by DL Gallie
“And I think a certain Channing Tatum looking doctor is the prescription you need.” My eyes bug open, so she does know something. “One of these days, you are going to have to tell me what’s up between you two.”
I mime zipping my lips. “My lips are sealed.” Then I lean forward. “But I will say—” I don’t get to finish what I was going to say cause come crazy bitch slaps Ave across the face, yelling about some dude named Kye.
Before either of us have a chance to reply, she’s storming away.
“What the fuck was that?” I question her. “And who the fuck is Kye?”
She shakes her head, cupping her cheek. “Beats me who Kye is. But, man, does she have a wicked left hook.”
We finish our brunch but the atmosphere has changed since our encounter with Rocky Balboa and we decide to call it quits. We say our goodbyes and I head home to my munchkin and Mom. I’m looking forward to chillaxing on the sofa and preparing for the week ahead.
A couple days after my brunch date with Ave, I’m sitting at home when my phone rings, I don’t recognize the number, without thinking, I swipe and answer, “Hey, this is Cress.”
“Cressida, it’s Flynn,” he says, his Irish accent really thick and ohh so sexy.
“Hey, Doc, and I’ve told you to call me Cress.
“Okay. Hi, Cress, it’s Flynn.”
“Much better,” I tease. “To what do I owe the pleasure of this call?”
“It’s Avery—”
“What’s wrong?” I say, sitting upright, my heart racing as I await his reply.
“We are at Western General. Bay is here.”
“Ohh shit. I’ll get Mom to watch Lexi. Be there soon.”
Hanging up, I grab my bag, and tell Lexi she’s heading to Nanna’s and I need to go out for a bit. I call Mom after strapping Lexi into her car seat and tell her I’m on my way and what’s happened. When I pull up at Mom’s, she’s waiting out front for me.
Climbing out, I unstrap Lexi, and she runs inside. Mom envelops me in a hug and tells me that everything will be fine and to keep her updated.
Racing to the hospital, I find a parking spot. Before climbing out, I grab my phone and text Flynn to let him know I’ve arrived.
CRESS: Just parked. Meet me in the ER.
FLYNN: **thumbs-up emoji**
Growling when I see the thumbs-up emoji—emojis are fun but a thumbs-up is just plain rude. I shake my head and race into the hospital to meet Flynn. A few moments after I arrive, I see him and shout as soon as I see him, “Flynn, how’s our girl?”
“I don’t know. She seems off. Doesn’t seem herself,” he says, his voice laced with concern.
“That’s understandable, her sister is in the hospital and unconscious.” I say, hoping to ease his worries.
“Yeah, I get that, but I don’t know. I can’t put my finger on it. I’m hoping you being here will put her at ease and pull her out of her funk.”
“If I know Avery, she’ll be putting on a brave front but on the inside, she’ll be screaming and falling apart. She and Bay may not be in the best place right now but at the end of the day, Bay is her sister, and that means everything to Avery. Family always comes first is her motto.”
He nods his head in agreement but he’s clearly worried. “Let’s go then.”
As soon as we enter Bay’s room, I race over to Ave and wrap my arms around her. She’s stiff, even when Flynn embraces her. My eyes roam over her and I can feel what Flynn is sensing. Something is off with my best friend right now and it’s more than her sister being attacked. Then I look at her arms and it hits me, it’s Baylor standing before me and Avery is in that bed. Fucking bitch is pretending to be her, I need to get to the bottom of this and she’s more likely to talk/confess if Flynn isn’t here.
“Flynn, can you get Ave some water, she looks parched and dehydrated,” I ask him, I need him out of this room so I can confirm my suspicions.
He nods and kisses Bay/Ave. “Be right back.” My blood boils when he kisses her, fucking bitch-faced cunt.
The door closes behind Flynn and I stare at Baylor. “You’re pretending to be her, aren’t you, Baylor?”
“Am not,” she scoffs in reply and that adds to my suspicion. That’s how Baylor would talk, not Ave.
“Please, you lying bitch. The person lying in that bed is Avery Evans. Standing before me is bitchy Baylor Evans.” Once a bitch, always a bitch, I think to myself as I stare at her. “You are not her,” I growl at her, anger building that she’s doing this. Why she’s doing this?
“Am so!” Baylor yells back, her reply once again reconfirming my suspicion that Bay is playing games again.
Before I lose my shit with this bitch, the door opens and Flynn snarls, “Enough!” Clearly our yelling garnered some attention, and I’m still no closer to proving that Ave is in that bed.
His eyes flit between Baylor and me. “You are not Ave,” I say again, poking Baylor in the chest.
“Yes, I am!” Baylor yells back, but I notice her voice waivers.
Pointing at Baylor, my anger builds, “You are not Avery Evans, I bet my life on it.” She smacks my hand viciously away.
Flynn yells at us both, I’ve never heard him angry like this. I know this commotion isn’t good for Ave, but I need to get everyone to see that this is Baylor and not Avery.
“Yeah, Cressida,” Baylor sasses and it’s with these two words that I know I’m one-hundred-percent correct and from the look on Flynn’s face, he too is starting to doubt the bitch before me.
Pointing at Baylor, I tell Flynn, “That is Baylor standing there.” Then I stare down at my best friend in the bed. Lifting my gaze, I glare at Baylor before looking to Flynn. “Flynn, the person in that bed is Avery. My best friend. Your girlfriend. I know it without an ounce of doubt.” I pause waiting for him to agree, but he still looks conflicted. “Flynn, I swear to you on my life. On Lexi’s life, the person in that bed is Avery.”
“Prove it,” Baylor snarls.
“With pleasure,” I say with glee. “Yesterday morning, Ave and I got tattoos.” Grabbing the hem of my shirt, I show my new tattoo. As I look at my new ink, I smile. On my left hip, is a pink and blue inkblot with Lexi’s name in the center in her handwriting. “I got this yesterday. Ave, the real Avery, got one on her wrist.”
Baylor quickly hides her arms behind her back. Busted, you stupid bitch, I think to myself as her face drains of all color. Even when Flynn confronts her, she still tries to play off that she’s Ave.
“I don’t have to prove anything.” She pleads, “I’m Avery. I’m your girlfriend. Flynn, please…”
“Uhh, yeah, you do,” I say, stepping toward Baylor. The urge to hit her is strong and had Preston not wrapped his arms around me, I would have. I was so worked up that I didn’t even notice he’d entered the room.
“Down, girl,” he whispers into my ear, his voice instantly calms me and I melt back into him.
Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath and compose myself. Opening my eyes again, I watch as Flynn goes over to Ave and lifts the blanket covering her hand. As soon as he realizes that the person in the bed is Ave, he kisses her knuckles. Her eyes open and I think I stop breathing at seeing this. “It’s okay, lass, I’m here,” Flynn croons, as he continues to kiss her knuckles. Relief etched all over his face, he really does love her.
My eyes well with tears at the scene before me, that is until Bay steps toward Ave and says she’s sorry. She thinks one word, five letters, will make this all okay. The more she says sorry, the more my anger builds again. “Are you shitting us right now, Bay?” I snap. “Sorry, really? That’s all you’ve got? You better start talking now, bitch, and don’t even think about lying to us.”
“Shut it, Cressida,” Baylor snaps at me. “No one asked for your opinion and no one wants you here now. Go home to your bastard child. You aren’t needed.”
I see red at her words and I lunge for her. Luckily for her, Preston holds me back because I’m ready to tear shred
s off of her right now.
Once again, Flynn bellows at Baylor and me. I know he’s right but I can’t help it, my best friend was attacked. She’s lying in a hospital bed and the bozos responsible are still out there, and to top it off, her bitch of a sister pretended to be her.
Flynn asks Preston to get the officers in here. He nods. “Sure, no worries.” He looks to Ave. “Glad you’re awake, Avery.” He then turns to me. “Come on, Cress.”
I roll my eyes at him, but from the look on his face, I know not to defy him right now. “Fine,” I huff. Walking to the bed, I reach out and squeeze Ave’s hand in mine. “I’ll be right outside. I’m so mad at you right now, but I’m also glad you’re okay.” Kissing Ave on the cheek, I glare at Baylor and walk out of the room with Preston close behind me.
“Love, you need to calm down,” he says as soon as the door closes.
“Do not tell me to calm down. My best friend was attacked and her whore of a sister pretended to be her. I think I’m allowed to be pissed off.”
The door to Ave’s room opens and Flynn steps out, in sync Preston and I turn around as Flynn walks over to us. “Everything all right?” Preston asks.
“Yeah. Ave wants to speak to Baylor.”
“And you left her alone with that psycho bitch? I don’t trust her,” I say through gritted teeth. “One word and I’ll take her skanky ho ass down.”
“You’ve got a live one there, dude,” Flynn says to Preston. He clearly knows about us and then I feel guilty that I haven’t spoken to Ave about Pres and me. I guess now isn’t the time but as soon as she’s out of the hospital, it’s time to tell her about us.
Preston shrugs and winks at me, I roll my eyes at him and shake my head. “Flynn, are you sure it's okay to leave them alone together?”
He nods his head. “Yeah, they’ll be fine. I trust that Ave can handle her sister.”
I nod and smile. “Yeah, if anyone can handle Bay, it’s Avery. Look, I’m going to head to her place and grab a few things for her, I’ll be back soon.”
“Thanks, Cress.”
Turning on my heel, I leave the two of them and head to my car. As I climb into my car, I realize I didn’t say goodbye to Preston, and then I start to feel like a bitch.
CRESS: Sorry for not saying bye.
CRESS: I just need to process all of this
PRESTON: It's okay, Love. Be sure to find me when you get back. Love you
CRESS: Love you too
How does that man do it? With one text message he’s calmed me down. Pulling out of my parking spot, I race to Ave and Baylor’s to grab some things for her.
An hour later, I’ve dropped Ave her things. She looks better already and says that she’ll be fine. Bitchy Baylor is nowhere to be seen, thank God for that. Like he has a sixth sense for me, Preston walks down the hallway when I exit Ave’s room.
“Hey,” I say, as I look up and see him.
“Hey, you calm now?”
“I was always calm.”
“Liar liar pants on fire. I could feel the rage simmering when you were in my arms.”
“If Flynn was in that bed and his twin did that, wouldn’t you be all stabby and ragey too?”
“Yeah, I guess so,” he says.
“No guessing about it.” I pause and look up at him. “Can I have a hug?”
“Always,” he says, wrapping his arms around my waist. He pulls me into him, I rest my head on his chest and slide my arms around him. His embrace relaxes me and since I got that call from Flynn, I finally relax. Lifting my head, I look up at him and smile. “What time do you get off?”
“I can get off anytime I want,” he says with a wink, “But my shift finishes in about an hour.”
“Can you stay at my place tonight?”
“Of course.” He leans down and presses his lips to mine. I open my mouth and kiss him back. I know we are in the middle of the hospital but right now, I don’t care. I need Preston like I need my next breath. “I love you,” I whisper against his lips.
“I love you too.”
Resting my head back on his chest, I close my eyes. I feel happy, content, and loved.
23
Preston
Wow, what a day.
Attacks, identity swapping, and a kid who thought he could fly like Superman off the front balcony of his house. FYI, he couldn’t and ended up with a compound fracture to his left leg, a snapped wrist, and surgery.
My crazy day is finally over and I’m on my way over to see Cress and Lexi, which is now the best way to end a hectic day. But most of all, I want to see my girls. As I approach my car, I see someone leaning against it. Their head is down and I don’t know who it is. “Can I help you?” I ask. They lift their head and when I see who it is, I sigh. “Get off my car,” I growl, coming to a stop in front of him.
“Stay the fuck away from them.” He snarls.
“Or what?”
“Don’t test me, doctor boy. I can make your life a living fucking hell.”
“I think I’ll let Cress decide if she wants me in her life. You better be careful or she will put you out of her life. She’s already kicked you out of her bed.” That was a low blow but this guy has pissed me off.
“I’ll be back between her thighs soon enough, fucking her tight cunt. She’s a fucking whore, one dick won’t be enough for her. Just you wait.”
“How can you speak about her like that? Cress is the most amazing mother and woman I know.”
“Fuck off she is. She’s a whore. Plain and simple. You are just the latest fucker to fall under the spell of her pussy.”
“Warning noted. Now, get the fuck off my car. Don’t make me tell you again.”
He pushes himself off my car and stops in front of me. I can feel his breath on my face. He stares at me and I notice his eyes are dilated, bloodshot, and glassy. The trifecta when it comes to drug use, he is on something pretty strong. My guess would be coke.
“Stay the fuck away or I will make life really hard for the bitch.” He shoves me in the chest and staggers away.
Turning around, I watch him skulk out of the parking garage. That man really gets on my nerves. Once he’s out of sight, I climb into my car and head over to see my girls.
On the drive over I contemplate telling Cress about Creed’s threats to me, but she has enough going on so I decide to keep it to myself for now. I will do everything I can to protect Cress and Lexi.
Knocking on the door, I wait for it to open. When it does, I smile when I see Lexi. She looks tired. “You okay, Princess Lexi? You look flushed.”
“What does that mean?”
“A bit red in the cheeks.”
“I just raced to open the door. Mommy said we couldn't eat ‘til you got here, so I was excited when I heard you.” She grabs my hands. “Come on, we can eat now.” She pulls me inside and shouts, “Mooooooomm, he’s here…dinner.”
A laugh escapes me as she drags me into the kitchen. Taking a seat at the table, I look at the spread before me and grin. Working long hours, I don’t often get home-cooked meals, so I feel like a king and I can’t wait to dive into the roast chicken, with all the veggies, and fresh dinner rolls.
“Hey, Love,” I say to Cress as she walks into the kitchen.
“Hey,” she says, placing a quick kiss on my lips before she sits next to me. She looks tired and drained.
“You okay?” I ask, reaching over to take her hand in mine. She looks down at our joined hands and then up at me again, something is going on because her eyes are dull right now.
“Yeah, just a lot going on.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
She looks to Lexi, then back at me. “Maybe later.”
“It’s a date.” I smile at her and for the first time since I arrived, she smiles. That light is back in her eyes. I stare at her, she really is the most beautiful woman in the world.
“Can we eat now?” Lexi asks.
“Yes, Munchkin, we can.” Cress dishes up and the three of u
s dig in.
After eating everything on my plate, I lean back in my chair. “Oh My God,” I say, resting my hands on my stomach, “Cress, that was the best meal ever.”
“You better have saved room for dessert.”
Looking to her, I raise my eyebrows. I’d love to have her for dessert.
“It’s not that,” she laughs, “Lexi and I made apple crumble.”
“Mommy let me sprinkle the cimmamon.”
“Are you trying to fatten me up?”
Her eyes drift to my dick, she looks at me and shrugs. ‘Minx,’ I mouth. She blows me a kiss and stands up to grab dessert. My eyes watch her ass as she walks away. I lick my lips, she really does have the finest ass in the history of sexy asses.
After the best apple crumble I have ever eaten, I clean up the kitchen while Cress gets Lexi ready for bed. I’ve loaded the last dish in the dishwasher when she comes out. “Hey, can you have a look at Lexi’s leg? The cut is taking forever to heal and she says it still hurts.”
“Sure.” I follow her into Lexi’s bedroom. Sitting on the edge of her bed, I look at the cut. It’s a little red around the edges and inflamed. “How long has it been like this?”
“I only noticed it tonight.”
“Okay, let's wash it again and I’ll pop some antiseptic onto it. Over the next few days, keep an eye on it. If it doesn’t heal in a day or two, I’ll prescribe some antibiotics for her.”
“Should I be worried?” Cress questions.
Shaking my head. “Nah, it looks okay to me. I don’t think we need to worry.” That seems to ease her worry.
Cress and I tuck Lexi in and then I take her to bed. I make love to her before drifting off to sleep with the woman I love tucked into my side.
24
Cress
The following week is crazy and I’m not just referring to the taunts from Creed. The week started out with me picking up some sub work. Mom was only too happy to watch Lexi for me and on Wednesday, when she was stuck, Preston swooped in and saved the day. He picked Lexi up and the two of them spent the afternoon together. When I got home, I found them inside a blanket fort watching, DuckTales—I think Lexi now has a new favorite show. I don’t think it's so much the show, it’s that Preston likes it and she likes Preston very much.