Chapter Nineteen – Avery
Chapter Nineteen
AVERY
The light knock on my door had me calling out, “Come in!”
My mother walked into my room and smiled as our eyes met in my vanity mirror. I wasn’t sure why it always surprised me that our eyes were exactly the same. Probably because they were such a rare color.
“How do I look for my… date ?” I said with a grin. Standing, I held out my arms and spun around so my mother could take in my dress. “It’s called a Cinderella day dress.”
She drew in a breath. “Avery, it’s beautiful. From France?”
Nodding, I said, “I picked it up in a boutique in a little town outside of Paris.”
I looked down at the smoky-blue, vintage-inspired dress. It was adorned with beadwork and lace appliqués. The corset bodice was covered in small, iridescent pearls that traveled down to a flounce skirt that had a mesh overlay. The sleeves could be worn as caps or off the shoulder. I was currently wearing them off, but only for Beck’s benefit. Once we got to Brock and Lincoln’s house, I’d lift them.
“It’s beautiful, and so are you. I love how you have your hair styled.”
I’d swept my hair back into a low side pony, with the bulk of it over my left shoulder. A few delicate curls framed the right side of my face.
Reaching for the pearl earrings I’d received from my parents for my eighteenth birthday, I proceeded to put them on as my mother sat down on my bed. She looked around my room and cleared her throat.
“Are you and Emily excited about tomorrow?”
I looked at her in the mirror. Her leg was bouncing up and down.
“Yes! I still can’t thank you and Daddy enough for helping us with this, Mom. If you weren’t letting us use space in the greenhouse to get started, we wouldn’t be able to do anything for months, at least until the new greenhouse was built.”
She waved off my words. “I’m just happy to have you home and doing something you’re passionate about.”
After I put the second earring in, I turned and sat on the small vanity stool. “But Dad is giving me so much land to use for gardens.”
Smiling, she said, “This ranch is just as much yours as it is Bradly’s. Just because he’s following in your father’s footsteps, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get to do what you want with a piece of it too. Besides, the cows have plenty of grass to eat.”
I laughed. She glanced around again, and her other leg joined in on the bouncing.
I sighed. “I know you’ll say it’s too soon, but I really care about him, Mom. He tried to push me away already, saying I was too young, but that argument didn’t last long.”
She smiled. “It is a big age difference.”
“Is it? When I’m twenty-eight, he’ll be thirty-seven. When I’m thirty-eight, he’ll be forty-seven. When I’m—”
Holding up her hand, she shook her head. “I get it, I get it. I think it’s just because you’re only eighteen right now, Avery. Don’t you want to live your life a little?”
“Mom, I lived in Paris, France, for three years. I traveled all over Europe. I had men twice the age of Beck flirting with me when I was fifteen years old. I attended parties with famous people. I was at a dinner once, and Selena Gomez was there!” I laughed. “I’ve already lived more than some people will for their entire lives. And I lost my virginity to my best friend’s brother when I was seventeen.”
She buried her face in her hands. “Oh no…I don’t want to hear that, Avery.”
“Why? It’s true. Mom, I’m not a little girl who needs to be bundled up in bubble wrap and kept safe. I grew up a long time ago, and the only reason I was able to take care of myself in France was because I knew you and Daddy trusted me. I need you to trust me now with Beck.”
The door opened suddenly, and my father walked into my bedroom. His face looked drained of all color.
“Dirk?” my mother asked, rushing over to him “What’s wrong?”
He closed his eyes, and I swore he swayed a little. “Karma. It’s made its way back around, Merit. I knew it would the moment we found out we were having a little girl. It’s finally found me.”
“What are you talking about, Dad?” I asked.
Holding up a finger to silently ask me to stop talking while covering his stomach with his other hand, he looked at my mother. “She was seventeen, Merit.”
Mom pressed her lips together tightly to keep from smiling. Turning to me, she said, “I believe your father overheard our conversation.”
“Oh! Daddy, here, sit down,” I said as I rushed over and took one arm, while my mother took the other. My father dropped to the bed and leaned over, arms on his knees as he took deep breaths.
After several seconds, he lifted his head and looked at me. “He wasn’t out with your brother this morning, was he?”
I chewed on my lower lip. “No. But we didn’t…that didn’t happen.”
My mother mumbled something under her breath that sounded like, “Only because we came back home.”
When I scowled at her, she smirked.
“But something has happened between then and—”
My father started to stand, but I put my hands on his shoulders to push him back down.
“ Wait . Let me talk, Dad.”
He looked at my mother. “ Now I’m Dad. I was Daddy not five minutes ago.”
Rolling my eyes, I went on. “I felt a connection with Beck the second I sat down next to him on that plane. Yes, I thought he was handsome, and I flirted with him. But then we got to talking, and even before I found out who he was, I liked him for the man he is. And I believe it was fate that put us together on that flight.”
My father closed his eyes briefly, then he looked at me. “I never wanted to be that father…like your uncle Ty.”
“Dirk!” my mother said, hitting him on the shoulder.
“What? He scares the shit out of poor Bryson to this day! Poor kid can’t even hug his own wife without Ty sending him death glares.”
I laughed, as my mother reluctantly nodded in agreement.
“Anyway, I don’t want to be that kind of father…but that doesn’t mean that I don’t want the perfect man for you, Avery. I want you to be happy. And can you honestly say you’ll be happy when Beck heads back down to Texas? Do you want a long-distance relationship? Have you two talked about it?”
Ignoring the sudden pressure in my chest, I answered my father. “I don’t know what will happen when Beck leaves. Dad, I’m not asking him to marry me or make a lifelong commitment. I like being with him, and despite the fact that I believe fate had a hand in our meeting, I’m still trying to keep in mind that it was just a few days ago. But if I fall…then I fall. I’ll deal with my heart when I have to.”
My mother and father looked at each other, then back to me.
“I’m sorry…are you our eighteen-year-old daughter or a forty-something woman who’s traveled back in time?” my father asked.
I shrugged. “I know what love is. I’ve seen it all around me growing up. I can’t tell you that I’m already in love with Beck, that it was love at first sight like Bradly and Mackenzie. What I can tell you is that he makes me smile when I’m with him. I care about him, and I don’t want to see him get hurt, and I know he doesn’t want to see me get hurt. I don’t know what’s going to happen when he goes back to Texas. But I know that I have two loving parents who will be there for me, however it works out.”
My mother stood and walked over to me, drawing me to her for a hug. “When did my little girl grow up to be such a smart woman?”
A small sob escaped as I hugged her back. My father stood and wrapped his arms around us both.
When he let go, they both stepped back. Mom drew in a long breath and exhaled as my father simply nodded. Then his eyes turned dark, and he said, “If he ends up hurting you, long-lost Shaw son or not, I’ll kill him with my bare hands.”
Laughing, I dabbed at the corners of my eyes before I blew out a breath. “Now that we got that talk out of the way, do Beck and I really have to drive all the way into town and pretend we’re going out to eat?”
My mother’s mouth fell open. “How did you know?”
I raised a single brow. “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, Mom.”
When the doorbell rang, I quickly made my way to it, beating my mother by half a second.
“I’ve got it,” I said, thankful I didn’t slip on the floor in my mad dash.
Opening the door, my heart stumbled over itself at the sight before me. Beck was dressed in a suit—a black suit with a tie the same color as his blue eyes. He wore dress shoes and his hair had been cut. It was buzzed around the back and a bit longer on top. He hadn’t shaved, so he was rocking a five o’clock shadow that looked hot as hell.
I opened my mouth a couple times before words finally came out. “You look…wow.”
Beck grinned as he let his eyes move slowly over my body. “You look absolutely gorgeous, Avery. You take my breath away.”
“Mmm,” I heard my father say. “He’s smooth.”
Frowning, Beck looked over my head to see my father and mother standing several feet away. I opened the door wider and motioned for him inside.
“Come on in, it’s freezing out there.”
Beck did, and as he faced me, he started to lean in to kiss me—but stopped himself.
“Oh, go ahead and kiss her,” my father sighed. “We already know.”
I nearly laughed when Beck’s eyes went wide as saucers. “I’m sorry? You already know what?”
My father cleared his throat. “That you were here this morning but, according to this one,” he jerked his thumb to me, “nothing happened. Is that true?”
I was pretty sure I saw a bead of sweat appear on Beck’s brow. “It is, sir. Nothing happened.”
Then it was my mother’s turn. She folded her arms over her chest and regarded Beck. “Of course, you were interrupted by us getting home early.”
“That’s right!” my father barked, pointing at Beck and making him jump back.
“Daddy. Uncle Ty…?” I warned.
He cleared his throat again. “Avery’s explained to us that you’re both…what did you say?”
“We’re just taking things day by day. Now, can we move on?”
“Oh, I should have asked you earlier, sweetheart,” my mother said, taking my arm and moving only inches away from my father and Beck. “Are you on birth control? Did he use a condom?”
“God above!” my father shouted, then covered his ears with his hands as he headed into the house, toward the family room. “I did not just hear that, Merit! It’s Karma. Karma!”
“Shit,” Beck whispered, looking back at the front door as if he was about to bolt.
“Mom… seriously ?” Turning to Beck, I yelled, “Stop!”
“I’m just going to go wait out in the rental. I think your dad might be going to get a gun.”
My mother laughed. “Don’t be silly. He’d be walking to our bedroom to the gun safe, not to the family room where the alcohol’s located.”
Beck seemed to relax…a little.
Dad walked back in carrying a bottle and what looked like shot glasses. He stopped in front of Beck and handed him a glass, handed one to my mother, and kept two for himself before he poured for the three of them.
“Why do you get two shots?” I asked.
Glaring at me, my father said, “Would you rather I get the kind of shots that go in a rifle?”
I shook my head quickly.
“I’ll take another,” Beck wheezed as he held out his glass.
My father raised his brows. “Bring it with you, let’s go to my office.”
As my father started to walk away, Beck looked at me with pleading eyes. My mother walked up and gently took his arm in hers.
“Don’t worry, he’s a pussycat. Just go have the talk, get it over with, and we can all enjoy our evening.”
Beck looked at me once more before he allowed my mother to lead him off in the direction of my father’s office.
“Avery doesn’t seem to want to tell me, but did you use protection?”
I nearly fell to the floor as I watched them walk off, and I heard Beck say, “I forgot, but—”
“Beck! Shut up ! Don’t talk unless you have to!”
The front door opened, and Bradly and Mackenzie walked in on the tail end of my words. They both looked at me with confused expressions on their face.
“What’s going on?” my brother asked.
“You look beautiful!” Mackenzie said, the same time my brother asked his question.
I said the only thing that I could think of. “He’s going to die. He could be the love of my life, and he’s about to die.”
Both Bradly and Mackenzie’s gazes followed where I’d turned to look.
“Shit,” Bradly said. “Dad’s office.”
Mackenzie drew in a sharp breath, then wrapped her arm around my waist. And in what I could tell was her fakest, most upbeat voice said, “He’s going to be fine!”
Bradly turned to me, one brow raised. “Should we go listen at the door?”
And without me even replying, I slipped off my heels, and my brother and I ran toward my father’s office.