by Hadley Quinn
“Jesus, I know that!” he hissed, trying to keep his voice down. It didn’t matter though. Both girls looked up and then realized they should look away. Bobby let out a frustrated sigh. “I’m trying to adjust, okay? I have a two-year-old that I can barely take care of and—”
“Don’t give me that. You’re taking care of him just fine.”
“We are isolated in a fucking vacation house. It’s not exactly the real world. And the one thing that I was supposed to do—keep him safe—I fucking failed at. What’s next? Letting my kid run out into traffic if I live on an actual street?”
“You are a single parent, Bobby. You think you’re the only one? Ava and I are here for you. You’re gonna move into her house with us. She has no problem with helping you out, I have no problem with helping you out, and you’re going to take this a day at a time. What is this failure shit? Man, Bobby. Who the hell are you right now?”
Gabe realized he’d been raising his voice but the girls had already taken Kael outside on the deck. It must have been pretty obvious that a storm was brewing between the two men.
“Listen, Bobby. You’re twenty-five years old and you’ve got an entire life ahead of you. You’re not going to be single your whole life and eventually things are going to shift into place…”
Gabe trailed off at that point, following Bobby’s gaze. As soon as he’d said ‘not going to be single,’ Bobby had looked outside. Was that really his deal?
“You’ve got a thing for Ava’s friend?”
Bobby whipped his head back to Gabe. “What? Fuck no!”
“You do!” Gabe laughed out loud.
“I do not,” Bobby argued.
“Do too.”
“No, I don’t.”
“Oh shit, we sound like grade schoolers,” Gabe chuckled, and eventually Bobby laughed too.
There was a natural lull in the conversation until Bobby said, “I don’t think it’s her, exactly. The idea just kind of hit me when I met her. Yeah, I think she’s pretty. But it just made me think about women and…”
“Having a kid to slow you down?”
“No. Kael comes first. But dating women when you’re a single dad… That’s all I was thinking about. One more thing to worry over, I suppose. Can’t you just share Ava?”
“I didn’t fucking hear you say that.”
Bobby laughed. “I’m kidding. I just mean that she’s a good influence in my life. I like when she’s around Kael.”
“Well she’s not gonna be your kid’s mom,” Gabe said, hoping to God that’s not what he meant.
“Nah, she’s a good auntie figure. Auntie Ava and Uncle Gabe,” he chuckled.
Gabe smiled and then shrugged. “Yeah, has a good ring to it.”
They were both silent until Bobby said, “You know you’re as close to a brother as I’ve ever had, right?”
Gabe slowly nodded. “Likewise, man. We’re gonna get through this, okay?”
Bobby sighed. “You promise?”
“I promise, man. I promise.”
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
Ava felt very heavy-hearted when she and Gabe had everything all packed up to leave the lake house. It was the middle of August and the day she had been dreading. As sad as she was to be saying farewell to her childhood vacation home, she was also a bit relieved. She was ready to move on from its bittersweet memories and start a life with Gabe.
Bobby had already gone ahead with Kael. She’d given him the address to her home Wallingford and a spare key. Now she was lounging outside behind the cabin with Gabe, enjoying one last blanket picnic before they left.
One of Ava’s decisions about Gabe had been introducing him to her world of music. It was a mix of alternative rock and singer/songwriter melodies that she felt were more soul lifting than some of the music he listened to. He did like classic rock like Ava, but she wanted for him to feel a different side to music, a side that could enrich his life. She didn’t want him to turn to angry music so much.
Today they were listening to country music, and Gabe was aghast. He would tolerate anything for Ava, but he claimed this was a little too much. He said he was not a fan of country music, nor did he want to be. Ava insisted that it wasn’t a matter of defining your tastes by the genre of music you listen to, but finding what speaks to you.
Gabe wasn’t interested in country hicks speaking to him.
“You’re totally defeating the purpose,” she told him. “I told you that I would vent with your music when I was really pissed off if you would enjoy life with my music. You made a deal with me, Gabe.”
“That was before you said the C word.”
“Cunt?”
He put his hand over her mouth. “Shush, woman. I don’t wanna hear that filth come out of your pretty mouth.”
She rolled her eyes and yanked his hand away. “Do you know what country music represents?” she asked.
“I believe you just told me about two minutes ago.”
“Okay, smartass. Then stop being such an ignorant fool.”
He gave her a cocky smirk but relented. “Fine. Show me what you got.” He glanced down the length of her for the double reference.
“Music first,” she reminded him. “Then we dirty up the rooms and counters before we leave.”
“Deal,” he agreed. However, he still inched her sundress up a bit as they lay stretched out on the blanket together.
“Okay, first song,” she said, fiddling with her phone.
They listened for half a minute, Gabe seeming like a defiant child as he frowned the whole time. But then his expression changed.
“Whoa he said ‘ass.’”
Ava laughed as she kicked out of her boots. “You listen enough, you’ll hear a lot of damn and hell, too.”
“Oh, yeah?” he cocked on eyebrow. “Put those sexy boots back on so you can wrap ‘em around me in a minute or two.
“And you’ll hear about trucks, beer, and making love.”
His eyebrow shot up further. “Well hell, I’m into all those things.”
“And rebel rousing,” she teased, giving him a little shove.
“Well then, I guess I’m already a goddamn country bad ass.”
She laughed really hard and caressed his jaw with her lips. “Yes, you are.”
“But I’m not a damn hick,” he said, like he was trying to convince her.
“No, honey, you’re not a hick. You’re a red-blooded American man that loves his woman and is learning to enjoy life around him. You can like country music too.”
“Hmm, I love my woman and that’s all that matters to me.” He pulled her closer to him across his chest and she draped her leg over his.
“And your love means everything to me,” she spoke softly. She kissed his lips as he sifted his fingers through her hair. When she kissed him deeper, his hands traveled downward, cupping her ass firmly.
“Good to see people hard at work,” a voice spoke, bringing the moment to a crashing halt.
Ava almost bit down on Gabe’s lip, she was so startled.
“Dad!” she gasped. She moved to her knees quickly, embarrassed to see him standing at the side of the cabin. “What are you doing here?” She quickly stood, but Gabe seemed to take his time. He was eyeing her father carefully like he was ready to defend Ava in any way he needed to.
She loved that protective side of him.
Brad folded his arms across his chest. “Last I checked I still own this place. What are you doing here?” He looked at his watch. “I have guests coming in three hours.”
“And you were hoping I’d be gone?” she scoffed. “Good to see you too, Dad.”
His expression softened somewhat. “I was planning to stop by your house before I left town. I’m just surprised to see you still here.”
He glanced around the property and then nodded to the main house. “The place looks really nice. I just did a walk around the property.” He looked at Gabe. “Everything is in order? All the things on the list are checked off?”
> “Yes,” Gabe nodded. “And then some. I’m Gabe, by the way,” he said, stepping forward to shake his hand. “We’ve not officially met.”
Brad cautiously shook his hand like he wasn’t sure he wanted to make it official.
Gabe continued before he could reply. “The only thing I’d recommend is re-grading the driveway and adding some fresh gravel. And the woodshed may need replacing soon, but I’m sure the new owners can worry about that.”
Brad considered that and nodded his head. “Very well, I’ll keep that in mind if someone brings it up.” He looked at Ava and added, “It’s about time you two made yourselves scarce, yes?”
For some people that could feel not only insulting but downright disappointing. For Ava…it was expected. Without a word she scooped up the blanket and shook it out. She grabbed her phone and then Gabe’s hand and walked past her father. “You have no idea how much I intend on doing that,” she replied over her shoulder.
After sending Bobby with her car, she and Gabe headed for his truck. Ava stuck the blanket on the floor behind the seat, and upon noticing all of her paintings stacked there too, she finally smiled again.
“La vie est faite de petits bonheurs,” Gabe told her. “It’s the little pleasures that matter, right?”
“Yeah, definitely,” she agreed with him.
It was Gabe that had mentioned the paintings throughout the house and that Ava should take them since they belonged to her. Only one of them had been a gift to her father, but she ended up taking that one too.
He’d never know the difference.
As they traveled away from the lake house, Ava became quiet and just enjoyed the moment. She was nestled up against Gabe while he drove and there wasn’t a place she’d rather be. He was coming back with her, to start a life together with her, and she couldn’t have asked for more.
However, she wasn’t too deep in her daydream to realize Gabe had taken an unfamiliar route. “Um, honey, you missed the fork to head west.”
He turned slightly to kiss the top of her head. “I know. Just trust me.”
She smiled because she couldn’t help it, but she remained silent as she observed where he was going exactly. He ended up hanging a left on a narrow dirt road and they were heading toward the lake again.
“Okay, I’m completely intrigued,” Ava announced. “Where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise.”
“Hm, I see that,” she chuckled. She leaned away from Gabe to see the smile on his face. Whatever it was, he looked excited to share.
He parked the truck on a flat grassy landing that viewed a huge section of the lake. He got out, came around to Ava’s side and opened her door. As she stepped out, he also grabbed the blanket from behind the seat. If he planned on shagging her in the outdoors before they headed back to Wallingford, then she was all for it.
Gabe found a nice spot in the grass and flipped the blanket open. He motioned her over with his finger so Ava obeyed, smiling as she stopped in front of him. He gestured to the view of water in front of them. “I found this place on one of my runs,” he told her. “What do you think?”
She sighed and focused on their surroundings. “It’s absolutely gorgeous.”
“It’s vacant, but I thought since our time got cut short earlier we could take our time here before going back to the city. You know, before real life begins,” he lightly laughed. “But, no matter what it consists of, just know that I always want to be in your life, Ava. Let me protect you and love you, and let me learn what all of this ‘real life’ stuff is all about again. I know it’s not going to be easy for you, and I’m sorry about that in advance, but I’ll do everything I can to prove how much I love you.”
Ava wrapped her arms around him tightly. She laid her face against his chest and took a huge breath of air. No, life wasn’t going to be easy. She knew that. If there wasn’t one challenge there was going to be another. But she had Gabe, and his love and thoughtfulness, and that was all she wanted right now.
“Is that okay with you?” he asked softly, kissing the top of her head. He rubbed a hand against her back and then gathered her long hair into a loose ponytail.
“Yes, Gabe. Absolutely. I want to spend every day of my life with you, no matter what it consists of. We have a lot of things to work through, but we’ll do it. I know we will.”
“Well the challenges might always be there, Ava. I can’t promise you that we’ll overcome certain things…”
He pulled back to look her in the eyes and she knew exactly what he meant.
“I know,” she nodded. “But I promise I will love you no matter what. This summer has been the best of my life and I’m thankful it led me to you. I will never take that for granted.” She pulled him down on the blanket with her. With a mysterious smile she said, “So let’s get on with our life together, right now.”
He followed her willingly and gently laid his body over hers. “Sweetheart, you have absolutely no objection from me.”
EPILOGUE
Seven Months Later
“Ava? Honey, are you ready yet?”
I didn’t hear a response so I took the stairs up to the bedroom. The entire house was empty of our belongings, packed away in the U-haul out front, but Ava had wanted more time to say goodbye. I didn’t want to rush her but we needed to get our things moved into the new house before it got too late.
She was sitting in the middle of the floor, Indian style. She looked so tiny sitting there with nothing else in the room. She looked at me and frowned. “I didn’t think it would be so hard, Gabe.”
I walked across the room and sat down beside her, letting out a breath of air as I decided on what to say. “Yeah, it’s another step in life. This place has become our home and it’s hard to leave.”
She looked at me, her beautiful blue-green eyes glistening with moisture. “So you’re saying we can stay, right?”
I knew she was joking but answered, “Baby, if it’s what you want, I will move heaven and earth to get this house back for you. I mean it might take a lot of paperwork, lawyers, a lot more roughing people up on my part…”
She laughed with a sniffle and laid her head against my shoulder. “There’s no need for roughing anyone up. I’m ready to move, it’s just hard. We’ve put so much work into this house.”
“And you made a very nice profit on it, sweetheart. You should be proud of yourself. And what about the new house? You love the house we bought, Ava,” I added knowingly.
“I do love the house we bought,” she agreed with a slight nod against me.
“So focus on that, okay? You can start making your lists the second we step foot in there tomorrow.”
She swatted me playfully. “Quit making fun of my lists.”
“Hey, as long as I’m on it as ‘to-do’ number one, I have no problem with your lists.”
“Good. And you’re always my number one ‘to-do.’ That will never change.”
“Good.” I stood and held my hand out to help her up. When she rose, I pulled her close and kissed her. “So how ‘bout we make one last memory in here before we head out?”
She smiled at me with that sexy, all consuming smile. Ava had a secret weapon with that smile, no doubt. It could slay me on my best days.
“Hmm, sounds intriguing,” she said. “What do you have in mind?”
I kissed her again until she moaned against my mouth, then slowly backed her up to the wall. She could rarely ever halt my momentum when I had her this way so I continued without pause. It was March, and I was so fucking glad my girl was wearing a cute little dress that day. I slid my hand up her skirt to her panties and softly pressed against her center until I could feel she was wet.
I had her so hot and bothered I wasn’t surprised when she stripped her panties off herself and dropped them on the floor.
“Stop teasing me,” she growled at me.
“I wasn’t teasing, just preparing properly,” I joked. In one swift motion, I grabbed both of her legs and wrapped
them around me. She had those sexy cowboy boots on—the ones that gave me a hard-on the second I saw them on her at the lake house. With those wrapped around me, it only took a couple of seconds to get my cock free so I could bury it inside of her.
“Oh my God,” she exhaled, her warm breath rushing past me after the first couple of thrusts. Wall sex. I fucking loved wall sex. The first time I ever had Ava up against the wall like this was the first night I moved into this house with her permanently. We’d just left the lake house behind in August and at some point she mentioned being taken against the wall had always been a fantasy of hers.
Well obviously I was stoked to make that wish come true.
“Gabe,” she moaned against my lips as she kissed me hard.
“Yeah, angel,” I murmured. “You gonna come for me, Ava? I wanna feel you come, baby.”
She’d gotten quite good at the dirty talk over the last few months, but even when Ava didn’t say a word, it never mattered. I could feel the sexual energy buzz through her every time, this time being no exception. It was a connection I’d only ever experienced with her and she’d always be the only one.
I had her hands pinned against the wall above her head; her legs squeezed tighter around me. “Harder, Gabe.”
Ohhhh hell. My girl knew what she wanted and was never afraid to tell me. I drove into her deeper until she cried out in that sexy “oh fuck yes” voice I loved so much. There’s nothing like seeing pure pleasure on your woman’s face like that. It would never get old.
“Your turn, baby,” she told me breathlessly.
Normally I wouldn’t care to rush it, but a quickie was necessary this time since we needed to get going. The fact that she was still hugging my dick tightly relayed that she knew we needed to hurry it along.
“We better get moving, sweetheart,” I told her after enjoying every second of my release. She already knew that Bobby was meeting us at the new house in five minutes. I kissed the top of her head and she nodded. When she headed for the bathroom to clean up, I went downstairs without her in case she wanted another minute alone but she joined me right away.
