5  Chapter 5

AVERY WEST

I am such an idiot.

A damn idiot.

Why did I kiss him?

Why did I kiss him?

The mantra kept running through my head all night as I simply closed my eyes, pressed my lips to his soft ones and took the kiss. He started it and I finished but why the hell did I run.

Just bolted into my house like that was supposed to happen after every kiss.

I’m an idiot.

Or one thing was for sure, if he thought I was crazy before, he definitely thinks so now.

I still could not believe my good fortune. My very own two-story place, with a front porch, yard and a shed. I was in moving heaven, clearly. It just couldn’t be true. I signed the lease and everything. Gave my rent because no deposit was needed and paid my next month rent too. With this, I could take a less paying job and apply to work at the museum and still save some money.

Though the transit system was much slower, my new place was only a twelve-minute walk from the closest bus stop or I could continue to ride-share. So even if I had to spend a year on public transportation, I’d gladly do it in that house. It was absolutely beautiful and something I could be proud of. The very notion of inviting my family and friends that come to see me, was exhilarating. Well, my new friends. I could even have parties; the yard was already made for them with surround sound speakers installed in rocks throughout the big space.

I didn’t sleep one wink last night as I packed what very little I had. Then spent the rest of the time, overthinking the kiss I took and ran from.

Would I have to face him tomorrow?

I had paid the rent, so there was no need for us to even see each other. Shiz had movers coming, that I did not pay for, but he did not have to be there.

Right?

Around seven in the morning, I made breakfast for the movers and me. They were due at eight, then I prepared sub sandwiches for them also. I called my mom and dad to share the news. They were leery like I was, but I told them about the lease and it was legit. My dad demanded to know who the landlord was and only when I said he was a member of the Guardians, did he calm down.

“Those Guardians are the real deal. I’ve dealt with them before,” he shared.

“When?” I asked, with him on speaker phone as I moved around the kitchen.

“Was a while ago. Had a situation but your mom and I are coming over to check the place out,” he told me, reminding me of another bossy man.

“Okay, Dad.” I sighed. “I’ll text you the address.”

“Yeah,” he said and hung up.

The man never said bye, just yeah. He told me on more than one occasion that he didn’t believe in goodbye and that was his way. Nathan was still in the hospital, but he was healing nicely. His injuries were severe but he would have the full function of his limbs and faculties once he recovered. 

Once eight o’clock rolled around, things moved quickly. The three movers were grateful for the food, gulped it down and had me packed up within two and a half hours.

My old landlord was shocked when he saw me carting stuff out to the moving truck but after I shared that the mice soul train line had grown out of control, he nodded his head and told me I could pick up my deposit in two weeks. He knew that any stipulation in my lease about the break of the lease had been broken fifty mice ago.

Once we arrived at my new place, I nearly fell out of the damn truck. From shock, mortification or just plain ole girly emotions. I counted eleven people standing outside on the lawn, with gloves, overalls, hair tied in ponytails, and a table of water, lemonade and ice tea.

Shay, Kylie, Razor, Bronx, Lori, Dessy, Uno, Bear, Apollo, a really handsome black guy and Shiz. They were here to help me move. One of the movers helped me get down out of the truck and I was trying not to cry, but I said, “I can’t believe y’all are here. This was so, so, so...”

“She’s about to blow,” Bear grumbled.

As annoying as it was, he was right but that snapped me out of it.

“Really, Grizzly Bear,” I snapped at him, remembering Shay’s nickname for the big man.

That had everybody in roaring with laughter. Dessy cuddled up to him, gave him a kiss and whispered, “My Grizzly Bear.”

He enveloped the woman in his arms and lifted her to kiss him harder with a growl.

“Fuck, y’all. You’ll be married in months. Keep a condom on it,” Shiz teased.

Bear pulled back from kissing his fiancée and said, “Fuck you Shiz. Don’t you got somebody to do?”

Ohhhs could be heard around the crowd, but Shiz just laughed and walked over to me.

“Hey, firecracker.” He was business as usual. “Thought you might need some help with the move.”

“Thanks, but you already got the movers.” I waved a hand towards them. “They’re pretty efficient.”

“I meant more of the unpacking and getting settled.” He nodded. “That shit can take months.”

“So true!” I smiled. “Well, this was a great surprise. Thank you again, Shiz.  How am I ever going to repay you?”

“No need,” he shared. “Let’s do this.”

The movers had left after one hour because between everyone helping, all of my items were in the house and the moving party turned into the unpacking party. The ladies hung up my clothes, the guys did the utilities, kitchen and any reassembly that was needed. During that time, Mom and Dad had appeared, and just like me, very shocked by the welcome party.

“Mom! Dad!” I came barreling through the living room.

“Oh, sweetheart.” My mom came running towards me. “This place is beautiful.”

“I know!” I exclaimed as she embraced me with a big hug.

“Hey, Daddy.” I went and wrapped my arms around my tall father.

He gave me a bear hug and murmured, “Baby girl, what the hell is all of this?”

I busted out laughing at his quiet musing and instead of answering it, I decided to introduce them to everyone. When I turned, I found everyone behind us staring at us with huge smiles.

“Oh,” I laughed. “Everyone is already here. These,” I waved to my side, “Are my parents. Lenora and Dexter West. And Mom and Dad, this is my new friend, Shay. She’s pregnant and her husband is Bronx. He’s the VP for the Guardians and he used to be an MMA fighter. He also owns the gym, RIGOR, in town. This is Lori, my new friend and that long-haired guy right there is her husband, Apollo. He’s the Sergeant of Arms, so that means he’s rough and tough. That’s Kylie, she’s also my new friend and just had a baby. That’s her husband Razor, who’s the President of the Guardians and he used to play professional baseball and owns The Diamond Base shop. They’re really cute together. This is Dessy and she bartends at Peppers and her fiancé is the Grizzly Bear over there. They’re swirlers like you and Daddy. This is Uno, he’s my friend, who’s been helping me out a lot. Taking me to see Nathan, ensuring that I have everything I need with helping to press charges and everything. He’s really smart and he’s an accountant for the Guardians. Oh, this is Swag, he’s the President of the Norristown chapter of the Guardians. He’s cool, but I just met him today.” I waved to them all. Then I turned towards my mom and dad and said with a bright smile, “And last but certainly not least, this is Shiz. He is now my landlord, and organized all of this for me, even though I ran over his bike. A case of mistaken identity but it was his and I swear I’m going to make it right. This is his fabulous house and he’s a full patched member of the Guardians and a kick-ass landlord. He owns some more homes and he’s got a business or two. He doesn’t tell me much about his life, but all my lady friends vouch that he can be annoying but he’s good people. Oh, and I don’t know who his girlfriend is either. So, that’s everybody.”

I exhaled and only then did I notice my mom beaming with excitement, my dad smirking with his eyes at the top of his head, like he was praying for strength and all the snickering and giggling from everyone else.

“What’d I say?” I asked.

“Oh, it’s so nice to meet you all,” Mom exclaimed. “Thanks for your help with my son and my baby girl. I just don’t know what to say, I’m so overwh-wh...”

My mom’s face grew bright red on her fair skin and she sniffled as her eyes filled.

“Oh, she’s going to blow too,” Bear interjected again.

“Bear!” I exclaimed.

Dad pulled her into his large body and whispered, “It’s alright, mama. It’s alright.”

He kissed her head like he always did, and I didn’t realize I was smiling until I saw most of the others smiling too. Dessy was under Bear’s arms, cozying beneath her man. Shay’s hand was on her belly. Razor’s had his arms around Kylie’s neck and Shiz’s eyes were on me.

Shit.

I quickly turned my head and yelled, “Alright, let’s get back to work, so we can eat what Razor’s cooking on the grill.”

They had brought all types of groceries, party food, and canned goods. Beer, juice and water bottles were included. That was by far, the best welcoming committee a woman could ask for.

At that moment, my dad took the opportunity to walk straight up to Shiz and said in a stern voice, “Talk. Outside.”

I was positioned behind my dad, but I still heard the command and didn’t like his tone. So, I stood next to him and asked, “Dad, is something the matter?”

He was about to say something but Shiz turned to me and said, “Nope, nothing’s wrong, babe. Just going to talk to your pop.”

My head nodded because they weren’t giving me a say, which I knew was definitely my dad’s way and what I had learned was Shiz’s way too. There wasn’t much room for negotiations, so I watched them leave and found my mom, to tell her.

“It’s fine, sweetheart,” my mom said. “Your dad just wants to make sure you’re in good hands.”

“He’s just my landlord,” I said in confusion. “If he sucks as a landlord, I’ll call the Better Business Bureau on him or even his Club President.” 

My mom cupped my face with her hands and said, “Oh darling, he wants to be more than your landlord. Believe that.”

“No, no.” I told her. “That’s not true, Mom. He doesn’t even like me.”

I lowered my voice and whispered, “That bike was his father’s, that was passed down to his brother and both of them are dead. It’s beyond repair but I know someone that knows someone. I’m going to fix it.”

She just smiled at me, then kissed my forehead.

“You like him too,” she said in that sweet, I’m from a small-town mama and what I say is law voice, then left to help out Shay in the kitchen.

By the end of it all, Dad was outside talking with Razor, like they were old buddies and drinking a beer. Bear and Apollo were playing cards while some had left for various reasons and the rest were scattered around the house. With mostly everything put away, the food was ready, and it was time to eat.

“Aight, all the shit has been cooked. Time to eat,” Razor said with his gravelly voice.

Everybody stopped what they were doing, and we made our way around the wooden picnic table that was made for at least twenty people. When we were all seated, there was a hush that spread amongst everyone and my mom held out her hands for us to pray. I knew she did that in our house, but I didn’t really see her doing this in public. We all grabbed the hand of the person next to us and my father’s booming voice began to speak, “Lord, we thank you for the food, for family and newly acquired friends. Good ones. They mean a helluva lot. We give thanks.”

“Amen,” everyone said with laughter.

I wasn’t sure if that was because my dad cursed in the prayer or because my mom hit him on the arm for cursing in the prayer, but the crew was snickering around the table.

“Wow, Shiz, this is something else and Apollo, I didn’t know this was in ya,” Shay noted out loud.

“Yeah, he’s doing a few more places around the county before taking any more on. He’s in high demand, which is great but he needs to expand,” Lori added with pride laced in her response.

Apollo squeezed her hand and then took a huge bite out of his burger. He was a man of little words, but his adoration of his wife did not need to be expressed verbally. One look and anyone close enough to be in their midst, would know immediately. It was like that with all of them. Hell, even my mom and dad. It was there. I knew when the day came, I would know. No explanation, no pretense. Just the knowledge that I loved him, and he loved me. Whoever he was.

Those were my new goals.

We ate, talked, laughed and eventually people started to help clean up and leave. Even Mom and Dad were amongst the last to go, leaving just Shiz and me. I didn’t want to be left alone with him, but I also knew it was pretty late for them to be out. My father had a thing about driving in the dark and since my mom did not drive, he had to go before the sun went down.

I closed the door, turned around and saw Shiz wiping down the counter in the kitchen. A marble counter, I might add, which had no business in a rental.

“Babe,” he called. “You have some housewarming gifts in the living room.”

“Oh, gifts!” I exclaimed. “That’s exciting.”

There were several boxes stacked on top of the table behind the long sofa. I immediately began to rip the packaging off to see the surprise. The first one was a towel rack, the second one was a plant, the third one was a box of wine glasses. There was another box set to the side, wrapped in red tissue paper with a card taped to it. I was too excited to look at the card, so I quickly removed the wrapping. Once it was uncovered, I almost dropped the gift on the floor.

“Holy shit,” I whispered.

It was a large vibrating cock and with it was the bullet.

“Fuck,” I heard from behind me.

Oh shit.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know.” I tried to cover it up.

“Who sent it?” Shiz growled and snatched the card. “Fucking Shay.”

“Let me see,” I snatched it back. “Congrats honey. I’m excited for you. I figured you would need this more than anything else because you’re going to have some long frustrating nights and I think your story might be long. Hopefully not four years long, like mine. I’ll see you soon. Shay.”

I turned towards Shiz and said, “It’s kind of sweet. I’m not sure what she’s talking about but it’s still sweet.”

Shiz looked like a blood vessel in his neck was going to pop.

“You okay?” I laughed. “It’s just a joke.”

The man took one step towards me and then one step back. It looked like he was fighting something but losing. Therefore, I quickly put the gift away and said, “It’s away. Have I told you how much I appreciated you today?”

“Yes, like every time you saw me, which was over twenty.” He was growling.

“Well, I do. I really do.” I smiled, which caused him to take another step back. “Are you going to get the ice-cream and make milkshakes? I would love some.”

That’s when the yawn came out, but Shiz nodded and disappeared into the kitchen. Fatigue hit me like a bolt of lightning, so I sat down and waited for him. When Shiz finally returned, I squealed, hit the TV remote and looked at the local channels since my internet and tv provider wouldn’t be here until next week. Two Broke Girls was on and Shiz, oddly enough had nothing to say about my viewing choice. I was trying to suck down my milkshake but found myself falling asleep.

My last thoughts were how much of a good day it was, and I really had to contact that guy so I could find another way to get those bike parts.