Page 39 of Absolute Valor

You can’t start the next chapter of your life, if you keep re-reading the last chapter.

“It’s still hard to believe you’re old enough to have a little girl.” Heidi had been quiet as Claire and Lainie spoke non-stop about the events that had taken place at the shop. “I bet she’s beautiful, just like you.” She added, hugging a throw pillow to her chest, her eyes bright with honesty and perhaps a little envy.

Claire gave me the tour of her condo, making me feel welcome from the first moment we walked into the room. “I imagine Chase will want to arrange something with Miss Georgia to keep you here in the building.” Lainie and Claire had overwhelmingly agreed on the prospect of Chase and I living together with Grace. They made it sound so easy, just add water and instant family. They saw how he’d pursued me hot and heavy this weekend, but they missed how he began to shrink away after I told him about Grace. I must have been the only one to notice his lack of goodbye as his brothers had taken time to kiss their girls before they left.

“I think you two are getting ahead of yourselves. Chase is helping me, that much is true, but to expect him to begin paying for my home is something I won’t even consider.” I hoped my tone conveyed the finality in this craziness. I had lived far too long under the thumb of a man who told me what to do. It was time I took care of myself, and my daughter, leaving men out of the equation for a while.

“Audrey, whether you want to be taken care of or not, the Morgan’s have a way of wearing you down until you surrender. Not to mention, once Priscilla gets wind there is a little girl running about, I’d imagine she’ll crash through that door any minute demanding to cuddle and spoil her rotten.”

I knew they meant well, truly believing what they were saying from the experience they each had with their men. Chase was different, I’d studied him long before he turned an eye toward me. I knew of his time in Afghanistan, and what his job was. He was a Marine, a born hero, always needing a mission and someone to save. Now that he’s left his job and the uniform hangs in his closet, he has to fill the emptiness. I managed to show up at just the right time, with my suitcase of broken promises and forgotten dreams. I gave him what he needed, and now that he is about to return my baby to me, the mission will be over and he’ll need to find a new damsel in distress.

“Miss Georgia will surely let you move in here. With me spending so much time at Dylan’s, it’s crazy to have two houses.” She rationalizes as she pours three glasses of wine. I declined, as I’ve never been a drinker. “If you don’t want Chase to pay your rent, he will find a way to make it up some other way.” I wouldn’t argue with her, or say I told you so when he didn’t come around anymore.

“And this one will be moving to the country, in that big house Austin is building.” Claire bumps hips with Lainie. With bright smiles and futures all around, they all know they are loved, and I envy them for having something so solid in their world.

“Audrey, Claire is right. Once a Morgan brother has you locked in his sights, there’s no stopping him. You can battle with him all you like, but the only thing arguing with him will get you is a night on your back with your legs wrapped around his shoulders.” A chorus of cackles and shrills filled the kitchen. Lainie’s face was tinged pink as she realized what she has admitted to. Lucas had never cared for oral anything, unless he was on the receiving end. The few times we did have sex, I kept my eyes closed and prayed for it to be over. I never understood the big deal women swooned over to begin with.

All the laughter died as the front door opened and the light of my life was carried in. Ignoring trying to be polite, I jumped over the coffee table and grabbed Grace out of his arms. Burying my nose in her sweet baby smell, she grabs my hair with her chubby fingers. She’s clinging to me just as hard as I am to her, her tiny body quaking with the remnants of her sobs, her eyes still wet with her tears. I couldn’t stop to think of the horror she must have witnessed. The vile words Lucas must have used as he learned I would be getting her back.

I sink to my knees, the relief and joy of knowing she’ll be with me for the rest of our lives. I would fight him with everything I have if he ever came near us again. Tears, which I’ve buried for months, come rushing out, all the pain and hurt from the past year is finally allowed to be free.

“Audrey?” Claire’s soft voice calls from my side. I feel her warm and gentle hand on my shoulder, her clean smelling feminine scent, reminding me I can once again wear perfume whenever I want. I can do so many things whenever I want. “Honey, I just want to have a quick look at her, make sure she is okay.”

Placing her free hand on Grace’s back and rubbing tiny circles, she introduces herself to my daughter. Carefully turning Grace around, I notice Carson and Dean standing against the wall. I have to find a way to thank them for bringing her to me. A quick scan of the room shows no sign of the rest of the Morgan clan, not that his absence surprises me in the least.

Grace has calmed down considerably as she plays with Claire’s fingers. “She looks just like you, except for her eyes.” Lucas had said the same thing when he first laid eyes on her, claiming no one in his family had blue eyes like her, and questioning who the father really was. I found no point fussing with him, I had better odds of winning against a brick wall.

The door opened once again, this time revealing an excited Priscilla bouncing as she locks eyes with the tiny ball of beautiful on my lap. I’d expected her to show up with a few items, it’s the way she is. But I take in the Wal-Mart shopping bags so plentiful, you can’t see her waist.

Claire looks over her shoulder, chuckling softly as she, too, sees the overindulgence. “Priscilla, did y’all leave anything in the store?” Miss Georgia bounded into the room, her arms filled as well.

“Well, it ain’t every day we get a baby in the family. And this one has the same eyes as my boys.” I chose to ignore her comparison, allowing her to have her daydreams of one big happy family.

“Mr. Carson, I want to thank you.” I start; Claire has pulled Grace from my lap, my baby finding the sparkly necklace around her neck too tempting. “You have no idea what this means to me, having her back, if only until Lucas gets antsy.” Carson looks over to his left, Dean sharing the thickness which is building in the air. Studying their faces, I’m not certain if I want to know the reason for the concerned looks.

“Cilla, why don’t you take Grace into the bathroom, get her a nice bath and we’ll make her a bottle.”

Claire rises to her feet, my bundle of joy blabbering happily with the necklace in her hands. I stand as well, as I watch the women leave the room, taking the bags, and my baby, with them.

“Audrey, have you not been watching the news?” Shifting my eyes back to Dean, he looks like a man about to hand out bad news to a death row inmate. “Here,” he offers, taking the remote from the coffee table, pointing it at the screen above the fireplace, and then waiting for it to click to life.

A special report banner is covering the bottom half of the television, with a helicopter view of a house on fire. The street in front of the house is covered with fire trucks, police cars, and even an ambulance. Squinting my eyes, I look closely at the house, recognizing the truck, or what’s left of it, parked in the front lawn. Lucas had brought me to that house the third time I went out with him. He wanted me to meet his family, introduce them to the girl he wanted to spend forever with.

“Investigators will be arriving as soon as the sun comes up if the fire has cooled to a temperature where it’s safe to approach. Earlier, we reported Charleston fire officials refusing to allow their men to battle the blaze, as the temperatures were far too dangerous. Neighbors say they saw nothing suspicious before hearing, what they described as, several explosions. It should also be noted; this is the same address where the girlfriend of bank president, Frank Benson, was reportedly assaulted. It is believed the two males, a father and son who lived here, were in the house at the time of the explosions.”

I had to sit down, feeling as if I were stuck in some crazy dream. Blinking several times, I looked back at the burning house on the screen. Lucas and his father, after all they had put me through, were dead, and would never be able to hurt Grace or me again. I watched the reporter go back and forth, interviewing a few people I recognized and some I didn’t. The truck Lucas wanted so badly had become a victim to the intense heat, the gas in the tank causing another explosion. I was free to smile at the thought of how he would react if he could see his precious Yankee Stomper reduced to a bonfire.

I didn’t hear the door open, too lost in the reality that I was finally free. Dylan wrapped his massive arms around me, kissing my temple as he asked if I was okay. “I’m fine. I have to thank you—for this and for bringing Grace back to me.”

He pulled me tighter, wrapping me in a warm hug which conveyed all the compassion I knew lived deep inside him. “You need me to stay here with you? Make sure you don’t have any bad dreams?” He questioned as he pulled out of the hug, his blue eyes pleading for me to be honest with him. Austin came up behind me from the opposite end of the couch, placing his hand in the center of my back. I didn’t have to look around to know Chase hadn’t come, confirming my earlier assumptions to be true—mission complete, time to move on.

The small cries of my baby helped to file away the hurt of Chase’s decision. “This little girl is missing her mommy.” Priscilla looked so natural holding my Grace. But like every good story, it must come to an end. Once Chase found a new mission, my days at the shop would be numbered.

“Hey, sweet girl.” Grace rubbed her tired eyes, a pacifier secured tightly in her mouth. Lavender and vanilla surround me as I took her into my arms. Grace has always been a cuddler, content to nuzzle her face into the crevice of my neck and play with a strand of my hair. Tonight is no different—the weeks since I saw her last have not taken this comfort away from her.

“There are clean bottles in the dish drainer and a few jars of baby food. We couldn’t fit a crib in the car, but Claire assures me she will make the bed baby safe until we can rearrange the living situation.”

“Thank you, Priscilla. Your kindness is appreciated and won’t be forgotten.” My purse is still on the bar stool, the strap dangling from the edge of the wrought iron. Before I left the shop, I’d grabbed my money stash just in case. When Priscilla first walked in, I had never been so grateful for the lateness of the evening, guaranteeing her normal shopping choices were closed. Wal-mart was definitely in my price range and now that Lucas was no longer a bill, I could afford to take care of myself. Reaching inside the envelope, I pulled out a few hundred dollars. “If this isn’t enough to cover everything, let me know and we can settle up later.”

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