11. AVA
AVA
So warm. So soft. So cuddly. So... breathing?
Is that even possible? Since when do my pillows breathe and move on their own?
Also, this is not their usual kind of warmth—the one where I’ve laid on them for too long and now need to be flipped over.
This is the kind of warmth that feels like I’m sleeping with a hot water bottle wrapped around the softest blanket.
They smell different too, like spice and leather mixed with the scent of the earth after a soft rain. It’s a new scent, but I like it and find my nose seeking more of it.
My pillows move, and I realize that they not only move from under me—they move over me as well. That’s weird. Wait... My eyes shoot open when I realize these are not my pillows at all. Oh shit, not again!
Oh yes, again, Ava Noa. What the hell were you thinking?
That’s the problem though—I wasn’t thinking. It’s called sleepwalking for a reason; I have no control over what I do when I sleep.
Kill me now.
Once again, I find myself in the same position I was in yesterday morning—in Zane’s cabin, his bed, and arms.
Thankfully, this morning I wake up earlier than him, which gives me the perfect opportunity to sneak out before he wakes up and gives me grief for once again being in his personal space.
Why do I keep doing this to myself? It’s like I’m a sucker for pain and punishment.
By some miracle, I’m able to pry his arm from around me without waking him up. I sit up quietly, my eyes on him the whole time, holding my breath, afraid that if I exhale too loudly, I’ll wake him up.
He looks so peaceful in his sleep, like a tamed monster, unlike the ferocious savage that is always terrorizing me during the day. His hair is overgrown and falling over his face, brushing against his eyebrows. I reach out to push the strands away when I catch myself and stop.
What is wrong with me? Now is not the time to be admiring the sleeping beast over here. I should be running for my life.
Pushing the covers off me, I manage to get one leg off the bed, then the next. I’m about to get to my feet when the one thing I was afraid of happening happens.
“Going somewhere, Miss Diva?” a raspy voice demands behind me.
Run, run, Ava, and don’t look back!
Oh, how I wish I could. Instead, I find myself frozen in place, waiting for yet another scolding. My whole body is tense, breathing ragged, waiting for it, and nothing...
Somehow, I manage to muster the energy to turn just enough to face him. He’s sitting up in bed, leaning against the headboard, one of his hands supporting the back of his head while the other is casually tossed over his stomach.
Something about his casual pose stirs a feeling in me—one that should be buried deep, deep down and has no place in this current situation. But how can I not, when he looks so irresistibly sexy, pulling me in with a single gaze?
Focus, Ava, focus!
I bow my head in shame, unable to meet his eyes. “I’m sorry.”
He tilts his head to the side, questioningly staring at me. “Are you emotionally attached to that word?”
My brows furrow in confusion. “Huh?”
“You say it a lot, that word—sorry,” he expounds.
“Because I always have a reason to be around you.”
“It seems so,” he grunts as if annoyed by me.
“I’m—“
“Sorry?”
I nod, refusing to meet his eyes. “Yes.”
He sighs and shuffles forward, bridging the gap between us. “If you really are sorry, how about you tell me the...”
Before he can complete that statement, the bedroom door slams open and in barges Ella. She gets one good look at our position, stalks toward us, grabs my arm, and pulls me to my feet.
“I am so sorry about this,” she apologizes to Zane.
Without another word, she pulls me out of his bedroom, across his cabin—that I have yet to explore even if I’ve been here twice already—and out the front door.
When we’re a good distance away, Ella stops in the middle of the backyard and turns to me. She drops my arm and places hers on her hips, gazing at me like a disappointed mother would to her child.
“What the hell, Ava?” she exclaims.
I flinch and wrap my arms around myself. “I’m sorry.”
Zane is right—I do tend to say that a lot, but it’s only because I always find myself constantly offending people.
She sighs, drops her arms, and pulls me in for a hug. “I was so worried. Are you okay? Did Zane do anything to you?”
I shake my head and pull back. “No, I’m okay. How did you find me?”
“I found your bedroom door open when I went there earlier. You weren’t in bed or in the bathroom, so I went downstairs thinking that maybe you decided to get up early, but no one had seen or heard from you.
My mind went dark, and I thought you’d snuck out in the middle of the night after Zane was mean to you yesterday, but your phone and clothes are still in your room.
That’s when Jace suggested we check the security cameras.
We saw you go into Zane’s cabin in the middle of the night and not come out.
That’s when I realized you must have sleepwalked in there,” she explains.
My eyes widen in panic. “Oh God, Jace knows?!”
She nods apologetically, even though this is all my fault. “Yes, but he knows better than to tease you about it. Girl, I didn’t know you still sleepwalk?”
I sigh and nod. “I didn’t either. I thought it stopped, but I started again after I came back here.”
Her eyes widen in realization. “You sleepwalked your first night too?”
“Yes.”
“And into Zane’s cabin?”
“Yes.”
“No wonder he was so prickly—he’s super protective of his space. Maybe I shouldn’t have gone off on him like I did. I even asked him to apologize to you.”
“You what?!”
Ella... no. I’m the one to blame. Zane has nothing to apologize for.
“But he didn’t do it, so we’re good,” she assures me as if that makes things better.
Things are not better. As a matter of fact, after this morning, I think they’ll just get worse. However, I’m still puzzled by what Zane wanted to ask me before Ella came in. He wasn’t his usual dismissive and rude self.
“Let’s go in. It’s still a bit chilly, and you’re not dressed warmly enough,” Ella notes.
She’s right—I’m in a satin pajama set, and even though the bottoms are pants, the top is a thin spaghetti-strap top, and once again, I have no shoes on.
She takes off her robe and drapes it over my shoulders as she leads me into the house. I give her a grateful smile and wrap it tighter around myself. There’s no one in the kitchen, which I’m thankful for, as I don’t have it in me to face the rest of the Morgans, especially Jace with what he knows.
“So what are you going to do about the sleepwalking thing?” Ella asks me over breakfast.
“Try and get my prescription filled.”
“That requires us going into town,” she points out.
“So be it. It’s better than having a repeat of this for the next three months.”
Going to town comes with the risk of running into my family, but I don’t have much of a choice. Wandering into Zane’s cabin in the middle of the night cannot keep happening.
“Or I could chain you to your bed,” Ella suggests with a cheeky grin.
“Sounds splendid. Let’s do it,” I affirm boldly.
We burst out laughing, clinking our coffee mugs together, toasting to our silly joke.
Hanging out with Ella reminds me of how much I’ve missed out on the past five years. As soon as I get a handle on this sleepwalking situation, then maybe I can begin to enjoy my vacation because God knows I need it.
After breakfast, we retire to our separate rooms to get ready for our trip to town.
Since Ella doesn’t drive and I don’t feel comfortable having one of the employees at the ranch chauffeur us around, I offer to. It’s rare for me to drive, so now that I have this chance, I plan to enjoy it.
“Since when do you all have a mall?” I exclaim as we drive into town and I’m met with lots of changes.
“Since Mayor Atwood took office and decided to give Wrangler Creek a new face,” Ella explains.
The reason my mother was so desperate to get us out of Wrangler Creek is because she hated how small it was. Now, it feels like I’m driving downtown LA, just without all the skyscrapers.
Wrangler Creek is not the same quaint little town I left behind, and it shows me just how much I’ve missed being away.
“Don’t worry. When you’re ready, I’ll bring you around to explore. For now, why don’t we get your prescription filled and head back,” Ella suggests when she sees me start to get overwhelmed.
“Thank you,” I smile gratefully.
She winks at me as she directs me to Walgreens, another establishment that wasn’t here when I left.
I have to call Lou to forward me my prescription details. Once that is handled, I’m ready to head back to the ranch when I spot a jewelry store across the street. A belt buckle displayed inside captures my attention, and I realize it’ll be the perfect apology gift for Zane.
Ella helps me purchase it even though she does try talking me out of it first, proclaiming that her brother doesn’t deserve it, but I feel like I owe it to him. It’s the least I can do.
As we’re driving back home, we cross paths with a familiar car, and on closer look, I realize it’s my stepfather’s truck with my mother in the passenger seat. The shock nearly has me driving off the road.
“Is that?” Ella asks when she sees me staring at it, shuffling down in my seat even though the windows are tinted.
“Yes,” I nod, fear and dread gripping my heart.
“It’s okay. I don’t think they’ve seen us,” she consoles me, but I can tell I’m still shaken up.
I don’t think they’ve seen us either, but that was a really close call.
And that’s the reason why I want to stay hidden at the ranch for the next three months.
It’s a good thing I’ve had my prescription filled and won’t have to come back.
I hate to think what would happen otherwise.
It’s chaos I’m not ready for and will definitely try to steer clear of.