Domino by Ivy Black
Chapter Seven
Ashley
After four days on the road, two nights spent in the car, and two nights in cheap and sleazy motels along the way, we finally pull into the driveway. I shut the engine on my ten-year-old Hyundai Sonata off, and look at the late-model, dark Lexus sitting in the driveway in front of me. Then I let my gaze travel to the house, which is massive. The yard is beautifully landscaped, and it looks like it’s been freshly painted. It’s the kind of home I used to dream of having when I was younger.
As I look at it, I feel the sharp pang of envy cutting through me. I push it away, knowing it’s a stupid feeling to be having. I should be feeling not just happy for her, but beyond grateful as well. Turning to Cole, who’s strapped into his seat in the back, I put on a big smile.
“We’re here, baby. Ready to meet Auntie Missy?”
Cole looks at me with an expression of uncertainty on his face and fear in his eyes. I know he’s too young to understand what’s going on, but he’s precocious enough to know that something’s happening. He understands that we’ve been on the road for four days and that his father isn’t around. I wish I could explain it to him in a way that he’d get it, but he’s simply too young right now.
The front door of the house opens as I climb out of the car. Two kids, a boy and a girl, both about five years old come streaking out, followed closely by Missy Perkins. Five-four, with hair darker than pitch, sparkling green eyes, and a figure to absolutely die for, she has always been the prettiest of our little trio. A wide smile on her face, she throws herself against me, squeezing me so tightly, I feel short of breath. I’d forgotten that in addition to being the prettiest, she was also the biggest hugger.
She pulls back, but still grips my arms, looking at me. Missy’s eyes are red and the sun overhead makes them shimmer with the tears welling up. My own vision blurs as I look back at her. It’s been almost ten years since I last saw her and though we lost contact as we moved into our own lives, I’ve never stopped missing her.
“You have not aged a day. You look exactly the same as the day you left Erwin,” I say sincerely.
She looks down at herself self-consciously. “Oh, I don’t know about that.”
“I do. I’m serious, you look amazing.”
Her smile is brighter than the sun overhead. “Thank you. And you still look amazing, too, Ash. You were always a stunner and you’re even more so today.”
We embrace again, and it feels like old times. Although we haven’t seen each other in nearly a decade, it feels like not a day has passed between us. Missy steps back and wipes her eyes, then puts a hand on each one of her kid’s heads. They look almost exactly alike, and with their dark hair, green eyes, and delicate features, they look like Missy did as a child. They obviously take after her more than
“These are the twins, Emma and Elton,” she introduces them.
I squat down in front of them and take their hands in mine, my smile as wide and warm as Missy’s.
“Hi,” I say. “I’m your Aunt Ashley. I’ve known your mom since she was about your age.”
They both smile shyly, then quickly dart behind their mom, peeking around her legs to look at me. I laugh as I stand back up and quickly unbuckle Cole’s seat, and pull him out. He immediately hides behind me, burying his face in the backs of my legs, making both me and Missy laugh. Reaching down, I gently pull him around to stand in front of me.
“This is Cole,” I say. “Cole, this is your Aunt Missy. She and I have been friends since we were kids, too.”
He looks up at Missy with wide eyes and slowly raises a hand to her in greeting. If Missy smiled any wider, I fear her face might split in half.
“He’s precious,” she says.
“So are the twins. You have an amazing family, and from what I can tell, an amazing life,” I say, nodding to the house.
She’s just about to reply when a large, brawny man steps out onto the porch. He walks down the stairs and is heading toward us. He looks to stand a little over six feet tall and has light brown hair and darker brown eyes. He’s got wide, sloping shoulders, and a body of taut muscle that tells me he works out. A lot. His beard has flecks of gray in it, and his face is all chiseled angles and planes. He’s drop-dead gorgeous, and if I didn’t know he was Missy’s husband, I might be telling him to take me home right now.
I arch an eyebrow at Missy. “You really do have an amazing life.”
She laughs. “I get by.”
“Uh-huh. I’m sure you do.”
She takes his hand, and I can see the love in her eyes. This is a happy woman. I’m pretty sure I’ve never had that sort of look in my eye, not even when things were good with Ryan. And it’s a feeling I long for.
“Mark, this is Ashley. Ashley, Mark.”
I extend my hand, but he waves me off and pulls me into a tight bear hug. If I thought Missy was squeezing the air from my lungs, Mark might just break my ribs. It’s clear the man doesn’t know his own strength, but despite the lack of breath, I manage to laugh. He finally sets me back down, a warm, welcoming look on his face.
“Good to finally put a face to the name,” he says, then turns to Missy. “Do they just breed supermodels down there in Erwin?”
She and I both giggle and I feel my cheeks flushing with warmth. He squats down in front of Cole and ruffles his hair.
“And who are you, big man?”
Cole looks away shyly, but before he can duck behind my legs again, I put my hand on his shoulder, holding him in place.
“It’s okay, baby. Tell him your name,” I say.
“Cole,” he says.
“Well, it’s good to meet you, Cole. Your Aunt Missy and I are really happy to have you here. And I know Emma and Elton are going to love having you around,” Mark says.
“What do you say, Cole?” I prompt.
“Thank you.”
“You’re very welcome.”
Mark ruffles his hair again and with a laugh, stands up again. He takes my hand and gives it a gentle squeeze, and as I look into his eyes, I can’t help but see the earnestness.
“I’ve already fixed up the guest house for you and Cole. You two are welcome to stay here as long as you like. You’re family to Missy, so you’re family to me, too.”
The lump rises in my throat and I feel my eyes well with tears yet again. Missy pulls me into a tender embrace. We remain like that for a few moments before we finally separate. I honestly can’t recall the last time I ever felt so welcome. Not even in my own home with Ryan.
“I just want to thank you both. I can’t tell you how grateful I am to you for taking us in like this,” I say.
Missy waves me off. “I, for one, am just glad you finally got out of there. It was well past time for that to happen.”
A rueful smile crosses my face. It seems that everybody could see my situation more clearly than I could.
“Tell you what,” Mark says. “Let me get your things into the guest house, and I’ll let the kids get acquainted with one another. Missy, why don’t you take her into town and show her around. Catch up and all. I’ll have some dinner waiting for you when you get back.”
Missy gives him a quick kiss. “Have I told you lately how incredible you are?”
He shrugs. “I can never get tired of hearing that.”
“Thank you, Mark,” I say. “And I’m glad that Missy found such an amazing man to share her life with.”
He looks at Missy with the purest love I’ve ever seen before. “You ask me, I’d say I’m the lucky one.”
My heart melts as I watch them together, and I feel the wave of envy well up within me again.
***
“Mark is amazing. I am so happy for you, Missy. You deserve it.”
She reaches across the table and takes my hand, giving it a firm squeeze, as she looks me in the eye.
“So do you, Ash. You deserve love and happiness every bit as much as I do.”
A crooked grin crosses my lips. “I think that ship’s sailed. Maggie and I missed out, and I am no longer sure we get a second bite of that apple.”
“Stop it. Yes, you do. And now that you’re out of that godforsaken town, I have a feeling you’re going to find it,” she insists.
The sun is shining down on us from a sky scattered with white, fluffy clouds. It’s warm, but not too warm, and a breeze blows by us, carrying the scent of the ocean as well as the forest. It’s beautiful and it’s intoxicating.
Blue Rock Bay is definitely a modern town, but it’s got a quaint, small-town appeal to it. Harrison Avenue, which Missy says is the main artery through town, is lined with a variety of adorable mom-and-pop shops. The big box and chain stores are hidden discreetly in other, out-of-the way parts of town where they’re easily accessible, but not so easily seen.
It’s a really different dynamic back home. In Erwin, they fight to get the big box stores into town to begin with, then relegate the homey mom-and-pop shops to the far corners. They proudly display those big chain retailers to prove they’re a modern town and one it’s safe to invest in whereas this city seems to harken back to a simpler time and seems to have the confidence people will invest in it whether they have a Starbucks on every corner or not. The differences between Erwin and Blue Rock Bay are literally night and day.
We’re sitting on the patio, enjoying the sunshine, at a cute little boutique coffee house called Holy Beans. I watch the cars rolling up and down the street and I swear to God, this place looks like something out of 1950’s Americana. There’s just something so wholesome about this town. It seems like the perfect place to raise a family, and I get the idea that Cole and I could be really happy here.
“What do you think of our town?” she asks.
“I love it, Missy. I really love it.”
“Think you can build a home for you and Cole here? I, for one, would love to have you living close by again.”
“Well, I’m living in your guest house right now. Not sure how much closer I can get without Mark getting weird about it.”
She laughs. “Trust me when I say, the man will never get tired of being around beautiful women.”
“Well, it’s a good thing he’s got you to look at when he wakes up every single morning.”
“You’re so sweet,” she says with a smile.
I take a sip of my drink and sit back in my chair. “The first thing I need to do is find a job. Once I have some money coming in, I can pay you guys some rent and take the classes I need to take to get my certification.”
She waves me off. “You are not paying us rent.”
“I really am.”
“Uh-uh. You’re not.”
“Missy, I wouldn’t feel right. I’m living in your house—”
“Babe, all that matters to me is that you’re here, you get on your feet, and you find something, and somebody, who makes you happy.”
It would definitely help me get my counseling certifications faster to not be paying rent, but I was raised to never take handouts. I’m already indebted to Maggie for helping me flee Erwin, and to Missy for even letting me use her guest house. Taking more from them is something I don’t know that I can do.
“Ash, we’re family. You’re the sister I never had, and that’s all there is to it. You’re not paying us rent. You’re going to focus on doing what you need to do, and when this is all over and you’re on your feet, you can take Mark and I out for a nice dinner. With wine.”
The laugh bubbles out of my mouth as the tears race down my cheeks. The depth of love and gratitude I feel for both her and Maggie right now is profound. I honestly don’t know how I ever will repay them for what they’ve done for me and Cole. Above the financial considerations, what they’ve done is give me my life back. For the first time in years, I feel like I can actually breathe.
“So, do we have a deal?” she presses.
Wiping the tears from my face, I nod and give her a watery, wavering smile. “We have a deal.”
“Excellent. Then I may as well tell you, we’ll be going to Salvatore’s. They have the best food in town and a wine menu that’s to die for.”
“Anywhere you want to go. It’ll be on me.”
“I am going to hold you to that.”
“Please do,” I say.
As we sit there and I soak in the wonderful atmosphere and the love of a good friend, the sound of a low, deep rumbling fills my ears. I turn and see four men on Harleys slowly rolling by. They’re a rough and rugged looking bunch with long hair, dirty denim, and black leather vests with large patches on the back.
As the second pair riding side by side passes us, the man closest to our side of the street is looking at me from behind dark sunglasses. He’s a big guy, I can tell. His face is square, and he’s got a strong jawline that’s covered by a neatly trimmed beard that’s blacker than night, save for two small patches of white hair, one just below his nose, the other below his bottom lip. And unlike the guys he’s riding with, his is trimmed short and clean, which I find surprising.
He’s definitely looking at me though, because he’s turning his head as they roll by, and I feel my body responding. My pulse speeds up a bit, and there’s a growing warmth in the pit of my belly, that’s making other parts of my lower anatomy uncomfortably damp. He’s just got this primal energy about him, which exudes this sort of raw power that triggers a carnal excitement in me.
My God, I need to get laid.
Across the table from me, Missy is giggling. I whip my head around, focusing on her. My cheeks burn with a heat more intense than what’s flaring up inside of me right now, and I can’t keep the goofy grin off my face, feeling like a kid who got busted with her hand in the cookie jar.
“I totally saw that,” she mocks.
“You saw nothing.”
“Okay, I didn’t. Except that I totally did.”
I squeal with laughter. “Stop it.”
She sits back, her drink in her hand, and smiles, then takes a sip. The look of smug self-satisfaction on her face only fuels my embarrassment even more. Taking another drink, I wipe my mouth and sit up, trying to reclaim some semblance of my dignity. I clear my throat.
“Dark Pharaohs,” I say, recalling the patch on their vest as I desperately try to change the subject.
“They’re our local motorcycle club. Some people call them a gang. It’s like they’ve become the town mascot or something.”
“You sound like you don’t like them.”
She shrugs. “I don’t care one way or the other, honestly. I don’t think they’re anywhere near as bad as some people think they are. Nor do I think they’re the saints other people claim them to be. But the one thing I will say for them, is that we don’t have a drug or violence problem in this city, in large part because of them.”
I cock my head. “How do you figure?”
“Because they’ve got a zero-tolerance policy. They see somebody dealing on the streets, they handle it.”
“And by handle it, you mean, they beat the snot out of them,” I say, a nervous laugh trickling out of my mouth.
She shrugs again. “All I can say is that our streets are clean and safe, and the Pharaohs are to thank for that. Honestly, they seem more reliable than the cops. As far as dating somebody I love, I’d really have to give that some thought. I mean, they are bikers, after all. They may not be doing any illegal stuff here in town, but who knows what they do beyond the city limits? My guess is that’s where they do their real business.”
It’s an interesting summation of this notorious biker club—the rough and tumble criminal sort but with a heart of gold. Not that she needs to worry, though. The last thing I intend to do is bring that sort of influence into Cole’s life. We ran across the country to get away from a bad man, there’s no way in hell I’m bringing another one in to replace him. Cole will only have good examples to follow from here on out.
“Well, that’s definitely not the sort of thing I want to bring around Cole. I want him to have positive role models in his life.”
But even as I speak the words, I can’t help but see that man’s face in my mind. And even though his eyes were hidden behind his blackout sunglasses, I could practically feel the intensity of his gaze sliding up and down my body, making me shudder. And not necessarily in a bad way.
