner to which she was born and raised? Short answer, I don’t think I can. That said, I can do better in areas other than money. I can love her completely and without strings attached.
I put our bags down on the floor as Avery makes for the bed and collapses on it.
“I just want to sleep until the end of days,” she says, melting into the heavy comforter.
I pull her shoes from her swollen feet and climb up beside her, cradling her head in the crook of my arm. “Take a nap,” I say, drawing my finger along her jawline, then smoothing back her hair. “I’ll call Ella to let her know you’re safe.”
“Okay.” She yawns, her eyelids already drooping. She rolls on her side, tucks her knees up to her elbows, and relaxes. “Just a few minutes.”
I step out into the corridor to call Ella. She’s ecstatic when I tell her that Avery is with me, and fine. I promise I’ll have her car towed and fixed, and get it back to her some way, sooner rather than later.
“Don’t freak out about the car,” Ella assures me. “It’s older than I am. I’ll manage without it just fine for the time being. Just take care of Avery.”
I promise her I will.
“You guys need to get to Vancouver,” she says. “Fucking Evelyn put a guy on the street outside my place, watching me. I know they’re looking for her. If she used a credit card, they’ll be on your tail before you know it.”
“We will,” I say. “Your Aunt – she won’t mind me?”
“No,” Ella interrupts. “Bebe is cool. She’ll love you. Just get there.”
“Okay. But I’ve got to let Avery rest. She’s been through the wringer. She’s napping now. She needs to rest and eat something and rest more.”
“She’s tougher than you think she is,” Ella says. “She’s not going to break.”
That’s probably true.
Back inside the room I find Avery sleeping like a cat, nuzzled up on a big pillow, her arms wrapped around a second one, holding it close. She looks so peaceful. She’s beautiful, despite the road grime and sun burn. She’s the picture of perfection, and she’s here with me, safe, mine.
I watch her sleep for a long time, just studying her features and form. She’s a small person, with slender, taught limbs and a naturally lithe build. I try to imagine her fat with a baby. The picture I paint in my head is even more beautiful than she is now. In my mind’s eye she’s softer, filled out at the breasts and hips, her belly heavy and round. Her face glows as she smiles up at me, placing my hand on her belly. She smiles. The expression in her eye tells me she feels safe and loved.
I want to see that expression for real.
“Penny for your thoughts,” she says.
I blink. Avery’s awake and drowsily taking me in.
I slip in beside her on the bed, kicking my shoes off, pulling her close. “I was just thinking about how beautiful you are. And how much I adore you. And how glad I am that I have you back with me, safe. And that I’m never going to let you go.”
“I hope you always feel that way.” She says, a tinge of caution in her tone.
I kiss the nape of her neck. “I will always feel that way.” I assure her. “I want to grow old with you. I wanna spoil our grandchildren together.”
“Grandchildren?” She asks, laughing. “Man, I can hardly see my way through to one kid, and you’ve plotted us all the way out to grandchildren.”
She turns into my chest and meets my eyes with hers. “We need to talk,” she says.
“Okay.” I kiss her – chastely – on the lips.
“I… I’m… I’m a few weeks late with my period. And the test I took was positive. I haven’t been to the doctor yet, but...”
“You’re pregnant.” I finish her sentence, offering no reaction.
She hauls in a deep, anxious breath and lets it out. “Are you upset? I’d understand—”
“No,” I say. “I’m not upset. Are you upset?”
She takes a moment to think, then she says, “No. I’m not upset. I’m a little bit freaked out and overwhelmed. But upset, no.”
“Good. Whatever happens, we’re a family,” I say. “A real one.”
Once more I press my lips to hers and I kiss her, letting our tongues reacquaint themselves with one another. It’s been too long. I missed kissing her.
“Are you still feeling ill?” I ask her, finally breaking the kiss.
She shakes her head. “Not now. I was before and I probably will again, but right now I’m okay.”
“Then you need to eat something now, while you can.” I roll off the bed and retrieve the room service menu. Thirty minutes later, a knock on the door delivers our meals.
I watch Avery eat like I’m a lion guarding his pride at the site of the kill. I want her to eat her fill and I want her to keep it down this time. She’s eating for more than just herself.
She starts with cheesecake – whatever works – then dives in with carnivorous abandon to a medium rare cut of beef tenderloin.
“Oh my god, this is so good,” she mumbles, her mouth full. “I feel like I can finally eat. Oh yes,” She smears sour cream on her baked potato, then gobbles a mouthful. “It needs more butter.” She reaches for it and smears it on.
This is wonderful. She’s eating again. She’s been picking at dry toast and humus for weeks.
“Your parents did not react well to me confronting them with that report,” I say, broaching the subject she tried to open earlier.
Avery stops chewing and looks up at me, a wary expression darkening her lovely blue eyes.
“Keep eating,” I tell her, pointing my fork at her steak. Then I tell her everything, from leaving her apartment in the morning before she woke up, until the moment I saw her on the highway walking down that exit ramp.
“I’ve never been so scared in my life,” I admit. “Thinking of all the different ways I might have lost you. Please don’t ever take off on your own like that again. And if you’re ever in a car that breaks down, stay with it. Please. Promise me.”
“Okay,” Avery says. “One one condition.”
She’s got conditions. Okay.
“I want you to show me how to change a flat tire, and change the oil, and properly add coolant. I want to know how to read a road map. I want to know how to balance my checkbook and figure interest on a loan. These are the kinds of things that I never learned, because no one ever thought I should know them. And I know there are a thousand other things I don’t know that I should, that I can’t even think of.”
That’s my girl.
“That’s a deal,” I say. “I can do all that.”
“Good.” She grins at me. “I’ll tell you one thing I did right.”
“What’s that?” I ask.
“I got cash before I hit the road. Cleaned out my checking account – almost twenty thousand dollars. The Thomas political machine may be smart, but it can’t track cash. I know you’re worried they’re on our tail, but unless they followed you, I’m pretty sure we’re clear of them.”
I know they didn’t follow me, but I also know we’re not clear of their reach until we’re on foreign soil.
“You went for a walk down the I-5 by yourself, with twenty large in your purse?” I ask her, forking a mouthful of asparagus.
She grins. “Pretty brave, eh?”
“Pretty stupid, eh?” I respond. “You ever do anything like that again and I’ll turn you over my knee and teach you what a spanking feels like. For real.”
She frowns. “I thought I did good.”
I take a breath. “You did good. You just did some really reckless stuff too. But… it all turned out okay. Luckily.”
I figure that Avery is correct. No one is close on our heels, not anytime soon anyway. I want her to rest. I want her to absorb everything tha
t has happened. I want her to feel safe.
After we eat, while Avery showers, I call a local mechanic’s shop to get the Honda towed from the highway and repaired. I explain that it may take awhile to get the car picked up, but I’ll pay for the work as soon as it’s done.
“I may have a guy who can drive it to California – for a fee – and get the bus back,” the owner offers.
I like that idea a lot. We arrange it.
Avery comes out of the bathroom wrapped in a fluffy white robe courtesy of the hotel. Her hair is wet and clean, and has just a hint of curl coming back to its texture. I reach out and run my fingers through it, feeling the waves in my palm.
“I love you, Avery,” I say.
She smiles up at me, running a towel through her locks. “I love you too, Maddox.”
It’s the first time she’s ever come right out and said it that way. Hearing it makes my heart swell, my throat close, and my dick twitch. I realize I’m afraid to think of her in that way now that I know she’s carrying our child.
She steps toward me, loosening the belt on her robe. She takes my hand in hers and slips it inside the robe, placing it on her breast.
“I’m not fragile,” she says. “And I feel fine right now. In fact I feel pretty good. I’m maybe ten weeks pregnant. I don’t know yet. But I know that I feel a lot better than Idid.”
She smells like strawberry shampoo. She smells good. Her skin is hot, warm, and soft. I breath her in. I kiss her.
She meets my kisses eagerly, her tongue mingling with mine. Her hand slips to my waist and then around the small of my back, pulling me into her, while she returns my kisses with heat.
Her breasts, slightly swollen and hard, press against my chest.
“Make love to me,” she says. “I need to feel your skin on my skin so I know this is really real.”
Oh, my sweet girl, it’s real.
She hooks her fingers into my belt loops and pulls me backwards, walking with her, toward the bed. She grins and falls back into it’s plush covers and I tumble over her, catching myself, looming above her. I don’t know what’s safe at this early stage of her pregnancy, so I take it very easy. Her robe slips away, revealing her full naked body, gentle curves and milky white skin where she’s not pink with sunburn. I kiss those tender spots and then gently nip her breasts. Avery’s back arches high, pressing her belly up to meet mine at this attention.
