Chapter 26
Maddox
I know that Avery made it as far as Grant’s Pass. That’s where she stayed last night. I’ve only been on the road about six hours – hauling ass – when I see the sign for that exit. I need to stop for gas or I’ll be burning fumes if I go much longer. I take the exit and fill up, hit the men’s room, then I’m on the road again. This country is nothing but rugged low mountains, rural with more trees than people. I’d like to live somewhere like this some day, but right now I’m too wired to think about much except keeping my eyes peeled on the road ahead, looking for even the most fleeting sign of Avery.
Ten miles or so north of Grant’s Pass, I get that long anticipated, long prayed-for sign – at least I think I do. I blow past a beat up old Honda Civic pulled over in the breakdown lane. I’m going too fast to even get a glimpse at who is inside it. All I can see as I check my rear view mirror is that the hood is up. I hit the breaks and as soon as I’m slowed sufficiently to pull to the side, I pull over and stop, slip the truck into reverse, and start backing up.
I hope there are no cops nearby. This move is the height of illegal.
Stepping out of my truck, approaching the Honda, I see plainly that the car has been abandoned. No one is there. I don’t even know if this is Ella’s car. I check the tag and see that it’s registered in California. I pull my cell from my pocket and call Ella.
She picks up in half a second.
“What’s your tag number?” I ask, skipping the formalities.
She calls the letters and numbers out as I read them from the plate. It’s her car, but there’s no Avery in it. I walk around the vehicle and see the sticky stain of antifreeze on the ground beneath the engine block.
“Looks like it may have blown a hose or maybe the water pump,” I say. “Anyway. If you hear from her, tell her to stay put and call me to let me know where she is.”
I end the call and look up and down the road. All I see is pavement and trees.
Somewhere down that highway there’s a pretty redhead walking by herself out there in the middle of godforsaken nowhere. She could get picked up by a serial killer, or a car load of stoned rednecks, or one of those people who kidnap vulnerable young women and sell them into the sex trade.
She could be sick, passed out in a ditch beside the highway, out of sight.
Jesus, Avery. What are you thinking? You should always stay with the car. Everyone knows that. The cops will always pull over to help stranded motorists. I wish I’d had the opportunity to tell her all these things, and now I’m just praying to whatever higher power there is, to give me a second chance.
Please keep her safe. Please.
I put my truck back on the road, praying, making deals with my maker the whole time as I drive.
If you let me find her safe and well, I’ll be the best partner, the best father, I’ll never take her or our life for granted. I’ll cherish her and the baby, and always do my best for them.
I drive for several miles along winding hilly highway with those deals running in a loop in my brain. I come around a bend in the road and the grade turns down toward a valley. A sign ahead says, “Canyonville – 1 mile.” I see a tiny figure far ahead, walking on the side of the highway exit ramp. I give my signal and move to the right, then I nudge over into the exit lane.
I pass by her going slow, and see that the walker is Avery. My heart leaps into my throat as I slam on brakes and pull off to the side, jamming the truck into park, bolting out the door toward her.
She looks up, shocked, and then realizes its me. Her face dissembles into tears as she throws herself into my embrace.
I don’t say a single thing. I just pull her close and hold her, rocking, while she bawls into my chest.
She’s shaking and crying. “I was so scared… so scared… I didn’t… I didn’t know what to do...”
“Shhh, baby. It’s okay. You’re okay. I found you. You’re safe. You’ll be safe from now on. I’m so sorry. I’ll never leave you like that again. I’ll never do it. I swear. I love you so much.”
We stand on the highway like that – just hanging on to one another – for a ridiculously long time. Finally she pulls away and looks up at me. “I’m so thirsty. I drank the last of my water a long time ago. Do you have any?”
She’s thirsty, hot, dirty, exhausted, and freaked the fuck out about everything. I put her into my truck, hand her a cold bottle of water, and tell her she’s gonna get a shower and a rest. I can’t stop looking at her, holding her hand as I drive the short stretch into the little town. I keep kissing her hand, tasting her skin, reassuring myself that she’s really okay and really with me.
There are exactly two hotels in Canyonville, Oregon. One is a truck stop Holiday Inn, and the other is attached to a casino. It’s not a difficult decision. I pull into the Seven Feathers Resort and Casino, and navigate to the hotel. I pay a premium for a king suite with no reservation, but the price is worth it, because Avery is with me, safe.
“Tell me what happened with my parents,” Avery asks as we step into the elevator to go up to our room.
“I’ll tell you everything,” I say. “After you get something to eat and take a load off. You walked at least five miles.”
“Was it that far?” she asks, leaning against my shoulder. “It felt like forever.”
I nod at her, slipping my arm around her tiny waist. I almost want to scold her for leaving the car, but I can’t. The salt of her tears still stain her face. She’s sunburned, and she looks beaten with physical exhaustion. I want to get her off her feet and get some food in her before any serious conversation takes place.
The hotel room is just perfect. It’s spacious and tasteful, and once inside I realize why it’s expensive. It’s probably the nicest hotel room I’ve ever stayed in (which is not saying much). It’s huge too, with a couch and a desk and a massive, floor to ceiling tiled bathroom.
“Oh. Nice,” Avery chirps, stepping in, looking around. “Who knew Oregon had decent hotels?”
Indeed. Who knew? How in the world am I ever going to keep this girl in the manner to which she was born and raised? Short answer, I don’t think I can. That said, I can do better in areas other than money. I can love her completely and without strings attached.
I put our bags down on the floor as Avery makes for the bed and collapses on it.
“I just want to sleep until the end of days,” she says, melting into the heavy comforter.
I pull her shoes from her swollen feet and climb up beside her, cradling her head in the crook of my arm. “Take a nap,” I say, drawing my finger along her jawline, then smoothing back her hair. “I’ll call Ella to let her know you’re safe.”
“Okay.” She yawns, her eyelids already drooping. She rolls on her side, tucks her knees up to her elbows, and relaxes. “Just a few minutes.”
I step out into the corridor to call Ella. She’s ecstatic when I tell her that Avery is with me, and fine. I promise I’ll have her car towed and fixed, and get it back to her some way, sooner rather than later.
“Don’t freak out about the car,” Ella assures me. “It’s older than I am. I’ll manage without it just fine for the time being. Just take care of Avery.”
I promise her I will.
“You guys need to get to Vancouver,” she says. “Fucking Evelyn put a guy on the street outside my place, watching me. I know they’re looking for her. If she used a credit card, they’ll be on your tail before you know it.”
“We will,” I say. “Your Aunt – she won’t mind me?”
“No,” Ella interrupts. “Bebe is cool. She’ll love you. Just get there.”
“Okay. But I’ve got to let Avery rest. She’s been through the wringer. She’s napping now. She needs to rest and eat something and rest more.”
“She’s tougher than you think she is,” Ella says. “She’s not going to break.”
That’s probably true.
Back inside the room I find Avery sleeping like a cat, nuzzled up on a big pillow, her arms wrapped around a second one, holding it close. She looks so peaceful. She’s beautiful, despite the road grime and sun burn. She’s the picture of perfection, and she’s here with me, safe, mine.
I watch her sleep for a long time, just studying her features and form. She’s a small person, with slender, taught limbs and a naturally lithe build. I try to imagine her fat with a baby. The picture I paint in my head is even more beautiful than she is now. In my mind’s eye she’s softer, filled out at the breasts and hips, her belly heavy and round. Her face glows as she smiles up at me, placing my hand on her belly. She smiles. The expression in her eye tells me she feels safe and loved.
I want to see that expression for real.
“Penny for your thoughts,” she says.
I blink. Avery’s awake and drowsily taking me in.
I slip in beside her on the bed, kicking my shoes off, pulling her close. “I was just thinking about how beautiful you are. And how much I adore you. And how glad I am that I have you back with me, safe. And that I’m never going to let you go.”
“I hope you always feel that way.” She says, a tinge of caution in her tone.
I kiss the nape of her neck. “I will always feel that way.” I assure her. “I want to grow old with you. I wanna spoil our grandchildren together.”
“Grandchildren?” She asks, laughing. “Man, I can hardly see my way through to one kid, and you’ve plotted us all the way out to grandchildren.”
She turns into my chest and meets my eyes with hers. “We need to talk,” she says.
“Okay.” I kiss her – chastely – on the lips.
“I… I’m… I’m a few weeks late with my period. And the test I took was positive. I haven’t been to the doctor yet, but...”
“You’re pregnant.” I finish her sentence, offering no reaction.
She hauls in a deep, anxious breath and lets it out. “Are you upset? I’d understand—”
“No,” I say. “I’m not upset. Are you upset?”
She takes a moment to think, then she says, “No. I’m not upset. I’m a little bit freaked out and overwhelmed. But upset, no.”
“Good. Whatever happens, we’re a family,” I say. “A real one.”
Once more I press my lips to hers and I kiss her, letting our tongues reacquaint themselves with one another. It’s been too long. I missed kissing her.
“Are you still feeling ill?” I ask her, finally breaking the kiss.
She shakes her head. “Not now. I was before and I probably will again, but right now I’m okay.”
“Then you need to eat something now, while you can.” I roll off the bed and retrieve the room service menu. Thirty minutes later, a knock on the door delivers our meals.
I watch Avery eat like I’m a lion guarding his pride at the site of the kill. I want her to eat her fill and I want her to keep it down this time. She’s eating for more than just herself.
She starts with cheesecake – whatever works – then dives in with carnivorous abandon to a medium rare cut of beef tenderloin.
“Oh my god, this is so good,” she mumbles, her mouth full. “I feel like I can finally eat. Oh yes,” She smears sour cream on her baked potato, then gobbles a mouthful. “It needs more butter.” She reaches for it and smears it on.
This is wonderful. She’s eating again. She’s been picking at dry toast and humus for weeks.
“Your parents did not react well to me confronting them with that report,” I say, broaching the subject she tried to open earlier.
Avery stops chewing and looks up at me, a wary expression darkening her lovely blue eyes.
“Keep eating,” I tell her, pointing my fork at her steak. Then I tell her everything, from leaving her apartment in the morning before she woke up, until the moment I saw her on the highway walking down that exit ramp.
“I’ve never been so scared in my life,” I admit. “Thinking of all the different ways I might have lost you. Please don’t ever take off on your own like that again. And if you’re ever in a car that breaks down, stay with it. Please. Promise me.”
“Okay,” Avery says. “One one condition.”
She’s got conditions. Okay.
“I want you to show me how to change a flat tire, and change the oil, and properly add coolant. I want to know how to read a road map. I want to know how to balance my checkbook and figure interest on a loan. These are the kinds of things that I never learned, because no one ever thought I should know them. And I know there are a thousand other things I don’t know that I should, that I can’t even think of.”
That’s my girl.
“That’s a deal,” I say. “I can do all that.”
“Good.” She grins at me. “I’ll tell you one thing I did right.”
“What’s that?” I ask.
“I got cash before I hit the road. Cleaned out my checking account – almost twenty thousand dollars. The Thomas political machine may be smart, but it can’t track cash. I know you’re worried they’re on our tail, but unless they followed you, I’m pretty sure we’re clear of them.”
I know they didn’t follow me, but I also know we’re not clear of their reach until we’re on foreign soil.
“You went for a walk down the I-5 by yourself, with twenty large in your purse?” I ask her, forking a mouthful of asparagus.
She grins. “Pretty brave, eh?”
“Pretty stupid, eh?” I respond. “You ever do anything like that again and I’ll turn you over my knee and teach you what a spanking feels like. For real.”
She frowns. “I thought I did good.”
I take a breath. “You did good. You just did some really reckless stuff too. But… it all turned out okay. Luckily.”
I figure that Avery is correct. No one is close on our heels, not anytime soon anyway. I want her to rest. I want her to absorb everything that has happened. I want her to feel safe.
After we eat, while Avery showers, I call a local mechanic’s shop to get the Honda towed from the highway and repaired. I explain that it may take awhile to get the car picked up, but I’ll pay for the work as soon as it’s done.
“I may have a guy who can drive it to California – for a fee – and get the bus back,” the owner offers.
I like that idea a lot. We arrange it.
Avery comes out of the bathroom wrapped in a fluffy white robe courtesy of the hotel. Her hair is wet and clean, and has just a hint of curl coming back to its texture. I reach out and run my fingers through it, feeling the waves in my palm.
“I love you, Avery,” I say.
She smiles up at me, running a towel through her locks. “I love you too, Maddox.”
It’s the first time she’s ever come right out and said it that way. Hearing it makes my heart swell, my throat close, and my dick twitch. I realize I’m afraid to think of her in that way now that I know she’s carrying our child.
She steps toward me, loosening the belt on her robe. She takes my hand in hers and slips it inside the robe, placing it on her breast.
“I’m not fragile,” she says. “And I feel fine right now. In fact I feel pretty good. I’m maybe ten weeks pregnant. I don’t know yet. But I know that I feel a lot better than Idid.”
She smells like strawberry shampoo. She smells good. Her skin is hot, warm, and soft. I breath her in. I kiss her.
She meets my kisses eagerly, her tongue mingling with mine. Her hand slips to my waist and then around the small of my back, pulling me into her, while she returns my kisses with heat.
Her breasts, slightly swollen and hard, press against my chest.
“Make love to me,” she says. “I need to feel your skin on my skin so I know this is really real.”
Oh, my sweet girl, it’s real.
She hooks her fingers into my belt loops and pulls me backwards, walking with her, toward the bed. She grins and falls back into it’s plush covers and I tumble over her, catching myself, looming above her. I don’t know what’s safe at this early stage of her pregnancy, so I take it very easy. Her robe slips away, revealing her full naked body, gentle curves and milky white skin where she’s not pink with sunburn. I kiss those tender spots and then gently nip her breasts. Avery’s back arches high, pressing her belly up to meet mine at this attention.
“So sensitive,” I observe, teasing.
She agrees. “Unbelievably so.” She touches the nipple of her right breast and bites her lip. “I think I really like it.”
I follow her lead, nuzzling her tits, sucking nipples, tweaking them between my fingertips as I lay down kisses from her pubic bone to her sternum. She responds with little moans and purrs, but her hands urge me impatiently for more than foreplay. She tugs at my shirt, trying to pull it off. I help, unbuttoning it, shrugging it off my shoulders and casting it aside. Then I slip my belt loose and undo my button and zipper. Avery slips her hand inside my jeans, finding me hard against her fingers, begging for release from clothing.
“Come out and play.” She half giggles, sitting up, shoving my jeans off my hips with her free hand.
She strokes my cock expertly, working her fingertips against the base of my shaft while her palm presses firmly, pulling me to full length. Then she leans forward and takes me into her mouth, sliding my cock between her lips, wrapping her tongue around the head, lapping and sucking. I let my head tip backwards as I feel the exquisite pleasure of her attentions. My mind slips into oblivion, every thought fleeing except the drowning pleasure of this moment. There’s nothing except my cock and her hands and her mouth and the idea that I want to come hard – right now.
I push that idea away and snatch some focus back from the mind-numbing pleasure Avery is giving me. My hands fall to her shoulders and I very gently urge her backwards. She protests, without breaking her sucking, teasing rhythm, and even the subtle vibration of her whining sends a jolt of ecstasy into my core.
I don’t want to come in her mouth, but I’m close – so close. And it feels so fucking good.
“Baby – stop. Please. Please.”
Looking down at her, with her beautiful full lips wrapped around me, my balls in her hands, is just about enough to make me explode. Then she looks up at me, those blue eyes gleaming, a smile creeping into the corners. She’s enjoying it almost as much as I am.
That’s it. I press her shoulders backward, forcing her off me, then I push her down onto the bed.
“You didn’t let me finish my work.” She complains, her fingers crawling up my belly, tracing the contour of my abs.
I reach low, past the soft downy fur between her legs and slip a finger in, feeling her wetness. She’s positively soaking. Her eyes close with my touch and her hips rock hard to meet me.
“Inside me,” she begs. “Fuck me. Now.”
I hesitate, even as I part her legs with my knees, hanging above her, taking her in. I don’t want to hurt her – or the baby.
“Is this safe?” I ask her, pressing my hard-on against her belly as her body begs for me.
“Yeah.” She almost laughs. “Yeah, it’s fine. Like I said. Women’s bodies aren’t as fragile as everyone likes to think.” She finds my cock with her hand and guides me.
I slip inside her, blinded momentarily by the intense pressure and heat of her enveloping muscles taking in my full length. I’m anxious. I wait for her to set the rhythm, her body riding up to meet me, her hips rocking against mine. I breath deep to regain my focus. I don’t want to hurt her. I have almost no concern for my own pleasure – I’m too concerned for Avery – but I press in when she asks me to, and go deeper still as she comes hard underneath me. I feel her shudder and quake, trembling beneath me.
I see her laughter and smiles as she recovers, then feel her grip my ass with pressing hands that urge me on.
“It’s okay,” she says, running her fingers through my hair. “You can’t hurt me.”
I hope she’s right. I move in gently, rolling in, trying to be easy.
“Maddox. Fuck me hard,” she says. “C’mon. Don’t be afraid. It’s okay.”
I’m not convinced. I’m scared of losing control and being too rough with her.
I’ve shot people. I’ve pulled dead guys onto helicopters and tied off destroyed limbs on barely living men to keep them from bleeding out. I’ve defied orders to save lives, and killed people despite orders to the contrary. I’ve blown up sixty million dollars worth of government property to keep it from falling into enemy hands. But I have never – not even once – had sex with a woman who was pregnant with our child.
Avery shoves my shoulders backward. “Roll over,” she demands, pushing hard.
I find myself on my back with her on top, sitting on top of me, my cock buried deep inside her, her hips grinding against mine.
“I’ll fuck you,” she growls, almost threatening, leaning forward, pressing her round, firm tits into my chest, her clit hard against my shaft as she draws me out and then sucks me back in.
My hands fall to her hips, gripping the soft skin of her ass cheeks. She’s so warm. Her pussy so hot and so incredibly tight, wrapped around my cock as she rides me, shoving me into her, then pulling out. Every nerve in my body fires looking up at her, holding her, feeling her drive. She owns me.
She finds the pace and moves with it, burying me deep and then rising up, teasing the head of my cock with her muscles, pinching me hard.
“Oh fuck,” I hear myself say. My head rolls backward. My eyes squeeze closed. I feel my balls draw up as the tension at my belly tightens to a spring loaded coil.
“That’s it,” she urges me on, her hands falling to my chest while she grinds, moving me in deep and then drawing back slowly, teasingly.
“Oh fuck.”
I can’t stand it. I wrap my hands around her ass and in a second I’ve got her underneath me, my cock inside her, thrusting hard and deep. I’m suspended above her looking down, meeting her eyes as I feel her legs wrap around my hips, her body rising to mine in a pumping rhythm.
“That’s it,” she says again. “Just like that.” She comes again easily, giggling into my chest with wave after wave of throbbing orgasm as I punch into her. Then I feel my coil break and release, shoving a million volts of pent up angst, fear, and frustration from the day, releasing all at once in one massive, jettisoning explosion inside her.
I hear Avery cry out, her fingers digging into my back, stinging me.
I pull back. “Are you okay? Did I hurt you?”
She’s crying. I see the tears streaming from the corners of her eyes. I’m terrified I’ve hurt her.
“No Maddox,” she says, breathless. “No. You didn’t hurt me.”
Her arms slip up around my shoulders. She hugs me tightly while her hips rock slowly, her body still quivering against mine.
“You make me feel so perfect. This is perfect.”
It’s perfect to me too.
* * *
We will figure all of this out. Not by the time we get to Vancouver, probably not even anytime soon. But with the help of friends like Ella, her Aunt Bebe, Salvatore and a few others we may not have even met yet, we’ll find our way. We have one another to take care of, and a baby on the way. Nothing is ever really perfect, but sometimes it’s not far off if you keep your priorities in order. I know what my priorities are now. I love Avery and our tiny potential of a family. I’ll be the best for her that I can possibly be. Beyond those basic facts, not much else matters.