I raised an eyebrow. “Karma?”
“No,” she giggled, “my van. Her name is Ol’ Red. Before my dad passed and my mom turned to drugs, she was everything to us as a family. That van was also a place that kept me safe on thenights when the voices became the loudest, and the smell was too strong for my tiny body to handle.”
My face softened as I listened to her dive deep into her past.
“I don’t talk about this often—ever, actually.” She toyed with the tie on her robe.
“Share as much as you want with me. I’m here to listen.” My thumb brushed her calf.
“It’s an out of body experience, really. It was almost like I experienced this whole part of my life in an alternate universe. Once it was all behind me, it was just a faint memory or a very vivid nightmare.”
My Adam’s apple bobbed with a thick swallow.
“I don’t know your entire story yet, Bella, but I can only imagine that you’re stronger now because of it.”
A faint smile grew, all for it to fall when she continued talking.
“My dad was a handyman. He could do anything from fixing the air conditioning, reconstructing a house, fixing cars, you name it. Ol’ Red was a project of his. In his spare time, he’d work tirelessly on it. Until finally, it was fully functioning. We took her out almost every weekend to the beach, then suddenly, we didn’t anymore. The outings stopped, the happiness disappeared and long gone were my childhood memories. The older I got, the more in the distance those good times felt. Dad got addicted to drugs and he allowed them to take over until the day he left this world. Mom followed his lead, kept his old friends around, threw parties, cooked in the garage, and left me to my own devices. When she lived out her last few years after Dad passed, she became a woman I didn’t recognize.”
Before continuing, she took a sip of her wine.
“Although I didn’t spend time in the garage as a kid, I was around things I never should have been, and adults that were the worst type of influence. Ol’ Red was dusty, run-down, withchipped paint and flat tires, but even on her roughest days, she brought back my happiest memories. So, when my house didn’t feel safe, and my mom had long forgotten Ol’ Red was parked out there, I took matters into my own hands, and she became my escape, you know?”
“Idon’tknow,” I choked out a low whisper and shook my head, wishing like hell she didn’t have to know either.
“One day, I was walking home from school. My stomach filled with dread like it typically did the closer I got to home. But this time, it was worse. My insides felt all twisted up, and the dread grew more aggressive the longer I walked. As I got closer to my house, that feeling sunk. Practically bottomed out. Cops were everywhere. Now, as an adult, I think that feeling was fear. Fear of what was going to happen to me. Fear of having to raise myself, even though I’d already been doing that for years anyway.”
Combing her hair from her eyes, I was afraid, but asked anyway, “What happened next?”
“I was sixteen and left without parents. As much as I wished my mother wouldn’t follow in my dad’s footsteps, she became more depressed the longer she lived without him. Whether it was convenient for me or not, it was her time. After it was all said and done, I went to live with my ex and his mom, and I fought to keep Ol’ Red. Since I was sixteen, and at the age where I could drive, I was granted the old ratty van. To this day, she’s remained my safety blanket just like she was back then.”
She painted a perfect picture of a broken life and my heart ached for her.
“You’ve been through a lot.”
“I’vegrownthrough a lot. I don’t let it define me. This is why I’m working my hardest to get that video taken off the internet. That way, when this is behind me, I can move forward. No more mistakes.”
Resilient.
There wasn’t a more perfect word to describe Avery. She was one of a kind. Tough. Strong. The most amazing woman I’d ever met. I knew she was fully capable of helping herself and paving her own path, but with every day that I was blessed to know more about her, I wanted to help her. If there was one thing that could makemostproblems go away, it was money, and I had that.
“We’re close, baby. So close.” I leaned in, placing a kiss on her forehead.
“Really?” Her hand reached out for my jaw, keeping me close.
“I’ve had my guys working on it. I didn’t want to talk about it too much until I had more definite answers. The last thing I want is to get your hopes up.”
“It means everything to me that you’re working on it. Even if nothing results from it. No one has ever done something like this for me or shown that they care this much about me.”
Her lips brushed mine, sealing her appreciation with a kiss.
“I hope you know by now, I’d do anything for you, Avery.” I kissed her once more before adding, “So, what are your thoughts about leaving Ol’ Red behind for a while and saving me the heart attack of knowing you’ll be in that place all by yourself?”
Her lips curved into a smile, and I could only hope the idea of staying with me was finally beginning to sink in the longer she had to think about it today.
“Under one condition.” She held up her pointer finger.
“Anything.”
