She rattles off every detail of her day with so much enthusiasm that I catch Easton’s small smile out of the corner of my eye. I nod along and make all the right expressions. I might not be able to read him when it comes to me but he definitely has a soft spot for Chloe and that’s what’s really important. I don’t care what happens to me. As long as she’s safe and happy I can withstand anything.
Chloe is still chattering away when we get back to the house so I just follow behind them carrying my bags of beauty supplies. We find Zack with his head stuck in the fridge searching for a snack and when he hears Chloe’s bright and happy voice, he shuts it with a grin and reaches to take her backpack off her slim shoulders. I drop my bags out of the way and pull a container of homemade cookies from the pantry and hand it to him. He glances at me with a smile of thanks and then does a double take with wide eyes that have a flash of heat in them as he takes in my new hair and makeup. I blink a few times but the heat I thought I saw is gone so fast that I shake my head.
“Wow…just…wow, Aves. You look amazing!” He tells me with a friendly grin.
I can feel the blush on my fair skin as I murmur a soft, “Thank you.”
Chloe reaches for the cookies so I intercept her. “Come on, duck. Let’s go get you changed and put your backpack away. You can have some cookies after you’ve washed your hands.”
The promise of cookies ends her complaints and I herd her from the room with one last look over my shoulder at East. I frown in confusion when I see him and Zack glaring at each other and hope it wasn’t anything I did.
Chloe’s squeal of excitement has me racing into our rooms when my feet come to a dead stop in shock. The small living room is filled with too many glossy shopping bags for me to count.
“Look, Momma! More presents!”
Chloe yells in glee as she dives in and starts pulling things from bags. She starts grumbling when all she comes out with is clothing and it unfreezes my feet. I dash forward and save the gorgeous violet cashmere sweater that she’s about to toss on the floor and bring it up to rub the softness of it against my cheek. I’ve never felt anything like it before. Chloe dives for the next bag.
“Stop! Baby, go change out of your uniform and then wash your hands, please.”
She pouts and grumbles about boring clothes but does as I’ve asked. My eyes track over the bags and the few things my daughter tossed aside in awe. He…he…bought me clothes? I don’t even know how to process this. First the makeover and now these clothes? I shake my head at how this generosity clashes with how cold and abrupt East can be at times.
I give up trying to understand and let the small part of me that’s filled with girlish excitement free but hold back my own squeal of excitement. I snatch the closest bag to me and rip out the tissue paper to peer inside with a wide smile of excitement only to slam the bag closed abruptly. My eyes go wide and my cheeks fill with red heat. It doesn’t matter that the only bra I own is on its last legs or that my few pair of underwear is worn with holes around the waistband. It doesn’t matter that I desperately need what’s in this bag that I clutch to my chest because…Cassius Easton…bought…me…lingerie and I have no idea how to deal with that.
In the end, I decide to pretend that he didn’t have anything to do with it and avoid the whole issue by keeping Chloe in our rooms for the rest of the afternoon. It’s still my day off and Easton told me I wouldn’t need to make dinner so I stay in and hang the incredibly beautiful clothes that he bought me up in the mostly empty closet. I’ve never owned such expensive things before and I’m almost afraid to wear any of them but God do I want to. I finally drag myself away from the luxurious fabrics and move to put together a small dinner for Chloe and me when there’s a sharp knock on our door.
Chloe beats me to it and throws open the door and is almost knocked backwards when Kanga plows into her causing her to squeal out a laugh. My eyes meet Ryker’s and my stupid fair skin turns pink again when his expression turns intense as he studies my newly made over look.
It almost seems like he shakes himself when he finally grunts, “Looks…nice.”
My hand comes up to touch the ends of the big curls and I offer a small smile of thanks.
“Dinner’s here.”
He growls and then disappears from the doorway before I can tell him that we can just eat on our own tonight. I sigh in acceptance when Chloe cheers and chases after Kanga out the door and down the hall. I thought I would have more time before I had to see Easton again. I take a deep breath and square my shoulders. It doesn’t have to be a big thing. I’ll just quietly thank him for the new clothes and there will be no mention of all the satin and lace. None at all.
Avery
The house is quiet. Too quiet. Chloe’s gone to school, breakfast has been cleaned up, the laundry is done and the house is spotless from the service that came yesterday. I’ve already placed the online grocery order to be delivered tomorrow and now I have nothing to do. I lean against the island counter and try and think of something…anything that I can do to fill the rest of the day before I need to start dinner and come up blank.
My mind circles back to everything that’s happened since I ran away with Chloe ten days ago. I went from homeless and broke, in constant fear to having a home, a job, a thick pile of cash in my purse, and feeling…safe. It scares the heck out of me. After everything I…heput me through, I can’t help but be constantly alert for the shoe to drop.
I rub gently on my now healed lip with a frown. What happens now? How do I move forward from here? Do we stay and just…hide? Or would it be better to wait for a few more weeks until that pile of cash grows and then run further away from him? A few more weeks of pay and I would have enough to drive across the country. I could find a small town that’s more affordable and start a brand-new life. Chloe and I could get a small place for ourselves. We could build a new life…alone.
I push off the counter and grab the wash sponge and mindlessly start to clean out the sinks. Is that what I want? Do I want to run away from this house too? Run from the three men that have taken us in and made us feel safe? I try and see a future where it’s just me and Chloe out in the world all alone and nausea rolls my stomach. Except for the three days we lived in the car and the few months after my dad died, I’ve never been on my own. I never got the chance to learn how to be independent, to be an adult. I hate that I’m so scared of everything now. I hate that he put this fear inside of me and that I let him rob me of so many rites of passage that would have prepared me to live out on my own.
I toss the sponge down harder than I should when I feel a spark of anger and then glance around guiltily to make sure no one saw it. I let out a deep sigh at that ingrained fear. I turn away from the sinks and glance at the clock on the microwave. It’s almost noon and I still have hours left until Chloe gets home. I could make some lunch.
Lunch! Zack didn’t come in for breakfast this morning. He must be starving. I know from the others that he gets lost in his work when he’s building a program.
I pull out all the fixings to make a thick deli sandwich and get one made up for him and a smaller version for myself and then add some kettle-cooked potato chips and cut veggies to his plate. I pour a can of soda over ice to go with it and carry both plate and glass to his office. Even though his door is open, I still hesitate in the doorway, nervous about interrupting him.
“Z-Zack?”
He spins around so fast that I jerk back and almost lose the chips on his plate as they slide. His eyes are huge and round behind his glasses as they focus on me.
“Avery? What, what time is it?”
He asks in confusion and then turns his head to look at the clock on the wall with a groan.
