Chapter 7

“Avery.”

I looked up to see Jace's head poking inside my slightly opened door, his messy hair falling over his eyes as he smiled. He waved his arm and motioned for me to follow him. "Let's go." He grinned.

I shook my head giving Jace a confused look. "Go where," I questioned. "We don't have to work for another hour." My eyes studied his body as he rubbed his chest and then stretched.  It made me blush unwantedly. I turned my head away and coughed. “Were we supposed to go in early today?”

Jace bit his lip ring and leaned against the door, shoving it completely open. "We're calling in today," he said playfully. "I'm sure that the boss won't mind."quot;  He turned around and waited for me to follow. When I didn't get up, he tilted his head back. "Well..."

I felt a twinge of excitement as I pushed myself to my feet and followed him to the living room. He tossed me my leather jacket and then reached for his own. My mind raced as I watched him slip it on and I really wanted to know what we were doing.

A week had passed since our conversation on the porch and we hadn't spent much time talking since then. It made me nervous.

I looked up at Jace as he reached for his keys and opened the front door. The sunlight that leaked through the door was bright, making me eyes sting. I threw my hand over my face. "Where are we going? Shouldn't we be working?" I questioned, again.

"Nah." He nodded his head toward the door and waited for me to walk out first. "Stacy and Maple have it covered. Maple wanted to come in today to keep her eye on Winston. He's been a bad boy lately." He shrugged his shoulders and followed me to the car. "Don't ask."

I went to reach for the door handle but Jace bumped me out of the way. He opened the door and placed his hand on my lower back. "This is going to be much better than working." He gave me a light shove to help me into the car. Then he shut the door and ran over to get in himself.

The car ride was silent as I stared out the window trying to figure out where we were going. I had been living in Westville for over a year and hadn't even taken the time to discover the place. All I ever did was work, eat and go home. I felt lost looking out the window at my unfamiliar surroundings.

We pulled into a parking lot and the brick building read ‘Bowling’ in green neon lights. I felt panic set in as I watched him stop the car and shift it into park. I had no clue how to bowl. I had never been bowling in my whole life. "Umm…maybe we should just go for a walk. You know-"

"Don't worry. I won't beat you too bad." He smiled and jumped out of the car. He studied me as I got out and closed the door behind me. His eyes set on mine and his smile faded. "Is something wrong, Avery?"

I nervously brushed my hair behind my ear and shook my head. "It's just that…" I paused to take a deep breath. It would be pointless to lie. "I've never been bowling before," I breathed embarrassed.

He stared at me for a second as if he wanted to know more. When I didn't say anything else, he reached over and grabbed my hand, making my skin tingle. "I'm a great bowler. I'm sure that I can teach you some moves."

I pulled my hand away slightly, but he pulled it closer to him so that our hands rested at his side. "I promise not to bite your hand off," he teased.

I felt my whole body get hot as my heart raced. Something inside me screamed to push his hand away, but the bigger part of me, the louder part screamed to never let go. It confused me so I just kept my hand still as it stiffly held his. "You have to promise me something," I said.

He looked over and smiled as he held the door open for us. He stopped and looked me in the eye. "Anything," he whispered.

I averted my eyes away from Jace's distractive lips and walked inside. "Don't laugh at how bad I am." I looked up as he smiled at me.

"I would never laugh at you, Avery," he said firmly. "Then I wouldn't be such a nice guy. My mother raised me in hopes that I would be a better man than my father was. It would be a shame to say that she failed." He pulled me over to the counter and let go of my hand to grab for his wallet. He laid a twenty on the counter and pointed between the two of us. "Two please."

I stared at him in a moment of weakness before looking up at the worker standing behind the desk.

The young woman blushed as she watched Jace chew on his lip ring. That damn thing. Her brown curls cascaded around her freckled face as she tilted her head and reached for the money. "That will be $18.50 for two games." She threw the money inside the register and handed him back his change. "What size?" she asked, her eyes never straying from Jace.

Jace looked over at me and crossed his arms across his chest. "Ladies first."

I nervously smiled at the young woman as she stared me down waiting for a response. "A size seven," I replied.

Jace looked pleased as the girl reached for the hideous red and blue shoes and set them on the counter. He pushed them in front of me and leaned in close to the counter. "A size twelve, please," he whispered.

The girl gave him a grin and raised an eyebrow. "Nice," she said with a slightly red face. She grabbed for Jace's shoes and placed them in front of him. Then she looked at me and smiled. "Have fun." She looked back at Jace and winked.

Jace just smiled and reached for his shoes. They were worse than mine were. They were a shitty color brown and green. "What lane?" he questioned, clearly not too amused with her flirting.

The girl shook her head embarrassed and pointed directly in front of her. The lane was lit up with a blue and red lighting. "Lane five." She smiled.

Jace raised an eyebrow and looked over at me. "Okay then. Thanks, Helen,” he said looking at the girl’s nametag with a smile. “Let's go. I'll help you pick out your ball."

I followed behind him as he walked over to lane five and set his shoes on the table. "Thanks. I have no idea how to choose a ball." It was true, as stupid as it sounded. I didn't know anything about bowling. I had only seen it in movies and usually they already had a ball.

He leaned over and picked up a pink ball with the number eight on it. It was scratched up and stained with dirt marks. He held it out and waited for me to grab it. "How does that feel? Too heavy?"

I placed my fingers in the holes and held it out in front of me. "It feels fine…I think," I said unsure. It wasn't too heavy or too light. I guessed that was what I was looking for. Please don’t embarrass yourself.

"Perfect," he said looking me in the eye. His gaze made my heart feel like it was on fire. His eyes were the most beautiful thing I had seen in my whole life. There was just something in them that gave me a little…hope.

After changing into our bowling shoes, Jace put our names into the computer. I looked up to see that my name was first. Again, I got nervous.

Jace grabbed my ball and motioned for me to follow him to the lane. "Let me show you and then you can do the second throw by yourself. It's pretty easy after that." He waited for me to walk over and then he placed the ball in my hand.

I stuck my fingers into the holes and looked down the lane. How was he going to help me? By telling me how to aim, or how far back to pull my arm before I threw? I was curious. "How are-"

He stepped behind me and placed his arm around me so that it was resting on my hand. Oh god. This is too close. He ran his fingers over mine, being sure that my fingers were properly in the holes. "You pull your arm back and then swing it down the middle of the lane," he breathed in my ear giving me chills. "You want to get your arm as straight as you can before you let go." He pulled my arm back and then swung it forward to show me. “Like this.”

After a few practice swings it didn't seem as hard as I expected. I gripped the ball tighter in my hand and peered over my shoulder at Jace. He looked relaxed in his white thermo and faded jeans as he looked back at me. I liked him this way. "I think I'm ready."

Jace let go of my arm and stepped away. "Good. Now kick some ass. I need someone that can challenge me," he said playfully. "That person might just be you."

I looked over at him and smiled. "Here goes nothing." I took a deep breath and studied the lane. Then I pulled my arm back and swung it forward, dropping the ball down the lane. Jace and I both watched intently as it swerved toward the middle of the lane and knocked down most of the pins. "Yes!" I screamed.

Jace walked over and wrapped his arm around my waist to pick me up. "Hell Yeah!" He looked down the lane and counted the pins that were still standing. "Only two pins left. You might just kick my ass if I'm not careful." He set me back down and poked my nose. "Don't put me to shame." He grinned. “Not just yet at least.”

I reached for the ball as it came back up and held it against my chest. "If I beat you then you owe me lunch." I teased suddenly, feeling confident.

Jace bit his bottom lip and crossed his arms over his chest. His tattoos showed through his thermo, causing me to smile. It was sort of sexy. "Deal," he smirked. "If I win then you have to let me take you to the movies."

I shook my head confused. What would he be getting out of that deal? I smiled and brushed my hair out of my face. "What's in it for you?" I questioned. I tossed the ball down the lane, this time missing completely. Damn!

Jace smiled before walking over and reaching for his blue ball. "Getting to spend time with you." He blew on his hand and placed his fingers in the holes before walking over and throwing his ball down the lane. He smiled as his ball knocked down all of the pins. “Nice! I wonder what movies are out right now.”

“Oh, shut up.” I laughed and stepped up to the lane. I jumped around in place getting out my nerves and then tossed the ball down the lane. It missed completely, landing in the right gutter.

"Oh shoot. Gutter ball," Jace said with a slight grin. "Don’t let the game wear you out too much. I wouldn’t want you falling asleep during the movie," he said joyously. “That would be embarrassing.”

I reached over and lightly punched Jace’s arm. He jumped back playfully gripping his arm with a pained expression. "Oh stop playing around." I laughed. "That didn't hurt.

He bit his lip and dangled his arm next to him. "I don't think I can move it. It might just be broken."

I lightly shoved him before he dropped his ball and threw his arms around me, his touch causing me to lose my breath. He tightly squeezed me and started tickling my ribs. "Stop!" I screamed through laughs. "I'm going to kick your ass, Jace."

"Umm…"

We both froze and looked up to see a woman in about her early thirties standing above us with her hand on her hip. She was slightly too thin and her dark hair and green eyes resembled Jace’s. Her black pants squeezed her hips tightly and her red shirt was too short revealing faded scars that covered her belly. "Aren't you guys a cute couple?"

Jace looked shocked as he helped me to my feet. He stared at the woman in silence before he stepped forward and threw his arms around her. They were both stiff as they hugged each other.

Finally, after a few seconds of awkwardness they both pulled away smiling. Jace leaned in with a look of nervousness as he kissed her on the forehead.

"Jackie, this is my friend, Avery." He reached over and grabbed my arm to pull me closer. "Avery, this is...my sister Jackie." He looked between the both of us before his eyes wandered to behind where Jackie stood.

His sister? I was shocked. I had known Jace for almost two weeks and he had never mentioned a sister before. I just assumed that he was the only child. I knew that his father left his mother when he was sixteen but that was it. Apparently, either one of us talked much about our past or personal lives.

Jackie looked me in the eye and smiled. "Avery. That is such a beautiful name." She grinned revealing her yellowing teeth. She made me nervous. "Such a beautiful girl."

Not knowing what to say, I just smiled and nodded my head.

Jace suddenly reached out and grabbed his sister’s arm pulling her sleeve up. He turned it around as if he was checking for something. Then he rubbed it and looked behind her again, eyes wild. "Where is he?" he questioned. “I know he’s here.”

Jackie pulled her bruised arm away and pulled down her sleeve. She gave him a look of disgust and shook her head. "You haven't seen your dear old sister in three years and that's how you greet me," she spat.

Jace pulled his sister’s arm and held her close to him. "Stay with me," he demanded. "You don't have to be with Joe. You can stay with us."

Jackie grinned and licked her teeth. "He's my boyfriend and I love him. He's here you know," she said with a wicked grin. "He's waiting for his friend outside." She pulled away from Jace's grip and walked over to me. She placed her hand under my chin and pulled my face up so that I was looking in her eyes. Her eyes were distant, almost empty. "Take care of my little brother. He needs someone in his life. He's never loved anyone but mother and-"

"Jackie," he cut her off. "Don't even think about going there," he said sternly. Then he pulled her hand away from my chin and pointed toward the door as a man walked in. "There's that piece of shit."

Jackie looked behind her and waved her scrawny arm. A thin man with a blond mullet looked over and ran his fingers through his beard. He looked dirty. Like my father when he was hopped-up. It made my stomach churn. I wanted to hide. "Joe, my baby brother is here," she screamed making a scene. "Isn't he so handsome?"

Joe smiled and headed toward us. I watched Jace as his jaw clenched. I was nervous and Joe was getting closer with each passing second. "Baby bro-"

Jace swung out his right fist connecting it to Joe's jaw. Joe took a step back and stumbled into a chair. We all watched in silence as he fell to the floor and pounded his fist on the ground.

Jace leaned over him and grabbed the back of his hair. "If you ever lay your hand on my sister again, I swear I will hunt you down," he said breathless. "I will hunt you down and I will kill you."

Jackie ran over and pushed Jace away. Then she slapped him across the face, leaving a mark. His jaw clenched, but other than that, he didn't move a muscle.

"Leave, Jace. You have no right. I'm a grown woman," she said venomously.

Jace grabbed for my hand and pulled me away from the scene. "Yeah, a thirty year old clueless woman." He paused and looked into her eyes. "I wish our love was strong enough. You need help."

"I'm not the only one," she said. Then she helped Joe to his feet and pulled him toward the door. “This is why we don’t talk anymore,” she yelled back before stepping outside of the bowling alley.

I watched Jace in silence as he watched his sister walk out of the bowling alley and out of his life. The look on his face was so painful that it hurt me. It reminded me of the pain I felt around my parents. I wanted to cry for him.

We both stood there quietly before Jace turned around and shook his head. "I'm so sorry that you had to see that. I ruined the day," he said sourly.

"Jace." I walked over and placed my hand on his arm. "Don't be sorry," I whispered. "Maybe we can continue this another day."

He looked up and smiled. "No." He paused. "You deserve to have a good day. I like seeing you smile." He walked over to his ball and picked it up from the ground, taking one last look at the exit door. "Besides, you still have to kick my ass if you want that lunch." He smirked.

I stifled a grin as I watched him walk over to the lane and toss his ball. He tossed it so hard that it knocked every pin down. I was impressed. "Very nice," I said playfully.

By the end of the game, Jace was the winner. The scores were Jace 160 and myself with a 102. I guess it wasn't bad for my first game. So much for that lunch.

We left the bowling alley and I was surprised when he pulled up at the diner. I didn't win the game so he didn't owe me lunch. Even though I was starving, I didn’t understand. I sat up in my seat and took my seatbelt off. "What are we doing here?" I questioned. “Are we going to work?”

He smiled and turned off the engine. "I don't owe you lunch, but that doesn't mean that we can't go and eat for free." He lifted an eyebrow.  "Let's go. I'm starving." He jumped out of the car and waited for me. “Well…come on.”

I got out and followed him inside the diner. Maple greeted us with that award winning 'mommy' grin that she always gave. "It’s two of my favorite people. So glad that you guys came in to see me," she said gleefully.

Jace and I followed her to an empty booth, taking a seat across from each other.

Winston stepped out of the kitchen and walked over to the table with a smile. "Do I have company?" he questioned. "Jace, I'll make your favorite." He looked over at me and grinned. "My favorite -"

"Winston," Maple cut him off. "That girl doesn't find you attractive. Get back in that kitchen," she said with a slight grin.

Winston rubbed his round belly and shrugged his shoulders. "Hey, I worked hard to get a body like this," he teased.

Maple pinched his arm and shook her head as he walked away. "I told you he has been being bad," she said to Jace.

Jace leaned back in the booth and laughed. "You always know how to keep him in check. I need a woman like you, Maple," he said squeezing her hand.

Maple blushed and grabbed my shoulder. She looked between the both of us and smiled. Then she fixed her apron. "The usual, sweetness?"

I looked up and smiled. "I have a usual?" I questioned unaware.

She smiled and pinched my cheek. "Of course you do. You always order the breakfast steak and fried potatoes with extra ranch on the side."

I shook my head in disbelief. She was right. I did. I couldn't believe that she had noticed. "Yes, maple. Thank you," I said.

Jace smiled across the table at me as Maple walked away. Then he leaned in, his eyes studying my hands. “I had a lot of fun today.” He looked up and licked his lips. “Did you enjoy bowling?”

I looked away from his lips and cleared my throat before my eyes could roam the rest of his gorgeous body. “Yeah. It was nice. I’ve always wanted to go bowling but just never had the chance.” I swallowed hard and twirled a finger in my hair. “It’s not that I couldn’t or anything, it’s just that…it’s-“

“It’s okay, Avery,” he cut in. “You don’t have to explain why you’ve never bowled before. I’m sure there are others out there.” He smiled and slipped his hand across the table, resting it next to mine. “You’re so...”

I stared down at his hand before pulling my hand off the table and resting it awkwardly on my lap. Don’t stop there. “I’m so what?”

Jace smiled as Maple approached the table with our food. “Cute,” he said calmly. Then he stood up to help Maple with our plates.

Maple slapped Jace with her towel and laughed. “You sit down. You’re not working. I am perfectly capable, young man.”

Jace sat back down throwing his hands up. “Yes, ma’am.” He grinned. “Thank you.”

A smile crossed my face as I watched the two of them. They were so comfortable with each other and I had to admit that it was rather cute.

“You two enjoy each other.” Maple paused. “I mean the food.” She laughed.

Jace grabbed his fork and looked over at me. “Oh we will.”

While eating, I looked across the diner noticing the same strange woman from last week. She sat in the corner of the diner, peeking over her phone in our direction. I could feel her stare burning a hole right through me, making me feel uncomfortable. She kept tilting her phone as if she were taking pictures of us. It was distracting and creepy.

“Jace."

He looked up from his plate of food and set his fork down. “What’s up?”

"Do you know that woman that is sitting in the corner behind you?”

He peered over his shoulder and then quickly turned back around. "Nope. I've seen her in her a few times but that's it," he replied. “Why?”

I shook my head, blowing it off. She was probably just hungry. It’s a diner after all.  “Just curious. She looks familiar. That’s all.”

Jace looked down at my fork as I played with my steak. “Now eat.” He smiled before shoving his food in his mouth. He somehow even managed to make that look sexy.

After eating, Jace tossed a ten-dollar bill on the table for Maple. Then I pulled out a five -dollar bill and threw it down on the table as well. Jace smiled and placed the saltshaker down on top of the money. "That's nice of you," he said.

I just shook my head before following him to the car. Maple was a sweet woman and she deserved money for her hard work. In the whole time that I had known her, I had never seen her without a smile.

After arriving back to the house, we spent the next couple of hours cleaning the house and just hanging out. It was so different from what I was used to and it felt nice. We made some small talk but I still couldn’t manage to talk about my past or my family. It was my dark little secret. A monster inside of me that I didn’t want to release.

“Thank you for today.”

Jace looked up from the loveseat and nodded his head. “Don’t thank me. Just promise to do it again someday.”

I couldn’t help but to look at his arms as he stretched them out behind him. I remembered what it felt like being close to him and my heart flipped in my chest just thinking about being in his arms again. “I’ll think about it.” I smiled at Jace before heading to my room to be alone. I needed some thinking time. Some time to be alone.

It was my 16th birthday and I was about to go on my first date. I had been crushing on Nate since the fifth grade and I was so excited that he had finally asked me out. I put on my best dress and threw my hair up in a bun. I wanted him to like me as much as I had liked him.

After I was dressed, I looked over at the clock to check the time. "Shoot!" He would be arriving any minute now. I was so nervous. Even more nervous because both of my parents had been drinking.

My heart stopped and I froze when I heard a light knock on the door. I needed to get downstairs so I could answer it before my parents. I couldn't let them ruin my first date. I was half way down the stairs when suddenly I heard a loud bang on the wall and my father mumbling to himself. Shit!

My father had the door wide open and my mother was in the background in a T-shirt and underwear. Nate stood there with a worried look on his handsome face. His blue eyes, usually so bright, were now dull and full of regret.

"Kid, do you have any idea what you're getting yourself into," My father questioned. "Look at her." He motioned back to me as I walked up behind him. My whole body shook.

My mother leaned back in her chair and let out a devilish laugh. It sent chills down my arms. My father joined her in laughter and grabbed a hold of my hair. "She's not worth your time. She's not worth anyone’s time," he said spitting in Nate’s face. "Get out while you can. Run off kid."

I yanked my head away from my father’s grip and grabbed the door. "No!" I screamed. "Nate."

Nate took one look into my eyes and I could see the fear in them. He slowly turned away and walked down the sidewalk. My heart broke with every step that he took.

"Come back, please," I cried. He didn't stop or even bother to turn around. He just left. Left me alone and broken.

I felt the anger build up inside of me and I lost it. I wasn't thinking. "Dad!" I screamed. "I hate you both."

My dad looked at me with eyes of fire. He was going to rip my head off. I had never spoken to him like that before. Even my mother froze in her chair. "You, little bitch."

I took off running toward the stairs. My legs gave out and I knew that I was dead.

I sat up in bed screaming. My whole body covered with sweat, as the tears rolled down my face. I grabbed my hair and pulled it out of my face, while glancing up to see Jace standing in my doorway shirtless. The sight startled me.

He didn’t hesitate before running inside my room and sitting on the edge of my bed. "Avery, what's wrong?" he questioned while grabbing my face. His hands were soft and warm. “Tell me.”

I stared up at him unable to speak. I felt my whole body quake as I started crying even harder. "I…I-"

He wrapped his arms around me and pulled my head against his chest. "Shh! It's okay." He ran his strong hands over my head and face and placed his head on mine. "I'm here. It's okay," he whispered.

I sat there in his arms for what felt like forever. I didn’t want to move. It was starting to become a normal routine for us. I leaned closely against his chest as he comforted me with his soft touch.

When I was finally able to collect myself and gain control, I pulled away and looked up at him. "It was just a bad dream."

He looked down into my eyes and grabbed my face. "That was one hell of a dream then. You can tell me about it," he said softly. "Please.”

I turned my face away unable to look him in the eye. "It was just a bad memory. One that I would like to forget," I whispered. "My only boyfriend, he…" I stopped.

He pulled my face toward his and rubbed my cheek. "Did he hurt you?" he questioned, his voice shaking.

My legs started shaking as he rubbed my face. "Not him. My parents." I looked down at the ground in shame. "They told him that I wasn't worth his time. He was the only guy that I ever loved," I whispered.

He shook my shoulders and looked me in the eye. He looked angry. "You listen here, don't you ever believe that you're not worth loving. Anyone would have to be crazy to not love you." He turned his head away and clenched his jaw. "I mean…this guy must have just been crazy to not love you back. He was stupid."

He threw his arms around me not even giving me a chance to speak. He leaned back in the bed pulling me down with him. He pulled me into his body and wrapped me in his arms and close to his chest, his bare legs tangled around mine. "I'm going to stay in here with you until you can fall asleep."

I attempted to pull away to look at him. "I'm fine, Jace. Really, you don't have to," I said struggling.

He pulled me tighter and kissed the top of my head. Damn his lips are soft. "Your bed is more comfortable than mine and you need to learn to share." He laughed in my ear.

Chills ran down my body as his breath tickled my ear. "Well, I guess if you put it that way," I whispered and then turned around to face him. He had a way of making things not seem so bad. His humor made me smile to myself. “Don’t get too comfortable though.”

"Thanks," he said in relief. Then he brushed my hair out of my face, wiped my face off, and pressed his lips to my forehead. "Goodnight."

His warm skin brushed against mine and I suddenly felt naked in only my bra and panties. At the moment, I just didn't seem to care. The feel of his skin made me breathless. "Goodnight, Jace," I whispered.

His lips brushed my neck in response and I fell into him even more.