by L. A. Fiore
“I didn’t have a choice.”
“There’s always a choice.”
“No, sometimes there isn’t.”
“Then why are you reaching out now?”
Her expression changed, a ruthlessness that was a surprise to see on someone so cultured and refined. “The game is changing.”
I didn’t understand what that meant, but she didn’t let me pry her for information. “I won’t ask you to keep this from Rafe, but please tell him that if I could have been with him, I would have been. And though I tried, I wished I could have done more.”
She turned and walked out. Trace followed her. “I’ve a few questions for her. I’ll be back.” And then he too was gone.
And as much as I would like to be a fly on the wall for that conversation, my thoughts were on Rafe and Liam and how they were going to react when they learned that she had been here. I didn’t have a long wait.
Pushing through the doors of the emergency room, the moment my eyes landed on Avery, the wild thing that had been trying to claw out of my chest calmed. She was sitting with Trace, who looked about ready to break something. The last time he’d been here, it had been when Ember almost died. Her pregnancy had been a high-risk one; she nearly bled out and had landed in a coma for a few days. I understood how this place would not be his favorite and yet he was here, for me.
Avery saw me and immediately jumped up from her spot, walking to me even as I came to her. “He’s okay. Complaining and bitching and flirting with the nurses.”
I smiled, that sounded like Dad.
It wasn’t even a conscious act when I pulled her to me. I needed to feel her, smell her and only then did the wild beast vanish completely.
“I want to see him.” I said this as I stepped back from Avery in time to see worry move over her face. “Avery, what’s wrong?”
“When we got here, the nurses wouldn’t tell us anything because we weren’t family.”
Grinning, I tucked a lock of her hair that had fallen from her knot behind her ear. “Did you bat your lashes at the doctor?”
A sweet smile touched her lips but wasn’t long lived. “No. A woman entered, the same woman who called me to her table at Clover.”
It took me a minute to follow her story since she seemed to be jumping from subject to subject. “Small world, she’s an administrator here?”
“No.”
“I’m not following you, sweetheart.”
Her face softened, for just a moment, and realizing it was my endearment that brought about that contented expression had me making a mental note to use endearments on her at least twenty times a day.
“Her name is Alexandra Morton-Titus.”
And that quickly my mood changed as my body went numb with rage. “My mother was here?”
“Yes, she was the one to get the nurse to share with us what was going on. She told me she stayed away because she didn’t have a choice, but now the game was changing and she wanted you to know that though she tried to be there for you, what little she did wasn’t enough.”
“Be there for me? When the fuck was she ever there for me?”
Trace closed in, knew he had done so because I rarely lost my temper but when I did it wasn’t pretty. Thinking about the kid I had been, my father taken from me, ripped from my home, thrown in a place where life became a game of hiding from the bullies who took delight in rearranging my face on a weekly basis until I was old enough and strong enough to make them stop. My fury hit the danger zone because I had been left to fend for myself, had felt on more than one occasion the staggering sense that I was alone in the world. And she claimed she tried to be there for me? Bullshit.
Trace’s focus had not left me. He placed himself in front of Avery, the idea that he thought he needed to protect her from me, had me seeing red even knowing he was right to do it. He braced, his legs parted, his hands at his sides, knew he was ready to take whatever I threw out. I honestly don’t know what I would have done, but what happened next stopped me in my tracks. Avery moved, slipping between Trace and me even knowing the rage I felt could be seen on my face. There wasn’t fear in her green eyes, only concern and tenderness, and then she touched her small hand to my cheek. It was the lightest of touches and yet in that moment I knew that all I’d been through, every tear, every bruise, and every broken bone had led me to this woman. My anger fled because I’d go through it all again just to see her looking at me as she was right now. The magnitude of that revelation had the words passing my lips without even a thought to hearing them back.
“I love you, Avery.”
Her eyes widened, brightened before the first tear slipped down her cheek. Happiness shone on her face but so did relief. A hesitant, almost timid smile touched her lips as she unconsciously leaned into me. Her lips parted and in the softest voice she said, “It took you long enough.”
For a moment there was dead silence as her words penetrated and then I laughed, the kind of laugh that breaks things loose inside, things you’ve held on to for far longer than you should have. And with that laugh the burden of my youth, that I hadn’t even known I carried, slipped from my shoulders.
"Lexie was here?” And yet Dad didn’t sound as surprised by that as I would have expected. He hadn’t seen the woman in almost forty years and she shows up out of the blue. Had it been me, I’d be halfway down the hall on the prowl, looking for her. “Is she still here?”
“No, she left.” Trace said before he added, “I had a word with her. She said it was a risk that she was even here at all, but she needed to know that you were okay.”
Dad’s face turned thunderous. “A risk? From whom, her fucking father?”
“She didn’t go into detail.”
“How did she even know Liam had been injured?” Avery asked, but it was Dad’s expression that earned my full attention because he was looking anywhere, but at Avery. He knew something.
I wanted to press him for information, but I didn’t want to put him on the spot. He wasn’t volunteering the information, there was clearly a reason for that, so instead I answered Avery’s question. “It would seem that she’s been keeping tabs on him.” I wasn’t sure how I felt about that or taking that to the next logical place, her keeping tabs on me and yet still staying in the background. Was the cause of her distance the same reason it was a risk for her to come today?
Moving past that, I studied Dad’s wrapped arm. “What happened?”
“I wasn’t paying attention. It’s not a big deal.” And yet I had a feeling it was more of a big deal than he was letting on. A hunch confirmed when his gaze hit mine. He didn’t want to discuss it now.
I acquiesced, but we’d be discussing this later. He understood when he exhaled before looking over at Avery. “Aren’t you supposed to be working?”
“I was, but the hospital couldn’t get in touch with Rafe so they called me since my number is in your phone.”
“Jesus. I’m sorry, Avery.”
“Stop it. You were injured. This is where I’m supposed to be.”
A grin pulled at Dad’s lips. “Now I’m starting to see some of that notorious red-headed temperament.”
Avery’s hands settled on her hips. “I’m as sweet as pie.”
“I’m heading back. I’ll arrange to have Avery’s car returned to your house.” Trace started from the room.
“Thanks, Trace.”
He turned, his gaze moving from me to Avery, before his lips tipped up slightly. Dad asked as soon as Trace left, “What am I missing?”
Avery moved up next to me, pressing right up to my side. “Your son told me he loved me.”
Dad’s head jerked to me, his expression blank for a minute before he said, “It took you long enough.”
She was sweet, Jesus her taste was like crack. Pushing my tongue into her mouth, I lifted her hips and moved deeper. Her arms held me close, her hips moved, the sounds coming from the back of her throat had me moving harder, my control slipping. Her mouth ripped from mine, her b
ack arched as the orgasm moved through her, her body squeezing me bringing on my own release. And even just having her, it wasn’t enough. I needed more, needed to possess her, wanted to claim her and when we’d burned ourselves out, I’d still want more. There was this warmth in my chest and I understood now that warmth was love. An emotion I never fully comprehended and never would have had had it not been for Avery. I never knew I’d been living only half a life because the best part of me was missing. And just when I thought I couldn’t feel more for this woman.
“I love you, Rafe.”
Pressing my mouth to hers, I ran my tongue along her lips, before pushing into her mouth. Threading my fingers into her hair, I held her steady as my mouth explored, tasted and devoured. Her hands on my chest lit a fire under my skin, the burn following her touch.
I tasted her tears and lifted my head; her eyes were overflowing. “What’s this?”
Her cheeks flushed and her eyes lowered. “It’s nothing.”
Touching her chin, I forced her gaze back on me. “Avery?”
“I just never thought I’d be here. I never thought I’d find you, someone who knows all of my quirks and loves me because of them and not despite them.”
And I did, I loved everything about her. I didn’t need to tell her, she already knew, so instead I teased her. “I do, I love your ass.”
“Now who’s the goof?” Her smile faded a bit. “You seem to be handling the news about your mom in stride.”
I wasn’t handling it in stride; I just wasn’t handling it. She gave birth to me, but she wasn’t my mother. “I don’t pretend to understand her life, but she isn’t my mother. She made that choice. My only concern is Dad because despite everything, he still loves her. And whatever is happening now, I don’t want to see him hurt again. Do I appreciate her stepping up? Sure, but it’s too little too late for me.”
“Maybe she had a good reason to stay away.”
“Maybe. And maybe if I ever learn why, I’ll feel differently, but I’ve lived my life without a mom. One small effort on her part doesn’t change that.”
“That’s fair. I’d feel the same if my dad attempted to reach out now after being neglected for so long. But your mom, she had tears in her eyes, so I don’t think it was just your dad carrying the torch. She said the game was changing. What do you think she meant by that?”
“I don’t know.”
“When she came into Clover, she’d been with a man that I didn’t get the sense was her husband. I don’t know why I got that vibe, but he seemed more guardian than husband. He got a call while I was at their table and they both hightailed it out of there. It was odd at the time, seems even stranger now. Knowing now who she is, do you think she knew of my connection to you?”
“Yes.”
“The fact that she’s there, that’s she been watching, I think speaks volumes. And I get where you’re coming from, but it’s so sad that she was forced to be on the periphery of her family’s lives. Your grandfather sounds like a real asshole.”
Even angry she was adorable.
Rolling us so she was straddling my hips, I pulled her mouth to mine. “You’re so fucking sweet.”
“Shut up and kiss me.”
“Yes ma’am.”
“Mom, aren’t you heading to the West coast to see the Grand Canyon? That’s always been a dream.”
“Are you kidding? My daughter is in love. I want to meet this man.”
“But Mom, seriously, it’s like a bad sitcom. You can’t show up here in your RV with your souvenir t-shits. It’s mortifying.”
“You’re just going to need to deal, baby girl, because Harold and I are on our way. You tell that lovely Rafe we won’t be any trouble.”
“Right, except for the fact that he’s going to have a small house parked in his driveway. Besides Nat’s coming as is Jessica. Your visits are going to overlap and that’s too many people for me to have parading around Rafe’s home.”
“It’ll be fine, Harold and I can sleep in the RV. Oh, I can’t wait to meet him in person.”
I seriously needed to get her off the scent and so I threw my sister under the bus. “Have you heard about Nat and her new beau?”
“What? Nat has a beau?”
With luck she’d detour to Nat’s first, which would give Rafe and me time to make our escape. “She does and he’s wonderful. You really should meet him.”
“I know what you’re doing, Avery, and it isn’t going to work. We’re coming to see you first. You can expect us sometime early next week. How’s the job?”
“Wonderful.”
“That’s what I want to hear.” Her voice turned icy when she asked, “Have you heard from your father?”
“No.”
“I just don’t understand that man, not one bit.”
“Nat wanted to buy me a new car when she was here. I wouldn’t let her because I hadn’t reached the place where she is, but I have reached that place. I understand why you and Dad aren’t together, but we’re his children. I don’t understand how a man can treat his kids like that and even worse, have another child he’ll end up ignoring. My heart goes out to that kid because Dolly will pay that child even less attention than Dad. It’s not right.”
“No, it’s not.”
“Anyway, I’ll tell Nat you’re coming and maybe we can stagger the visits a bit, but first I have to clear it all with Rafe.”
“Good idea, but I’m sure he’s as eager to meet us as we are to meet him.”
I wasn’t so sure that was true, but I didn’t share my doubts with Mom. “Okay. I’ve got to get ready for work. I’ll call you once I’ve spoken to Rafe and Nat.”
“Can’t wait to see you.”
“Me too.”
Returning home from work, my attention was immediately pulled to the back of the yard that, despite being dark, was lit up. Climbing from my car and grabbing my bag, I moved closer to see what Rafe was up to. There was a work light shining on the tree Loki and I often sat under, but it was the sight of Rafe tightening the bolt to the swing that had me feeling all gooey inside. Loki barked, which had Rafe turning in my direction.
He greeted me with a smile before he asked, “What do you think?”
“It’s exquisite.” And it was. It was a wooden porch swing that Rafe had stained a light cherry, but it was the design on the seat back that had my full attention—it was done in the shape of cupcakes.
“I know how much you and Loki like it back here, I thought this might be more comfortable than the bench.”
“Cupcakes?”
He looked down, but not before I saw the grin that curved his lips. “It’s for me too, I wanted a little piece of you outside.”
I dropped my bag and launched myself at him. “I love it.” Taking his face into my hands I added, “I love you.”
He liked that based on how his mouth captured mine, showing me just how much he liked my words. Lust pitched his voice deeper. “Are you getting a shower now?”
Taking a shower with him? Absolutely. But first…“In a minute. First, I’d like to sit on this swing with you and then we’ll get naked and wet.”
“We?”
“As if I’ll ever take another shower without you.”
“As if I’d let you.”
Settling on the swing, Loki dropped down next to us. “You’re right, this is way more comfortable. This is the project you were working on for me, isn’t it?”
“Yeah.”
“It’s perfect. And wait until the gardens are all done, we’ll get to sit here and admire our work.”
His arm came around my shoulders as I curled deeper into his side. I needed to tell him about my mom’s visit, but instead I enjoyed the quiet of the evening with the man I loved. And it was because I was pressed up against his hard, muscular body, that contentment shifted to desire.
Jumping from the swing, I grabbed my bag and started for the carriage house, Loki on my heels. “Last one in the shower has to make dinner.”
&nb
sp; The words were barely out of my mouth when a strong arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me back against a hard chest. “I’ll feed you, but let’s work up an appetite first.”
“I like the way your mind works.”
Folding the chocolate into the whipped cream at work the following day, I thought about my meeting earlier with the sketch artist. He worked for the police department. We actually met at the station, before his shift started, and the experience was exactly like what I’d seen in movies. And when done, it was uncanny how accurately the artist had captured the man. Josh hadn’t been able to join us, so the artist intended to fax the sketch to Josh after work. Hopefully the sketch would help with identifying the ‘who’ and the ‘why’ so this whole mess could be tied up before my family arrived.
And thinking of family had me thinking about the conversation I had had with Mom, specifically how I was ready to move on in regards to my dad. Harder to do than say, but I knew one way to help get the ball in motion. I needed a new car. I called Nat.
“If you tell me there’s a fourth one, I swear to you I will plot your death for real.”
“You’re an idiot. No, I’ve decided it’s time for a new car.”
Her phone dropped; at least I’m pretty sure that’s what caused the loud clanging noise in my ear. Once recovered, she asked, “Are you serious?”
“Yes, it’s time.”
“Shit, I have surgery in a half an hour.”
“I’m working anyway.”
“Oh no. We are striking while the iron is hot. Knowing you, you’ll have a change of heart by the end of shift. I’ll be on the road around three. You have a meal break, you’re taking it at a car dealership.”
“This can wait for a few days. We can do it during your visit.”
“We are doing it today. And call Rafe. Another voice of reason to convince you out of purchasing the offspring of your sad-excuse for a car is wise.”
“Calling you was a mistake.”
“Mistake or not, it’s done.” Silence for a beat before she said, “I’m sorry you had to reach this point, but I’m glad I’ll be there to help you through it.”
