Chapter 19
Brandon
I could tell something was off the moment I climbed into the passenger seat of Avery’s car—an unexplainable hunch that whatever happened after he’d left my shop, wasn’t good.
His energy seemed controlled, hampered in a strange way that I hadn’t been expecting when he’d pulled up to my house an hour after I’d gotten home, freshly showered and shaved—not that I was expecting anything to happen tonight despite my traitorous dick thinking otherwise—and dressed in a new set of clothes I’d picked up after work.
The tendons in Avery’s hands flexed while he gripped the steering wheel, his gaze tracking me as I pulled the seatbelt over my chest and hooked it into the mechanism. We sat there for a long moment, both of us filling the awkward silence with nothing but the sound of our own labored breathing.
Was it wrong of me to want to touch him in some way?
Bridge that gap between us like we had back in his bedroom and earlier today at the shop?
I never thought I’d be the kind of person to be touch-starved. Yet, the second Avery had left my shop, my body had grown cold, no longer warmed without him by my side.
I’d had these moments of flare-ups back in high school.
That longing and wanting practically choked me with how badly I needed to be with Avery in any capacity.
Those impulses had been so easy to ignore with how much time we’d spent together, only really growing frustrating once I was back at home and in my own bed while I stared up at the ceiling all night.
Now with this weird... thing between us, I had no idea how to relieve myself. Clearly going out with Max had done nothing. Only served to slap me across the face with how obviously not over Avery I was.
The problem with trying to move on with my life while said person that I’d had such deep affections for was still around was that he was still around.
How the hell was I supposed to get a grip on reality when Avery was drowning out all of my sanity?
And last night.
God, last night.
I was getting hard just thinking about it.
Leaning back in my seat while subtly trying to readjust myself, I asked, “So, where to?”
Avery blinked hard, seeming to come back to reality. “I’m bringing you over the bridge.”
To Ellington?
I guess that wasn’t a surprise. There were places to go in Edgewood, but not the kind that were sit-down worthy. More pizza joints and corner store Chinese takeout places than actual restaurants with a laminated menu and music to set the ambiance.
I’d been trying to reconcile with myself for the entire afternoon, leading into evening, that this wasn’t a date and Avery was simply taking me out to reconnect. Or something of that nature. Getting my hopes up was only asking to be disappointed.
He could be intending to thank me for the blowjob for all I knew. That’s the kind of guy he was.
Avery looked good, though.
Really good.
Dressed in a white button-up that was tucked into tailored slacks, a belt wrapped around his waist with a gold buckle.
His matching gold Rolex was the only accessory he wore, yet it made him look more refined than if he’d simply gone without it.
His hair was still slicked back from earlier, though a few pieces had come down to curl against his forehead to half frame his face.
Me?
I was in something simple. A dark-colored, cotton quarter-sleeve shirt and dark blue jeans that still had the slight folded crease marks running along my thighs from the department store I’d picked them up from two hours prior.
My stomach churned. Nerves spiking instantly.
This wasn’t a date. Just a casual dinner between friends. Avery was always one to dress up. He took pride in his appearance and tonight was no different. Getting all up in my head about something so simple was just going to make this awkward.
I blew out a slow breath, forcing a smile onto my face. “Cool.”
He nodded at that and then turned back to face forward, grabbing the gearshift and maneuvering the car back out onto the road.
For the most part, the trip was silent, save only for the soft music playing on the radio that was barely above a whisper.
My fingers twitched in my lap from the effort of forcing myself not to reach over and crank it, to give myself something to focus on other than the sound of Avery’s soft breathing.
I rolled my tongue around the roof of my mouth, my saliva thick and hard to swallow while the memories of wrapping my lips around Avery’s cock equally teased and tortured me.
I wanted to lick up the length of him again and bury him deep down into my throat until my nose was pressed against his body.
The way he’d stretched my throat, I still felt the slight tingles waking up this morning.
Fuck, and the way he came—
“So, my meeting with my dad’s widow went to shit.”
His words instantly snapped me out of my thoughts. Shit, I forgot he’d gone to that after visiting me. “Wait, did you just say ‘widow’?”
He nodded. “She claimed to have a valid marriage license a week ago. My lawyer sent it in and it was found to be authentic. So she’s at least entitled to some of the estate.”
“Jesus, I’m sorry, Avery.” What a way to find out your dad had secretly married someone behind your back. “Tell me she was his age at least?”
“Nope. Around ours, actually.”
That was even worse, though it wasn’t that much of a surprise.
As superficial as he was materialistic, Kurt McAllister dating a woman half his age—or rather marrying her—was definitely something that I wouldn’t put past him.
He’d been in tabloids before for partying it up with young models on his yacht countless times when he was still alive.
Though, I was surprised he actually went through with marrying someone. He used to brag about being a perpetual bachelor on the rare occasions he was back in Ellington Heights pretending to be a good father.
Blowing out another breath, I said, “That’s ridiculous. I hope she’s only interested in the money, then?”
Avery was silent for a long beat, his eyes focused on the stoplight when we came to a crawl and paused. The red reflection of it cast an eerily glow on his skin, his eyes carrying a slight sheen to them.
“She’s pregnant. Claims it’s his,” was what he finally murmured just as the light turned green.
I was stunned.
Avery flicked at the turn signal, merging into the lane next to us.
“I told her that she needs to get a paternity test or else I’m not cooperating and she can kiss my ass.
The problem is that if she really is pregnant with his child, she has legitimate claims to everything.
Or, the child does. The will stated ‘any natural born children.’”
“Fuck,” I mumbled, letting my body sink back into my seat.
What a complicated mess. As was Kurt McAllister’s entire life. Him fucking things up for Avery from beyond the grave unfortunately tracked just as much as the other ridiculous stuff he’d forced his son to put up with his entire life on this Earth.
To think that Avery might have a sibling soon...
“Did you verify if she was actually pregnant? She could be faking it,” I suggested.
He let out a strained laugh. “Oh, she was very obviously pregnant during the meeting. Had documentation proving it, too, that she handed over. Unless the paternity test comes back false, I’m going to have to re-negotiate the entire will with her.
At the very least, half of everything will be put into a trust until the kid’s old enough to access it. ”
What a mess.
The worst part about all of this was how willing Avery was with handing over any amount of cash this woman could possibly dream of asking for.
The monetary value wasn’t the issue here, it was the fact that at the very least, personal possessions belonging to him, his mother, and his childhood would then have to be sorted through and assessed on whether or not it could be split, kept with Avery, or given to this new child.
For someone like Avery, that was a worst-case scenario. He was a private person to a fault. Opening up and allowing people to come in and dissect him on a deep level, along with his family issues, was probably the worst thing that could ever possibly happen to him.
Not to mention, he didn’t know either this woman or the kid.
Would he feel obligated in helping raise his sibling?
What would being a part of their life look like?
Avery had never planned on sticking around in Ellington Heights to begin with.
Would this woman expect to occupy the mansion while he went back to the city?
Would she be entitled to it and whatever came with being a McAllister?
None of this was supposed to be Avery’s problem. He’d come back from the city to deal with his father’s estate and then call it a day. Wiping his hands clean of everything would’ve been the ultimate relief once it was all said and done.
But now, with more shit added to his plate, who knew when he’d get to go back to his normal life.
A selfish part of me was happy to have him around a little longer, guilt soon swallowing that up while I was reminded of the fact that Avery never asked for any of this. He had a life and a job to get back to in the city.
The goal was never to be stuck here with the rest of us.
“Look, if you need me to pause work on the cars—”
He shook his head. “Don’t. Keep working on them. If nothing else, I can store them back in that garage once you’re done.”
I glanced his way again. His face was set in a hard frown, his hands flexing on the steering wheel again.
“Please don’t quit on me.” His voice was barely above a whisper.
My gut squeezed tight. “I won’t. I never would.”