"They have us wrapped around their finger...and I think they know it," Zane said.
"Damn right, they know it," Peter said with a laugh. "Seems to me...Sophie, is it? She seems to have Austin wrapped around her finger, too. He's been outside a long time. Real curious about that story."
"Oh. Austin's seeing someone? Like a real woman?" Markus asked surprised.
"Yes, a real woman. What the hell you think she is...a blowup doll?" Austin asked from behind Markus, a slight chuckle escaping.
Markus turned around with a grin on his face. "Hey, Austin. You know what I meant. I thought you were destined for bachelorhood."
Austin grabbed a quick hug from Markus. "Me too. Guess that's what happens when a great woman comes outta nowhere. I can't imagine being without Sophie."
"How's she doing?" Zane asked.
"Good. No problems," Austin replied.
"Are you expecting problems? Ava made a cryptic comment that has my curiosity peaked," Peter said in a fatherly tone.
Austin glanced at Ava with an annoyed look, then turned back to Peter, sighing heavily. "It's a long story. I never thought I'd fall for a woman, but I have. She's everything I could ever ask for. She doesn't have a pleasant past and part of it actually comes from New York. I can tell you later what Ava knows, but anything beyond that stays a secret. Sophie would hate me to pieces if I broke her trust and I promised not to speak about it."
"New York, huh? Now you got my curiosity peaked," Markus said, raising an eyebrow in eagerness.
"If the time ever comes I need you, Markus, or you, Peter, you'll be the first to know. Trust me. But for right now, let's celebrate Ava being home. Please?" Austin said.
"Son, you know I'm always here for you. We will talk later, that's a fact," Peter said sternly, with no room for argument. Then he grinned slowly. "What happened to calling me grandpa?"
"Grandpa. Now ain't that something. You're getting old," Mahone said joining the circle they had formed. "Those three are driving me bonkers already talking baby crap. Let's talk some baseball or something."
Peter laughed. "Watch it, Mahone. You still work for me. I'm not that old. Being a grandpa doesn't make me old."
"Yeah, but it's too much fun not to rub it in a bit," Mahone replied. "What the hell you all standing over here for? Let's sit down. We ordered appetizers until you guys got here. What do you want to drink, Zane and Austin, it's on me?"
"Oh, that's not necessary," Zane said.
"But it is. Never refuse a drink from Mahone when he's offering. He's stingy like that. It's a real treat when he treats ya," Markus said with a laugh.
"It's true. I am a stingy bastard. What'll you have?" Mahone said with a grin.
Zane sat next to Ava. The ladies had already sat down to munch on the appetizers. "Well, damn. I'll take the most expensive drink they offer," Zane said with a devious grin.
"Now we're talking," Markus said.
"What's going on?" Ashley asked, looking around at all the men laughing.
"Mahone offered me and Zane a drink. Guess we're getting top shelf drinks in honor of that gracious offer," Austin said, clapping a hand on Mahone's back. "Right, buddy?"
"I did offer," Mahone groaned.
"Wow, that's nice of you, Mahone. You feeling okay?" Ava said with a smirk.
"That's my Ava I know and love. Glad to have you back in town for a while. I'm feeling just peachy. I can splurge now and again, especially when the McCord's are in town. Gotta show 'em a good time. Just like we did for Jimmy. The first toast is on him," Mahone said with sincerity.
Ava smiled wide. Zane grabbed her hand and nodded in agreement. "That sounds like a great plan. I'll always toast to Jimmy."
"Hear, hear. Where's my drink?" Austin said, putting his hand up to signal any waiter. He looked over at Zane. "What are we having in honor of Jimmy, bro?"
"Whatever his favorite drink was here, I suppose," Zane said softly.
"Perfect...especially for me. He always got beer. Nice and cheap," Mahone said with a laugh.
"Well, there goes your chance of emptying his wallet," Markus muttered.
"Damn! Next time, for you, Markus, I'll empty it," Zane said with a chuckle. "But if it's honoring Jimmy, I gotta go with what he'd drink."
"I'm holding you to it," Markus said as their waiter walked up to the table finally.
"Yo, Ben, the whole table will take a round," Mahone said, holding up his bottle of beer.
"All of us?" Ava asked surprised.
"Why the hell not? I'm feeling generous. Plus, it's for Jimmy," Mahone said with a tender smile.
"Thanks, Mahone. That's sweet of you. Ben, make two non-alcoholic strawberry daiquiris for Ash and me here. Pregnant and all," Ava said, reminding Mahone.
"You got it. Coming right up," Ben said and walked away to the bar.
"It's so good to be surrounded by all of you again. You have no idea how much I miss this," Ava said sincerely. She squeezed Zane's hand and leaned into him. "But I also love Minnesota."
"We've missed you. It's going to go so fast. You'll be gone before you know it," Ashley said with a frown.
Austin leaned back in his chair and listened as they all talked. He enjoyed New York. He really did. He hoped it went fast like Ashley mentioned. He already missed Sophie so bad. Just hearing her sweet voice on the phone earlier had him itching to get a plane ticket home. He worried about her. She assured him everything was fine and to have a good time. He heard the strain in her voice—and he didn't think it had to do with Deja. He knew it was the thought of him in New York. She didn't like it.
He wanted to know everything about what happened, just like Ava did. He ached to tell Peter, Markus, even Mahone, what happened so they could swoop in and take care of the bastard who laid a hand on her. As soon as she gave the word, he would. There was no doubt in his mind. He wouldn't pressure her, but eventually he hoped to let the wonderful people surrounding this table take care of her problem. He would do everything in his power to keep her safe and show her what she deserved.
He heard someone call his name, asking him a question. He smiled, answered with enthusiasm, even though deep inside he wished to be home with Sophie.
***
"Come on up, Axel. Sit by me," Sophie said, patting the seat next to her on the couch.
Axel jumped with a graceful move, circled twice by her side, and then plopped next to her thigh scooting his body as close as he could get to her. Sophie chuckled, grabbed the blanket next to her, and covered them both up keeping his head out from under the covers so he could see the television as well.
"What should we watch? What are you in the mood for?" Sophie asked, getting a look from him, but no response.
She didn't expect one, but knowing for the first time that Austin wasn't going to walk in the front door tonight had her feeling down. Talking to Axel made her feel slightly better. She knew she would miss him, but she never thought she'd feel this miserable without him. He had wormed his way through her defenses easier than anyone had.
It suddenly struck her, if he left her for good this is how she would feel. But ten times worse. She didn't want to lose him. He had become important to her. Making her feel things she had never felt in her life. Sitting on the couch, curled up with Axel, she couldn't feel an ounce of regret for meeting him and letting him into her life.
Hearing his voice a few minutes ago had brought her a few moments of happiness. He made it safely to New York. She didn't know why she sweated bullets until she received his phone call. So many things could have gone wrong from leaving the house to landing in New York.
And what waited for him when he landed.
No! She was silly for worrying as she did. Kevin knew nothing. Just because Austin was in New York didn't mean anything would happen to him. But she couldn't help herself. She tried to keep her worry for him out of her voice, but she was positive she didn't do a very good job of it. He never mentioned it, but his tone of voice told her she didn't cover her worry well.
Nothing would happen in New York. There was no way—
No! She wouldn't think about it. Austin would never run into the horror of her old life. He was safe. She was safe. Nothing to worry about.
Axel lifted his head and licked her hand twice. Sophie looked down and smiled. "Hey, buddy. You're right. Quit worrying, huh? I just can't help it. I hate New York. I hate the thought of Austin there."
Axel made a small woof sound and licked her hand two more times. Sophie bent down and hugged him tight. "I heard you the first time, Axel." She held him for a few moments and then sat back up. "Did you decide what you wanted to watch yet?"
He continued to stare at her with his goofy grin. Sophie laughed at her own silliness for talking to the dog and grabbed the remote. She swore Axel understood every word she spoke, though. He understood her pain, her worry. He was comforting her in the best way he knew how.
She turned the television on and started surfing the channels. Nothing looked appealing. She didn't watch much TV, even when Austin was around. They always found something to do. He taught her how to play cards and every time he pulled out the cards he taught her a new game. She swore he made each game up every time, but he promised they were real and his family played them all the time.
They sat on the porch swing and talked about nothing. She enjoyed just swaying in the evening breeze with him. They didn't even need to talk and she would have enjoyed it. She couldn't be happier that they fixed the swing. She couldn't imagine not being able to swing with him at night.
Sometimes he even helped with her projects. His hands were somewhat big and sometimes clumsy with some of her projects, but the effort he put in to help her made her stomach quiver with bliss. His thoughtfulness spoke straight to her heart. She treasured every time he did something or said something to her. He just seemed too good to be true. When would it all fall apart? When would the horror, the pain, the cruelty start to show itself?
She felt Axel moving against her, looking his furry face up at her. She realized he could sense when her mood changed. "I'm being silly again, aren't I? He won't ever get mean. He's a good man. Right?"
Axel sat up, jumped on her lap and started licking her face like crazy. Sophie started giggling. "Axel! I hear you. I hear you, I swear. It was a silly question. Of course he'll never turn mean."
Sophie glanced at the TV and saw in the midst of Axel's delightful attack, the channel had changed again. She smiled as she saw a player in blue hit the ball towards third and it flew past the third base player faster than the speed of light. Axel turned towards the TV, gave a small woof, and laid back down by her side staring at the TV.
"Baseball, huh? That's what you wanna watch. I suppose Austin would enjoy this. I just don't understand the game. I've never really watched it and it just seems so slow. I'll give it a try, Axel," Sophie said, leaning back and pulled the blanket back over them. She grinned at the TV, automatically thinking of Austin. He would like knowing she's watching his team. That alone made her not change the channel.
They sat there a few minutes. Sophie finally figured out the Twins were the blue team. "What just happened there? Do you know what just happened, Axel?" she said, glaring at the TV. Axel lifted his head, glancing at the TV, and if Sophie wasn't mistaken, shook his head no.
"Well, what just happened? Why is he out?" Sophie muttered with confusion. The runner touched the bag and she thought that meant he was safe. But the announcers stated he was out without providing an explanation.
"Why!" she screamed at the TV.
"You okay, Sophie?" Deja asked, standing by the front door.
Sophie whipped her head towards her, putting a hand to her chest with alarm. "Oh, geez, Deja. Go and scare me why don't you. I didn't hear you walk in."
Deja smiled, chuckling as she walked into the living room. "Clearly. What are you screaming about?" She looked at the TV and saw the baseball game on. "You're watching baseball? I thought you didn't like baseball."
"I don't. I'm trying to get into it, but I just don't get it. The guy is out and he touched the bag. He should be safe. The other team threw the ball to the wrong bag in the first place," Sophie said, confused, throwing her hand at the TV in annoyance.
"Where did the ball originally go?" Deja asked.
"Umm...the outfield. The guy in the middle caught it and threw it to first. But the runner made it to second. So why is he out?" Sophie asked.
Deja sat down on the couch, laughing a little. "Oh boy, do you have a lot to learn. Did the runner tag up on first base when the outfielder caught the ball?
Sophie looked at her utterly confused. "Uh?"
"So, the outfielder caught the ball. The runner was on first and he ran to second without waiting for the outfielder to catch the ball. He needs to wait on first base until the ball is caught, tagging up, and then try running to second. Sounds like he didn't stay on first base. The other team knew that and threw to first and got him out."
"That sounds very complicated. How do you know so much about baseball?" Sophie said.
Deja cringed, covering the look up quickly. But not quick enough. Sophie saw it. "My brother's a baseball fanatic. I used to watch it with him all the time."
"Where's your brother? How come—"
Deja stood up from the couch, interrupting her. "He's in prison, Sophie. Don't wanna talk about it."
"Okay." Sophie turned her attention back to the TV.
Deja turned around just outside of the living room. "How about I grab us some drinks and popcorn? I'll teach you some finer points about baseball. Rules and whatnot. I bet it would impress Austin the next time you two watch it together."
Sophie looked over at her. "If you're sure. I don't—"
"It's fine, Sophie. My brother may be behind bars, but I love him. I love baseball because he does. I would like to watch the game with you. What do you say?"
"I say hurry up. I'm confused again. I thought swinging and missing was a strike out when there were two strikes already. Why did the batter run to first? They threw the ball to the bag as well."
Deja smiled. "Oh yeah, we have a lot to learn. The catcher didn't catch the ball on the third strike. No one was on base, so the batter had a chance to make it to first. But they threw the ball to first which made him out."
"Yeah, you're right. We have a lot to learn. You're gonna have to explain that one to me again," Sophie said.
Deja laughed as she walked away. Sophie smiled, gave Axel a friendly scratch on the back, and trained her eyes back on the TV. She couldn't wait to learn everything about baseball. Deja obviously knew what she was talking about. Sophie could already see Austin's surprised expression the next time they watched a game together. It made her happy just thinking about making him happy.
Deja came in a few minutes later with two glasses of iced tea and a bowl of popcorn. For the next two hours, they sat watching baseball. When something confused Sophie, which happened frequently, she would glance at Deja. Just a simple glance got the point across she was confused. Deja would get a huge smile on her face and gladly explain the many intricacies of baseball.
Time flew by. Sophie sat perched on the edge of the couch when a knock sounded on the door. "Ugh! Who could that be? I don't have time for this."
She stood up and slowly walked to the door backwards as she kept her eyes on the TV.
She made it to the door, cringing inside that she still didn't have a door with a peephole and pulled it open. "Oh, Emmett. Hi. What are you doing here so late?"
Emmett shuffled his feet, embarrassed. "I'm sorry it's so late, Sophie. My last job ran over really late because one of my lawn mowers broke down, had to wait for one of my employees to get done at his job to bring me another lawn mower. I was filthy as could be and wanted a quick shower before I got here."
"But why are you here?" Sophie asked, glancing behind her to the TV.
***
Emmett noticed her distraction and the lack of nervousness around him. Weird. Last time she barely spoke
to him and now she seemed eager to get rid of him, but he didn't think it was from fright. "Austin asked me to check up on you. He told you, right? To make sure you were okay with this Deja woman in the house with you."
Sophie frowned. "Oh, yeah, I remember now. We're fine. But I gotta go. It's the bottom of the ninth, two runners on, two outs, and we're down by two runs. I have to see how it ends."
Emmett's face got wide with surprise. "You're watching baseball? The Twins?"
"Yes," Sophie said with hesitation.
"Can I come in and see the ending? That's the best part," Emmett asked.
Part of him wanted to see the end of the game. Part of him wanted to meet this Deja woman and make sure Sophie was truly alright. And part of him was testing Sophie to see if she would let him in.
"Fine. Something's going on, though, I can hear the stadium getting loud," Sophie said, walking away from the door.
Clearly shocked that she would let him in so easily, he didn't say a word as he stepped inside, closed the door, and heard Sophie say, "What happened? What did I miss?"
"Oh, man, you should've seen it. Just a foot over to the right and it would've been outta the park. Three-run home run and we would've had this game, but it was a foul ball. Full count now. We just need a base hit or a walk to stay in the game," Deja said, glancing over at Emmett. Her eyes widen with surprise, but she didn't say a word to him.
"Playing the Tigers. These games are the most important, too. We can do it," Emmett said. He thought about taking a seat next to Sophie, but decided against it. She might come to her senses he was actually in her house if she felt him near her. He stood near the couch and tried to stay focused on the TV, but his temptation to glance back at the woman he assumed was Deja consumed him.
Austin, in all the times he talked about her, never once mentioned how beautiful she was. Never once mentioned her eyes and the way they sucked you in with one simple glance. She had glanced at him, just a flicker of her eyes, and then looked away. He didn't need more than a flicker. Her beauty, her eyes grabbed a hold of his senses and pulled him in. How could Austin not mention any of that?
Trust In Love (A McCord Family Novel Book 2) Page 15
