by Amy Woods
She rested her head under his chin.
“What is it that you’d like to do? Right now?”
“I think I’d like to go home, if that’s okay with you.”
“Absolutely,” Isaac said, standing up slowly and offering his hands to help her up. Foggy stood as well, waiting for one of the crazy humans to tell him what to do, while Jane bounced on the end of her leash, eyeing the duck pond in vain once again.
How strange, how incredible it was that she was now part of this little crew. How odd that she’d somehow taken up with a gorgeous, sweet man and two fuzzy mutts in a matter of less than a month.
And how beautiful, too.
Chapter Eleven
The sun was sinking lower into the western sky as Isaac pulled into his driveway in Tommy’s old spare truck; his own had been towed to the shop and would be fixed within the next couple of days. Tommy had offered to accompany Isaac to pick it up when it was ready, but he’d already decided that, if it was safe for her to drive the short distance into town with him, he would rather have Avery’s company.
She was asleep on the seat next to him and didn’t wake even when he pulled to a stop. He let the dogs out but left Foggy’s things in the truck so they wouldn’t forget them whenever he dropped Avery off at her brother’s house. When she’d said she wanted to go home, Isaac had assumed she meant Tommy’s, but when he’d started to drive away from the park, she’d shyly asked if it was okay if they go to his house for a few hours instead. He hadn’t asked why, glad that she’d wanted to spend more time with him, but he could guess that maybe she needed some time away from family, some peace and quiet to put herself back together after what had amounted to a long, tough day.
He’d texted Tommy and let him know he’d bring Avery by when she was ready, and to confirm that Foggy would have a permanent home with their family, something he and Avery had forgotten to discuss thus far. The kids would be thrilled to have him stay, Tommy had texted back, and he was happy that Avery would have a companion. She’d been lonely, he had said, and he was glad she and Isaac had happened upon each other.
Isaac didn’t need Tommy’s permission to hang around Avery; she was a grown woman and could make her own decisions, but it was great to have all the same. The two men were neighbors, and Isaac valued Tommy’s friendship and opinion. Plus, he’d really enjoyed their fried chicken lunch the other day and liked the idea of becoming closer with the whole Abbott clan.
After unloading the truck, when the dogs were safe inside the house, Isaac headed back outside to gather Avery. When he opened the door, she was still sound asleep, her blond hair strewn across her shoulder like a scarf, eyes fluttering with dreams he hoped were happy ones. He pulled her arm over his shoulder and placed his hands beneath her back and knees, lifting her out of the passenger seat with minimal effort. Her head tilted in against his shoulder and her soft breath brushed against his chin as he carried her into the house and laid her on the couch.
The similarity to that first night didn’t escape him, and he realized with a jolt how different things were now, how much more he knew about this woman who’d stumbled into his life.
How, even in such a short time, he couldn’t imagine a day without her.
Nor did he want to.
He wanted her to be his—his to protect, his to take care of, his to...
Well, maybe it was too soon for that. It was crazy to be thinking about that already—or was it?
Of course it was. Avery was different from anyone he’d been with before. She needed more from him. Isaac didn’t want to push things so far, too fast.
But then again, what if?
She was a powerfully sexy woman, after all, whether she knew it or not, and he wanted her more than he could stand to think about without sending his body into overdrive. With all of his strength, he pushed the thought aside, for now.
While Avery snoozed, Isaac took the dogs out back to do their business before setting up Foggy’s bowl next to Jane’s in the kitchen and filling them both with food. He checked that there was fresh water in the large bowl and, when the dogs were crunching away at their kibble, he grabbed a beer on his way out of the kitchen.
He’d expected to find Avery still sleeping, but when he got back to the living room, she was on the far side, staring at a collection of photos on the wall.
She turned to face him, hair falling onto the afghan she’d wrapped around her shoulders. “Is this your family?”
He nodded, holding the beer bottle out to Avery. She took a sip and handed it back to him. “Would you like one?” he asked.
“No, thanks. I’m careful with alcohol...with my meds and all. And I’ve seen too many of my friends spiral down with it, trying to medicate themselves.” She shook the thought away. “I love a good brew now and then, but I don’t want to take chances.”
Isaac admired her. Like Avery, he knew many veterans—many people, really—who tried to find peace at the bottom of a bottle, but the end result was the same as if they’d been searching for a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, and it would kill him to see something like that happen to Avery.
“That’s just another thing that makes you strong, Avery,” he said, reaching up to touch her hair. She closed her eyes as he ran his hand over her back and he pulled away, very much aware of the impulses coursing through his veins.
She was vulnerable, and he would not let anything happen that she might regret, just because her wounds were open and she’d had a trying day. If she wanted him as much as he wanted her—and God, he hoped she did—there would be plenty of time for that when she was ready.
“So,” she said, opening her eyes and tilting her chin toward him. “Introduce me.”
Isaac smiled and set his beer down on an end table. “All right, but most of these are my nana’s photos, so I take no responsibility for any stupid ones of me.”
She laughed, the sound like a balm to his soul.
“So, this is Nana herself, as you might have guessed. She was an amazing woman—strong, smart, kind—like you.” He touched Avery’s cheek briefly, the gesture softening her blue eyes. “And this is me when I was a teenager.”
“Very, very handsome,” she said, winking at him over her shoulder. “Too bad we never had a chance to meet back then. I would have definitely been interested.”
The breath disappeared from his lungs and Isaac sucked it back in, willing himself to calm down, to focus on something other than the beautiful woman standing right beside him, telling him she would have dated him if only they’d met years before, hoping that what he read between the lines was accurate.
He went on, desperate for a distraction from the sweet scent of her skin, from those berry lips he’d gotten to taste only hours ago, an action that had only served to make him want so, so much more. She was in his system now, he realized, and he needed another dose of her to keep him going.
“This is Mom,” he said, pulling his eyes away to point at a faded snapshot of his mother holding a baby version of himself in her arms, three-year-old Stephen by her side, just after his father had left the three of them alone, choosing to start over and make another family instead.
Those had been hard times, with little money for a woman with two growing boys to feed. It wasn’t until high school that Stephen had been able to get a part-time summer job and help out; Mom hadn’t allowed him to work during the school year, concerned that his studies would be neglected. He had then gone on to train as an electrician—work that seemed to make him happy.
Then 9/11 happened; Stephen was twenty-five, older than many of the people in his basic training, but Mom had been so proud.
Their lives would never be the same after that. If only it were possible to jump into that picture and warn them. Then his brother would still be alive, and he wouldn’t feel so alone in the world, so rudderless withou
t family.
Avery pointed to another photo, one of Stephen in his dress uniform, the red, white and blue of their country’s flag forming a backdrop. “This is Stephen?” she asked, touching the photo gently through its glass cover.
“Yes,” Isaac said, his voice breaking a little before he coughed and set it right. “My big brother.”
Avery turned then and buried herself in Isaac’s chest, wrapping her thin arms around his waist. He let her hold him for what seemed like hours. The world slipped away when she was that close to his body, and it took a herculean effort not to react to her touch.
He pulled back, not wanting to overwhelm her.
“It’s okay, Isaac. I’m a big girl,” she said, looking up at him with a hint of amusement.
“Avery, I... I don’t want to push you into anything you aren’t ready for. It’s been a rough day and you’re probably a little shaken up right now.”
A tiny hint of annoyance flickered across her features and he hated even the idea that she might think he didn’t want her.
“Trust me...if things weren’t so volatile, if...if we’d known each other for longer and been on a couple of real dates at least, then this would be different.”
She looked away and, though she still had her arms around his torso, tension had tightened her limbs.
“Hey,” he said, urging her to face him by gently pulling her chin back until she met his eyes. “I want this. I definitely, definitely want this. But now isn’t a good time.”
She nodded. “You’re right, Isaac. I don’t want to go too fast, either.” She said the words, but he detected a hint of doubt or disappointment in them—maybe both.
“We really haven’t known each other all that long,” he said.
Avery giggled, but then her face became serious. “The best weeks of my life.”
Isaac started to speak but she put a finger to his lips. “I mean that,” she said, and he believed her. “In spite of everything, and it has been a weird whirlwind, I mean it. Before the night we met, I didn’t have Foggy, and I didn’t have you, and I wouldn’t change that for anything.”
She rose up on her tiptoes and kissed him. This kiss was different from before—deeper and more intense. Avery opened her mouth and Isaac slipped his tongue gently inside, letting his arms slip farther down her back as he relished the honey flavor of her mouth, stroking along her teeth and the inside of her lips.
In seconds he was back on the edge, wanting her with every cell in his body, lost in the wet heat of her mouth, all the while struggling to maintain some semblance of control.
He lifted her in his arms and carried her to the couch where they continued, hungry for more, but happy all the same just to be able to share kiss after kiss. He was careful with his hands, but couldn’t keep himself from sliding them under her shirt, pressing his palms into the warm skin of her back. When she did the same to him, and just before he was certain all bets were off, he pulled away gently, settling her shirt back down as he placed a few more kisses on the tender skin beneath her ear.
* * *
Every inch of her body was on fire as Isaac’s fingers danced over her flesh, and Avery cursed them both for agreeing not to go any further. At least not yet.
Now that she’d had a tiny sample of what Isaac Meyer could do to her, Avery’s appetite was sparked.
He was right, of course, wasn’t he? Maybe it was too soon for things to escalate any more, but that didn’t mean it was easy to hold back. In fact, it was the hardest damn thing she’d ever done.
How long had it been since she’d been touched like this? How long since she’d last been with a man whose skin felt like lightning when it came in contact with hers?
Never, she thought. This was a first.
No one else had ever made her this desperate for more...of everything. More kisses, more touching, more time together. No one else could set her pulse racing with one look and send it into dangerous territory with a single kiss.
This was all new. This was something more.
As Isaac placed a few last kisses on her neck, sending tingles all the way down to her toes, Avery closed her eyes. He pulled away slowly, but immediately she wanted him back against her form, his heated skin soaking through her shirt the way it had been before.
“Ugh, you’re torturing me on purpose,” she said, her voice husky and full of thinly veiled desire.
“Trust me, I know the feeling,” he said, and the gravelly, sexy sound of his words did nothing to calm her nerves.
“Would you like some tea?” he asked, changing the subject for both their sakes.
“I would, yes. Actually, if you don’t mind, what I’d really like is to get cleaned up first.”
“Anything you want.” He gave her a sweet smile before getting up from the couch.
He headed down the hallway and a moment later, Avery heard him fiddling in the bathroom, followed by the sound of bathwater running. She hadn’t even thought of that and assumed he’d just grab her some fresh towels and she’d shower. But a bath sounded much better.
Foggy and Jane bounded in from the kitchen.
“Hey, guys,” Avery said, glad to see their sweet faces.
Isaac had fed them and they must have been playing together after they’d eaten. She patted the couch next to her and they both jumped up, happy when she covered them in pets, Avery laughing as they licked her face. When they settled down on either side of her, Foggy rested his muzzle in her lap and she scratched behind his ears, smiling when his eyelids lowered in pleasure.
Isaac padded back into the living room and handed her a steaming mug before sitting in the easy chair across from Avery and their dogs.
“I realized something earlier today. One thing we can do to help you out is teach Foggy how to get my attention if I’m near and you feel the symptoms of a panic attack coming on.”
She nodded.
“I noticed that when you got too close to Nathan, you started to shake. And even if it wasn’t him, even if it was just memories coming on too fast, I think it might help if Foggy had the ability to get me if I happen to be nearby.”
“Yeah,” she said, rehashing the incident in her mind. “That would be good.”
She was quiet for a moment, looking down into her tea, thinking about all that had happened.
Isaac’s brows knit. “I’m sorry I didn’t get to you sooner. I wasn’t completely sure what was going on until it was too late. I should have been there faster for you.”
She took a sip of her tea, letting the smooth liquid warm her as she considered the apology she hadn’t needed him to offer.
“It’s not your fault at all, Isaac, and you know that. I just lost myself when I saw Connor’s little face. He looks so much like his mother, it was like seeing her ghost.”
“I can’t even imagine, Avery. I’m so sorry you had to go through that.”
She released a long sigh, pushing the air out slowly, trying to relieve some of the pressure that had built up inside of her over the course of the day. Isaac was correct; it had been a long one. And it was only the beginning—there would be so many more to go as she walked the road of recovery, able to see only a few feet in front of her, having to trust that the path wouldn’t lead her back to where she’d started.
“Can I tell you something that I’ve never told anyone before? Something I would never say out loud to most people.” She had to get this off of her chest for some reason. Maybe, maybe, she hoped, it would help. She knew she didn’t deserve to let go of the guilt, but she wanted to see what someone else thought about something that had always puzzled her.
“Of course you can.”
She twined her fingers together, making a little steeple as she’d done as a child, thinking about how best to share what had hidden so deep inside her mind for so long.
&
nbsp; “I never... I never understood how she could leave him,” she said, the words raw inside her throat. “How Sophie could leave Connor to go off to war, to a place she knew she might not come back from.”
Isaac was silent, his expression void of even the slightest hint of judgment. She appreciated that he didn’t try to find a solution to the situation, didn’t try to make her feel better about it. He just let her say what she needed to say. Few men were like that. Few people were like that. And perhaps the world would be a friendlier place if more could find the patience and the discernment to know when to listen, when to let others release built-up toxins from their hearts without trying to ease the discomfort that resulted.
“I don’t think I could have,” she said. “And sometimes I can’t decide if it was brave or...” She couldn’t say the rest, but she knew he understood.
“When I left, I didn’t leave anything behind except my brother, and he didn’t need me to survive. I had no strings, and I wanted to serve my country, but I also wanted adventure. I wanted to get out of Peach Leaf and see something different than what I had every day of my life up to that point. But Sophie... Sophie had so much here at home.”
Isaac let her words settle before speaking. “You were her very best friend, Avery. The two of you had so much history together. Do you think that maybe she did it for you? So you wouldn’t have to go alone?”
Tears pooled behind her eyes. She hadn’t ever heard anyone put it into such stark terms, in black and white, but maybe he was right.
A sob escaped. “That makes it so awful, doesn’t it?”
Isaac got up from the chair and was at her side in an instant, his arms around her shoulders.
“It was her choice to make, Avery. She was a grown woman, and she made an impossible choice. It doesn’t make her bad, and it doesn’t make her good. It just is. It was her life and her decision to make, not yours.”
He drew her into his arms.
“Don’t you think she knew what she was doing, sweetheart? Don’t you think she weighed everything out? Just because she was a mother did not mean she had any less ambition than you, any less of a need to serve her country. It’s possible she had more of a reason to go. What greater sacrifice could she have given her son than to fight to make his world a better place? To attempt to secure the freedom so many of us take for granted every day? And she obviously trusted that her husband and son would survive if something happened to her.”
