Bams ever, p.15
Bam's Ever, page 15
part #5 of Avaleigh's Boys Series
Bam nodded his understanding - he took his foot off the brake and eased back on the highway.
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Kaid sat at the bar in Vince’s Place as Vince worked behind the bar getting it ready to open that night. Vince had listened intently to Kaid’s plans as he worked. He was flattered that Kaid would entrust his clan to him. “Of course, I’ll watch over them, Kaid. Don’t give it another thought. I got this,” Vince told him.
“You sure it’s not imposing?” Kaid asked. “It should be only a few days, and it should be very quiet at our place. Only Avaleigh, Remington, Janie, Daisy, Valerie, Maia, and Ms. Sadie will be there. Goldy is staying, and Amos, too. If you could stay there when you’re not working, I’d appreciate it.”
“Of course, don’t worry about it. All will be just as you left it when you get back,” Vince said, but his eyes drifted across the room and followed the footsteps that Kaid could hear behind him. He turned to see what held Vince’s attention and snickered. The little blonde that Vince had brought to dinner the other night, Brandi, had entered the room and was busily cleaning the windows with a cloth and spray bottle of cleaner. He turned back around to look at Vince and laughed out loud at the look of wanting on the Lion’s face.
Vince’s eyes snapped to Kaid, “What?! It’s not funny!” he rushed out in a hushed tone.
“Oh, yeah, it is,” Kaid answered, “It’s funny as hell. When you gonna claim her?”
“Don’t know what you’re talking about. Nobody’s claiming anybody around here,” Vince answered.
“Yeah, keep telling yourself that, my friend,” Kaid said, throwing back the rest of his beer and standing to head back home. He put the empty beer bottle on the bar top, dropped a few bills next to it, and said, “Thank you for watching over my clan while we’re away. I appreciate you, Vince.” He held his hand out for Vince to shake, and Vince, taking his hand, replied, “No trouble at all, Kaid. No worries, go in peace, and come back safe. It will all be well when you get back.”
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Kaid stopped at Joanne’s Books and Goodies. He opened the door, and the little bell above the door jingled. He loved the sound; it always made him smile. Joanne looked up from behind the counter, “Kaid, welcome, come on in. What can I get for you?”
“I thought I’d take some of that baklava home to Delilah if you happen to have some, Joanne. She loves that stuff.”
“I certainly do. Give me just a minute, and I’ll package some up for you,” Joanne told him.
“Thank you,” Kaid answered. “Hey, would Amos be around?” he asked.
“He is - he’s out back helping unload the supply truck,” Joanne answered, “Go on out through the kitchen; you can’t miss him.”
Kaid made his way through her kitchen and found Amos heaving huge sacks of flour and sugar, a stack of boxes of bottles of vanilla, almond and other extracts stacked on the back walk. “You need some help, old man?” Kaid asked.
“Kaid!” Amos exclaimed. He lowered the sack of flour onto the others he’d already placed in Joanne’s storage area and approached Kaid for a hug. “How are you, son? How’s Delilah feeling?”
“She’s good, ornery as ever. Even more so, I think,” he chuckled.
“Good, means she’s keeping you on your toes,” Amos answered, chuckling himself.
“Got a favor to ask, Amos,” Kaid said.
“Anything, son, you know that. What’s up?” Amos responded.
Kaid explained about Matty and the challenge coming up on the full moon. Amos listened intently, then said, “That’s in three days. Ya’ll have time to get there?”
“Yeah, Daniel and Delilah are going to fly us there, tomorrow night. It’s only me and Bane. Bam and Maverik already headed out this morning.”
“Alright, what do you need me to do? Just speak it, and it’s done,” Amos told him.
“I need you to keep an eye on things while we’re away, if you don’t mind. I’ve already talked to Vince, and he’s gonna stay at the house while he’s not working. Goldy is staying behind, and he’ll be there, too. If ya’ll could keep an eye on the girls and our places, I’d appreciate it.”
“Done! We’ll keep everybody and everything safe. You do what you need to and don’t give it a second thought,” Amos answered.
“I appreciate you, Amos,” Kaid said, hugging him again.
Then Joanne came out back, “Here’s your baklava, Kaid. I put a lot of the edges in there - she especially likes the edges,” Joanne said.
Kaid smiled broadly, “Thank you, Joanne.”
The bell from the front door jingled again, and Joanne turned toward the sound. Kaid took the box from her and thanked her again. She went back to the front of the shop, and Kaid placed the pastry box on top of the flour bags, so he could help Amos finish unloading the delivery truck.
Joanne hurried back to the front of her store to find Everly standing there. She looked very distressed.
“Everly, honey, you okay?” Joanne asked her.
She nodded, “I left this morning without paying you for breakfast. I’m sorry. I was trying to catch Bam,” Everly held out a $10.00 bill.
“Everly, you know you have a tab. You don’t owe me anything,” Joanne told her, smiling.
Everly looked at the money in her hand, shaking her head no, “I’d rather pay you. I don’t feel right using Bam’s tab any longer.”
Joanne didn’t know what to say. Everly just kept standing there, holding the money out to her.
“Please take it,” Everly said quietly, lifting the bill higher to indicate that Ms. Joanne should take it. Then she raised her eyes to Joanne, “Please.”
Joanne reached out and accepted the money, “Okay.”
Everly smiled sadly, “Thank you, Joanne,” and she turned and walked out of the shop.
Everly went back to her work shop and stood there surrounded by her copper and torches. She thought about welding, creating something beautiful. But she just didn’t see anything that inspired her. In fact, the only thing that had inspired her lately had been Bam. And after this morning, him seeing her with Cal and rushing away the way he did, she had no doubt that she’d not have another chance with him. Oh, she knew that she’d not done anything wrong, and she knew that Cal hadn’t meant to cause her any trouble, but none of that mattered. All that mattered was that Bam wasn’t like anyone else she’d ever met - things were black and white to him. And he’d seen her with Cal, at just the wrong moment, and now he thought that they were something they weren’t. She’d been calling him all morning, and sometimes it rang for a long time before going to voice mail; other times it went straight to voice mail. He was avoiding her; she had no doubt. She walked over to the corner and pulled a large drop cloth from her latest work. She stood back, smiling sadly, folding the drop cloth over her arm as she admired the huge bear she’d created. She’d sculpted from her metals the exact likeness of the Bear she loved. She’d watched him a time or two lumbering through the woods and playing in the yard with Remi while she’d been visiting Valerie. She stood on tiptoe and touched his outstretched paw. How she wished he’d know her heart. Know what he meant to her. An idea popped into her head…wishes… She smiled, walked over to her work station, pulled on her welder’s bib, her welder’s hood, and fired up her torch. She knew exactly what her sculpture needed.
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“Are you coming back soon, Papa?” Remi asked. He’d not been separated from either Avaleigh or Daniel since he’d met them, and he didn’t like the idea of being separated now.
“I will,” Daniel told him. “I will always come home to you and Mommy,” Daniel told him, smiling lovingly at him.
“Okay,” Remi said, not quite sure he believed him.
Daniel could feel that Remi wasn’t quite convinced, but an idea occurred to him, “I need you to watch over Mommy while I’m gone. It will only be a few days, but she will feel better knowing that you are protecting her for me, and I will, too,” Daniel explained.
Remi immediately lit up, his chest puffed out a bit, and he raised his chin, “I will, Papa. I will make sure that she’s safe,” he said proudly.
“I knew I could count on you, son,” Daniel said, picking the boy up from his chair to hug him tightly. This little boy was meant for him and Avaleigh from birth, of that he had no doubt. Still hugging the child, he smiled to himself, amazed at how the world worked its magic in spite of how people tried to control things.
Avaleigh was spooning crawfish casserole onto plates, along with huge hunks of garlic bread and bowls of caesar salad. She pretended that she couldn’t hear them, but her heart sang at their words. This was where she’d always belonged. She just had to go the long way around to find it. And truth be told, if she’d just walked right into it without all the strife she had to endure first, she might not have recognized it for what it was. Her place in the world. Her male, her child. She smiled as she turned to place dinner on the table in front of her family. Daniel placed Remi back in his chair, and he promptly reached for the garlic bread, dipped it into the casserole and mumbled around a mouthful, “This is good, Mommy.”
Later that night, Daniel and Avaleigh lay in bed, her head on his shoulder.
“Are you sure it’ll be okay?” she asked quietly.
“Of course, my love. All will be well, I’ll only be gone a few days. Goldy will be here, as will Amos and Vince, you’ll be fine ‘til I get back,” Daniel answered.
“Of course, I will. I meant you. Are you sure you’ll be okay?” she asked him.
He reached out and felt for her through their connection, smiling to himself at her concern and worry for him, “Woman, do you doubt my abilities?” he asked teasingly.
“Of course, not! I just… I need… I just don’t like you not being here. Just the thought of you not…” she struggled to explain, but he knew what she was trying to voice. He rolled her to her back, so he could look down into her eyes, “I will always, ALWAYS, come home to you, love. Nothing, no risk, is worth not coming home to you. You will never have to wake one day without knowing that I am yours. That you are my life,” he kissed her soundly.
“You will never face a day without our hearts joined.” He waited a heartbeat to be sure that he’d allayed her fears. She lifted her head up and kissed him, “You always know exactly what to say, my Dragon.”
He kissed her again, then allowed his tongue to trace a path down her neck to her throat, then to his mating mark, nipping it lightly, making her moan before moving lower.
“I’m going to love you so well tonight, that you’ll think of me with each move you make ‘til I get back,” he murmured into her breast right before he nipped her there, too.
“Oh, yes,” she choked out as he closed his teeth around her.
Chapter 18
Everly turned off the torch, laid it on her steel work table, and took her welder’s hood off. She shook out her curls and turned around to inspect her handiwork. It was perfect. She’d managed to get the little wisps of metal so thin they looked as though they couldn’t possibly be real. Looking once more at the huge Bear with a dandelion clasped gently in his fingers as the little seed puffs dispersed around it, as though he’d made a wish, she smiled. She’d poured her love for Bam, her hope and wishes for their future and the innocence that permeated every ounce of the big Bear’s personality into her sculpture. She smiled at her work once more, then turned and started to clean her work shop. She cleaned for the better part of an hour, before deciding she’d put it to rights. She gathered her purse and her jacket and started the walk toward Vince’s. If she didn’t get there before dark, he’d come looking for her. And she didn’t want him to do that. He was already doing more than any male should for a female that wasn’t his, and she didn’t want to inconvenience him any further.
When she got there, she popped her head into the bar and called his name. He answered from the kitchen, “Yo! I’m here, Everly!”
“Just wanted you to know that I’m home. Going on up to take a shower and relax,” she called back.
He came out front, wiping his hands on a towel, “Alright, thanks for checking in. You doing okay?”
“Yeah, I’m okay,” she said.
“Want to talk about it?” Vince asked.
She shook her head, “Nothing to say, really. Bam saw something he didn’t really see. Now I can’t get him to answer his phone, so I can explain. I think that’s it. No more chances.”
“Nah, I saw the way he held you last night. Thought he was going to mark you right there at the table. He’s not going too far,” Vince told her.
Everly just shrugged and stood there.
“Hey, have a seat, let me get you a burger and some onion rings, and then you can go upstairs,” Vince said, pulling a barstool out for her.
“Okay,” she answered.
A short while later and he was placing a basket with a huge grilled hamburger and onion rings in front of her. Vince’s Place served the best burgers. He used ground sirloin, and once he made the half pound patties he rolled them in minced vidalia onions. Then he’d cook them on the grill ‘til the onions were carmelized, and the burger was the way the customer wanted it. Everly loved hers medium rare, and he’d cooked it perfectly. She took a big bite, savoring it as she picked up an onion ring and dredged it in ketchup before taking a big bite of that, too. She smiled at Vince as she chewed.
“Who makes the best burgers?” he asked her, grinning.
“You do!” she mumbled around another bite.
He waited until she was halfway through her burger before asking his question, “So what did Bam see that he didn’t see?”
She stopped chewing, looked up at him and went to place her burger back in the basket.
“Unh-uh, don’t stop eating, just tell me,” Vince said.
She sighed, “He thinks he saw me with another male,” she answered.
“Either you were, or you weren’t. Were you?” Vince asked, his eyebrows raised in surprise that Everly would be with another male.
“Well, technically, yes, but no, not really,” she said.
He said nothing, but raised his eyebrow even higher.
She reached for another onion ring and explained, “Cal invited himself to sit with me at Joanne’s. I was having breakfast and thinking of Bam. Smiling. Cal reached over to look at the newspaper article, then reached out and wiped sugar from my mouth so quickly I didn’t have time to pull away. That’s what Bam saw. Then he rushed away. I couldn’t catch him, and now he won’t answer his phone.” She stopped eating and sat back. “I’m afraid he thinks I was on a date. But I wasn’t.”
Vince understood now, “Who is Cal?”
“He’s the friend of a customer. They came in last week, and Cal was flirting with me. Bam was pretty blunt and made them leave right after my customer had bought a fountain. So when he saw Cal with me this morning, I have no doubt that he thinks the worst.”
“I’m sure he does, Everly. Bam is very simple in his views of things, but he’s not stupid by any means. If this Cal has a thing for you, I’m sure that Bam picks up on it and feels threatened. But if what he saw this morning was truly innocent, you just need to explain it to him. I’m sure he’ll understand.”
Everly raised her eyes to Vince’s, “That’s the problem - he won’t answer his phone. He’s shutting me out.”
“Give it a few days; he’ll come around. Then you can explain what happened. But just for the record, in the future, I think I’d make sure not to allow Cal to have breakfast with me again,” Vince said.
She smiled at Vince, “Why can’t Bam be as persistent as Cal is?”
Vince smiled back, “Because Bam isn’t sure he deserves you. Cal probably doesn’t care if he does or not. He just wants you.”
Everly picked up her basket of food, “I’m going to go upstairs and finish dinner, then take a long hot bath and get some sleep, okay?”
He tousled her hair, “Okay.”
She shook her head, getting her curls out of her eyes, “You know I’m not 14 anymore, right?”
“Yup” he answered grinning.
“Then why do you mess up my hair all the time?!” she asked.
“’Cause I can,” he answered, still grinning.
Everly finished her dinner, took a long bath, and fell into a deep sleep. She woke the next morning, later than usual and sick. Not physically sick, but heartsick. She’d found her Mate, bonded with him, and now was being kept away from him, by him. She roused herself from her bed, showered again, and got herself dressed to go look for Bam. Thirty minutes later she was standing outside her apartment, locking the door behind her when she was struck by a wave of defiance. “No!” she said out loud. “No, I am not going to run after him. He can just call me if he wants to know what was going on. I’m not chasing after him anymore!” she stated out loud.
She stomped down the stairs and marched all the way to her work shop, opened the doors and spent most of the day trying to ignore the fact that she was consciously ignoring Bam.
She worked straight through the morning and made lunch out of a can of Vienna sausage and a pack of peanut butter crackers she had lying around. Then about 5:30PM she could take it no longer; her will broke. She picked up her phone and hit number one on her speed dial. It rang three times, then was sent to voice mail. She hung up and immediately called back; this time it went straight to voice mail. Yep, he was avoiding her. He’d sent her call to voice mail, then turned his phone off. How the hell was she ever going to make him understand that she wasn’t on a date if he wouldn’t accept her call? Go see Mate, her Fox whispered. I am not going over there, she answered. Are, her Fox said. Am not, she thought back, as she packed her things to go back to Vince’s. I sing all night, Fox answered smugly. Everly ignored her; she had no idea how stubborn her Fox could be when she decided she wanted something. And she wanted Bam.
