Chapter Twenty-Six

Jake

I wasn’t all that surprised to find the bed empty when I opened my eyes. I had a feeling Avery would be hiding her face, ashamed of finally caving in to my wants. It was obvious I wasn’t the only one who had been feeling the pull between us. I knew she had wanted me as much as I wanted her. She just hid it better than I did.

I rolled onto my back and looked up at the ceiling, trying to decide what to do. I could go looking for her and try to talk through what had happened. Or I could leave it alone and see how she felt. Last night, when we had started, I kept telling myself it was just this once. I got one night with her, and I wanted to make the most of it.

“Yeah, right,” I smirked to myself.

One night and I was fucking addicted to her body. I wanted to fuck her again and again. I had explored her body in depth last night, but I wanted to do it again.

I was afraid she would shut me down and tell me to get lost if I tried to talk to her about maybe having sex again. I had to wait and feel her out. She was a bit like a timid animal. If I got too close or tried to push too hard, she was going to get scared and run in the opposite direction.

I sat up and headed for the shower. I needed to call Drew and discuss some business details. Then I had permission to visit Iris at her foster parents’ house. It was not in the judge’s orders, but the foster family had been willing. I wanted to see the little girl as often as I could so she wouldn’t be scared when I finally got to bring her home.

I dressed and headed downstairs and into the den. I hadn’t seen Avery yet. I would get the call to Drew out of the way and then test the waters with my wife. It weird to call her that, and until last night, I had never actually thought of her as my wife. We had officially consummated the marriage and were very married.

I fired up the laptop and called Drew via Skype. “Hey,” he answered, looking slightly disheveled.

“You look like hell. Rough night?”

He grinned. “Someone has to keep the ladies happy with you out of town and all.”

I chuckled and realized I wasn’t jealous at all. I should have been, but my night had been very satisfying. I didn’t miss the clubs or the whole scene in general.

“Good luck filling my shoes,” I teased.

He chortled. “They’ve already forgotten your name.”

“Ha! I doubt that. I’m a legend.”

“Are you going to come back?” Drew asked in a serious tone.

“What do you mean am I?”

He shrugged. “I think you know what I mean.”

“My home is in California. My job and my business are there,” I stated.

“Yes, they are, but I think we’ve proven that distance isn’t really an issue,” he reminded me.

“I’m not ready to think about any of that. Not yet,” I said, grumbling.

“How’s it going down there? How’s your wife?” he asked with a grin.

I smiled. “Good. She’s great actually.”

He nodded. “I thought so. I guess you have a lot to figure out.”

I sighed. “I guess I do. Anyway, that’s not why I called. I wanted to go over a few of the accounts. Do you have a minute?”

Drew rubbed his face and nodded. “Yep. Let me get to my computer.”

We spent the next twenty minutes talking about business and planning out the following week. I could tell Drew had everything well in hand. He really didn’t need me there babysitting his every move. Drew had been with me for so long, he knew what I was thinking before I did half the time. I trusted him to make sound business decisions.

We disconnected, and I went in search of Avery. I found her lounging on a patio chair, reading a book.

“Hey,” I said, walking out to the patio.

She put the book down and looked at me with her dark sunglasses in place. She was wearing a pair of tiny cut-off jean shorts and a tank top with spaghetti straps. She looked amazing, and my mind immediately went back to the night before when I had been between those tanned legs.

“Hi,” she said, a small smile on her face. “What’s up?”

I took that as a good sign. At least she didn’t throw the book at me.

“I’m headed out to visit Iris. I’ll take more video and send you pictures.”

She nodded her head. I hated that she couldn’t go with me, but I was positive it wouldn’t be much longer. I needed to form a bond with the child, and the only way to do that was to see her on a regular basis. I knew Avery was worried Iris would forget her, which was why I video chatted every chance I could. I was the one who had to make up for missed time. Avery already had a bond with her.

“Okay. Give her a kiss for me,” she said with a sad smile.

“I will.”

I turned around and left without getting any closer to her. I didn’t trust myself not to reach out and touch her. If I touched her, I wouldn’t be able to stop until I was buried deep inside her tight sheath. I’d miss my appointment with Iris and potentially blow my chances of ever getting her.

When I got to the foster family’s home, I was warmly greeted by the foster dad. I was relieved to find him to be a good guy. I had seen and read too many horror stories about how kids in the system were often treated. The family had Iris and two other little ones in their care. They weren’t able to have children of their own and had opened their home to kids who needed help.

“You must be Jake. It’s good to meet you. I’m Don, and this is my wife, Nettie.”

They led me into the comfortable living room where Iris was in a bouncy seat on the floor. I looked around the room and noticed it was very small, but it felt welcoming. It was obvious they didn’t have a lot of money. It made what they did all that more remarkable.

“Hi, baby girl,” I said, dropping to my knees in front of her.

I hadn’t realized how much I had missed seeing her little face until that moment. I had to hold her. I felt a little like the Grinch with my heart growing too big for my chest at the very sight of her.

“Can I?” I asked, motioning to take her out of the seat.

“Of course,” Nettie answered. “Do you need help getting her out?”

“I think I can manage. I have to learn how at some point. Best to learn under your skilled eye,” I joked.

I managed to pull her out. I held her a few inches from my face and smiled. When she smiled back at me, my heart melted.

“Oh, that is so sweet,” Nettie cooed.

I nodded and snuggled Iris close.

“It’s a tough situation I understand,” Don said. “I’m sorry about your sister. That is far too young for anyone to leave this earth.”

I sighed and sat down in a worn but comfortable chair. “It really is. Iris is my last connection to my family. I hope we can prove to the state we are worthy of having her.”

Nettie gave me a warm smile. “I think you’ll do fine. I’m only sorry you have to go through this at all. I know they mean well, but sometimes it seems like a lot of interference for no reason at all.”

I smirked. “You don’t have to tell me. I get it though, and I am glad they are being careful. It would be worse if they let anyone take in orphaned children. You guys seem like a good family. I have to admit I had visions of some cold, dark orphanage.”

Don chuckled. “We had those same images in our minds as well. In fact, we’ve seen those places, which is what inspired us to become foster parents. We wanted to give these kids a good place to feel safe and wanted.”

I nodded my head, choking back the emotion his words brought out. “Thank you for doing that. This whole situation has been bad enough without having to worry whether she is taken care of while we prove our worthiness.”

Nettie looked at Iris, who seemed to be interested in my face. “Lucky for you, she won’t remember any of this. It will be a minor hiccup in her young life. I have faith you and your wife will get custody and raise her to be a fine young woman.”

“Thank you. I hope so. I can tell you Avery misses her like crazy. Avery, my wife, was there when Iris was born. She loves her like she was her own child,” I said proudly. “Do you mind if I take a video of her to show her when I get home?”

“Please do. I would like to meet her someday,” Nettie said.

I put Iris back in the bouncy chair and took several videos of her batting at the toys in front of her and occasionally bouncing up and down. It was the cutest thing I’d ever witnessed.

“I should get going,” I said after thirty minutes. “Thank you so much for agreeing to this. I know you didn’t have to.”

“It’s fine. We’ll be praying for you and your wife. I think you’ll make an excellent father,” Don said, his hand on my shoulder.

“Thank you,” I said and walked out.

As I drove home, I thought about my visit. It had made me extremely happy and hopeful. I wanted to spend more time with Iris. I wasn’t excited to go to work or travel across the country for business. I certainly didn’t want to go out to a club and flirt with women who would never make me happy. The short time I had been in Arizona had changed me.

Now I understood why Drew had asked me if I was going back. I didn’t know if I wanted to. I felt like I was being pulled in two different directions. I knew which way I wanted to go. Now I had to figure out if I had the courage to give up everything I had come to know in the past five years and jump into a new life. I wasn’t even sure the life I thought I had here was real. Avery may have used me for sex.

The thought made me laugh. It would serve me right. I had used her all those years ago and countless women since her. I stopped by the grocery store and picked up a few things to make what I hoped would be a romantic dinner for two. We had plenty of wine at the house, but I picked up some more anyway.

I hoped Avery would be home when I got there. I was looking forward to hanging out with her. As much as I wanted sex with her again, I would be completely content relaxing by the pool or watching some stupid movie on TV.

“Dammit,” I muttered when I pulled into the circular driveway and discovered her car was gone.

I walked into the house and put away the groceries. I had never really felt alone before even though I had been by myself in my sprawling condo plenty of times. I could feel Avery’s absence in the house and felt truly alone. I hoped she would be home soon.

I headed upstairs and quickly changed into my swim shorts before heading to the pool. I thought about Avery’s tendency to be naked when she was in the backyard. Although I didn’t mind seeing her naked, I wasn’t quite as daring. I’d be keeping my clothes on.