Rough Edges (16 page)

“Thanks again for having us over,” Allie said to Bree as they loaded up Braden’s cherry red convertible. After eyeing the unopened bags of chips and extra boxes of doughnuts, Allie added, “We probably overdid it on the food.”

Bree giggled. “Braden always does. And then he conveniently forgets to take the stuff with him. I think it’s his way of buying us groceries, but what it really does is make me fat.”

Allie laughed, though inwardly she was touched by what Bree said. Of course Braden would want to help his sister provide for those kids. He was generous, and they were the only family he had. “I bet he spoils them on their birthdays,” Allie guessed.

“You’re right about that.” Bree closed the door and leaned against the car, a touch of pink from the setting sun warming her cheeks. Allie had heard reports of a big storm headed their way, and though nothing had come of it yet, she could see a mass of storm clouds gathering in the east.

“Few years back,” Bree said, “Braden got Carter this gaming system when he was
two
years old. And he refused to take it back.” She shrugged. “I’m glad now that he didn’t, but it took over a year before Carter knew what to do with it.”

“I can picture that,” Allie said.

“Speaking of birthdays, is Paige’s actual birthday tomorrow, or is that just when the get-together is?”

“Yeah the party’s tomorrow,” Allie said, “but her birthday is the following day.”

Bree smiled. “Braden told me all about the stand he made for her. I made him send me a picture from his phone. It’s incredible!”

“Everything Braden builds is incredible,” Allie said. “But that piece is just… magic, I swear.”

“I’d have to say the same thing about that picture of Sophie,” Bree said. “I can’t thank Paige enough for framing a copy of it for me. I will treasure that forever.”

“I’m so glad,” Allie said. “We’ve got the woodblock placed on an easel at our place. I love it.”

Bree grinned. “You know Braden sure has started talking about your girls a lot,” Bree said. “He’s really fond of them.”

Allie laughed, leaning against the car as well. “I’m so glad. Especially since the feeling seems to be mutual, even on Paige’s end, and that’s saying something.” She sighed. “He’s crazy about your kids, too. Says they bring a whole lot of light into his life.”

“Yeah, he’d do anything for us. He says so all the time. But I know he’s trying to take my father’s place. That he feels a burden where we’re concerned.” She furrowed her brow, shifting her gaze to the sky. “But I wish he didn’t.”

Allie wondered if Bree was referring to their impending situation. The stalker who’d be out of prison in just two years. “He told me about Carl Ronsberg,” Allie ventured. “He seems pretty confident that he can keep you and the kids safe.”

A bit of worry flashed across Bree’s eyes as she folded her arms, rubbing her hands along her forearms. “He bought that orchard home right after Carl was sentenced. He’s renting it out until it’s time for me to move in, but I worry that he’s losing money on it, since he has to pay someone to take care of the orchard there. I don’t know, he’d never tell me if he was taking a loss.”

Allie nodded, trying to take in what she’d said. Was this the plan he’d set out for her? Was Bree just now revealing what Braden had chosen not to share? The fact that he’d purchased some property to hide her and the kids away. She almost felt like she should speak up and stop her from going any further, but already Bree was adding to it.

“It’s supposed to be income property you know, so I won’t have to work or be out in the community for a while, which is an entirely separate topic on its own. But it’s funny because – though I know it’s someplace in Oregon – I have no idea which city it’s in or even what it looks like. He’s just really… guarded where the details are concerned.”

Allie worked to put a smile on her face.

“Of course, I knew he’d let you in on it, as close as you are. But I’d say besides his ex-fiancé’, Mindy, we’re the only ones who even know about the place.”

His fiancé had known about it? That made her feel even worse. She figured Braden had his reasons for not telling her, but the truth was, Allie couldn’t stop the odd sort of ache that began settling over her heart.

“Hey, what ever happened with Terrance taking Paige to live with him? Any news on that?”

Allie glanced over to see Paige spinning Sophie in circles on the grass. “I think Terrance is stalling now. He’s been dodging her calls and texts. And the few times he
has
replied, he’ll say that she’ll probably have to come out a little later now. And it’s horrible because I hate to see her disappointed, but I don’t want her to leave either. So I’m really torn, you know?”

“I can imagine,” Bree said. “It’s hard enough for me to let these guys go for the weekends they stay with Dallin.”

Allie nodded. “I bet.”

“Sophie and Carter are coming home with us,” Paige hollered, barreling toward the car with Sophie on her back.

Carter sat perched on Jillian’s shoulders. “Yeah,” he shouted. “We’re coming to your house.”

Jillian smiled, her wide eyes pleading. “Please. Can we keep them?”

“I’m going to say yes,” Allie said.

“You won’t want them for long,” Braden said, strolling toward the group. “They mess up your house, eat all your food, and they’re not even potty trained.”

“I am too,” Carter blurted.

Sophie gave him a sad-looking pout. “I always go on the potty, Uncle B.”

“I know, sugar,” Braden said, rubbing Sophie’s head with a gentle hand. He glanced at his convertible, ran his eyes over the groceries stuffed into the backseat. “Hey, how’d this get in here?” He gave Bree’s ponytail a  light tug. “You were supposed to keep this stuff. I can’t eat it all.”

Bree bumped his shoulder with her own. “Yeah, but if it stays here
I will
.”

Allie laughed, reaching out to rest a hand on Bree’s arm. “Thanks again. And don’t forget about tomorrow night. Birthday dinner for Paige at my parents’ place, seven o’clock.”

“Wouldn’t miss it,” Bree assured. “I’m thrilled that she wants us there.”

“Me too,” Allie said. As she looked over the small group in the driveway, each smiling face lit by the warmth of the setting sun, she took in the feeling of peace. A comfort that came from the closest of loved ones. How wonderful it was that in two short months, they’d gained friends that felt more like family. Above that, Allie had grown even closer to Braden in that time. She mused that, if there was such a thing as perfect, they’d come pretty close to it.

After a much-too-short kiss goodbye, Braden walked Allie to the passenger side of her car. He gave Jillian a smile as she buckled up behind the wheel. “Let’s see if you can back out of this driveway without messin’ up the flowers,” he murmured through the open window.

“I’m sure she can,” Bree said, securing Carter’s little hand in hers. “It’s Braden who always seems to take out a few of my daffodils each time. I think he’s just jealous because he can’t grow anything himself.”

Paige blew kisses to each one of the kids (a very non-Paige thing to do) before hopping in back. Allie decided to push thoughts of the orchard home, as Bree had called it, aside. Braden would tell her about it when he was ready. The warmth she had felt swept back in with the fragrant breeze. Life was good, and she was grateful for it. Perhaps it was time to cross that final item off her list – the one she’d made to note all of the voids in her life. Because in that moment, her heart had never been so full. As far as Allie was concerned, her aching over the divorce was a thing of the past. Now she would focus on her future.

~+~

Braden flicked on the light to the woodshop, taking one last look at his work for the night. Tomorrow morning Allie would show at nine o’clock sharp, and he wanted to make sure he was on schedule. Along the wall, a dry erase board showed which jobs were due and when. Mr. Lancaster’s rocking chair was ready to go a week ahead of schedule. The custom cabinet set for Ms. Jones – a handsome paying job – had just one last coat to go and it’d be set too. He’d been certain that job wouldn’t be finished until the end of the month. Turned out having a secretary not only kept him organized, but it also freed up his time, allowing him to be more productive. The shop was bringing in more revenue that it ever had.

A stack of new jobs was pinned to the side of the board. Clients Allie had found him through her social networking efforts. He smiled to himself. Glad to have her in his life. That woman was a gem if there ever was one. And her girls too. Due to their circumstance, most of Braden and Allie’s recent dates had involved Paige and Jillian. Often times they included Bree and the kids as well. And while Braden craved more alone time with Allie, he knew having her to himself could get them into trouble. No need to rush things. Still, after a weekend of family fun at the pond, and hours spent in the woodshop with Paige and a few of her friends, Braden was determined to get at least a little private time with Allie in the weekend to come. He’d take her someplace nice for dinner, bring her back to his place, and pick up where they’d left off while out on the patio swing by the fire. His belly burned at the sheer thought; too bad he still had five days to go.

While pausing at the light switch, Braden looked over the stand he’d made for Paige. Just two more days and it’d be hers. He could hardly wait to see what she thought of it. He imagined what it would look like with her art inside, and smiled.
Paige is going to love it
.

With the flick of a few lights the woodshop went dark, and Braden headed back into the house. After a quick shower, he sunk into the couch and reached for the remote. Just as the bright screen glowed to life, his phone buzzed. A quick glance over his shoulder told him he’d left it on the kitchen table. It wasn’t ringing, so no call had come in. Just a text was all.

He groaned as he stood up, stretched his arms as he strode toward it, and lifted a brow as it buzzed again. Two texts. Or perhaps one very long text that had been broken into two. Only Allie sent him texts that long. The thought should have filled him with excitement, but it didn’t. For some reason, the sight of the small phone, just under the dining room’s dimmed light, infused him with dread.

Life was too perfect, wasn’t it? Braden had never had it so good. And instead of getting better, the good things in his life were going to get ripped away. One by one. The phone buzzed one more time. A third text.

He glared down at the small screen, scrutinizing the tiny letters before picking it up.
Allie.
All three of them were from her.
Terrance.
His name was mentioned in the very first text. He glanced at the time, noticed it was after one in the morning. It wasn’t like her to stay up so late. Heat – a bitter blast of it – shot up his throat as he swiped the screen, prepared to read the first text:

Terrance came back tonight. He said he wants to try and make things work.

Braden scrolled down to the second text and read on:

I didn’t want to at first, but I told him I would for the kids’ sake.

Braden kept from throwing the phone in his hand long enough to read the final text.

Please don’t come by, call, or text me. Terrance and I were married over fifteen years. I owe this to him.

“Damn it, Allie, are you kiddin’ me?” His fist tightened around the phone as he closed his eyes, replaying the text in his mind. It was torture. And impossible to believe. Yet a small part of him found it very easy to believe. A part he’d buried over the last few weeks.

Call her,
he decided. He just needed to speak with Allie. Talk some sense back into her. Who cared if she’d asked him not to?

His heart thundered angrily as he waited for her to pick up. One ring. Two.

“C’mon, Allie, just talk to me.”

Third ring.

“Hello?” Only it wasn’t Allie. It was Terrance.

“Get Allie on the phone, now,” Braden demanded.

“She doesn’t want to talk to you,” Terrance hissed. “Don’t call back.” And before Braden could utter a word in reply the line went dead.

A curse flew from Braden’s lips. The phone flung across the room at his command, crashing into pieces that skid across the floor. He could kill Terrance in that moment. Wished he could get his hands around the guy’s throat so he could choke the life out of him.

“I
owe
this to him? How could she say that?” Visions of his terrible nightmare came flooding back, Allie dressed in red, being carried to the bed by a gloating Terrance. Braden strode through the laundry room, kicked at a basket of towels and cursed. He had to get out of there. Needed to get far away from Allie and the girls. From Terrance and his controlling, manipulative, abusive... He shook his head, thinking of what he had in store. Bree and all her questions. Sophie and Carter’s sad faces when they found out they’d seen the last of Paige, Jillian, and Allie. It went without saying that she’d quit her job as well.

A gnarled stone twisted in his chest, the pain of it nearly halting his breath. He couldn’t face his sister. His niece or his nephew. He couldn’t walk into that woodshop again, knowing she wouldn’t be there.

While shoving clothes into a gym bag, Braden came up with a plan. He already knew where he would go and how he’d get there. What he hadn’t known was what to say to Bree, and how to say it, being as late as it was. He finally settled on an email. He’d tell her where he’d gone. Ask her to come take care of a few things at the woodshop, and apologize for not saying goodbye. If there was a worst-case scenario for each phase of life, Braden seemed to find it every time. He’d been
this close
to a dream, and then it was gone. And whether it would help ease the pain or not, it was time for him to be gone too.

Allie’s eyes flicked open before her alarm sounded. She eyed the clock, realizing she had nearly an hour more to sleep. While this was normally a welcome discovery, Allie knew she wouldn’t be able to fall back to sleep if she tried. Already her mind was going through her to-do list for the day. She’d finished half-a-dozen orders over the weekend, and each still needed to be boxed up before shipping. She’d drop them off at the post office after work today.

Work.
It hardly seemed like a fair term. She got to be with the man she was falling in love with. Help him grow and organize his thriving business, and watch as he sanded furniture in his often-topless state while his muscles glistened in the sunlight. She giggled, reaching for her laptop by the side of her bed.

The screen glowed to life as she checked the list by her nightstand. Allie was running low on a few supplies for her jewelry, so she would head to the hobby shop after the post office. Oh, and she needed frosting too, since she was bringing a cake to the birthday dinner her parents were throwing for Paige.

After firming up her day, Allie strode down the hall, walked past the family room, and headed into her workroom. After flicking on the lamp, unwilling to make it brighter than necessary, she sped into the kitchen for a drink. It wasn’t until she was headed back to the workroom that a large lump on the couch caught her attention.

A scream tore from her throat as the ice water slipped from her hand. The figure sat up straight, and then stood altogether, the blanket falling off to reveal a man Allie was shocked to see. “Terrance?”

His hands were raised at either side of him, the silhouette a picture of startled surrender. “Sorry,” he blurted. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Well you
did
scare me,” she hissed. “You scared the
crap
out of me. What in the world are you doing here?”

“Dad?” Paige hit the switch as she burst into the front room. She threw her arms around him. “You’re early. I thought you weren’t coming until next week.”

“Next week?” Allie bent down to pick up her glass. The rug had softened the blow enough that it hadn’t shattered, just cracked. She inspected the surrounding area for shards. “I thought your visit had been canceled altogether.”

Jillian padded around the corner, rubbing her eyes. “Is that you, Dad?”

“Sure is.” The chipper tone of his voice pricked at Allie’s nerves as she strode into the kitchen. The broken glass hit the base of the garbage with a thud. She rinsed her hands, watching Jillian throw her arms around Terrance.

“This is a surprise,” she said, looking a little more cautious than Paige, but still pleased nonetheless. “Are you staying long?”

Before he could respond to Jillian’s question Allie spoke up. “What’s going on?”

“He’s here to get me.” Paige said, glancing warily at her dad. “You said yesterday that Mom was cool with it.”

“Well, it’s in the decree, Paigester. She has no choice.”

Allie gasped, ready to unleash, but Terrance cut her off.

“Anyway, it doesn’t matter anymore because there’s been a change of plans. I’d like to talk to your mother alone about it, if you don’t mind.”

The room fell silent as Allie’s gaze dropped to Paige. Her eyes were narrowed, her arms folded over her chest.

“C’mon, Paige,” Jillian said. “Let’s let these guys have a minute alone.”

“No.” Paige shook her head stubbornly. “I want to hear too. I want to know if I’m going to South Dakota or not.”

Terrance gave Allie a pleading glance. “Could you please take care of these guys so we can talk?”

Her first instinct was to give into it. Not for Terrance’s sake, but for the girls. She wanted to protect them as she always had. But then Braden’s words came to her.
There’s only one sure way to break an illusion.

“I already told all my friends I was leaving, Dad. I told them this was my last week.” Paige was frantic. Her eyes looking red and watery.

“I’ll talk to you about it after I speak with your mom.”

“No,” Allie blurted. “What’s the change in plans, Terrance? Seems only fair that you include Paige in them, since she’s the one you made them with in the beginning. Are you taking her back to Rapid City or not?” The words nearly ripped a hole in her heart.

“You’re going to let me go?” Paige asked.

Allie bit at her lip as she took in the stunned expression on her face.

“Mom?” Jillian whined. “Why would you do that?”

“I might let her go, if that’s really what she wants. As long as Dad has a decent place for her to stay. Her own bedroom and everything.”

“You know she’d have to share a room with Heather’s kids, Allie,” Terrance spat.

The room went quiet.

Jillian’s face twisted in disgust.

Paige crinkled her nose. “Who’s
Heather
?”

Allie only looked to Terrance and shook her head. After all this time, the illusion she’d helped create dangled recklessly close to the edge. Before the day’s end, the girls would watch as it fell. Allie only hoped they wouldn’t shatter along with it.