Whiskey Girl (16 page)

Which meant there was some not so good
stuff going on as well. To be expected, he told himself as he poured a cup of
coffee and joined her at the table.

“I think I’m going to go to the cemetery
today.”

Shock nearly knocked Doug from his chair.
He knew she would eventually but hadn’t even considered it would happen so soon
or without some coercing. “I think that’s a good idea, darlin’. Would you like
me to go with you?”

She seemed to think about it for a second
or two before answering with a crooked little smile. “Thank you, but no. I
think this is something I need to do myself, at least the first time.”

Doug could understand her need. It would be
a very intense and emotional time. He sipped more of his coffee then pushed away
from the table. Rounding it, he kissed her on the top of the head. “I
volunteered to teach a bike safety class this morning. My partner is going to
pick me up, so you can use my truck until we get your car from Malone’s.” He
gave her a kiss on the cheek then. “I’ll leave you to it and meet you back here
in a couple of hours if that’ll work for you.”

Ausha stood to face him. Her eyes were
bright. They still held grief, but now they also shone with joy at times. She
was scared, it was obvious, and when he reached for her hand, it trembled
slightly in his.

“Remember all the good times, Ausha. Only
the good times, baby.”

“I will.” She kissed his cheek then hugged
him tight. “Thank you…for everything.”

Knowing there was nothing left to say for
the moment, he left the kitchen. When he reached Ausha’s room, he reached into
the inside pocket of his coat and removed the paperwork he’d tried to give to
Ausha on the very first day he’d met her.

He laid it on the bed where she was sure to
see it then agonized the whole way to his place whether he had made the right
decision by doing so or not. He hadn’t read the letter so he had no clue what
frame of mind her ex might have been in, but something told him that either way
she needed to read what was contained in his writing in order to move on. The
fact Doug wouldn’t know for hours only made the time seem to drag on and on.

The bike safety class was fun. Working with
children always was for him. It was a shame, he thought for a brief moment,
that he didn’t have any of his own. Things happened for a reason and Doug was
more than happy to go along with the plan without too much of a fight. After
all, fate had led him straight to Ausha, so what more could he ask for.

Doug got back to Ausha’s place before she
did. He wanted to turn right back around and head to the cemetery but forced
himself to wait. Instead of using the spare key she kept hidden, he remained in
his truck.

He was running out of patience when she
pulled into the parking spot right next to him.

“Hi,” she said as she climbed from her car.

Her face was splotchy, her eyes red-rimmed.
It was clear she’d been crying and yet she seemed lighter, more at ease.
Something had definitely changed.

“Hi yourself, darlin’.” Doug pulled her to
him, kissing her lightly on the nose. More than anything he needed to touch
her, to hold her.

“Come on, let’s go inside. I have so much
to tell you.”

A genuine smile curved her lips. Doug
wasn’t sure, but it was among the first he’d seen come from Ausha and lit up
her face like the Fourth of July.

Crossing the threshold, she continued over
to the entertainment center and picked up one of the pictures he’d framed.
“They did such a wonderful job.”

Her voice caught on a sob. The sound was
heart wrenching because he was unable to do anything about it but listen and be
supportive. And yet it was almost like music to his ears because she was
sharing her emotional self.

Ausha must have noted the confused look he
surely wore across his features. “Instead of having a picture of Lauren added
into her headstone, I had this picture engraved right into the granite,” she
explained. “I ran my fingers across it. I not only saw her face but I touched
it. They did such a beautiful job.”

Ausha wandered over to the couch where she
sat then sprang back up as if her body held too much energy to do something so
mundane as sitting. “I took her flowers. Bright tulips. I think she would have
loved the colors.”

“I’m sure she would have, sweetheart.”

“I don’t know if I’ll ever really be able
to say goodbye, Doug, but going to the cemetery, doing the normal thing of
taking flowers and crying. It all helped.” She smiled through the tears rolling
down her cheeks. Cupping his face, she added, “So did reading what Brian had to
say.”

Relief washed over him. “I’m glad, baby. I wasn’t
sure.”

“He lived with so much regret after she
died. He got clean.” She seemed far away then. “I didn’t know that. Of course,
I never knew he used drugs in the first place.” Her brows furrowed. “I should
have known.”

Doug didn’t want her to start down that
road again. What ifs were known to wreak all sorts of havoc. “Addicts can be
very sneaky, Ausha. If you’ve not been around them, don’t know what to look
for, they can blend in with the rest of society extremely well.”

She nodded as if she understood but didn’t
comment on his words. “Brian always made good money, but evidently after I
left, he invested and worked night and day. I could live the rest of my life
never having to work another day with what he left me.”

In Doug’s opinion, the news was very good.
He wasn’t at all surprised though when Ausha shared her plans with him.

“I’m not keeping it. I want to use it to
support Marjory’s cause and the people she’s helped. I want to use it so no
other family has to go through what we’ve been through without needed help.”

“I think that’s a mighty fine idea,
darlin’. Mighty fine.” She never ceased to amaze him.

“Doug?”

Her head was tilted to the side as she
concentrated on him. “I’m right here.”

This time her smile was so wide it showed
the pearly whites of her teeth. No more grimaces or half smiles. This was how
Ausha Malone was meant to shine.

“I’m going to be all right. I mean, I still
have a long way to go and I’m sure there will be up days and down days, days I
want to kick you and strangle Marjory, because I do plan to go back to her
meetings. But I really think I’m going to be all right.”

Doug pulled Ausha to him until their bodies
touched. The meeting of lips was a mutual sharing of love and commitment,
understanding, loss and courage. It was the type of thing that could only be
shared with someone you loved, mind, body and soul.

“I always knew you would, Whiskey Girl.
Never had a doubt.”

Epilogue

Five years later

Doug sat behind the driver’s seat of the
SUV he’d replaced his truck with nearly a year ago, watching Ausha. Her dark,
curly hair blew in the breeze as she placed a bouquet of flowers at the base of
Lauren’s headstone.

Life certainly had changed, Doug thought as
he peered into the rearview mirror where their son Michael snoozed dreamily in
his car seat. He looked like his mother, with dark hair and gray eyes, but had
the stout build of Doug.

Ausha had gone from being a lost soul to
one determined to help anyone and everyone she possibly could. With the money
left to her, she had a counseling center built. She then went back to school on
her own dime so she could finish her education and lend a hand to Marjory.
Between himself, Ausha and Jeff, Malone’s bar still catered to the patrons of
Memory. On weeknights it had more of a family atmosphere now. A small arcade
room had been added as well as an extended menu for those busy nights when mom
and dad didn’t feel like cooking. Doug thought the changes were perfect.

When a whimper sounded from the back seat,
he climbed from the cab to retrieve his infant son. Their boy was such a
laidback kid it was hard to believe he belonged to someone as spirited as
Ausha. Once Michael was safely in his arms, Doug strolled across the green
grass toward his wife.

“Hey,” he said coming around her to drop a
kiss on her lips.

“Well, hello,” she replied more for
Michael’s ears than his. The smile she gave Doug, one that promised lots of fun
once the sun went down, was for him only though.

“How are my favorite girls?”

Ausha looked down at a face that mirrored
Michael’s so closely it was uncanny. The main difference between the two being
their daughter, Mikayla, hadn’t been gifted in the patience department. Already
she kicked her legs and bounced in her mother’s arms, staring at Michael as if
he were indeed crazy for sitting so still. Holding out her chubby arms for
Doug, she babbled happily.

“Come to papa, darlin’.” Doug handed
Michael off to Ausha while gathering Mikayla in his arms. Having a daughter
brought out every protective instinct in triplicate. He thought being married
to the most beautiful woman on Earth had done enough of that, but having
children upped the ante as far as possible. The teen years, when his little
girl started dating, were going to be a nightmare.

Skimming his knuckles along Ausha’s cheek,
he tilted his head, waiting for an answer.

“We’re great.” She sniffled a little bit.

Doug knew it was hard for her to come to
the cemetery and just as hard for her to leave again. He never forced the issue
either way. When she felt it was time, she would announce the plan and they
would go.

“I’m ready to go whenever you guys are.” He
watched as Michael played pat-a-cake against Ausha’s cheeks, the both of them
laughing. The last few years had been hard, but so very rewarding in every
possible way.

He remembered back to the night they found
out Ausha was pregnant. The fear and anxiety she’d gone through had been so
overwhelming for a little while he worried she would make herself sick.

That all seemed to change during their
first ultrasound appointment. As soon as she’d seen them, heard their hearts
beating, she became determined to raise happy and healthy babies. After that,
it was he who felt a little nauseated. Twins? He’d remembered hoping and
praying they were both exactly like their mother. Now all that anxiety made him
laugh. Sure, caring for two babies was hard, but they promised to do it
together and so far they both sailed right on through even the most difficult
of times.

Kissing Mikayla’s fuzzy head, he answered,
“I’m ready. How about we go for ice cream?”

“I’ll go wherever you go, darlin’.” She
mimicked his Southern drawl, bringing a smile to his face. With an arm around
her shoulder, he led his family to the car.

From whiskey girl to ice cream girl, who
would have thought? Doug chuckled as he climbed behind the wheel, a very happy
man.

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