Unavoidable Chance (12 page)

“I’m not sure. I’m going to find out though. I have a bad feeling about this,” he concludes. Chloe opens the back door and looks at Max with concern. He shakes his head, then goes back into the house. He pulls out his cell phone from his jeans and puts it to his ear as the two of them disappear into the house.

Adrian comes outside with me and asks, “How’s the case coming?”

I sigh, and then plaster a smile on my face to hide my concern. “It’s coming along great. Opening statements start tomorrow. I’m as ready as I can be.”

“Little girl, don’t think you’re pulling one over on me. I know that look. You’re scared out of your mind. I know you’ll do great. You’re one hell of a lawyer. I’d say I’d help you in any way I can, but I know how stubborn you are, you get that from Mom. But, I know you’ll do everything you can in this case to get justice. That you get from Dad,” he says, putting his hand on my shoulder. He gives it a squeeze, then walks in the house. I plop my butt in a chair on the deck and bury my hands in my face.

I hadn’t given my dad a thought in the past few days. I’ve been so busy. Then I get upset with myself, because I think this is the first time I haven’t thought about him like fifty times in a day. The promise I made to him at his grave got pushed to the side, and now all thoughts of him are being pushed to the side, too. A tear slides down my cheek as the door opens again.

“Dinner’s ready,” Amelia says, poking her head out the door.

I wipe the tear away, plaster another fake smile on my face and head inside. The dinner table is full, elbow-to-elbow as usual. A full place setting sits on the table in front of my dad’s vacant chair.

I take my seat and glance back down to the head of the table. Guilt and sadness rip through my heart. I can feel a full on cry session starting to build in my chest, but before the dam breaks, Asher stands and clinks his fork on his water glass. Announcements are nothing rare at family dinners. This is where everyone gets together and shares new and exciting things with the rest of the family. It’s where we all come together and stay connected. It’s only been about three and half years since Willow beat cancer, so it can’t be his traditional, here’s another charm for your bracelet speech.

“I’d like to make an announcement,” he says, looking down to his wife. “Willow may kill me for this, but I just can’t wait any longer to tell everyone. We’re expecting baby number three,” he says proudly, beaming from ear to ear.

The whole table erupts with excitement and congratulations. Shay’s pregnant and now Willow is pregnant, too. That bubbling of emotion is quickly coming back. I shut it down quickly telling myself this is what I asked for. This is everything I’ve wanted since I can remember. I plaster that smile that’s become all too familiar on my face, and kiss Asher on the cheek and tell Willow my congratulations.

After dinner, Amelia comes up to me and elbows me in the side. “It’ll be alright,” she whispers.

I’m confused and give her a,
‘what on earth are you talking about’
look. “What’ll be alright?”

“I saw it written all over your face. That slice of pain in your eye when Asher announced they’re having another baby. Honestly, I had that same look. Kyle and I have been trying to get pregnant again for a while now without any success. It will happen for you some day. I just know it,” she says, as her voice quavers.

I didn’t have anything to say to that. I pull her to me and give her a giant squeeze. Everyone is gathered in the living room talking away. It’s just so different than it used to be. Before my dad passed away, all the men would disappear into the study for an after dinner scotch. Now, it seems no one can even go in there. Instead of joining them, I head to his study. The second I walk in, I’m hit with his scent. It’s mixed with the smells of old books and leather. His study has always held such great memories for me. I can remember rushing in here after school with another A paper. He’d always drop whatever he was doing and sit me on his lap. He always made me feel like I was the most important thing to him in that moment in time.

I remember the day I graduated valedictorian from high school. He called me in here, gave me the warmest hug, congratulated me and told me how proud he was of me.

I also remember the day I graduated from college, the day he gave me my favorite yellow blouse. I knew from that day on that it would bring me good luck. That was also the day he handed me a rather big check as a graduation gift. I used it for the down payment on my condo. I know it wasn’t because he favored me or thought I was more special than my brothers and sister, because I know for a fact he gave each of us the exact same dollar amount when each of them graduated from college.

I take a seat in his brown leather, smoking chair. A matching one sits opposite a small round table. I can remember sitting in these chairs doing schoolwork as he worked at his desk. It was here I decided that I wanted to become a lawyer. Sitting in the center of the table is his crystal decanter with matching rock glasses. I always thought this set was just so old fashioned, and I could never believe that people still entertained in libraries and served scotch like this. My dad wasn’t really ever a smoker, but I can remember special occasions and holidays that he’d light up a cigar and sit in this chair. I remember Asher, Adrian, and Aiden got in huge trouble one time when they got caught trying to smoke in here, too. They were trying to light the cigars as they were, they had no idea you needed to cut the end off before you light it. We had so much fun as kids, so many good memories.

Mom comes in the room with a smile. “I thought I’d find you in here. You always loved coming in here to spend time with your dad.” She takes a seat in the other chair and flips two glasses right side up, takes the stopper out of the scotch and pours some in each glass. “This room holds a lot of good memories,” she says, looking around. She hands me a glass and holds out hers toward me. “To the good memories yet to come,” she says. I pick up my glass, clink it against hers and take a drink. The warm liquid slides down the back of my throat and warms my stomach. She takes one last swallow, then stands and says, “Don’t get too lost in here.”

I raise my glass to her and take another swallow as she leaves the room. She closes the door behind her; I stand, raise my glass to my dad’s chair behind his desk and take the final swallow. As I walk to the door, I stop dead in my track when I remember that Jax had totally called it. He said outside the courthouse that Asher and Willow were pregnant. I roll my eyes and join my family out in the family room.

Amelia grabs my hand and pulls me into the seat next to her on the couch. She pats my leg, then we seamlessly join in the conversation with the rest of the family.

I gave all my nieces and nephews squeezes, kiss my mom, brothers, and sister on the cheek and leave around nine. That was a lot later than I wanted to stay, but that seems to happen whenever we all get together. There’s just no safer place on earth then by the ones you love.

I head to the grocery store and pull a shopping cart out of the corral; I browse up and down the aisles, not finding anything that interests me. When I get to the candy aisle, I grab five of the largest bags of Swedish Fish I can find. These will have to do until I can get to the warehouse store. Down the cereal aisle, I grab four boxes of Pop Tarts, then head straight to the frozen food section. I open a bag of Swedish Fish on the way and start munching. I’m so full from dinner at my mom’s, but Swedish Fish aren’t really food, right?

Once in the frozen food section, I grab a few boxes of frozen waffles, telling myself that the chocolate chip ones are in some way healthier than Pop Tarts. I pull my cart next to the frozen entree section and start loading up box after box. I put some of the healthier options along with the ones that are purely for comfort purposes. I pop another handful of candy in my mouth, and when I turn around I run smack dab in the middle of the iron washboard abs that belong to Jax. I look up with a fish tail hanging out of my mouth, and by the look on his face, he’s not in a good mood.

“You didn’t stop by yesterday, I thought we had plans,” he booms.

“We did. At least I thought we did,” I reply, popping the tail in my mouth without any hands. I close the door with my foot, grab my cart and start heading down the aisle. Jax puts his two large hands on the front of my cart and stops me.

“Then why didn’t you show up?” he questions.

“Me? Why didn’t you show up?” I return.

“I was at the restaurant all day, waiting for you,” he claims.

“Look, I walked in, said I was there to see you and the blonde in the front said you weren’t there. I left my name and my cell phone number to give to you when you got back. You didn’t call,” I state.

“I didn’t get your message, and I was at the restaurant. I’ll add Gabrielle to the list of people I’m going to have conversations with,” he says angrily.

I roll my eyes at him, push my cart around him and head toward the checkout registers.

“Where do you think you’re going with this cart?” he asks.

“To pay,” I say obviously.

He stops my cart, grabs it from the front and pulls it back toward the frozen food aisle. When he gets to the first frozen entree door, he starts unloading my cart back on the shelf. In the wrong place! I may explode just knowing that the wrong boxes are being put back where they don’t belong.

“What are you doing?” I ask angrily.

“You’re not eating this garbage,” he states.

I start to grab the ones he’s put back and place them back in my cart. He, in turn, puts them back on the shelf. At this point, we’re destroying the frozen food section. He grabs them all in one handful and puts them back, then grabs my cart and heads down the aisle. Oh no. Please tell me it’s not to the breakfast aisle. He heads down that aisle and puts the Pop Tarts back on the shelf, then heads toward the candy aisle. Now, that’s just going way too far!

“You are not putting back my Swedish Fish!” I yell. We’ve gained interest from other shoppers who horrifically think that this is in some way funny. He put the four bags of unopened fish back on top of the M&M’s and walks toward the produce section. A section I’m completely unfamiliar with. I grab my one bag of Swedish Fish before he can find the closest trashcan and guard them with my life. Jax throws item after healthy item in my cart, heads down a few different aisles, then heads to the checkout. I don’t even care at this point, he better hope that these items are for him and I’ll just go grocery shopping at a different time.

It’s just entertaining now. He grabs my lone prize out of my hands and gives it to the cashier to ring up. She hands it back and I take it like it’s a brand new pair of Gucci ankle-strap high heel sandals.

We head out to the parking lot, I see his behemoth, but we head in the direction of my car. I munch on fish and really think he’s a funny man. We get to my car and he simply says, “Open the trunk.”

“Are you for real? This food is for me? I don’t think so,” I say, shaking my head back and forth.

“I’m cooking your food at your house for the next week. I know how busy you’re going to be, and I will not have you eating Pop Tarts and frozen meals, especially these,” he says, taking my bag of fish.

“Give those back! Look, I let you put everything else back, even in the wrong spots, because I’m just going to go back in there and put every last item back in my cart and take them home later.”

“Trunk,” he states again, pointing at my trunk. “If you want these fish back, you’ll be a good girl and do as I say.”

“You’re holding my fish ransom?”

“Look, it’s late, and if I’m going to cook your meals for a week, we need to get going.”

“You’re serious?”

“Deadly,” he states.

He holds up my fish between us and looks at my trunk. He’s a dirty, dirty man. I open my trunk, because I’m done playing with him and I just want my damn fish back. He unloads everything in my trunk, and then puts the cart away.

“I’ll follow you home,” he says.

“You’ll follow me home? I’m not taking you back to my…” I didn’t get to finish that statement, because Jax’s mouth comes crashing down on me. And my world turns to mush when his lips are on mine.

Jax

This woman infuriates me and excites me, all at the same time. There’s no way in hell I’m going to let her eat all this garbage. I don’t know what the fuck is up with Gabrielle, but that’s not going to stop me.

Ava gets in her car and drives to a nice condo development not far from my house. She pulls in the garage; I pull in the driveway directly behind her. I fold out of my vehicle and walk to her trunk. She pops it open from the inside, then walks back toward me. I reach in and grab four paper bags, and when I stand up to look for her to lead the way, she’s nowhere to be seen. I turn around and she’s in the front seat of my H3 digging in the passenger seat for her stupid fish.

“What? You said I could have them back.”

She walks in her condo and holds the door open for me. I set the bags on the counter and take a look around. She has a very nice place. Looking around her kitchen, I spot a few bottles of rather nice red wine. I open the refrigerator to put everything away, and it’s almost sad the amount of stuff that’s in here, or rather isn’t. I see myself stocking it on a regular basis.

As I put the food away, Ava opens a bottle of red wine. She pours two glasses, then sits her ass up on the counter. She watches as I gather things together and start prepping to make food. I open a few cupboards to find things, and some things that I can’t, as soon as I look at her face, she points to exactly what I’m looking for. I stop and stare at her and catch myself thinking that this, right here, is something I can see her and I doing the rest of our lives. I snap out of it and get back to cooking.

Every once in a while I stop and park myself between her thighs and steal a kiss. After about an hour and a half, I have most everything done and portioned out in individual containers and placed back in her refrigerator. She should be all set for the next week.