Until…
Chapter2
Trevor
“What the fuck, Ashley?”
“Trevor. What are you doing here?”
“Last I checked, I live here,” I shouted as the burly naked man before me reached for his pants. He didn’t appear to be in any particular hurry. With a body like a brick house, he resembled a linebacker. The thought had barely left me before I noticed his shirt. The big W insignia confirmed he was most likely on the Washington football team. While visiting the training camp in Richmond had long been on my bucket list, I now wanted to kick that fucking pail down the road.
“I thought you’d be at work.”
“Obviously. How long has this been going on?” All thoughts of grabbing my assignment for my IT class were gone.
“I was going to tell-”
“Trev, we’ve got a call,” Jamie yelled through the door. I turned to notice he’d paused wide eyed to verify what he was seeing.
“When I get here in the morning, I want your stuff gone,” I spat.
That painful memory is charred into my brain. The betrayal only got worse when Jamie later confirmed that her lover was, in fact, NFL player Martin North. He was 250 pounds of raw muscle. The only thing bigger than his size was his bank account. Nosey neighbors confided that he’d been visiting my home for months. I wondered why she wouldn’t have broken it off with me instead of sneaking around with a baller worth millions. Until Jamie’s continued investigation revealed the player was just that. A married celebrity who was having an affair with my live in girlfriend.
He’s since left his wife and children. Now Martin and Ashley have been working the local tabloid circuit. I couldn’t turn on the television or open a local magazine without seeing the two of them.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, Ashley’s face was plastered on every billboard in town. If she wasn’t modeling jewelry for anyone traveling the interstate to see, she was on restaurant murals and large airport advertisements. She was fucking everywhere.
I’m aware I was partially to blame. I dove in headfirst, blinded by her beauty. But there was never a moment I didn’t thinkbothof us were all in. She’d wax poetic about our future, traveling together and eventually having kids. But it’s hard to compete with a larger-than-life superstar with a bank account to match.
I hadn’t had many serious relationships prior to Ashley. My plate had been full, starting a career with the fire department and looking out for my mother. My dad had fought a hard battle with melanoma. They discovered it too late to offer much hope of recovery. Cancer instantly decimated our flawless life. We’d gone from a tight family focused on Sunday dinners and the arrival of Noah’s kids to being heartbroken in the blink of an eye.
My mother was tough as nails, but I knew it was a façade. Noah’s wife, Becca, would try to bring the boys over to distract her grief-ridden thoughts, but I imagined the lonely, depressing time between their visits was suffocating.
Unable to bear the thought of Mom suffering in silence, I decided to move back home, convincing her I wanted to save money in order to pursue my graduate degree. Hell, there’s no faster way to kill your sex life than living with your parents. But I slept better at night, knowing I was there. And it was the right thing to do. I’ll always treasure that time with her.
Caring for my mother as we mourned my father brought us even closer. We’d always had a tight relationship, but you don’t truly appreciate your parents until life throws you a curveball. I’d been blessed with a happy, loving, cohesive family and knew I’d never settle for anything less if I chose to marry. Moving to Sycamore Mountain would be a hard adjustment for the both of us.
Hindsight is 20/20. It’s clear I’d merely been mesmerized by Ashley’s physical attributes. Visits with my nephews hadn’t brought out her maternal side. At the time, I figured, like me, she was at a different stage of life. Merely focused on her modeling career.
I’m not making that mistake twice. Getting caught up with some superficial bitch who’d leave the moment someone with a bigger reputation or bank account came along. If I find a hot chick, it’s a one-and-done from now on. I’ll stick to getting my needs met and move on unless I can find an average girl who appreciates me. When I finally decide to take a chance again, I’m dating down from here on out.
Lost in my thoughts, I hadn’t realized what good time I’d been making until my eyes connect with the bright green highway sign.
Welcome to Sycamore Mountain.
It doesn’t take long after exiting the interstate to determine this is a one-horse town. Peering out the windshield as my car idles at the light at the end of the off-ramp, I find a lone gas station. Rotating the other direction, I spot a dated fast-food restaurant across from a bait and tackle shop. The light turns green and I merge onto the main road. It feels as if I have stepped back in time. I shake my head as the GPS recalibrates indicating the realtor’s office is ten minutes away.
Miles of desolate farmland interspersed with clusters of evergreen trees engulf the windows of my vehicle. Occasional picturesque hay bales are dotted amongst the tall grass. While the area is a bit of a culture shock, the view is utterly enchanting. Unspoiled by the strip malls and housing developments of Hanover. There’s not a billboard in sight. This thought briefly brings a relieved smile to my face until it dawns on me that I probably stand a better chance of meeting a bear in this town than a beautiful woman.
Hell, I might’ve had a better chance of getting laid living with Mom than here.
As I continue down the road, I discover thereisat least one female under sixty here. A woman out for a walk with her baby strolls along the grassy edge of the highway. Looking about, it seems an odd place to meander. Wearing yoga pants and a hoodie, I’m a little surprised at my fixation on her. I’m not usually into MILF’s. Trust me, after all the shit with Ashley, I’m in no way interested in dating a girl with a kid. But this hot momma’s got a fucking phenomenal ass. It’d be a crime not to look.
As I grow closer, my eyes are drawn to the face of the child looking back at me. That’s either the ugliest kid on the planet or…
Is that a chicken?
Chapter3
