“That sounds perfect, McKenna,” she smiled warmly.
I gestured for the two of them to hop into the car, but realized my mistake, held Audra back, and guided her to the trunk of the car where our driver was waiting.
“Miles, this is Audra King. Audra, this is Miles. He’s been with me through a whole lot of stuff,” I couldn’t help but laugh. The two of them shook hands and exchanged pleasantries, but as she went back to the car, I hung back to talk to Miles.
“Donovan James Wright.” he held out his arms to me, and that hug felt like coming home in a different way than McKenna’s did.
Another pang of guilt hit me. I should have kept in touch with him better. Miles was in his late fiftiesand had been my driver for over fifteen years when I lived there. The man was more of a father to me than my own, as he actually celebrated my achievements, gave me the pep talks I needed, bailed me out of more than one situation, and offered me unconditional support. He had a wife, daughters, and grandkids, but he always called me his bonus son, or BS for short. We both thought that fit well because he put up with a lot of it from me. Besides the extra silver in his hair, he didn’t look that much older.
“I’m sorry I disappeared with nothing but an occasional text, Miles. I missed you.” The words were as heavy as my shame.
He hugged me tighter. “You stop that right now. It wasn’t good for you here. I’m so happy you were able to escape, and I know why you did what you did. It’s great to see you, Van, and let’s leave it at that; you have nothing to apologize for. You look good. And you brought a beautiful woman with you, who hopefully means something to you, because you deserve good things, Donovan. Happy to see you, BS.”
I felt tears form in my eyes as I got choked up at his words. I had to reel it in before I lost it. I was taller than him, but not by much, and I was bent with my head on his shoulder, not unlike how a parent consoling their child would look. He was one of the few people, if not the only person, who knew everything about my life; about the extent of my crazy years, my underground fighting, the way my ex sold me out, the way Tommy’s death impacted me, about what went down with my mother right before I left. I mean, fuck, he drove the getaway car after the trust money had officially been transferred. I tried to give him enough cash that he would never have to work again, but he refused the sum. We ended up agreeing on a much lower amount. Maybe I’d try to give himthe rest this weekend. He intimately understood why I had trust issues … issues with everyone but Audra, it would seem. But he’d be so proud of me for how things were going in South Carolina. This man meant so much to me; I should have been better.
“I’m only here for two days, but I promise things will be different now, Miles. I finally feel like I’m in a place where the hold isn’t suffocating me. And you were … are so important to me. I’m still so sorry. I would love to catch up with you, too. How is that grandkid doing? How are you? How is Sally?”
“Donovan, we have two days, and from what you’ve told me, there will be a lot of driving around in traffic for this first-time visitor you brought. Let’s talk about those things in the car. We’ll already be hitting rush hour. Hop in.” He tapped the tops of my shoulders twice with both hands to spur me to get a move on.
I caught Audra eyeing the interaction between Miles and I. She would ask about it later, and I’d tell her Miles is the best man I’d ever known in my life. God, I really did feel like a shithead that I didn’t keep in touch like I should have. But I guess I never really took a breath and felt safe to relax until after I settled in Savannah Springs. Still, that was fourteen months ago. No excuses.
Hopping into the car, I closed the door, and McKenna and Audra were already chittering like best friends. It filled me with a feeling I couldn’t quite put my finger on. Contentment? Not that I thought they wouldn’t get along, but seeing them together made me happy. It felt like another piece was clicking into place. Every damn piece clicked into place with her.
“Donovan, I had no idea you had the nickname Van,” Audra grinned at me. “I kind of love it!”
“Yep—those closest to me call me Van. McKenna, mytravel group, and Miles. He had another name for me, though, didn’t you, Miles?”
The laughter from McKenna and Miles filled the car. “Sure did,” Miles responded. “I called him BS too, and the meaning depended on the day. Sometimes it meant bonus son, sometimes it referred to the extraordinary amount of bullshit he put me through.”
Audra snort-laughed at that, and it was so uncouth that I’m pretty sure I fell in love. I mean, not really love. I couldn’t love someone in that short of time. Fell in captivation? Yes, captivation. That’s the word I was looking for.
“What nicknames do you have, Audra? Hell, what’s your middle name?” I asked.
I saw Miles’ glance in the rearview at that question, silently asking,how are you dating someone and don’t know their nickname or middle name? Our behind-the-car catch-up didn’t really lend me the opportunity to explain to him what was going on.
“Audra Emory King is my full name. No nicknames, which I kind of hated growing up. I wanted one so badly, but nothing worked. Dra? Aud? AK-47?” She scrunched up her face. “Though I guess no name is better than a terrible one, like Pee Pants or something.” The whole car laughed. “You gave me my first actual nickname, Donovan … Chaos.”
“Chaos?” McKenna asked. “That’s what you nicknamed her? There better be a good story there.”
“I ended up liking it more than I thought I would when he explained his why. But that’s a story for a different day,” she said. “What’s your full name?” Audra asked my sister.
“McKenna May Wright,” she answered. I always thought that Maeve and McKenna were long-lost twins. The double M was just another reason. I could just see Maeve McDonahueand McKenna May being friends forever. “Nicknames include Mac, Mac n cheesy, and Kenna. Donovan and a couple of other people call me Mackey May. All very original,” Kenna said as she rolled her eyes.
“And you?” Audra turned to me.
“Donovan James. I tried to pull the DJ nickname for a while, but it just fell short.”
“Oh my God, I remember that,” McKenna laughed. “Oh my GOD, Miles, do you remember when he was calling himself DJ The Wright Way? You were what, thirteen? Fourteen??” Even I was laughing along, remembering that particular ridiculous stunt.
“Yeah, I was hot shit too. My big chance never came. Where was your unconditional support on that one, Miles?” Everyone was howling. “You know what? I’m going to buy some turntables and make my triumphant return to prove you all wrong. Watch out, world. DJ The Wright Way will be back.”
Without even thinking about it, I reached out to tickle Audra as revenge for laughing. My sister’s eyes went from my fingers trying to tickle her stomach to catching my eyes, and she smiled a knowing smile. It’s not like I was trying to keep it a secret.
“What about you, Miles, what’s your full name, nickname, alias, and/or any other pseudonym you’ve gone or go by?” Audra asked, as she escaped my clutches.
“Miles Antonio Dawson. Believe it or not, in my younger years, my friends called me MAD Dog, like the drink. I haven’t heard that name in some time, though, nor had that particular libation.” His smile was evident in the mirror. Miles had some level of tolerance for all my bullshit because he had a history of crazy personal experiences as well.
“I mean, Mad Dog sounds like someone who would travel with DJ The Wright Way, just saying,” Audra laughed.
