Chapter 26
From the kitchen, I had a private behind-the-scenes view of Avery on the patio.
Her dark hair blended in with the night sky, and with just the slightest breeze in the air, the hair framing her face blew in the wind.
A red silk robe hung over her body, with a slit just high enough to drive me wild, and her long legs stretched over the footrest reminded me of just an hour ago, when they were wrapped tightly around my waist.
I was supposed to be in here grabbing drinks for us, but selfishly, I couldn’t stop myself from stealing glances at the girl who had wedged her way into my everyday life.
After moments of watching her look like she belonged here—on my patio, in my house—I walked our drinks out, taking a seat as close to her as possible.
Now that we weren’t in a lust-filled daze, the one thing that had been nagging at me crept back to the center of my mind.
“I’ve been dying to hear more about your van.” I handed her a glass of chilled white wine.
“I had a feeling you were curious.” Swirling her wine around, she smacked her lips after a taste.
“What’s the backstory? Did you buy it because you needed out of your ex’s place?” My question was blunt.
“Technically, yes. It’s actually the only thing I have left of my family. So, I took what little I had and stuffed it into my van. The rest is history.”
Fuck.
It was a blessing and a curse every time Avery’s family came up in conversation. I was lucky enough to learn more about her, but sometimes, that information just ended up being a slap in the face that she had a harder life growing up than I did.
“I’d like to know more if you’re willing to talk about it…” I took a sip of my bourbon, welcoming the first sting as it ran down my throat.
“It’s not a pretty story.”
“The past isn’t always pretty.” I ran my hand along her leg, showing her that I was there to listen. “But the past has a funny way of shaping us into who we are today. And odds are, if you already went through all the hard stuff, your bright and shiny days aren’t too far ahead.”
Avery quirked her head to the side. “Says who?”
“Says me. It’s about damn time karma comes around and gives you what you’re owed since it seems you’ve put up with her on her worst days.”
“Who says karma is a girl?”
“Me. And she’s a bitch.”
We both chuckled, giving the serious moment a shimmer of light.
“Her name is Ol’ Red.”
That was oddly specific.
I raised an eyebrow. “Karma?”
“No,” she giggled, “my van. Her name is Ol’ Red. Before my dad passed and my mom turned to drugs, she was everything to us as a family. That van was also a place that kept me safe on the nights when the voices became the loudest, and the smell was too strong for my tiny body to handle.”
My face softened as I listened to her dive deep into her past.
“I don’t talk about this often—ever, actually.” She toyed with the tie on her robe.
“Share as much as you want with me. I’m here to listen.” My thumb brushed her calf.
“It’s an out of body experience, really. It was almost like I experienced this whole part of my life in an alternate universe. Once it was all behind me, it was just a faint memory or a very vivid nightmare.”
My Adam’s apple bobbed with a thick swallow.
“I don’t know your entire story yet, Bella, but I can only imagine that you’re stronger now because of it.”
A faint smile grew, all for it to fall when she continued talking.
“My dad was a handyman. He could do anything from fixing the air conditioning, reconstructing a house, fixing cars, you name it. Ol’ Red was a project of his.
In his spare time, he’d work tirelessly on it.
Until finally, it was fully functioning.
We took her out almost every weekend to the beach, then suddenly, we didn’t anymore.
The outings stopped, the happiness disappeared and long gone were my childhood memories.
The older I got, the more in the distance those good times felt.
Dad got addicted to drugs and he allowed them to take over until the day he left this world.
Mom followed his lead, kept his old friends around, threw parties, cooked in the garage, and left me to my own devices.
When she lived out her last few years after Dad passed, she became a woman I didn’t recognize. ”
Before continuing, she took a sip of her wine.
“Although I didn’t spend time in the garage as a kid, I was around things I never should have been, and adults that were the worst type of influence.
Ol’ Red was dusty, run-down, with chipped paint and flat tires, but even on her roughest days, she brought back my happiest memories.
So, when my house didn’t feel safe, and my mom had long forgotten Ol’ Red was parked out there, I took matters into my own hands, and she became my escape, you know? ”
“I don’t know,” I choked out a low whisper and shook my head, wishing like hell she didn’t have to know either.
“One day, I was walking home from school. My stomach filled with dread like it typically did the closer I got to home. But this time, it was worse. My insides felt all twisted up, and the dread grew more aggressive the longer I walked. As I got closer to my house, that feeling sunk. Practically bottomed out. Cops were everywhere. Now, as an adult, I think that feeling was fear. Fear of what was going to happen to me. Fear of having to raise myself, even though I’d already been doing that for years anyway. ”
Combing her hair from her eyes, I was afraid, but asked anyway, “What happened next?”
“I was sixteen and left without parents. As much as I wished my mother wouldn’t follow in my dad’s footsteps, she became more depressed the longer she lived without him.
Whether it was convenient for me or not, it was her time.
After it was all said and done, I went to live with my ex and his mom, and I fought to keep Ol’ Red.
Since I was sixteen, and at the age where I could drive, I was granted the old ratty van.
To this day, she’s remained my safety blanket just like she was back then. ”
She painted a perfect picture of a broken life and my heart ached for her.
“You’ve been through a lot.”
“I’ve grown through a lot. I don’t let it define me. This is why I’m working my hardest to get that video taken off the internet. That way, when this is behind me, I can move forward. No more mistakes.”
Resilient.
There wasn’t a more perfect word to describe Avery.
She was one of a kind. Tough. Strong. The most amazing woman I’d ever met.
I knew she was fully capable of helping herself and paving her own path, but with every day that I was blessed to know more about her, I wanted to help her.
If there was one thing that could make most problems go away, it was money, and I had that.
“We’re close, baby. So close.” I leaned in, placing a kiss on her forehead.
“Really?” Her hand reached out for my jaw, keeping me close.
“I’ve had my guys working on it. I didn’t want to talk about it too much until I had more definite answers. The last thing I want is to get your hopes up.”
“It means everything to me that you’re working on it. Even if nothing results from it. No one has ever done something like this for me or shown that they care this much about me.”
Her lips brushed mine, sealing her appreciation with a kiss.
“I hope you know by now, I’d do anything for you, Avery.” I kissed her once more before adding, “So, what are your thoughts about leaving Ol’ Red behind for a while and saving me the heart attack of knowing you’ll be in that place all by yourself?”
Her lips curved into a smile, and I could only hope the idea of staying with me was finally beginning to sink in the longer she had to think about it today.
“Under one condition.” She held up her pointer finger.
“Anything.”
“Ol’ Red stays where she is. I can’t give up that parking spot, because … well, you never know what could happen between us.” She shrugged.
“I’m confident when I say, I won’t be ending this anytime soon. But I understand where you’re coming from, and as long as you’re in my bed every night, and I know you’re safe, then I’m happy.”
“Are you sure you want me taking over your penthouse? I already own a section of your closet that I didn’t ask for.”
“That’s the thing, Avery, you’re never going to have to ask for a thing when it comes to me.”
Slipping her legs over me, she straddled my lap and ran her fingers through my hair. “You’re too good to me.”
“It’s about time someone is.”
Even with all of her praise, I knew deep down that even I would never be good enough for her. I would try my best, but in my eyes, she was so goddamn perfect that it was me who was lucky that she allowed me to take up space in her world.
“I have one more ask.” I ran my fingers along her lower back.
“That you want me to be your girlfriend?” she teased, but I decided not to take it as a joke.
“I hate to break it to you, but things are a little bit different in your forties, and I told you, you belong to me. However you want to word it, you’re mine.”
A smile beamed across her pink tinted cheeks, and it lit me up inside knowing that being mine was the reason for her happiness.
“Noted. I’m yours. So, if that wasn’t the question, then what did you want to ask me?”
“What are you doing this weekend? I have a quick work trip to Denver, and I don’t want to spend a day without you. Come with me?”
“Wow. Temporarily living together, making things official, and now traveling together? Looks like things are getting pretty serious between us.” She winked and her laugh filled the open area around us, her bliss becoming my new favorite sound.
“I want to experience it all with you, baby. So, what do you say?”
“Well, there’s just one little problem.” She pinched her fingers together, gazing at me through them.
“Whatever the problem might be, I can fix it.”
“Lucky for you, I already have the weekend off from the pool. But I made plans with the girls. It’s my birthday on Saturday.”
Clearing my throat, I said, “We are going to circle back later to the fact that you are just now telling me your birthday is this week, but what are the chances they would understand if you rescheduled?”
“It would have to be something really good for them to understand me canceling.”
“Is a private jet a good enough reason?”
By the way her jaw fell to the floor and her laugh circled around me once more, there was only one thing to assume—her answer was without a doubt, yes.
Her laughter and jokes were all fun and games, but to me, the word temporary didn’t exist, and little did she know, this was only the beginning of us.