Devil’s in the Details (49 page)

Poking at the leftover crust of apple pie, I held my head down, "You don't need to thank me, Katherine. I did what I thought I was right." I turned to look at Alex, "From that day and every day after. I have always tried to do the right thing by Alex." I smiled when Alex laid her hand on my arm, whispering my name. Covering her hand with mine, I met her mother's eyes, "To be honest, I often look back and realize I never looked at the sun or appreciated the good days as much as I do now. All because of your tenacious and incredible daughter." I felt Alex's hand squeeze my arm, "Little Ava here has changed my life in ways I never thought was imaginable."

Katherine and Bill both stared at me with sappy grins. I cleared my throat, feeling in the spotlight, and picked up my empty plate, making a motion to grab the others when Bill spoke up, "Leave it Victoria. I can get it." He stood up, kissing the top of Katherine's head, "I have to say, I’m impressed, astonished, and grateful that Alex here has you. I always wanted the best for her and I can see you are the best. Hell, I am a bit envious that she snagged you." He chuckled, winking at me as Katherine playfully smacked his arm.

Alex groaned, hiding her face in my shoulder, "Oh Bill."

Katherine started laughing, standing to help Bill with other dishes, "You two have nothing to be shy or coy about. Love is a grandiose thing and it should be embraced, not hidden." She moved over to Alex, kissing the top of her head, "Now Ava, go get the kids ready for their walk."

Alex groaned again, shuffling to stand up and it made me smile, catching a tiny glimpse of what Alex probably was like as a teenager. Shy, cute, semi defiant, and equally as loving as she was now looking up at me with big blue eyes, her chin perched on my shoulder. "You want to help me with the kids? Now that you and Barney are best friends forever?"

I laughed, nodding, running my hand down her cheek, "Of course I will, Ava."

Alex rolled her eyes and groaned, "Not you too."

I couldn't help but laugh harder, following her shuffle to the back door where I saw red leashes and harnesses neatly hung up by the door, "Oh yes me too."

She gave me a pout, shoving a leash and harness in my hand calling for Barney and Annie. Alex tried hard to give me the evil eye until the two black dogs came rushing at us yipping and barking with excitement.

She gave in when she saw Barney run right for me and climb into his harness without a fuss, shaking her head and giggling at how the old dog was licking my hand, wagging his tail. "Should I be worried, or jealous of you and him?"

I winked at her, "Maybe, he probably wouldn't smother me in bed or steal my pillows." Standing up I held out my hand to the pouting brunette, pulling her towards me when her hand fell into mine. I kissed her softly on the lips, murmuring, "I'm kidding, no one could ever replace you, Ava."

Alex sighed contently, poking me in the ribs with her leash covered hand, "Good." She tried to kiss me again but was yanked away by the hyper Annie who saw a bird out the screen door and was determined to either kill it, or make friends with it. "I'll get you back later, Victoria."

I raised my eyebrows at the seductive, yet revengeful, tone in her face. I shrugged looking down at Barney waiting to take the lead, "Your big sister is a bit of a naughty one."

Barney barked in what I imagined to be him agreeing with me, his tail wagging in circles waiting for me to take the first step. I stared at the dog until I heard Alex shove the screen door open and holler back for me to hurry up. I sighed, motioning for Barney to go ahead. His sturdy legs taking off in a dedicated cadence, showing me that he was very serious about his afternoon walks.

I grinned, following him out and towards Alex who was desperately trying to untangle the leash wrapped around her legs.

I could get used to these kind of days.

Victoria walked ahead of my mom and I. Bill next to her taking over leash duties for Barney as we all walked around the neighborhood on the sunny late afternoon. I could tell Bill was off on one of his diatribes, more than likely about the Naval Academy from the snippets of conversation that floating back to me.

Mom and I were discussing her book club and the new romance adventure novel they started. I still had control of Annie and was constantly looking down and stepping over her leash as she ran in hyper semi circles chasing leaves, birds, squirrels, her own shadow.

"I like Victoria a lot." My mom's voice had taken on that subtle tone of judgment it often did when she was appraising my life choices. She looked over at me, eyebrow raised with a curious smile, "She's very beautiful."

I tugged on Annie's leash, trying to get her to settle down, "You say that as if you're surprised it's a she and not a he?" I kept my eyes on the black blur of a tail. I hated when my mom had these kind of heart to hearts with me, it usually ended up in her talking my ear off about making my life into something more in one avenue or another. Whether it was work, upgrading my nursing skills to get out of the trauma ward, or finding marriage material, she had a way about her that made me question if I was doing the right thing. She did it in a loving way, but it still made me irritated that she still could’nt let go of me even as my thirty first birthday was just a few months away. I was forever her little girl, her only little girl.

My mom linked her arm into mine, "Oh Alex, not at all. Love is blind on many levels and who am I to question where anyone, especially my daughter, finds it." She patted my wrist, "I like her, I mean it. She's polite, intelligent, stunning, charismatic, funny, and seems to really like you."

I shrugged, fighting the involuntary grin that wanted to cross my face, "I really like her too, Mom."

"Do you love her?" My mom asked the question as if she already knew the answer.

I looked at my mom, waiting until she made eye contact with me. Looking in the dark blue eyes I had inherited, I nodded, "With my whole being." I smiled, turning back to look at Bill and Victoria walking ahead of us. "I love Victoria. I think I finally understand what you’ve been telling me all these years about finding the one." I sighed, "She makes me want to slow down in life and enjoy the day and not rush through it in the name of getting things done. I still have so much to learn about her, and for once, I actually have the patience to sit and wait for her to tell me everything."

I bit the inside of my mouth, remembering the night Victoria poured her heart out about her scars. It broke my heart and I had a strange feeling there was still more about the blonde that would be hard to absorb. She carried a wealth of secrets, the thunderclouds that fell across her eyes in the car told me there would be things I wished I never asked about, but would because I loved her so deeply.

"The girl does remind me of Gary Cooper in the Fountainhead, there's a mystery about her." My Mom winked at me, "Adds to her charisma." I rolled my eyes, giving Annie a dirty look as she wrapped around my legs for the hundredth time, my Mom laughing as she continued, "You said the other night that she was in the war and a hero? Is that how she got the teaching job and the fancy car? It's nice that the Navy helped her after all that mess."

I nodded, my head looking up from Annie just in time to catch Victoria looking back, her eyes meeting mine, making us both grin stupidly, "She was, Mom, and the Navy did help her. As for the fancy car, she is a stock holder in that fancy underwear company Voltaire, the one that sells bras for the price of my car payment." I leaned into her arm, hoping she would stop the impromptu interrogation of my new relationship. "Victoria gets checks at least once a month from the stocks and has been saving up for the last few years."

I furrowed my brow when a quick flash of the address on the upper corner of the blue envelopes struck me. The address on that one and a few others in Victoria's hands this morning had a D.C. address near the Pentagon. I vaguely recalled seeing a New York address a million and a half times on the stupid catalogs I recycled, even once writing it down on a hare brained idea to walk over to their office when I lived in Manhattan. Dump the huge box of glossy ads I had collected in a three month period, and tell them to shove their pricey, crappy lingerie up their bum and take me off the mailing list.

"Smart and thrifty, she's a keeper Ava." My Mom laughed, reaching to take over the reins on Annie while I stared at the sidewalk, my mind stitching odds and ends together about those damn blue envelopes.

I nodded, "Yeah, she really is." I smiled as my Mom took Annie and caught up to Bill and Victoria, sidling her way into their conversation as the weird feeling I had in the car when Victoria told me about her stocks, returned. There was a new mystery hiding in plain sight, written in gold print on blue envelopes. A mystery that I knew was better left alone, but knowing my inquisitive nature and that I wanted to know everything I could about Victoria, I would find a way to poke around and get my gut to relax with its constant red flag waving.

Bill calling my name roped my attention back into the present, waving me over to join the other three as we rounded the last corner of the walk. I waved back and jogged to catch up, grabbing Victoria's offered hand. Telling my gut as our fingers intertwined to leave it alone, all I wanted was to be in love and happy. Not embarking on a miniature investigation about my lover's financial business dealings.

After the afternoon walk with Alex's parents and dogs, there was a cup of coffee and the usual parental questions of what were my intentions with Alex. Barney even joined in by climbing up and lying down in my lap for a healthy nap as I stroked his back. Alex tried to protest the awkward questioning and get her parents off the topic, but I allowed it to happen. I had grown very fond of her parents over dinner and during the walk. Finding both of them to be kindhearted people who raised Alex to be the incredible woman she was now. I wanted to be open to her family and in turn her.

So, I answered their questions, honestly. For the first time in a long time, I didn't avoid the truth. I let my heart have the floor and spoke from it, seeing the happiness in Alex's eyes as I promised to do my best by her and do whatever I had to as we continued to move forward.

After winning her parents over and prying Barney off my lap, Alex and I said our goodbyes with a promise to come back next week for dinner. Her mother and Bill hugged me, whispering quiet thank you’s, before sending us on our way with leftover meatloaf.

I couldn't wipe away the grin on my face during the early evening drive back to my house. Alex passed out the second we hit the highway, holding my hand on her lap as she slept. It all felt so surreal to me. The dinner felt unreal in a good way, the way her parents silently approved of their daughter being with me was something new to me. I had been in more than one relationship where the conservative parents couldn't wrap their head around the fact I was a woman in the military dating other women. It was nice and made it easier to relax and open up more and more to Alex, seeing that her and her family welcomed me with wide open arms.

Pulling into my neighborhood, I glanced at the sleeping brunette. Her face was peaceful as she breathed in and out heavily. Catching Alex asleep was my favorite thing, she was so stunning and beautiful when she was at rest, lost in whatever dreams she was having. It was the only time that I felt the world I knew didn't exist.

I grinned, squeezing her hand when we got closer to my house. I went to wake her up when I looked up and saw Dani parked behind Alex's mini, sitting on the trunk of the black sedan in her uniform, playing on her phone. My heart dropped into my stomach and my grin morphed into a heavy frown.