Ruined 6

Avery

Home.

With every passing second, I spent in my father's house it was feeling more and more like home. Which was strange because it had never felt like home when I had been growing up here. Not after my mum had died anyway. 

But now? After a solid week of cleaning up a decade of filth from a man who should be old enough to look after himself, it was starting to look and feel like a home. 

And there had been a change in my father as well. He ate more and drank less and honestly seemed like he enjoyed having us in the house. More Parker than me but I could live with that. I wanted my son to know my family. I had expected some repercussions when I had left the clubhouse bbq but so far there hadn’t been any.

There wasn’t any sign of Ruin either. Which was surprising. But it gave me a chance to catch my breath and gather my thoughts. He should never have taken the phone from me. I had had it totally under control. I knew how to handle Dean. Hell, I had been putting up with his mood swings for ten years. All Ruin had done was make things worse. 

An angry Dean would not let me stay here alone, and if he came down I would have no way of escaping. And that was the plan. Make sure my father was ok, looked after and wasn’t going to die because he lived in a salmonella factory and then I would be gone before Dean got served the divorce papers. It had been a good plan. Until Ruin went and well ruined it. 

Dean would come because he would take another man butting into our conversation as a personal threat. 

My only hope was to be gone before he got home and saw the divorce papers on his desk. Which meant I didn’t have long here. 

And I still needed to talk to Parker about it all. He had been devastated enough to be here for the holidays, how would he react when I told him we weren’t going home?

“You want to tell me why you’re really here?” My father's voice made me jump, water sloshed over my arms and down the front of my blouse. 

“I’m here to look after you.” I didn’t turn to him.  

“Bullshit Avery, that is total crap. You’re running.” 

I turned on him with a snarl. “Don’t presume to know anything about my life.” The water from the sink sent droplets flying through the air as I moved. 

“I know when someone is running. I know you’re married but don’t wear your ring. I know you haven’t turned your phone on since the bbq and the lad hasn’t either.” His wrinkled eyes narrowed. “I know Ruin was raging about your asshole husband when you left the bbq last week. Are you and Ruin having an affair? Is that why you have left your husband and come home now?”

Now? I blinked at him in surprise. “I didn’t think I was welcome before. You kicked me out, remember?”

“And you stayed gone. Now you and Ruin? How long has it been going on?”

Why was he so interested in me and Ruin? Not that there was a me and Ruin but still. “I saw Ruin for the first time in thirteen years last week, there is nothing between us but history. I left my husband because he’s a cheating, emotionally abusive asshole. And after growing up surrounded by men like that.” I let my eyes fall on his face, and he looked away quickly. Guilty as charged right there. 

“I decided I wanted more for my son.”

“He beat on you? Ruin thinks he’s hit you…”

And now we were back to Ruin again. “Ruin needs to mind his own business and so do you…”

My father's chuckle was dark. “He seems protective of you and the boy. Guilt maybe.”

I glanced at him. It was obvious that he didn’t know that Ruin was Parker’s father. If he had he wouldn’t be this calm and that suited me just fine. The fewer people to know the better. “But his actions have got the whole club talking Avery, he’s claimed you, maybe not in words but in actions. If you're planning on leaving, you should probably run it by him.”

Run it by him? Ruin was a stranger, sure a stranger I had a kid with but still a stranger. I didn’t have to run anything by him. 

“I’ll make sure he understands.” I tossed the dishcloth onto the side. “Can you watch Parker tonight?”

A curt nod. “Where are you going?”

“Out.” I flounced past him without looking back. 

***

”Well, what do we have here?”

The air beside me moved as someone slipped between my stool and the spare space next to me. My senses were assaulted by the smell of leather and smoke.

Biker. But wasn’t that the reason I was here? To prove to everyone once and for all that there wasn’t anything between me and Ruin. And I knew the best place for me to do that was Cooks. 

“Hi.” I tilted my chin up to him, a smile plastered on my face. But the smile slipped off my face. “Wicked?” I frowned. If Ruin had warned everyone off what was Wicked doing approaching me? Didn’t make a lick of sense.

“Truth baby.” The big man learnt heavily on the bar, his grin firmly fixed on his face. “You met my brother?”

Brother? That made sense. On closer inspection, I could see the slight difference between them. 

Wicked was bigger, taller and broader. Truth was just as covered in tattoos as his brother but seemed to favour colour. I let my eyes drift over the ink on his arms. Studying the stories that his tattoos no doubt told.  “Briefly.” I took a sip of my drink. “I like your ink.”

It was totally the right thing to say. His grin widened. “You do huh?”

“Yeah.” I let my fingers trail up his forearm. Flirting wasn’t exactly my forte but he seemed to be enjoying himself. So maybe I wasn’t that bad at it after all. 

“So you here with anyone?”

I shook my head. 

“Do you want to be here with someone?”

For a second I let the silence stretch between us. His eyes roaming down my body slowly as he waited for my answer. 

He wasn’t bad looking, in fact, he was handsome as hell. As far as my plan went I could definitely do worse. Hell, I would have been flattered if he had approached me even if I didn’t have a plan. 

“What I really want is for you to get me another drink.” I tapped his arm lightly and his chuckle filled the space between us. “You got it, now what do I call you. I’m Truth.” He slid easily on to the stool next to me, signally the bartender with a salute. 

That was the question, wasn’t it? If I gave him my name and he had heard of me, it was all over.

“Ava. My name's Ava.” It wasn’t technically a lie. I had been Ava for years, it was only here, in my home town that people called me Avery. 

“Here’s to you, Ava…” 

***

Ok so Truth was actually a decent guy, he could hold a conversation and seemed intelligent and articulate. In fact, I was enjoying myself. What had started as a plan to make sure the club knew I was my own woman was rapidly becoming me enjoying his company. Even when his hand slid across my knee I didn’t move away.

It had been a long time since a man had been interested in me, as a woman. How long exactly I wasn’t sure but I couldn’t even remember the last time a man had touched me. 

“Lost in thought baby?” His hand slid an inch up my leg, I might as well have been wearing a skirt or a dress, my body reacted like he was touching my bare skin and not denim. 

“Yeah.” I lowered my voice, my lashes fluttering against my cheek. “Sorry.” 

“Don’t be sorry…” he stepped closer, his hips bumping against my knees. Almost demanding access. “Dance with me?”

I glanced around, it was busier now the sun had gone down but it wasn’t busy enough to dance. Not yet anyway. In an hour or so it would start to fill up.

“Truth.” His name was bellowed from the door and I froze as Ruin and Wicked stepped through, arms slung around women who were wearing clothes that seemed to be a size too small.  I turned my back, my fingers crossed that they wouldn’t come over here.

“Hey, brother.” Truth lifted a hand, his frame blocking me from view. The hand that had been on my leg lifted to my waist as if he wanted me to stay close to him. 

“Drink?” I recognised Ruins voice easily. 

“Later, I’m busy.”

Both Ruin and Wicked laughed. “Come find us when you are done.”

“So how about that dance?” Truths full attention fell back on me. 

“Why don’t you go and speak to your friends for a bit ….” I bit my lip. Ruin turning up wasn’t part of the plan. “Or we could get out of here?” I reached up to his face. My fingers sliding up his jaw and over the scruff there. 

Truth didn’t miss a beat. “Finish your drink love,” his hand slipped around my waist. Pulling me to the very edge of my chair. “But be quick because I can’t wait to get you alone.” His head dipped, lips hovering over mine.