Road to Them: The Road Series Book Two

by Erica Andrews

  Life flashing before my eyes as I fell onto the hard wooden floor, I failed to notice in my attempt of pulling the cover out from under her, Duchess had actually listened and had simply gotten up and walked off. Now here I was lying here on the floor with a nasty pizza sauce covered blanket.

  Well we know who won that battle.

  Duchess twelve. Kelly four.

  Yes, I kept tracked.

  Still laying on the floor, I yelled at her retreating back side, “We’re not through Duchess, just wait. You’re in big trouble!”

  I showed her. Ugh, I smelled like pizza.

  I really needed to have a talk with that dog. That is, after I got the sweat and pizza sauce off of me. The rest of the garbage could stay there too, at least until I was clean. I headed towards the shower. I couldn’t help but think that maybe, this wouldn’t have happened if I would have had someone here watching her. And by that someone I meant one of the three men who I hadn’t talked to in three weeks.

  The water began to steam the mirrors as I turned the water to scalding, because it was either hot or cold. There was no middle for me. Red lobster skin was my forte.

  I undressed and hopped in the shower. Had I mentioned how much I loved the shower? For some reason, when I slipped in, it was like my stress melted away and my brain came alive. Questions that I once couldn’t answer earlier came flowing seamingly, like the hot water upon my head.

  First on the agenda, the book club. What did I walk into? Never in a million years would I have ever thought to behold this type of book club. Let alone be in one. Did I really want to be in a club with four vulgar, sailor mouthed women?

  Yeah, I kind of did.

  Surprisingly. I’d spent my whole life around people who supposedly said the right things, but talked horrible about you when you left the room. Which I never understood. We could focus that hatefulness in so many more areas. But with these ladies if they could say what they said to my face, well I didn’t see how they could say much worse.

  So I guess my decision was made, I guess every Monday, I was gonna be going to the book club, to meet with four senior citizen ladies.

  Wow.

  Never thought I’d say that, but it is what it is.

  Hair lathered, I rinsed and continued on to harder topics at hand.

  The boys. What did I do?

  Maybe I should have talked to them earlier. Honestly though, I wasn’t thinking clearly. I was so mad. The betrayal I felt from Trevor was nothing like it felt when I saw Camille on Damon’s lap. And then the questions wouldn’t stop coming. How long had this been going on? Did Kasper and Dean know? Were they covering for him? I couldn’t get the questions to stop. Nor the images. I didn’t think Trevor cheating had done a number on me, but I guess it did. I knew Damon kind of put me on a roller coaster. But I could have sworn he really liked me, but maybe I guessed wrong. Was I wrong about everything? Everyone?

  And what was up with those gifts? Were they gonna start doing this every day? Was I gonna have to be worried about looking out my door every morning?

  Ugh, too many questions and not enough answers.

  Loofah in hand, I grabbed the soap and started wiping away the sweat and pizza.

  Kasper and Dean were kind of the innocent party. Maybe I should talk to them? I did just kind of put them in a group. Which I shouldn’t have done. I’d admit.

  Yeah, I’d text Dean and get him to come see me.

  He was the most easy going of the group and could settle me with a joke and at least he’d be honest. Yeah, that’s what I’d do.

  Mind made up, I rinsed off the soap, with slightly less stress than when I had entered the shower, grabbing my towel I quickly dried off. Once somewhat dried, I wrapped the towel around my head, and went to find some clothes.

  What to wear?

  Aha!

  Pink leggings hung limply out of one of my drawers.

  It was fate and who second guessed fate.

  Nobody that’s who.

  I pulled them out and quickly found a simple plain white shirt to match.

  Classic.

  Not stopping to second guess myself about what I was about to do, I grabbed my phone off the dresser, and sat on my bed. Finger swiping across the screen, I looked down at Dean’s number.

  Whew.

  Alright I could do this. He was Dean. He wasn’t the one with Camille’s on his lap. Just maybe a knowing accomplice. Okay maybe I couldn’t call, but I could text him. My nerves were so jittery. I hadn’t talked to any of them in three weeks, what was he going to say?

  Why was I worried? He was just a guy, albeit a funny, hot guy, but a guy nonetheless. If he did know about it then what’s done is done. I’d move on. I had my women now. In a platonic way, I mean.

  Maybe I should have gotten some Bailey’s and coffee before I did this? No, that’s a horrible idea, okay, I could do this.

  Palms sweaty, I grabbed my phone extra tight as I typed my message before I chickened out.

  Hey, so I thought maybe we could clear the air? Talk?

  Finished, I threw my phone across the room like any other normal girl and waited.

  Buzz. Buzz.

  Holy crap, that was fast. What was he doing watching the phone? On my hands and knees, I slowly crawled across the bed to read the text that had sent my stomach into nauseous overload.

  Oh, thank God, Princess! When? We’ve missed you.

  He said we. Did he mean all of them? Or just him and Kasper? Why did boys have to be so difficult. Why was I overthinking this?

  Okay, I could handle this. Let’s see what he would say to my text back.

  Now. I’d like to clear the air now.

  Ha! Let’s see what he says to that!

  Okay, be there in thirty minutes.

  Shit! Shit! Shit!

  He called it. He called my bluff. Towel pulled off my head, I ran down the hallway picking up Duchess’s huge mess. Bent over, arms full of trash, I spotted the garbage dog herself. The culprit seemed to be the epitome of relaxed as she laid across the couch staring at me.

  Judging me.

  “This is your fault, you should be picking this crap up. Where is evolution with your opposable thumbs now? Uh?”

  Mouth open wide, she stretched out more, making a growling noise at me. Her semblance of communication. Then promptly rolled over and ignored my tantrum. “Yeah, ignore me, don’t help me. Just know Dean’s coming over to see me not you.” Ears perking up at the mention of Dean, she lazily fell off the couch and made her way to the front door.

  Not him too. They were slowly taking my dog, dang it.

  Traitor.

  Four

  Kelly

  My dog was a traitor.

  I picked up the rest of her mess, while she sat faithfully by the front door for Dean to arrive. Somehow, I thought she had come to love the guys as much as me. Finished with her mess, I glanced at the clock in the kitchen. I only had ten minutes before Dean was set to arrive.

  I mumble a curse at unfaithful dogs, running back to my room like the hounds of hell were at my feet. Not stopping to think, I ripped my now garbage stained shirt from my body, and then just in case, I let the leggings follow. Better safe than sorry. Nobody wanted to meet a guy for the first time in three weeks smelling like trash.

  Basically naked, I stood there, wondering what I was going to do now. Fate had already helped me with the first outfit and Duchess ruined it. So now what was I to do?

  Decisions. Decisions.

  Not wanting to just stand there, I scrambled with different ideas on what to wear for the cute boy coming to my house.

  Bingo.

  An epiphany came quickly as I stood there with goosebumps trailing across my naked skin, the wind caressing my body as the fan blew from the ceiling. Pink. When in doubt of what to wear always wear pink. Just like when hungry, always eat a doughnut. They always make things better. Usually.

  I pulled out my new pink doughnut boy shorts and matching white shirt that I had bou
ght at some workout store. It was pink and it had doughnuts, so I had to have it. The doughnut fashion guru had spoken. Plus, it made it look like I was about to workout. Was I working out or was I just being lazy? No one would ever know.

  Once dressed, I stopped at my vanity, grabbing my shimmer lip gloss and mascara. This hopefully would give off the vibe that I wasn’t secretly nervous about seeing one of them for the first time in three weeks. I wasn’t. God, I was such a bad liar.

  My lips glistened as I smacked them together.he ring of the doorbell and Duchess’s answering bark drew my attention to the front door.

  He’s here. I swear it was almost like she knew it was one of them. My hands shook as I sat the lip gloss down and ran my fingers through my hair. I could do this.

  Back straight, I cleared my throat, getting prepared to say something when I opened the door. Though I still had no clue what to say. How do you ask, if you knew about your brother and another girl? Usually you didn’t, plain and simple you just left. But I felt myself tugged to them and I had to know the whole story. The truth.

  I walked down the hallway and up to the door. Heart pounding, hands shaking, I could hear the rhythm of my heart increase the closer I got towards the door. Not able to prolong the confrontation, I inhaled deeply steadying myself, as I opened the door.

  Door cracked, I peeked carefully through the small space, trying in vain to not seem as nervous as I might appear.

  I think I might had failed.

  He looked good. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach as I held myself back from tossing the door open wide and jumping into his arms.

  In a simple grey t-shirt and cargo pants he looked like any other man in town, but he screamed mine by wearing the grey shirt with a doughnut on the front. He wore that for me, I was almost certain. And it made me hurt more knowing I had been away from him and his natural goofiness. I needed him so much these past few weeks and now looking at him I felt so stupid for waiting.

  I missed him. Plain and simple.

  Still standing there looking uncertain, his foot nudged the dirt underneath his feet. Which only endeared him to me more. He was my shy, funny guy.

  Opening the door wider, so he could see me, he raised his eyes up to mine. Before I could get a word out though and tell him how I felt stupid or how much I missed him, Duchess ran through the ever widening crack and knocked me to the ground.

  Shocked at being on the ground and the pain in my ass, I stared wide eyed as Duchess bypassed me jumping onto Dean and showering him with kisses.

  I was chopped liver.

  Dean trying to keep Duchess from licking his face, rubbed up and down her back as he carefully made his way towards me. Smiling, Dean pushed Duchess behind him keeping her at bay, as he held his hand out for me to grab. I took it gratefully.

  The warmth of his hand engulfed my smaller one, clasping it tightly as if scared to let go. And I understood that feeling all too well.

  He pulled me up, bringing his other arm to encircle my waist nudging my body closer.

  Our faces now mere inches from one other, his breath mingling with mine, and the heat of his body enclosed around me begged me to just let go and fall the rest of the way into his arms. And as much as I wanted to. I needed answers. I couldn’t just fall into his arms and shove my issues under a rug.

  But with his smile, it was so hard to remember why I hadn’t been with him and the others for three weeks, because this felt right.

  As if picking up on my inner thoughts Dean’s arm tightened around my waist. “God, I’ve missed you.”

  And that was why I missed them. The little things they so easily understood about me. Caring for me. But as much as I missed them, I missed myself more. I needed to have my confidence back, I needed to worry about how I felt and not put myself second. I needed to be first. That was why I had held back for three weeks. Not because I didn’t want to see them, I did. But because I needed to put myself back together, before being able to handle all three of them.

  With that in mind, I stepping out of his arms watching the hopeful expression fade from his face. I hated doing that, but I needed answers.

  Gesturing towards the door, I reached around him, pulling my reluctant dog to me. “Would you like to come in? I have coffee or uh...sweet tea.”

  With a soft smile he answered, “Coffee would be great.”

  The coffee pot finished spewing the dark goodness just as I got Duchess to leave Dean alone. My favorite mugs sat on the top of the hutch, but I reached for two of my less used mugs. I figured with everything about to go down, that it was time to bring in the big guns.

  Coffee poured, I sat across from Dean at the table, careful not to touch him again. I didn’t need foolish hormones eroding my brain, like earlier.

  Or at least I hoped it was hormones.

  Not wanting to wait and allow doubt and nervousness to cloud my mind, I decided to dive in feet first, because what other way was there to go?

  “So, Camille, uh? What was that all about?”

  Okay,so maybe jumping in feet first wasn’t the best idea..

  Coffee cup to his mouth, Dean fumbled to hold it as he coughed and spewed his coffee across my table.

  Ewww.

  Okay, maybe I should have waited until he was done drinking his coffee.

  As he still tried to gain control of his coughing, I jumped up and ran to the kitchen grabbing two towels. One for him and one for my precious table.

  Coughing finally under control I tossed the towel to him so he could clean up, as I wiped the remaining coffee off the table.

  “So, I probably shouldn’t have started with Camille, huh?”

  With a bark of laughter, he wiped the towel across his face smiling at me. “Well, it was an ice breaker for sure.”

  His smile seemed easy.

  And I was jealous. I wish, I could seem at ease, but my stomach was tied in knots. My palms were still sweaty, and it was a gift from God that I hadn’t dropped my coffee mug and splashed scalding hot coffee all over myself. But hey the day was early yet.

  Instead, he spits his all over himself and he still seems calm, cool, and collected. And I still find him attractive.

  “Well if we don’t talk about Camille, what can we talk about? Because to be honest, Dean, I've gotta know. I've been living with scenarios in my head for three weeks and I’ll tell ya. None of them are good.”

  In response he tugs his chair closer to mine, taking my coffee mug out of my hand and setting it on the table. Both my hands now in his, he brings them to his lips and kissed each palm gently.

  “For three weeks, you have been all I’ve thought about. What were you doing? How were you? Why wouldn’t you just talk to me? And I’m pretty sure it was the same with the other guys too. So, I’m going to ask you a question that I’ve been wanting to ask you for three weeks and then you can ask me anything, okay?”

  Dean being serious didn’t happen often, so when it did I knew to pay attention. Nodding my head, I waited for his question to come.

  “Are you okay?”

  Taken by surprise, I blinked and stared at the concern on his face. That wasn’t the question that I was expecting. I was expecting a Why did you not call? or How could you be so selfish? But never an, Are you okay?

  Still staring at him I took in the creases in his forehead and the downward turn of his mouth that I had missed seeing these weeks. “Why, do you ask if I’m okay? Aren’t you wondering why I haven't called or tried to see y’all?”

  His fingers rubbed circles on my hands as he considered my question. “I did wonder, but I also knew that if I had seen you in Trevor’s lap, then that would’ve hurt me. That’s why I understood why you wouldn’t talk to us. I knew you were hurting. Though I hoped you liked my gift.”

  His lips slowly lifted at the mention of his gift.

  “The VooDoo doll of Damon?”

  He let go of my hands and I instantly missed his touch. Leaning against the chair, his charming smile moved back into its
regular place.

  “Yeah, I thought you might like that, and if anything it’d be a nice punching bag. Now answer me, how are you?”

  With such a serious expression on his face, it was hard not to fall apart to cry on the proverbial shoulder and tell him how much I’d missed him and the others. How I got sick from too much ice cream, slept so much I got eye crusties and was a vampire in training up until a little bit ago.

  But I didn’t.

  I didn’t want him to feel worse than he already appeared. And in the grand scheme of things I guess it was partially my fault, for at least not talking to Dean or Kasper. I could’ve at least been seeing their beautiful mugs these last three weeks.

  Speaking of mugs….

  That brought a smile to my face.

  My hidden secret.

  At least a secret for now.

  “Well, it must’ve not of been too bad, ‘cause you’re smiling. I'm a little offended.”

  His voice drew me out of my musing about my little secret.

  “Oh, what no, I was just thinking of something really funny.”

  Trying the best to clear the smile from my face, I answered him seriously.

  “Having you here and seeing you. I’m better than I have been. But honestly, at first it was bad. I'm not going to go into any detail, but it was just this last week that I’ve felt normal.”

  I reached out to adjust his mug, turning it slightly towards me.

  “But you know what would really help...knowing what actually happened. Because right now as much as I want to move forward and forget this. I can’t. So, I need answers. I wanna see all you guys, but I can’t have question marks popping in my head everytime y’all leave and I can’t have doubts. Do you understand?”

  He glanced into his mug, grabbing it and drinking the remaining coffee that hadn’t spilled. “I do get it, but honestly, I think you need to talk to Damon. I can tell you that it isn’t what it seemed. But I don’t think you will feel better till you hear it from the horse’s mouth.”