Reckless (19 page)

I smile at the obvious picture of Ava’s mother, “She’s beautiful, her mother … Lillah?” He nods and hands me another picture. “It’s her again.”

“Pay attention, that one was after Ava’s father died and two days before her death.” The beautiful woman holding her daughter’s hand smiles but her eyes are different, the emptiness is apparent, especially in contrast to the other photo. “She died when he died. Those eyes of hers never lived again.” Jack said sighing with the sounds of grief still in his heart.

“She committed suicide?” I asked watching his heartbroken nod. “But Ava was only five, how could she give up like that leaving her little girl alone?”

“She was heartbroken beyond repair. Ava is a lot like her mother, she loves deeply and passionately, loyal to the end but her strength comes from her father, a fighter to the end. And I hope it remains that way. Now until you see these eyes.” He said holding up the emptiness picture to me. “You have nothing to worry about, her strength has not diminished in the slightest, you’re just missing something.”

“What am I missing then?”

“I don’t know, she’s your wife.” He puts his book up and waves me to follow quickly back to our spots.

“Maybe you could talk to her?” I asked him.

“Nope, I don’t like to get in the middle of folks business,” he said. I roll my eyes at him.

Ava walks in, obviously exasperated with the old man as he smiles obnoxiously at her. Neither saying a word however.

“I think I need a drink,” he said getting up to get a bottle.

“I don’t think you are suppose to drink,” Ava said to him.

“Eeehhh,” he waves her off. “Sean wants to drink and I can’t let him drink alone.” I sit up meeting Ava’s glare and immediately hold up my hands, defending myself the best way I know how.

“Fine, then I’m drinking too,” she said.

“Yeah this is it,” Jack said holding out his glass to us. “To a great woman, the love of my life, my inspiration, my reason for being and the best fuck I ever had.” He smiles with pride before downing his drink while I choke trying to hold my laughter in when Ava glares at him. We continue to toast to semi-normal things at first but soon they become absurd. Jack stands up again, swaying, “To …….” He stands for awhile thinking. “Oh hell to that horse faced, loud mouth Darleen. Maybe one day I will drink enough to be able to look at her without wanting to vomit my lunch. I look over at Ava as she shakes her head at him but we both follow his lead. Jack rubs his face, “Good stuff,” he said wobbling and almost falling.

“Granddad, I think that’s enough,” Ava said reaching out for him at the same time I do.

“Yeah, kind of tired anyway,” he said sitting his glass down and making his way towards the stairs.

“Do you want me to help you,” Ava asked him.

“Hell no!”

“Sean could …”

“I can do it myself!” He yelled.

Ava holds up her hands and leans back into the couch, exasperated again. We listen carefully until we hear him stumble his way to bed, both of us sighing with a smile, relieved that the old man made it. I move, sitting next to Ava, “I’m glad he made it because I don’t think I could of.”

She laughs, “I know, me either.”

“Maybe we should go to bed too.” I said helping her up, leaning on each other the entire way.

I undress while watching Ava undress too, “Are you getting naked?”

“Why?” She asked stumbling backwards to look at me sternly.

“I just want to know how I should dress for bed. I wasn’t sure if you are still mad at me or …”

She narrows her eyes as she walks towards me shaking her shoe at me. I fall back against the bed as she leans in, “You know it’s funny that you ask me that, when I remember you specifically telling me that you always sleep naked and I wasn’t allowed to do anything but.”

I laugh remembering, “That was on our island.”

“Yeah that, it’s funny,” she said walking away.

“You know what’s funnier? I only said that so I could keep you naked and touch you all night … naked.” I smile proudly when she looks my way. She starts to smile but gets a serious expression on her face before walking back to me again.

“Wait that’s not funny,” she said causing me to fall back against the bed again.

I look away from her and think about it for a few seconds before looking back at her, “Yes it is.”

“Well you know what?” She asked, as I look her over, in her black underwear.

“You are so hot,” I said staring at her breasts.

“No, that’s not it,” I narrow my eyes at her. “On the plane, you know the one that crashed?”

I roll my eyes nodding.
Like there’s been more than one.
“I told you, I didn’t care about you but actually I stared at you the whole time you slept, daydreaming about being with you.”

“I knew it! You are a groupie.” I laugh at her, she smiles taking off her underwear and gaining my full attention.

“And now I live with you,” she said climbing into bed, my eyes following after her. I climb in next to her naked, as well.

“First off that’s not funny either, second you live with me because you’re my wife and third …” I pause thinking.

“What’s third?” She asked.

“Hold on I’m thinking,” I said lying next to her on my side. I lose my balance and fall against her before straightening up again. “Oh hell I don’t know.” I surrender scooting down into the tiny bed.

We lie quietly facing each other, watching each other’s eyes get heavier and heavier. I slowly drift off, getting carried away in my dreams. Ava keeps showing up within them, telling me stupid things for some reason, but always in her black underwear. I finally ask her why and she strips them off entirely pushing me into bed and climbing in on top of me. I grab her hips, rolling her over and sliding inside of her, enjoying the sensations as I listen to her moans. I push up on her against the wall and down on the floor and back in the bed again. I can’t get enough.

CRAKHhhhhhh!

I open my eyes wide and instantly focusing in on her blue eyes. “What was that?” She asked sitting up to listen.

“I don’t know,” I said checking out her ass.

“
Hey.
” She interrupted my drooling thoughts.

“What?” I asked lying on my back watching her suddenly avoiding my eyes. I move my leg around her and sit up pulling her close. “Don’t worry … I’ll protect you,” I said brushing my lips along her neck.

“I think I am still drunk, I’m feeling a little dizzy,” she said in forced breaths.

“Good, because I am too,” I said caressing her.

“I think I should lie down, Sean.” I move away from her and wave my hand across her side of the bed. We lock eyes as she lies back slowly. I lick my lips anticipating. She instantly sits back up cradling my face and grabbing my lips with hers.

I take her back down into the bed, maneuvering on top of her as I hold her arms above her head. Feeling her skin with my lips, tasting her with my tongue until I am satisfied, and caressing her legs around my waist. Releasing her arms I maneuver myself directly into her warmth, feeling her wetness take me over. I hover over her eagerly, and passionately moving inside her and seeking her lips whenever the need overwhelms me. Her soft pressing hands wander the muscles in my back, but they never stop encouraging me to keep going. All the while, the bed creaks and clanks like it is a hundred years old. The more we move the louder it is. I try to be softer but the bed still cries out defiantly. I try not to laugh but when I see Ava biting her bottom lip, I break. “Stop laughing,” I said avoiding her eyes and burying my face into her hair, listening to her giggle. Neither of us are able to block out the incorrigible bed. “If you don’t stop laughing, I’m going to have to make you stop,” I whisper into her ear. She holds her breath but starts giggling again. Leaning up, I see her beautiful smile, “Fine, you asked for it.” I pick her up and hold her on top of me, working my erection in and out of her, until the moans take over the giggling. The creaking is less but the moaning is becoming louder and more uncontrolled. She sits up tall on my erection, gripping her breasts and moaning her pleasures while letting me hold her in perfect position. Gripping her hips tight, I move her body up and down on my hardened dick, jolting us both into shivering releases. I lay her down gently in the old bed, caressing her lips with mine the whole way down and into the plush softness.

Suddenly the bed cracks loudly and we both instantly stop. “Sean,” Ava said looking at me with concern. With an abrupt crack, the bed crashes through the frame straight to the floor. I barely catch hold of the headboard before it comes down on top of us. We lay in the fallen bed frozen until everything stops cracking and smashing into the floor. When all seems peaceful again, we look around us, and both break out into hysterics.

“How fucking old is this bed?” I asked her.

“I don’t know. It’s been here for as long as I can remember though.” I maneuver the headboard away from us and sigh as I move back to Ava.

“Come here and protect me from anything else in your grandparents’ house that might decide to attack me,” we curl into each other tight and I inhale her dizzying scent, feeling complete again.

The next morning, I awake with the bright sun highlighting the mess we created the night before.
Jack is going to come after me with his shotgun when he sees this. At least we’re married, or I might need to make my own funeral arrangements.
He has threatened to kill me before. The first time we met he came at me with two shotguns, one to blow my head off and one to finish me off. I am sure he would have fired a shot at me, if not for Ava standing in front of me with Lillah in her arms. Luckily, by that point Ava had a ring on her finger or I wouldn’t have been allowed in the house. However, I still had to sleep in a cot, in the barn, while my daughter and my future wife slept soundly in doors.

Struggling with my hangover, I get up and shower and prepare to catch my flight back to Atlanta. When I walk out into the living room, I see her outside on the patio with Jack, leaning against him as he consoles her.

“He’s leaving today?” Jack asked. Ava nods. “And you, when are you going home?”

“I don’t know. It doesn’t feel like my home anymore,” she said and my mouth falls open.

“How can that be?”

“He doesn’t trust me, and if he can’t do that then there really is no place for me there.”

“Are you lying to him?” He asked not even bothering to confirm by looking at her shaking head. “He was hurt, give him some time to heal before you give up on him.”

“I hope he heels soon, I miss him,” she said mirroring my thoughts about her.

“You know what you need?” Jack asked as she questions him with a sweet smile. “Smoke, he likes you better than anyone else anyway. Maybe you can get that stubborn horse to ride smoother. Go on,” Jack urged her while I watch her walk away, wiping the tears from her eyes.

“Did you hear what you needed to know?” Jack said, glancing back at me.

I huff shaking my head, “Enough. I heard enough.”

“Good.” Jack said getting up and leaning against one of the columns. “And Sean?”

“Yes sir?”

“If you ever doubt my granddaughter again I will kick your ass,” Jack said standing tall and straightening his belt. I laugh but his narrowed eyes focus on me hard.“Now what the hell are you still doing here?”

“Sir?”

“You can’t really apologize to her from there son.”

“Yes sir.” I pick up my bag and leave it on the porch before darting off after Ava. I find her already preparing Smoke to ride. She looks up at me with a weak smile, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” I said taking her in my arms and pressing my lips to her head, while she holds onto me tight. “I love you so much that it makes me crazy sometimes. Coming home and finding him … it made me insane. I can’t even bear to think about another man touching you or hurting you.”

“Like Joel?” She said backing away from me to look into my eyes.

I pull her back into my arms, “I wanted to believe you, but I couldn’t understand what was happening to you and I certainly would have never considered my friend ever doing anything like that to you. I wanted to kill him, and I nearly did.” I said kissing her and holding her tight to my chest. “I will never doubt you again, please forgive me, Ava.”

“I do forgive you, I love you too much not too.”

I exhale in relief, “So when are you coming home?”

“I don’t know. I need to help granddad with my grandmother’s things, make sure he has a way to get to places. I have a lot to do, Sean.”

“You are coming home … aren’t you?” I asked warily. “I don’t want to be there if you’re not there. I will do whatever you want, kick Rebecca out too, quit the movie … whatever you want.”

“It would be nice if she wasn’t there anymore but I trust you to do what’s best.” I nod as her expression changes, “I need some time away though. Kyle is coming up in a few days and he is going to bring Lillah with him.”

“Ava please.”

She quickly cradles my face, in her hands, “I just need some time away from that, not you. I love you. I will always come home to you as long as you want me to.”