After I convinced Avery that my house in the Hollywood Hills could take the place of Griffith’s Observatory’s lawns, we left for the car. After I showed her multiple goofy characters I discovered in the stars above us, Avery quickly played along. We laughed together like kids would, and I could tell Avery was certainly more relaxed than before.
I smiled when we got in the car and the first thing she mentioned was food. We hit the nearest drive thru for her to grab a couple of burgers, milkshake, and fries, and at that point, it seemed that she had regained her composure completely. She called Addy’s grandparents and received confirmation that Derek hadn’t returned and was locked out of his parents’ home. I sighed in relief along with Avery that Addison was safe from the son of a bitch who had no business around his little girl until he sobered his sorry ass up.
“Holy hell, Jim,” Avery said once we drove up the driveway to my place. I pulled the car into my garage, next to the collection of vehicles. “Jesus.” She looked at the cars we parked next to. “Is this a damn car museum?”
“At one time it was.” I smirked at her. “All of these cars sat in here like they were in one, and for far too long.” I took her hand, kissed the soft center of her palm while opening my door, “Until you saved them all.” I chuckled and smiled at her.
“What the hell did I do to help these cars?” She laughed and scrunched her face up in humor.
I missed that look. “You got through to me in England,” I said. “While I drove my car there, I realized I’d missed the horsepower and being behind the wheel myself.”
“Is it why you drove today?” she asked, and I could see confusion spread across her face.
“Today, among other days. Sometimes I am strapped to the laptop and need Blake to drive me around so I can finish up work while on the road.”
“Well, well,” she said after I took the lead and got out of the car, her following. “Yes, I can definitely say…” She paused with a smile on her face, taking in the luxury of sports cars that surrounded her. “Shit, Jim, you were definitely missing out on life by keeping these beauties parked.”
Avery spun back around, and I watched her onyx hair cascade over her shoulder. Damn, she was mesmerizingly beautiful with this smile, this laugh, and the sparkle in her vivid blue eyes. “Well, if little Bunny is dead, I know who I’m going to ask if I need to borrow a car,” she said, walking around to where I stood admiring her.
She wrapped her arms around my waist, and I tilted my head down to meet her eyes, “Bunny?” I questioned.
“The name Addy gave my car.”
“Ah, the Rabbit,” I said, recalling the make and model of her car that definitely could, as she said, have arrived DOA at the towing yard. “Yes, well, you have quite a nice collection to choose from right here.” I ran my hand along her cheek, “How are you feeling?” I couldn’t begin to describe how I loved having her close like this again.
“After running and then enjoying the views at the observatory—and being relieved that your car wasn’t jacked, and then eating?”
“Yes, after all of that.” God, I needed to feel her lips against mine.
“Honestly, I’m beat. I am happy to be with you again, though. I can’t explain it, but this all just feels…” She paused in thought.
“It feels right,” I answered the way I personally felt about us being reunited since losing her in England.
She tilted her head and her eyes shimmered. “It does. Though, I’m still kind of shocked you didn’t just drive off and leave me back there. You know, let the crazy panicked woman go and never look back.” She smiled, but her eyes remained locked on mine.
I ran a knuckle along her jawline. “After you demanded to be let out of the car on a packed freeway, leaving you in a cemetery didn’t seem like a wise decision.”
She laughed, and her expression was so light and youthful again, but I could also see how exhausted she was.
“You thought I was going to dig myself a six-foot hole in that cemetery, eh?”
“God only knew what you were going to do.” I stepped back and reached down for her hand, “I’m glad you didn’t jump into the six-foot abyss of internment, though.”
“Holy hell,” she said as we entered the glass door that led onto the main floor of the architecturally perfect house. “This is your place? I mean, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, Mr. England Castle.”
“It’s quite large, I know,” I said. “Collin’s dad founded an architectural firm. Collin, you may remember, is the neurosurgeon from the documentary piece we watched together. Anyway, they demanded I see this place before it went on the market. Once I was shown the house, I almost couldn’t leave it.”
She released my hand and walked toward the floor-to-ceiling glass doors that surrounded all three corners of the sprawling living area we were in. She jumped when the glass doors automatically drew back and disappeared before her eyes. It was a unique feature that Brooks Architectural Concepts added in, but I never found it this intriguing until seeing Avery gracefully walk through them. Crazy as it may be, I stood fascinated with her every move.
She strolled down the steps that led toward the infinity pool that was shaped to surround this level of the house. “A pool with palm trees and little islands in it? These views, and…” She ran her hands through her hair, pulling it up as she stared at the views. “My gosh, this view is mind blowing. I’ve never seen anything like this before in my life.”
“I agree, these views are remarkable at night,” I said after I followed her out of the house and slid my hands in my pockets. “It’s just as impressive during the day as well. You can see the San Gabriel Mountains, Downtown LA, and the Pacific Ocean—even Catalina, on clear days of course.”
I smirked when she held her hands out, and millions of city lights greeted her from the poolside view of the house. “This is magical. No wonder you never seem stressed about anything.”
“If you want the best views from this place, you’ll get those on the lounge area on the rooftop. Unless you want to go for a swim? The water is warm.”
She turned and shook her head. “I can’t date you.” She suddenly became serious. “There’s no way I can afford you.”
I felt my breath hitch at first, believing she was going to blow me off because of this ostentatious home. In true-to-form Avery fashion, however, I quickly realized that it was her way of teasing me, and probably acknowledging the fact that this was unquestionably too much for a single guy.
“If that’s the case,” I said while she walked up to me, “I’ll simply sell the home and live in a shack.”
“Show me the rooftop views, smart guy,” she said, taking my hand. “This place is so amazing.”
“I think you might find the waterfall that the stairs circle amazing as well.” Her bright eyes were so beautiful in reaction to that bit of information. “It’s enclosed, but it’s still an interesting feature.”
“Is there anything you need to tell me?” she said, arching her eyebrow at me. “Are you running a drug cartel on the side or something?”
“I hate to disappoint you if you’ve already called the DEA.” I laughed.
“Just making sure,” she said as I led her back into the house. “I’ve watched a lot of movies and television shows about drug cartels, you know, and they all have homes like this.”
“It may come as a disappointment, but I actually busted my ass for this place,” I answered with a grin.
“Now that I can believe,” she said with a laugh, nudging my side. “Show me around this stunning palace, would you?”
“Every floor has those glass doors, designed to take in the views.” I pointed toward the floor-to-ceiling doors that replaced the walls of the home. “The master bedroom is pretty much a floor of its own,” I said as she silently observed the unique home while I led her up the stairs. “Addy might enjoy the theater room if you decide the timing is right and wish to bring her here.”
“She’ll have us both moved in,” Avery laughed. “Jesus Christ, I can’t bring her here and tell her this is her friend Mitch’s home. She’ll never leave.”
“We could tell her it’s a vacation home like you told her about my place on the beach.”
“More like a fucking resort carved into a mountain,” Avery said as she walked with me onto the rooftop. I used the control panel before walking out to turn on the gas fire pit that was surrounded by lounge furniture. Beyond that was an endless, sprawling view.
“We can sit out here for a while, or we can always go in so you can get some sleep.”
“So, is this an official invitation to spend the night with you, Mr. Mitchell?”
I eyed her flirty grin. “I would love for you to stay with me for as long as you wish.” I chewed on the inside of my cheek; she looked so tired. “You must be exhausted after the day you’ve had.”
“I just want to see and absorb these views. It’s all so beautiful,” she said, walking further out on the patio.
“The view isn’t going anywhere if you’d rather close your eyes.”
“You know what sounds nice?” She walked over, sat on the sofa and turned to me. “Why don’t we have a little wine and relax here for a while? Be warned, though. I might fall asleep in your arms.”
“I think I can handle carrying you to bed.” I grinned. “I’ll be back with the wine. Any preference?”
“Surprise me,” she said, settling into the cushioned seating.
I walked down to the wine cellar, grateful I could help Avery escape the bullshit of this day. Her ex needed to be behind bars, in my opinion. Neither she nor Addy deserved a scum of the earth shit head like him in their lives.
I loathed drug addicts with every fiber of my being. They were too fucked up and selfish to understand what they were doing to the people who loved them. Avery had dealt with this shit for at least three years that I knew of, and I only knew that because of Addy’s age. Thank God she had the strength to leave that self-destructive environment and bust her ass to make it work as a single mom. California was not a cheap place to start over, especially on your own.
All I know is I couldn’t be more grateful that in her fight to keep herself freed from that asshole, she found a job at Mitchell and Associates, and by some mystical coincidence, I’d walked out on the floor that day and saw her and Addison.
If I’d never gone to that floor, I would’ve never seen that she had secretly come back into my life. Was I committed to her? To Addison? After tonight, I could safely say I was. I wasn’t letting her out of my life again.
