AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’ll be all right. Listen, I’m gonna go. I’ll call you after I talk to the ortho. You’re right—I’ll see a specialist when I get back to the city.”
“Just call me tomorrow. I’ll take care of Mona, and Cora will find you the best specialist.”
“All right. I really appreciate it.”
“Hey, Av, I’m so sorry this is happening to you.” I look over and see her swallow. Emotional pain crosses her face again.
“Me too. Later, Emma.”
“Bye, hun.”
The phone clicks off and silence refills the truck. I have no idea what half of that phone call was about, but I get the feeling a broken wrist means more to them than the average person. Shit, this just makes me feel worse. Ava relaxes back into the seat, lays her head against the window, and closes her eyes.
“Please don’t ask me about the call,” she mutters on a sigh.
“Wasn’t planning on it.” And I really wasn’t. This girl is locked tight with secrets, and she doesn’t volunteer information very easily. Oh well. She’ll tell me if she wants to.
“Thank you, Ash.”
“Anything I can do for you?” Like give you the moon . . .
“Maybe just drive a little longer so they’re gone when we get back.”
“I can do that.” Slowing the truck, I hit the blinker, and make the turn toward the Blue Ridge Parkway. May as well take the scenic route.
Her injured arm returns to her chest in a protective move and the fingers on her left hand relax under mine. I’m so happy she doesn’t pull them away; I’d hold her hand forever.
By the time I turn down Lake Horizons Road, she’s asleep against the window and I make the decision for her . . . she’s staying with me.
“AVA, WE’RE HERE,” he says quietly so as to not startle me. My eyes flutter open and I turn to meet his. I can’t help but wince from the pain and he frowns. It’s the same frown he had during my call with Emma.
After we hung up, I closed my eyes to let him know I was done talking. He seems to follow my mood pretty well, and I appreciate him not asking me a thousand questions. Really it isn’t any of his business, but I can’t blame him if he’s curious. That call was kind of cryptic.
I feel bad for lying to Emma. She would never lie to me, but she and Cora don’t understand. Over the years, their support and understanding has turned to make me feel more like an annoyance. I know they love me and mean well, but I can’t just turn it off, and sometimes it feels like that’s what they almost expect. The memories—triggers—are never going to go away, as much as I want them to.
“Listen,” the tone of his voice changes. It reminds me of the one in the urgent care when hetoldme he was coming in the back with me. “I think it’s best if you just stay with me. How about you let me run in and pack up your things? You can just sit here if you want and I’ll be right back.”
I would be lying if I said I didn’t want to spend more time with him, because I really do. When Emma offered to stay, a huge part of the reason I told her no is because I was hoping he would. I know I’m going to need a little extra help and I jumped on the opportunity blindly, but it felt right. I mean, I wasn’t sure how he would feel about it, but I wanted to take the chance. In my mind, he’d come over and hang out—never did I think he’d want to move me in with him. I eye him cautiously. Can I do this? Can I stay in the same house with him? Well, I guess there’s only one way to find out.
“Okay,” I say timidly, being rewarded with the biggest smile. Even through the pain, butterflies take off at the sight of those dimples.
“It’ll be fine. You’ll be fine. Trust me.” The second the word “trust” leaves his mouth, I flinch. As much as I like him and feel this undeniable connection to him, I don’t know him.
"Trust you?" My words are slow, but he needs to hear me. “Trust isn’t something that’s just given, Ash. It has to be earned.”
He regards me for a few minutes and runs his hand across his jaw. “Ah, see, I disagree with you. For me, trust is automatic until you break it.” I can appreciate his positive outlook, but mine wasn’t just broken, it was shattered. “Look, your friends know where you are and who you’re with. You’re gonna need some help, and besides, it’ll be fun. The apple harvest is this week, so there’ll be some town activities we can go to.”
Looking into his eyes, I try to match them with distrustful ones I have seen in the past, and there’s nothing. They are wide open, letting me in. He wants me to see him. They are clear, light blue, and looking back at me . . . adoringly. Trust. Maybe I can allow him this. After all, in little ways, he’s been proving himself since the moment I met him. He respects my physical boundaries, he’s been patient and listened to me cry twice, he’s never pushed me to answer questions that I don’t want to, and in general, he’s been very protective of me.
“Okay,” I say, sounding a little surer of myself. His smile returns, he leans over, and pats my leg. Heat from his hand quickly spreads and a blush crawls up my neck.
He turns the truck off and opens the door. “Do you want to stay here or come in with me?”
“I’ll come in. I just want to make sure everything is locked once we’re ready to leave, and I’ll need to pack up Tank too.” Carefully, I slide out of the truck trying not to jostle my arm, and I hear him sneeze. I know I shouldn’t find this adorable, but I do.
“Tank?” he asks, walking over to meet me. His shoes crunch against the gravel and I take in his long legs and broad shoulders. He’s still wearing the gray beanie, and it looks so good on him.
“My dog.” I grin.
