Returning Pride

by Jill Sanders

  She thought about grabbing her cell phone, but it was still in her purse on the floor of the passenger side. Concentrating on maintaining her speed, she was totally unprepared when the truck bumped her car from behind. It wasn’t hard, just a tap, but her wheels turned with the momentum and she had to yank her wheel back before she ran off the side of the road. Just as she got her tires back on the road and out of the gravel, she was hit again, this time a lot harder. She screamed as her hands grasped tighter to the wheel. Her head bobbled back and forth with the motion. Her neck screamed at the tension.

  Trying to think if there was a turnoff ahead, she watched with fear as the truck backed off and prepared to ram her again.

  Then she saw her chance. Up ahead was a small turnoff. If she could fake like she was going to pull off, she might be able to gain enough speed to out run the truck.

  As it approached, she gassed her tiny Honda praying that the small engine would have enough in it to outrun the larger vehicle. Just before the turnoff, she yanked on her wheel hard to the right. The truck was so close that when it pulled to the right, its tires caused the gravel to spit up past the windows. Waiting until the last second, she yanked her wheel to the left just in time to avoid a large cement barrier.

  The truck had been going too fast to make the turn. She watched in horror as it slammed on its brakes. She could hear the tires on the gravel. Reaching down, she yanked her purse into her lap and frantically reached for her cell phone.

  Knowing she couldn’t text, since she was focused on watching her rear-view mirror, she dialed the next person who came to mind.

  Less than two minutes later, she passed the Pride’s welcome sign with no sight of the truck behind her. Two more minutes and she saw Todd’s jeep coming towards her. He passed her and turned around and followed her to Four Corners, a small local gas station.

  When her car stopped, she just sat there as Todd approached her window. Her hands were glued to the steering wheel, her phone was sitting in her lap, and she realized she was still on speaker phone with Megan.

  “Todd’s here. I’m okay. We’re at Four Corners. Thank you so much, Megan.”

  “I’m glad your okay. Iian and Robert are on their way. I’ll talk to you later.”

  She removed her fingers one at a time from the steering wheel and noticed how white her knuckles were just as Todd knocked on her window.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, opening her door.

  “I’m fine, I’m just shaken up,” she climbed out of her car and her legs felt wobbly. She looked up as she heard Iian’s motorcycle fly down the road towards them. Robert’s cruiser was not far behind him.

  Iian had jumped off the bike and quickly gathered her in his arms.

  “Damn it, Todd, tell that brother of yours that I don’t care who’s in danger, he can’t do eighty on that damn bike through town,” Robert said as he got out of his car.

  Allison and Todd laughed.

  “Are you okay Allison?” Robert asked as he approached.

  Pulling out of Iian’s death grip, she signed along. “Yes, I’m fine. Just a little shaken up, I think.” She looked at Robert and answered the question that was on everyone’s mind. “It was Kevin’s truck, but I couldn’t see if he was behind the wheel.”

  “Damn it!” She heard Iian cuss for the first time. He pulled his hands through his hair and started to pace.

  “Let’s just have a look at your car.” Robert walked to the back of her Honda. Everyone followed him.

  She’d lost her back bumper in the last hit. Both of her brake lights were gone. Her trunk had been flung open and she was sure the latch was history.

  “Did a number on the car. Are you sure you’re okay? No head or back pain?” Robert asked as he took out his pad to write something down.

  “No, I had my seat belt on. I didn’t hit my head or anything. I think I’m just shaken up.” She rubbed her neck and was thankful.

  Iian came to stand in front of her. He quickly asked her the same questions Robert had. She took her time and answered him.

  “I’m going to have to tow your car in. It’ll be at Rusty’s shop. I’m sure you’ll want him to fix it up, anyway. This way, I can take pictures and whatever else we need for evidence.” Robert bent and pulled a twisted piece of metal that had lodged in between two corners of her jagged car. “Well, it appears I have all the evidence I need right here.” he turned the metal around to show everyone an Oregon license plate that was not her own and no doubt belonged on Kevin’s truck.

  Iian was feeling restless. He sat on the large bed waiting for Allison to get out of the shower. Todd had driven her home in the Jeep with him right behind them on his bike. He should have taken the day off and driven with her to Edgeview. What if she had died? He knew the road to Edgeview. There were lots of twist and turns, and most of all, there were places where the guardrail was the only thing protecting a car from plummeting off a cliff to a watery grave.

  Damn it! He stood up and started to pace again. He couldn’t stand to live without her. She’d only been living in the house for a little over a week, but already the place was less empty with her there. She didn’t have a lot of stuff; in fact, she’d only brought what she had been given by the town’s people. But it was the small things that she did to make it feel different.

  He looked at the small vase of flowers she’d placed on the table next to the large screen television. He opened a drawer and saw it full of her night things. He could smell her in every part of the house. Her wonderful scent drifted around the place like it had always been there.

  Walking down the hall, he stepped into her studio and smiled. There on one of the easels was what he could only describe as a self portrait. Stepping closer he realized it wasn’t Allison that looked back at him, but the face of her mother. The younger version of the woman was standing in front of an outline of a lighthouse, alone. The isolation of the lone figure didn’t escape his eye. Everything was still in pencil, but he could see the beauty of the art and could imagine the colors she would use to finish the piece.

  He felt the floor vibrate and looked over his shoulder as Allison walked in smiling.

  “There you are. Is everything okay?” She approached him. She wore a soft pink silk robe tied with a colorful tie around her waist. Her hair was wet and flowing around her face in tresses.

  “I was just thinking. It’s a lovely piece. Your Mother?” he questioned.

  “Yes, I’m going to donate the proceeds to the National Alzheimer Project. I have a few others that will be included,” she walked over and looked at the drawing. “The original burned,” she signed without looking at him.

  He pulled her into his arms. “I want to show you something. Can you meet me for lunch tomorrow at the restaurant?”

  She pulled back and looked at him. He held himself still.

  “Yes, I can be there around noon. Is that okay?”

  “It’s perfect.” He pulled her back to him and held on.

  Iian had left early in the morning, so early in fact that Allison was still in bed when he’d snuck out of it.

  She wouldn’t have gotten up in time if it hadn’t been for her alarm going off, something she hadn’t had to set since living with him. It seemed that he always woke up at a quarter to six. She supposed it was some sort of internal clock.

  She’d dressed quickly and tied her hair in a bun on the top of her head. Rushing out the door, she almost forgot her portfolio and had to race through the early morning mist back into the house to get it. Driving Iian’s car, she drove through town. She had something special she wanted to show the kids today. She’d worked on it for several hours since her trip.

  When she had presented them with the large caricature drawing of the entire class, everyone gathered around it and laughed. She had pinned it on the bulletin board and enjoyed seeing everyone laugh about their own funny faces staring back at them.

  When she walked into the Golden Oar for lunch, she’d been so preoccupied that she w
as inside the door before she realized the place was empty. Where was everyone? She looked around and was tempted to walk into the back, someplace she’d yet to visit.

  Then Iian walked out. He wore a dark suit and had a funny look on his face. He strolled across the floor towards her.

  “Hi, Ally.”

  “Hi, where is everyone?” She started to fidget under his intense gaze.

  “There’s a private party booked for lunch. Follow me.” At first she thought he was going to lead her into the back room. Maybe they were going to have lunch back there due to the private party using the whole dining area.

  But when they turned the corner and she saw the table setup, she realized they were the private party.

  The room was cleared except for one table that sat between the fireplace and the large windows that overlooked the water. The table was set and candles sparkled in the dimness of the room.

  “I’ve made us a special lunch, if you will take a seat.” He pulled out the chair for her. She smiled as she took a seat.

  Then he said, “I’ll be right back.”

  She sat there and looked around, waiting for him to return. His grandmother’s painting still hung over the fireplace. The mermaid sat eternally combing her hair. Allison smiled at it. She was the reason she’d started drawing and painting. Then she turned her head and noticed a large white sheet over another canvas. She couldn’t remember what painting had been there. Why had they covered it? Standing up, she walked over and started to pull the sheet aside.

  Then she gasped. It was the Dawn-treader. How had he gotten her painting? She thought the countess from Sweden had purchased this painting. Turning, she watched Iian walk in with two plates expertly balanced in his hands.

  Setting them down, he smiled at her. “I had hoped to unveil it myself.” He walked over to her.

  “How did you get this? I thought it sold.”

  “It did sell, just not to a countess. I convinced her to buy your other shoreline scene and purchased this one. It belongs here.” He looked up at the boat. “He belongs here.”

  “Iian, I don’t know what to say,” she signed. “Thank you.” She felt honored that her art hung across the wall from the piece that had started her on the path to a career. Especially this piece. She’d worked so hard as a seventeen-year-old girl, who had just lost her sister, to do something so meaningful.

  She’d taken it from a memory she had of watching Iian and his father leave the docks that day ten years ago. She’d gone down there to wish him happy birthday. Something she would have never had the courage to do, except that during a visit to Abby in the hospital, her sister had told her to grab what she wanted in life, because life was too short ,and Abby just wanted her to be happy enough for both of them.

  The first thing that had crossed her seventeen-year-old mind had been Iian.

  So, foolishly she had rushed down to the restaurant, and Lacey had told her that her father was taking him out on the boat for his birthday. Taking a chance, she had rushed to the docks just in time to see them sail off. She had sat there at the end of the dock and cried. Not for the missed opportunity, but cried for her sister and the love that she knew she’d never get to experience.

  “This is all so wonderful Iian. I can’t thank you enough.”

  “Ally,” he waited until she turn to him. “Will you marry me?”

  “What?” She looked into his eyes, dumbfounded.

  “I don’t want to wake up another morning without you. I don’t want to go to sleep another night without you by my side. I close my eyes and I can smell you, I can see you everywhere I look. If I think hard enough, I can remember what your voice sounds like and when you talk, I hear you.”

  Tears had escaped her eyes and he gently wiped them away. Then he bent down and kissed her eyes one at a time.

  “I’ve waited a long time for you. You’re the only one I can imagine spending my life with. In our house, having children with, and growing old with. Please Ally, marry me.”

  “Say it, Iian. Please.” She looked into his face and waited for the words she’d wanted to hear for so long.

  “I love you, Ally, please say yes.”

  “I love you too, Iian. Yes, I’ll marry you…” She was spun around quickly and laughed as she held onto him.

  “Did you know that I’ve had a fantasy playing in my head of you wearing an outfit just like this?”

  She laughed again.

  He looked down at her simple black skirt and white button up top. Then he reached up and pulled her hair loose from the bun, and when it spilled down, he moaned as the smile left her lips. Desire spilled into her so fast that when he backed her up against the wall, she felt a shiver race through her bones.

  “Iian, we can’t here…” She whispered.

  “I sent everyone home until one. We can, and we will, right here,” he pulled her skirt up exposing her soft flesh and the silky black lace that covered her. He watched her eyes fog over as he touched her gently.

  “I want to be inside you so bad. I’ve wanted nothing else since I watched you walk in. I want to go slow, but…”

  “No, please, I can’t wait either. Please Iian,” she moaned as his fingers entered her more quickly. She reached for his zipper just as he yanked the silky lace down her legs. She got one foot free as he plunged into her heat. His hands were on either side of her, bracing himself against the wall. She arched her back as he continued to pound relentlessly into her swollen flesh.

  How could she want him this bad? She enjoyed the speed and grabbed his hips to force him to speed up even more. His long deep thrusts did little to soothe the desire she felt building. Then he grabbed one of her legs and brought it up beside him and she felt each thrust with a new sense of love. He was everything she’d ever desired and he was taking her against the wall of a very public place, which made it even more exciting and dangerous.

  Then she lost all ability to think as his fingers reached down between them and touched her small nub and she exploded around him just as he screamed in triumph.

  Chapter Seventeen

  She was late getting back to school and had less time to setup for her class than she’d wanted. Her shirt was wrinkled and she couldn’t stop smiling.

  Since it was the last week of school, the kids were more hyper than usual.

  The children had all sat there in their chairs fidgeting as she’d prepared her art project that they were going to do for the day. She was pleased to see Tommy back in her class. Tanya had assured her that the children were living with Brenda at her mother’s house in town. Since they hadn’t found Kevin yet, Brenda was picking the kids up herself, instead of having them ride the bus to and from the school.

  Iian had changed his work schedule around so that he would be home for her after school. She was driving his car since her car was still at Rusty’s getting the necessary repairs she hadn’t complained.

  They were planning on telling the family of their engagement tonight during dinner at Megan’s place. The evening couldn’t come quick enough.

  After their mind blowing sex against the wall, he’d presented her with his mother’s ring, which had been passed down from the family. It was a beautiful emerald in a simple silver setting. She couldn’t have picked out anything more perfect. Looking at it on her hand gave her a sense of family. Iian’s mother had died giving birth to him, so he’d never known her, but wearing her ring made her feel like she was part of something bigger.

  Iian stood in the kitchen and just couldn’t focus. He was too excited. The dinner crew had shown up less than half an hour after Allison had left. His body was still vibrating from the hot and fast sex he’d had in the dinner room. He would never cross that room again without thinking of Allison against the wall dressed in the sexy teacher outfit from his dreams. Damn, he was getting hard again he had to stop thinking about his fiancée. He smiled to himself again.

  Then he looked up as Lacey strolled in through the double doors. “Strolled” wasn’t the r
ight word. Waddled? He watched her make her way across the room and almost laughed at her.

  “Don’t you dare laugh at me!” she signed from across the floor.

  “What are you doing here? I thought you were on house arrest after Aaron caught you shopping last week.” He walked her back to his office. He knew he could force her to sit on the couch with her feet up if he could get her back there.