Inked (15 page)

Maybe
it was the sleepless nights he’d spent worrying about his divorce from Veronica, or maybe it was just sheer exhaustion, but his eyes grew heavy with sleep. Taking care not to wake her, he reached across the bed and turned off the light, but his hand grazed her camera, knocking from its place on the nightstand. With lightening fast reflexes, he grabbed it before it could hit the floor. Curiosity began to rear its ugly head and Brody couldn’t help himself. He turned the camera on and fidgeted with the buttons until he found the option he was looking for, the slideshow.  One after another, images began to fill the screen, starting with the earliest pictures on the memory card, pictures from Parker’s birthday party. It didn’t come as any surprise that there were over 300 pictures stored on the camera. Avery never went anywhere without the damn thing, but what did surprise him was the subject of those pictures. Most of them were of him! He scrolled through the pictures one last time before placing it back on the night stand. One question plagued his mind as he drifted off into a restless sleep. “Why?”

Chapter 14

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Chloe asked for the third time in less than five minutes. “Don’t you think it’s a little too soon?”

Avery squeezed her eyes shut tightly and sighed heavily into the phone, repeating herself for what felt like the hundredth time. “Yes, Chloe, I’m sure, and no, I don’t think it’s too soon.”

“Have you even told him yet?”

What was this, the Spanish Inquisition? For once, Avery wished her sister would mind her own God damn business. “No, I haven’t told him yet. Besides, I’m still not sure what I’m going to do.”

“What do you mean you’re not sure?” Chloe hollered into the phone. “Daddy’s counting on you. Why do you think he spent a fortune sending you to Harvard? So you could take over the business when he retires. And he would’ve retired years ago if you hadn’t gone and got yourself knocked up.”

Avery sat in stunned silence, unable to speak. Had Chloe actually just said that? The very same Chloe that defended her against their father when she found out she was pregnant?

“I’m sorry. I should’ve never said that. You know how much I love Parker.”

“I’ve got to go,” Avery replied tersely.

“I said I was sorry.”

“No, I mean, I’ve really got to go. Now. Brody’s at the door.” Without giving Chloe an opportunity to respond, Avery hung up the phone. She didn’t have the time or patience to deal with Chloe’s drama, not today. Avery hated fighting with her sister, but Chloe had a knack of getting under her skin, and today was one of those days.

She paused in the middle of the living room, ignoring the loud rapping on the door. She needed a minute to collect her thoughts, but a moment was all she would get because Brody’s thunderous voice began echoing loudly in the hallway outside of her apartment.

“Avery, are you in there?”

This was it, the moment that had been culminating for the past two months, and she suddenly felt nervous. Forcing one foot in front of the other, Avery shuffled across the living room floor. “Coming.”

As much as Avery hated to admit it, maybe Chloe was right. She really had no other choice but to tell Brody about New York. After all, what her sister said was true. Her father had spent a small fortune to send her to one of the finest schools in the country. Ever since her 14
th
birthday, he’d been grooming her to take over the family business. While other kids spent their summers at camp or loafing around in front of the TV, Avery sweated her ass off in the mail room sorting letters and parcels, eventually working her way up to Executive Assistant of Allan Carmichael, CEO of Carmichael Enterprises. But the choice was still hers to make, wasn’t it? Confused and forlorn, she unlatched the deadbolt and opened the door.

“Hey there.”

“Is everything okay?” Brody asked, sensing that Avery was upset about something.

“What?” she chided. “I don’t even get a hello anymore?”

“Fine, hello, now are you going to tell me what’s wrong?”

Avery stepped aside and ushered Brody into the apartment. She had to tell him something, anything that would stop him asking questions. She had enough to deal with right now without having to tell him about New York. “Oh, you know, Chloe the eternal drama queen has to have a say in everything.”

“Anything I can help with?” he offered.

“No, not really, I think I can handle Chloe on my own.”

They shared a half hearted laugh as they made their way through the living room and into the kitchen. Brody knew Avery well enough to know that the subject was closed, that whatever was bothering her would remain a secret until she was good and ready to talk about it. Still, he got the impression that whatever
it
was appeared to be a little more serious than she let on. But
it
was none of his business, and he wasn’t about to press the matter any further. Instead, he focused his attention on the heavenly aroma that permeated the kitchen. The smell was familiar and comforting—chicken, most definitely chicken—but there was a hint of something else he couldn’t quite place. Basil maybe? No, that wasn’t it.

“What on earth are you cooking?” He began to salivate when Avery took a Pyrex dish out of the oven and placed it on the stovetop.
Ah, chicken parmesan
.

She looked at him coyly and winked. “It’s your favorite, isn’t it?”

“I can’t believe you remembered.”

“How on earth could I forget? You bought me enough chicken to feed an army, remember?” As if to make a point, she opened the door to the freezer and motioned to the extremely large box of frozen chicken breasts.

“Okay, Boo, I get the point,” Brody conceded. “Next time I’ll buy the hamburger patties. You know, mix it up a bit.”

“You think you’re being funny, do ya, Slick?” She slammed the freezer door and lunged towards him, but was stopped mid-stride when his hands encircled her arms.

“Wait!” He looked around the kitchen, trying to pinpoint what was missing. “Where’s Parker?”

“He’s in his bedroom playing. Why?”

“Oh, no reason,” he replied, and his mouth contorted into a sly grin.

Avery felt herself being pushed back further and further until her back pressed against the ledge of the linoleum countertop. He release
d his grip on her and his hands roved down her body, brushing ever so lightly against her breasts and continuing down to her waist. She felt a moment of weightlessness as Brody hoisted her up and placed her on the edge of the counter, but not before placing a whisper soft kiss to the sensitive thatch of skin at the base of her neck.

“Brody,” Avery protested, but her efforts were futile. She was helpless to his touch, her bo
dy so responsive to the feather-light caresses that he bestowed upon her. She felt his hand leave her waist and snake around to the small of her back, pulling her even closer into his body until her legs straddled his hips. But now was not the time and this was not the place.

“Stop,” she whispered hoarsely, and slid back on the counter, away from the warmth and comforting touch of his body.

Brody pulled back and looked up at Avery. “What?” he asked, puzzled by the sudden cold shoulder. “Why?”

Avery nodded in the direction of the doorway.

Slowly, he turned around and saw what, or rather who Avery was looking at.

“Bwoodie!”

“Hey, buddy.” Brody turned just in time to catch Parker mid-air.

“Why are you here?”

Nothing like getting straight to the point.

“Your mom asked me to come over for dinner.”

Parker’s eyes lit up and grew as big as saucers. “She did?”

“She did!”

“Yay!”

Brody gave Parker a hug and set him down on the ground. “Do you want to help me set the table?”

Parker looked at Brody, confused. He’d never been asked to set the table before.

“I’ll tell you what, if you help me set the table, I’ll sing you another song before you go to bed.”

Without hesitation, Parker enthusiastically agreed to this unusual request. “Okay!”

Avery watched contentedly as Brody retrieved three plates, three knives, and three forks, and patiently showed Parker where all of them belonged on the table. And when the table was set and Parker was satisfied that everything was in the correct place, she joined them, bringing with her a steaming platter of Brody’s favorite food, chicken parmesan.

Dinner progressed at a casual pace and the conversation was lively and animated, especially when Parker told Brody the story about the extra special cookies their neighbor, Dottie, made for him. But despite the normalcy of the evening, Avery could feel the knot of tension tightening in her stomach. With each passing word the moment was drawing nearer, the moment that would no doubt change all of their lives.

When the last piece of chocolate cake was eaten and the last dish cleared away, she returned to the table and sat in silence, watching the bemused expressions on Brody’s face as Parker gave him a detailed account of his week, including play by play recap of the cookies Dottie had baked for him.

“They even had M&Ms in them!” Parker exclaimed.

“You don’t say.”

Any misgivings Avery may have had about telling Parker the truth no longer existed, and now seemed as good a time as any to tell him. Taking a steadying breath, she slid her chair closer towards them.

Brody noticeably stiffened and relaxed only slightly when Avery put her hand on his forearm and gave it a reassuring squeeze. She waited for Parker to finish his story before she began to speak.

“Parker, there’s something we have to tell you and it’s
very
important.”

Parker looked from Avery to Brody but said nothing.

Don’t be a wimp. Just spit it out.
Avery took another deep breath and continued. “You know how Brody has been spending a lot of time with us lately?”

Parker’s gaze remained fixated on Avery but he was unfazed by her words.

“Well, that’s because… That’s because he’s your daddy.”

Parker shifted sideways on Brody’s lap and looked up at him. He sat there, quiet and unmoving, and when at last he spoke, his response was swift and decisive. “I know.”

“What do you mean, you know?” Avery stammered.

“Chester told me.”

“Chester? Who’s Chester?” This conversation had just gone from serious to obscure in five seconds flat.

“Duh! He’s my bear,” Parker replied matter-of-factly, as if everyone should know Chester the Bear on a first name basis.

Brody and Avery sat at the table staring at each other, unsure of what to say next. All those months of stressing over telling Parker the truth had been in vain.

Brody cleared his throat and broke the silence that had settled around them. “Well then, why don’t I get you ready for bed and sing that song I promised you.”

“Can you sing to Chester too?”

“Of course I can, Buddy. Anything for you.” Brody stood up from the table, pulling Parker into his arms as he rose from the chair. He paused in the doorway and turned to look at Avery. He wanted to say something, but words escaped him and all he could do was shrug.

Befuddled by the odd turn of events the evening had taken, Avery walked over to the sink and turned on the hot water tap. Chester the Bear may have been the one to spill the beans, but she was relieved that the truth was finally out in the open. Well, part of the truth anyways. There was still the whole issue of New York looming over her head. If she didn’t go, her father would be furious and most likely disown her, but if she stayed in Boston, she and Brody could make an honest go of it. They could be a family. Lost in thought—and the sweet melodic tone of Brody’s voice as it drifted through the speaker of the baby monitor—Avery began washing the dishes. It wasn’t until she heard a rustling noise behind her that she realized he had returned to the kitchen.

“Now, where were we?”

Avery slung the dishtowel over her shoulder and leaned back against the counter. “Aren’t you the least bit concerned about Parker?”

“What’s there to be concerned about?”

“Oh, I don’t know, how about the fact that he thinks his stuffed bear is talking to him?” she snapped back, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

“He’s a kid, Avery. Kids have imaginary friends.” Brody hated seeing Avery so distressed. Wanting to say or do something to comfort her, he walked across the kitchen and leaned up against the counter beside her, brushing aside a loose strand of hair and tucking it neatly behind her ear. When he’d arrived earlier that night, Avery had clearly been agitated over something Chloe had said to her, but now her mood had grown more somber. When he spoke, the tone of his voice softened. “There’s nothing to be worried about. Parker’s a happy, healthy,
normal
child.”

“You just don’t get it, do you? Tears stung her eyes and trickled down her cheeks. Hastily, she wiped them away with the back of her hand. “That’s the whole problem! Before you showed up, Parker wasn’t a normal child. He struggled with issues. He was antisocial to the point of being afraid of playing with other children. He never wanted to go anywhere or do anything. But look at him now. He’s completely changed and it’s all because of you.”

Oh, Avery.
Brody knew that Parker had a shy streak in him, he could sense it the day they all went to  E. Cheese, but he had no idea it was
that
bad. This was something else Avery had shouldered all on her own, something he could’ve helped her with had he known about Parker from the beginning. But the past couldn’t be changed anymore than their destiny could be foretold. What was meant to happen would happen regardless of what they did to try and change it. All Brody could do now was offer her a kind word and a shoulder to cry on. “I’m so sorry, Avery. I didn’t know.”

“How could you have possibly known?” she stammered. “I’m the one that kept you from your son. Parker’s problems are my fault, not yours or anyone else’s.” Her candid admission—to Brody
and
to herself—caused a fresh wave of tears to stream down her flushed cheeks. Avery didn’t want Brody to see her like this, like a blubbering fool that couldn’t keep her emotions in check, but when she tried to turn her back to him, his hand found her shoulder and he gently turned her around to face him.