Authors: Avery Stark
Falling In (16 page)
The
sweet, sensual memory of how he pleased her so selflessly rushed back and made her
tingle with excitement in spite of the tense situation surrounding her.
“How
could I forget?”
“Do you
remember what happened before...when I asked you whether or not you liked it
here?”
The
visuals that she retained from that night made her increasingly flustered. She
glanced over to Max, who stared her down like a hawk.
“I do
now.”
“I was
trying to ask you to stay with me.”
“Excuse
me?”
Liam
held her head in his hands and kissed her lips.
“I
wanted you to stay and I still do.”
“But,
but,” Audrey stammered. “Why did you wait to bring this up again?”
“I don’t
know. The time just never seemed right, but it certainly does now.”
She
looked over to Max, who had both hands clenched into fists at the sight of his
wife in the arms of another man.
“So I’m
asking you now,” Liam’s voice drew her gaze back to his pleading eyes. “Stay
in Cedar Key.”
Without
so much as looking in Max’s direction, Audrey answered, “You know I will.”
“That’s
it,” Max stormed over from where he watched and shoved Audrey out of the way
hard enough to almost knock her to the ground. “I’ve had about enough of
this.”
Liam
took a step toward him.
“And
I’ve had about enough of
you
.”
Audrey
started to get back between them, but she was already too late. Max took a
swing and barely missed Liam’s perfect jaw line as he dipped back just out of
reach. Returning the favor, Liam’s tattooed knuckles landed squarely against
Max’s bottom lip and sent him shuffling backwards.
Without
missing a beat, the two lunged at each other again. That time, however,
someone else was there to break it up. Marv, one of the town’s police officers
who Audrey met when she first arrived, swooped in after hearing the commotion
from inside. He shoved both men so that they were a few feet apart.
“Cut it
out,” he yelled, “or you’re both going to jail.”
Liam
pointed to Max, who was busy pressing the back of his hand against his lip, and
growled, “He needs to get the hell out of here.”
Marv
turned.
“And who
the hell are you?”
“My
ex-husband,” Audrey said as she finally took up a spot next to Liam. “And I
don’t want him here.”
“I’m not
your ex-husband yet,” he said with a scowl.
Audrey
stared him and replied, “I can promise you that you will be very soon.”
Marv
broke in, “Look, I don’t know what is going on here, but you need to leave,
sir.”
“Not
without her,” Max pointed to Audrey.
“Sorry,”
she said and slipped her hand into Liam’s. “I’m not going anywhere.”
His
fingers curled tightly around hers, acknowledging the happiness that her choice
brought to him without saying a word.
Max
tried to speak again, but Marv put up a hand and stopped him.
“Every
police officer in Cedar Key but me is in that building, having a drink,” he
said and pointed toward the battered hotel. He stepped up and put one hand on
Audrey’s shoulder and the other on Liam’s. “The way I see it, you have two
options here. You can turn around and go back to wherever you came from, or I
can send you back in a whole lot more trouble than you’re already in.”
Max
started to take a step forward with both hands clenched into fists so tight
that his knuckles were as white as a sheet of paper. But he didn’t make it far
before the last rational part of his brain held him back.
“This
isn’t over,” he said through clenched teeth and pointed at Audrey. A small
trickle of blood began to spill from the corner of his mouth. “It’s not.”
Audrey
felt Marv’s assuring palm grip her shoulder a little tighter, as if to make
sure she knew that Max couldn’t hurt her anymore. She took a deep breath and
stepped forward, kicking aside one of the many pieces of Cedar Key that lay
scattered about. When she did, Marv’s hand fell from her shoulder. It was a
silent--if not tenuous--permission to proceed.
Liam,
however, kept the very tips of their fingers hooked together as she went.
“Yes, it
is.” She jerked her arm away from Liam and held it up to Max. It was only
inches from his nose and made her healing cuts easily visible. “Do you have
any fucking clue what you’ve done to me? Do you?”
She started
to yell, but nobody--not even the few residents who began to wander outside to
see what was going on--was going to stop her.
“I can
forgive your childish attitude and I can even forgive the way that you sprung
this divorce on me.” She shook her wrist and drew his eyes back down to the
damage that he inflicted. “But I will never forgive you for this. Not now and
not ever.”
He
started to beg, “We have to make things work. You can’t run from this
forever.”
“I’m not
going to run away, Max, but I can promise you that you won’t see me run back,
either.” She lowered her tone and, for the first time in weeks, said to him
with confidence, “I think it’s time for you to leave.”
Over the
last remaining chunks of skin that were still raised from his attack, Max
stared into Audrey’s eyes. She could almost see the debate that raged in his
head. But as he tore his eyes away and saw the gathering cluster of people
ready to defend their own, it seemed that the choice had been made for him.
He
opened his mouth to say something, but clearly thought better of it and snapped
his lips back together before he stomped away with fists still clenched. When
he disappeared from view, Marv let go of Liam’s shoulder and whispered to him,
“I’ll take everyone back in so you two can talk, then I’ll head out and make
sure that punk leaves.”
“Thanks,”
Liam said with a grateful smile.
Marv
nodded, turned around to the small crowd and yelled, “Alright, folks. Nothin’
to see here. Get back inside.”
After he
left the only sober cop in town to do his job, Liam started toward Audrey to do
his.
“Hey,”
he said and wrapped his hand around her shaking, damaged wrist. “It’s over
now.”
The
instant that his touch landed, Audrey jumped into his arms and started to cry.
“I’m so
sorry for all of this. I’m-”
“Stop,”
he said and held her cheeks with both hands. “The only apology that I want
from you is for not coming into my life sooner.”
In the
peace of the moment, Audrey looked to the scattered spikes of light that
pierced through the clouds to the east. They littered the weather-beaten
landscape with bright slashes of white that illuminated the ravaged coastline
in brief, passing flashes. On the back of the undulating sea, they danced and
shimmered. It was a reassuring hint of the coming brightness that
everyone--especially Audrey--needed.
She
closed her eyes and took a deep breath of the fresh air. For those few seconds
in time, the overwhelming relief of letting her heart take the lead
overshadowed all of the pain and loss. There was no hurt, fear or anger left
for her to wallow in.
All
that’s left
, she
thought and turned to Liam,
is happiness
.
She
pushed up to the tips of her toes and kissed him. From the crashing ocean
beyond, the rough breeze rushed by and swirled around them like the brand new
beginning that they had been given. As Audrey sank into Liam’s strong arms, he
leaned down so close that his lips tickled the outer part of her ear and
whispered, “I love you.”
A
response flowed naturally from her quivering lips.
“I love
you, too.”
As they
stood among the swaying sea grass and shifting pockets of sand, the storm
quickly became an eloquent reminder to Audrey--and Cedar Key its self--that the
wreckage of the past can sometimes become the foundation for greater things
that have only just begun.
###
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Just
before the hottest Virginia summer since 1936, college freshman Emily comes
home to her parents’ bed and breakfast to a varied cast of characters,
including a troubled, handsome young artist named Adam Marshall. In the days
that follow, they find themselves helplessly drawn to each other by the dark
secrets that both of them keep. But when a personal tragedy forces Emily to
take over her parents’ business by herself and face the demons of her past, she
finds herself lost and unsure of everything that she thought she knew.
Amidst
the backdrop of the picturesque Chickweed Inn, nestled at the foot of the
Appalachian Mountains, Emily and Adam’s turbulent story plays its self out as
the lives of several strangers collide in a tangled web of love, loss, pain and
romance over the course of a single summer. Will the dramatic series of events
turn the star-crossed lovers away from each other, or will Emily and Adam find
the strength in each other to rise from the ashes of their shattered lives?
Second only to St. Augustine,
Cedar Key is one of the oldest towns in Florida. While this book is a work of
fiction, the city and its turbulent history are, in fact, real. Having never
been there personally, I took many liberties when it came to the town’s layout
and inhabitants. If you’re interested in reading about Cedar Key’s real
history, from its settlement to its obliteration by the storm of 1896 and
beyond, I highly recommend ‘Cedar Key: A History’ by Kevin McCarthy. I picked
up a copy during my research and ended up learning a lot about this amazing
little town that I now can’t wait to visit.
A life-long
Southern California native, Avery Stark spends most of her time mulling over
different story ideas. She is often inspired by the brilliant sunsets behind
rows of palm trees, the gritty smell of the sea air in the early morning hours
and the beautiful diversity that her home state embraces.
Avery lives
just outside of Los Angeles with her two cats and a daughter who, at the end of
the day, pushes along her relentless pursuit of happiness, love and being able
to live the dream of doing something that she loves. Among her other interests,
she lives to cook for a crowd and has an unusual amount of interest in the field
of geology, though her college degree was in, of all things, accounting.
Ms. Stark
would like to thank you again for your support of independent authors. It is,
after all, what makes her world--and the worlds in her stories--possible.
Thank
you for your continuing support of independent authors! For the latest
news from Avery Stark, including her blog, please visit her
website
at
www.averystarkromance.blogspot.com. Once there, don’t forget to
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This book is copyrighted by Avery Stark with all rights
reserved. No part of this may be copied, or changed in any format, sold, or
used in any way. All characters depicted are 18 years or older and are
works of fiction. Any resemblance to real people, living or dead, is
purely coincidental.