Trust In Love (A McCord Family Novel Book 2) (2 page)

"I know all, Austin. Do not mess with me," Ava said with a smirk. "I also happen to work for the police department—in the crime lab—if you forgot. My officers are very good at their jobs."

"Since when are they
your
officers? And why are they checking up on me?" Austin asked with annoyance.

"Everyone obeys Ava. Haven't you figured that out, Austin? I even learned that right away," Zane said as he broke open his bread roll and slathered a glob of butter on.

"You're in love. You obey her because of that reason," Austin pointed out. He glanced back at Ava, who still grinned deviously at him. "What? She was a nice woman."

"I worry about you, Austin. Are you ever going to settle down? And yes, I will keep tabs on you if I have to. I protect my family and you are my family. I can't help but worry," Ava said seriously.

Austin set his fork down, sighing heavily. "Look. Not everyone gets a happily ever after like you two. I don't want it, actually. I date around like I do because that's what I enjoy. I don’t plan on changing, so please don’t send every woman I bring home away. I do like to enjoy them for a little while at least. They know up front what kind of guy I am, so it's not like they have dreamers in their eyes when it comes to dating me."

"Austin, you're delusional if you think when you tell a woman there's no future and they actually believe that. They all have those dreamers in their eyes. Why? Because you
are
that kind of man. Women want you and hope to be the one to finally settle you down. To make you a marrying kind of a man," Ava said honestly.

"Not every woman," Austin muttered under his breath.

"What does that mean? Who shot down the big bad Austin?" Zane joked.

"Huh?" Austin asked, confused.

Zane and Ava stared at him expectantly. Even Eleanor sitting next to him gave him a grin with anticipation on her face. "It's nothing. I didn't even try to be honest with you. Because if I actually tried to ask her out, she wouldn't have talked to me the way she did."

"Ooh, I like this woman already," Ava said with a gleam in her eye.

"You don't even know what I was going to say," Austin said.

"Doesn't matter. If she talked back to you with force and attitude—I like her. She could be the one. End of story. Every woman you date bends over backwards for you. You need someone to challenge you," Ava said, pointing her fork at him.

"I don't want a challenge. I like nice simple things in my relationships. Sex…sex is simple. Plus, she's my new neighbor. I'm not dating my neighbor. She bought the decrepit house that's next to mine. I saw her standing in the driveway and walked up to her offering to mow her lawn—being neighborly, I thought. She freaked out on me saying I tried to scare her. She barely let me say hello when she started hollering at me. No, in fact, I didn't get the whole word hello out. All I got out was hel. That's it, hel. Can you believe that?" Austin said, noticing Ava still grinning at him. "Stop looking at me like that."

"Like what? Like the way you looked at me when you thought Zane and I were crazy for not telling each other how we felt last year. I like this woman. I want to meet her. She sounds perfect for you," Ava said.

"Forget it. You're not allowed to visit me if you're going to meddle in my life with my neighbor. I'm not dating my neighbor. She's crazy. I'm telling ya. How did we get on this conversation? Where's my cake? I'm done eating. What's the cake for? Are you leaving again? Because the last time you made a cake was to tell us you were leaving," Austin said.

"Let me go get that delicious cake," Eleanor said as she stood up, quickly walking out of the dining room to the kitchen.

"Correction. Last time she made a cake was to tell us the good news that the person who started the fire on the farm last year was finally caught. She just added in she was leaving at the same time," Zane said, grabbing Ava's hand as the memory was a torturous one for him, thinking of her ever leaving him.

"Here we go. What a great looking cake, Ava!" Eleanor beamed with pride as she set the cake on the table.

Austin smiled at the cake, imagining the huge mess Ava probably created to make it. She decorated it with a fine layer of white icing and sprinkles scattered on top. Eleanor was spot on. A great looking cake. Delicious looking, too. He looked over at Zane. "You make a good point. What's the cake for this time? Last time I tried getting your guys' goat by saying she was pregnant and you—" Austin paused as his mouth dropped open with shock. "Are you pregnant?"

Ava smiled wide as Zane pulled her hand to his mouth, lightly kissing it.

"We are," Ava said as she smiled with love at Zane.

"Oh, man! Congratulations, you guys. That's the best news ever. I can't believe you made me wait all day to hear this. I'm going to be an uncle. This is crazy," Austin said excitedly as he got up from his chair, circling the table to embrace Zane in a huge hug. "Congratulations, man. I'm so happy for you. Jimmy would be so excited, too."

"Thanks, Austin. We're excited," Zane said.

Austin grabbed Ava in a big hug as well.

"Do you know what you're having?" Austin asked Ava as he went back to his seat.

"I'm only eight weeks along. We won't know for a while yet. As long as the little one is healthy, that's all that matters," Ava said, rubbing her stomach.

"Jimmy would be so happy to hear this. Congratulations to both of you," Eleanor said as she got her hugs from the two of them after Austin did.

"He would. I was thinking of making a trip to New York to visit him. Tell him the news. I'm still trying to talk Zane into it. Will you come with, Austin?" Ava asked as she grabbed Zane's hand again.

"Hell, yeah. Come on, Zane. You have to go," Austin urged.

"I've been to New York three times now, and each time was quite an ordeal, thank you. I can't imagine what the fourth trip would be like," Zane said with quiet sadness.

"Well, we didn't bury him in Minnesota, so you have to come with to visit him. I thought you would do anything to make your wife happy. She's pregnant now. You have to make sure the baby's okay as well," Austin said.

"Thanks for making me worry ten times worse now," Zane muttered as he glared at Austin.

"Just pointing out the obvious. You're protective of Ava. Now she's pregnant, so that protection increases. New York is awesome if you just give it a chance," Austin said.

"That's what I keep trying to tell him and he never listens to me," Ava said.

"Do I need to repeat myself to you two? Not one trip I made turned out well. And the last one, should have, but it didn't," Zane said as he looked at Ava, who had sorrow in her eyes. "Fine! I said I probably would. I don't think I could have you out of my sight for very long anyway. I'd miss you too much."

"That's what I like to hear," Ava said smiling.

"Oh, man. Here we go again with the lovey-dovey crap. Might be time for me to go home," Austin said with a teasing tone.

"Eat your cake, young man. You can't leave until you help me clear the table first anyway," Eleanor said with a smile.

"You're right, Eleanor. It's great, Ava. You did a good job." Austin glanced at Zane. "You did a good job picking out a beautiful, amazing woman. I can't wait for my niece or nephew to get here."

"I did do good," Zane replied, squeezing his wife into a side embrace.

"Now if only you'd find a beautiful, amazing woman and settle down," Ava said glaring at Austin.

Austin groaned and shoved another bite of cake into his mouth. That was never going to happen. Love wasn't for him.

***

Sophie toured the house after she cried all the tears left inside. She honestly didn’t think any more could pour out. She had sat on the floor for a good half hour before she calmed down even a tiny bit.

Dreadful. The only word to spring to her mind after she finished walking around the house. She almost considered the inside just as bad as the outside, except she found no holes in the floors or walls. She deemed that a plus. But everything was dirty; the whole house stunk to high heaven. She went around opening all the windows, trying to air it out, briefly glancing to see if that man was still lingering around. She didn't see him, happy to have that annoyance disappear. She hoped she wouldn't run into him again. He obviously didn't understand personal space. Something she direly needed.

After completing that task, she ran quickly outside to her car to grab her meager belongings and threw them in the house before anyone else tried to come up to her and scare her.

Three suitcases and one box. The existence of her life. Four things stuffed with her belongings, most of them clothes. Her life boiled down to that. Nothing else. No family, no friends, no big moving van, and sadly, no hope this move would help her.

The burning anger she held for her father outside lowered every time she walked around the house. Her house may not look the greatest in the neighborhood, it may not smell like roses, but this house was her home. Her new safe haven. She thanked him every time she saw something that would make this new life easier. She had a couch. She had a bed. Stains littered all over them with a funny smell rising to her nose, but it meant more money to spend on other essentials—like groceries.

She had no job yet. Although, she was going to try her hand at selling crafts she made. She dabbled with it on the side, but now she had the chance to make her talent as a full-fledged job. First, she needed to buy supplies with money she didn't have, but who needed to eat a lot of food anyway. Not her. Once she started making and selling her works of art on-line, everything would be fine. She made great things. Creative things. She knew everything would work out. She needed it to work.

Next, she looked at the three bedrooms seeing two had beds in them, the last one completely empty. The master bedroom, she figured, had been her father's, which disturbed her to even think about sleeping in there. She put her suitcases in the other room with the smaller bed, grabbing the sheets from it and tossing them into the washer for fresh linens tonight. She smiled as she pressed the start button to the washer, thinking how wonderful of a feeling it was to climb into a clean bed. Gladness also swept through that the washer and dryer worked.

Another smile lit her face when she realized her father wasn't letting her down. All the appliances worked. The house may look like crap, but all the appliances were well maintained as far as she could see.

The night flew by as she cleaned her room, washing every speck of dirt in sight, remaking the bed, and putting her clothes away. She grabbed her last piece of luggage—the lone box—and carefully opened it.

Sadness drifted to her eyes, sighing that she hadn't even packed it to the top. She pulled out a few picture frames, dusting off the imaginary dirt as she gazed at them. They were all of her mother, young and carefree. Such a beautiful woman. Nobody was more beautiful. Each picture had been taken before life became what it was. A woman saddled with a baby, heartache, terror, and a deep loneliness that Sophie now understood.

She shifted a few things, trying to hold back the tears that suddenly wanted to fall, when she saw the angel peek out from under a frame. Sophie grabbed it with delicate hands, tracing the edges of the statue. A simple design with wings of glory and praying hands to her chest. A brilliant white porcelain angel that was her most prized possession. Her finger stopped its movement as it reached the angels left wing. A jagged edge stared back, the wing broken from a horror she hated remembering.

But she did remember. The most pivotal moment in her life. So crystal clear in her mind. How her hand had hovered over the trashcan, the angel dangling from her fingers. Yet, she made no move to drop it. Not only did the beautiful angel remind her of her mother, it now reminded her of her strength. It had been the day she finally left. The day her weakness came front and center, smacking her in the face. The tip of desolation had cracked when her guardian broke. Speaking in whispers, it had told her to get up and get out. Run for your life. That's exactly what she did.

She walked over to her dresser and gently placed the angel on top. She stood back and smiled her first real, true smile of the day. The disgusting stench drifting throughout the house, the dirt layered in every corner, the cracked and peeling paint, the grass too tall for neighborly manners, none of it mattered. This was her home. It would work because she would make it work. When it became too much, she would come here to this exact spot, look upon her guardian angel, and never forget why she left— why she ran.

***

"You were flirting with that man. I saw you, Sophie. How could you embarrass me like that in front of my colleagues?" Kevin shouted, the rage filling his face.

Sophie shrunk back into herself, knowing how he transformed into another human being when he was angry. "I wasn't flirting. I was just being friendly. I swear, Kevin."

"Friendly? He put his hand on you," Kevin roared as he advanced a step at her.

"Please, Kevin. I shook his hand to be polite. You don't want me to look rude for not shaking the man's hand, do you?" Sophie pleaded, retreating from the rage.

"No man will ever touch you but me. I'm the only one for you," Kevin whispered menacingly. He raised his hand and swung down, hitting her face. The force of the impact sent her flying into the dresser, knocking several things to the floor. Her shoulder jammed into the corner, the pain shooting throughout her body. She fell to the floor, her body too weak to do anything else.