CHAPTER 23 - AVERY
The next morning everyone in the house pretended that the conversation from last night hadn’t occurred, and that was for the best. My parents were clearly thrilled to have me back in the house, and I could hear my mother singing to herself when I opened the door to my room.
My father was getting ready to go to work as I came down the stairs, and he got up and pulled a chair out for me right as my mother arrived with a plate full of eggs, toast, and bacon, just the way I liked it, smiles on both their faces.
It felt really good for us to all be together again, even if most of the time we didn’t see eye to eye on some pretty big and important things.
I ate quickly, ravenously hungry despite how much I’d eaten at dinner just a few hours ago - I think my body was subconsciously worried I’d be left out in the snow again, and wanted to eat enough now to make sure I could survive a cold winter, like a bear.
Despite how calm and happy my parents were at the table, inside I was the very definition of turmoil. I woke up knowing that I couldn’t stay here, that even though it felt nice to stop by and stay awhile, that this house wasn’t my home anymore.
My place wasn’t here — it was, for now, back at school, and in a few months, who knew?
I cleared my throat — “I have to tell you both something.”
My father closed his paper and folded it, setting it next to his almost empty plate. My mother came to the table from the kitchen. “Yes, dear?” I could hear the hope in her voice and on both their faces.
“This isn’t going to be easy,” I started, hesitating before chucking all caution to the wind. “I wanted to tell you that I’m going back to school at the end of the week.” I watched their faces fall, but pressed on. “I’m going to finish up my degree, and then I’ll figure out what I want to do next.”
My father scowled and looked away, and my mother came closer to the table, wringing her hands together. “But what about what we talked about last night?”
“You were the ones talking, I was just listening. I gave myself the night to think about it.” I felt the tears at the edges of my eyes. “I love you both, you know that, but this isn’t the right place for me right now.”
“You could settle down…you could meet someone,” my mother started while my father looked on.
“And I could do that when I’m done with my degree, Mom. I’m not in a rush.”
Silence around the table, silence so long that it started to get a little weird. A couple times my father opened his mouth, but only unintelligible sounds came out. My mother watched me sadly, and I couldn’t tell what she was thinking.
My father found the words, and started to speak. “Avery, you…”
“Hush, Arthur,” my mother said. “Can’t you see she’s made up her mind?” I exhaled sharply at the sound of her voice — she wasn’t angry, she was resigned. That was a step in the right direction.
“I was going to say,” he looked at my mother before focusing back on me, “that no matter what, we’ll always be here for you. And if you ever want to come back home, don’t even think twice about it.”
Now the tears just came down like the snowfall from days ago. I stood up and gave my father a huge hug. “You really mean that? You’re not mad?”
“We talked about it after you went to bed, dear. We know that we’ve been a little…”
“…Difficult,” my father said. “Since we lost your sister.”
“We just wanted to keep you safe, you know that.” My mother stood up as I hugged her too. “But we’re not going to get in the way of your happiness. You’re an adult now, and have been for longer than we’ve been willing to admit.”
I alternated between hugging them both, feeling a sense of relief rush over me so fast that I almost got dizzy. My eyes caught on a picture of Naomi and I sitting on the mantle, and I cried even harder for a minute.
And then, out of nowhere, a knock on the door, strong and heavy.
My father looked toward the front of the small house while I wiped my eyes. We all shrugged to each other — no one was expecting anyone this early.
My mother went to the front and looked out the peephole before opening the door. “Can I help you?” I heard her say.
And then his voice. “I’m looking for Avery,” Eames said, in that deep and rich tone that I’d know anywhere.
I started rushing toward the door as my mother said, “Wait a minute, I’ll get her,”
I turned the corner and came down the hallway, and Eames’ face lit up as soon as he saw me. My heart leapt in my chest. “What’re you doing here?” I almost shouted as I came to the door.
My mother looked at me with a combination question and that polite smile mothers give when there’s company around. “Avery, dear, this nice young man is looking for you. Who is he?”
“He’s the guy from the inn, the guy who saved me after the accident. Eames. You remember?”
My mother’s face exploded with happiness. “Of course, of course, Eames! It’s such a pleasure to meet you!” She beckoned him forward and into the house, but Eames stayed put outside. He’d cleaned himself up, shaved off the beginnings of a beard he’d been working on, and gotten into some clothes that looked more fashionable than anything I’d have pictured him in.
He looked incredible, and even more gorgeous than I remembered.
And my mother was right there watching me ogle him. Ugh.
“Thanks, Mom, I got it,” I said to her, then turned to Eames again and repeated myself. “What’re you doing here?”
Eames smiled at my mother. “Mind if I borrow her for a moment?”
My mother smiled and nodded. “I’ll be right here,” she said, and I felt her hand on the small of my back, pushing me out the door.
“Thanks, Mom,” I muttered as she tossed me one of the coats hanging on the coat rack and softly closed the door behind me, leaving Eames and I alone outside.
I pulled on the coat and tightened it around me, shivering in the morning frost. Eames stepped forward and wrapped his arms around me, dragging me into his heat and his smell, a smell that I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed until that very moment.
“What’re you doing here?” I mumbled into his strong chest as Eames hugged me.
“I don’t understand you,” he whispered back.
I pushed my face up so I was looking at him and repeated myself. “What’re you doing here? How did you find me?”
“I spent half the night driving around the city wondering what I was doing with my life, and then I realized that I needed to come find you. That was the other half of the night.”
“It took you that long? Ever heard of the internet?” I punched him in the shoulder.
“In my defense, I haven’t really been big into computers for a while now.”
“Says the guy who built a company from his laptop while traveling the world.”
“That’s different.”
We didn’t speak for a few moments, and I just stayed in his arms, feeling for the first time in days that I was where I belonged.
Then I pulled back. “She’s watching us, isn’t she?”
Eames nodded. “I can see her face through the windows.”
I shook my head. “Typical.”
“I’m sure she’s thrilled to see you.”
“They both are.” I looked at him quizzically. “You didn’t really answer my question — why are you here, Eames?”
He looked down at me, that strong jaw working as he figured out what to say. “I missed hearing you say my name like that.”
“What way?”
“I can’t really describe it. I always thought my name was weird. I spent more than a little while mad at my father for giving it to me.” He cleared his throat, looking off into the distance. “But when you say it the way you do, it sounds…” he looked down at me. “It sounds right.”
I frowned. “I’m not just here to make your name sound good, Eames Beckett,” I said, putting a different spin on it this time.
“Will you relax for a moment? This isn’t easy for me,” he replied quickly. “I’m not the kind of person who can admit when he’s wrong.”
He sure wasn’t. “What were you wrong about?”
This time there was no hesitation. “I was wrong to leave the inn without telling you.” He paused. “And more than that, I was wrong to think that I could ever leave you. Not after what we’ve got.”
“And what’s that?”
Now it was Eames’ turn to frown. “You’re really not going to make this easy for me, are you?”
“Since when was that my job?”
Eames’ face broke out into a smile that stretched ear to ear. “It’s that, Avery, that right there. That’s why I love you.”
My breath caught sharply in my throat. We were in uncharted territory now, and I had no idea how we’d gotten here. “Say that part again,” I whispered, pressing my chin against Eames’ chest.
“Which part?”
I pounded on his chest again. “You know which part, Eames!”
He shook his head, and I saw the twinkle in his eye, the one that said he knew he had me on the hook. And I knew it too — this wonderful and flawed man had me hook, line, and sinker. “Maybe I forgot what I was going to say.”
“I hate you, you know that?”
“You did hate me, I distinctly remember that part.”
“Still do. Still do!”
“Nah, I think it’s something else now.”
Of course he was right.
“I think you love me,” Eames continued. “And that’s why I came here, because it took me a little longer than it should have to realize that I love you too, Avery.”
And then he kissed me, and it was everything that I’d ever dreamed it could be.
And so much more.
I don’t know how long it lasted, but it ended when both of us heard my mother cheering through the window and jumping around the living room. My father must have come to see what the commotion was about, but soon he was smiling and dancing with my mother too.
“I love you too, Eames,” I breathed as we broke apart for a moment.
Then I glanced at my parents, and back at Eames. “This doesn’t change anything, you know.”
Eames cocked his head to the side. “It changes everything.”
“I’m still finishing school first, despite what they,” I said, pointing back to the window, “think is going on here.”
Eames waved at my parents and then focused back on me. “Of course. School first, most important thing. I’d never dream of getting in the way of that.” He paused again. “But afterward…”
“I’ve got something in mind.”
“Yeah? What’s that?” The wonder and question on his face was palpable.
“I was thinking of doing a little traveling.”
Eames grinned. “Now you’re speaking my language, Princess.”
I let that one go.
Just once.