Sparks Fly (Davis Brothers Book 1)

by Nicole Douglas

  Sneak Peak of Flying High

  Davis Brother’s Book 2

  Chris and Natalie’s Story

  COMING SOON (DECEMBER 2018)

  Chapter 1

  Chris

  “My name is Chris and I’m a recovering heroin addict.”

  “Hi Chris.” Voices around the room murmured in response.

  I usually stayed away from NA meetings. I always thought they were just a place for addicts to meet up and relapse together. Or at least that’s what I had used them for in the past. That may be an ironic and cynical thought coming from a guy that runs a rehab center but old ways of thinking were hard to change.

  I would know.

  But today was a special occasion so I made an exception.

  “Today makes two years since the last time I shot up. So,” I shrug awkwardly. “I came to get my two year chip.”

  Some may say that two years wasn’t a long enough time being clean to help other addicts. To run a rehab and manage the challenges and stress and pressure that job brought. But I knew that no one could determine my course in life but me.

  Not my dad.

  Not my brother Max.

  Not heroin. Or Natalie. Or my grief from losing my mom at the hands of my dad right in front of me. Or the people in this room.

  Just me.

  And I wanted to help others get clean. If I could do it, anyone else could too. All you had to do was want it. Want it with every beat of your heart and every breath in your lungs. And I did. I really fucking did.

  I keep things short and sweet and accept my chip. Taking a seat, I listen to the rest of the meeting, reflecting on my successes and failures. There had been times I was tempted to fall back into my old ways.

  Any addict that said otherwise was a damn liar.

  There were times I stayed up all night craving the euphoria. Craving the heat traveling up my arm and the rush it always gave me. Thinking about the numbers of dealers I had in my phone before I changed my number and deleted all but three.

  Max, Lacey and Natalie were the only contacts I had left and I knew damn well none of them would be helping me spiral back out of control. That’s why I kept them.

  Despite the cravings and withdraws and sleepless nights I never went back to that life. Never turned to drugs again for comfort or sleep or momentary peace. I didn’t take the easy way out for once and it was starting to pay off.

  I didn’t plan on letting that streak of success change no matter how hard things got. Nothing could possibly be harder than the cold sweats and uncontrollable shakes all night those first couple weeks.

  Natalie was the only person in my life that knew I was here tonight. I didn’t want to share this experience with my brother or his girlfriend Lacey, who had slowly become like a sister to me. I didn’t want them to make a big deal out of it or shower me with praise. It was a moment reserved just for myself and the pride I took in the past two years of my life.

  I didn’t need a party or praise to appreciate that.

  Natalie was back at the apartment cooking us dinner for when I got home. She knew I wanted something quiet and low-key. That I didn’t like over-the-top attention. I knew she wouldn’t invite anyone over or make a big production out of things.

  Tomorrow at the treatment center we ran together would be business as usual.

  She was amazing like that. Always reading between the lines and understanding just what I needed at any given moment. When I needed space she left me alone. When I needed to talk she listened. When I needed something to take my mind off my stress she distracted me by dragging me out of the apartment on an adventure around town.

  I liked to think I was able to be that for her too. Her support. Her distraction when she needed it. Her best friend.

  We always had that connection when we lived with my dad. We often snuck out to the backyard and went for quiet walks to get away from the madness. We would talk about any and everything in the dark of the night in the woods behind the house.

  It was the only safe place to escape to back then. The only place to hide from my crazy ass dad without actually acknowledging that either of us was hiding. It was just a walk. Just some fresh air and quiet.

  It was our secret spot.

  No one ever knew about it and I liked having something between us that was a secret. An innocent secret. I didn’t have many of those.

  Chapter 2

  Natalie

  “Honey. I’m home.” Chris called out jokingly when he walked through the front door.

  I shake my head and laugh, stirring the pot of Mac and Cheese on the stove. I’m no chef but Chris doesn’t seem to mind. He’s grateful when I cook dinner for us rather than ordering take-out night after night.

  A home cooked meal is a nice treat for both of us even if it is just boxed macaroni, canned green beans and fried pork chops. Neither of us had many home cooked meals growing up. His mom was murdered by his dad when he was young and he had a very unconventional childhood after that. Of all the things Brad Davis did, cooking for his two sons certainly wasn’t on the list.

  My mom had raised me up to seventeen when I ran away to live with a friend. She was too busy to act very motherly. She worked two jobs to pay the bills and every spare minute she had was spent trying to find me a new step-dad.

  I grew up on a healthy diet of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, grilled cheese sandwiches, bologna sandwiches and ham and cheese sandwiches. Needless to say, I was over any type of meal involving dairy or protein between two slices of bread.

  “Smells good.” He says, coming up behind me and inhaling the scent of the pork chops as they sizzled in the pan.

  “Thanks. How was tonight?”

  “It was…good. A little weird going to a meeting but it wasn’t bad.”

  He pulls out two plates from the cabinets and sets the table for me while I finish dinner. We work in companionable silence. I’ll never stop being grateful that Chris doesn’t feel the need to fill silence with useless, meaningless chatter. Some girls liked that kind of thing. I wasn’t one of them.

  I place the finished pork chops on a folded paper towel to soak some of the grease. He takes over draining the noodles and adding powdered cheese with a splash of milk to the pot.

  He hip bumps me. “Go sit, Nat. I got it from here.”

  I smile and do as he says, watching him spoon out the cheesy noodles on each of our plates. He gives me an extra spoonful, knowing how much I love Mac and Cheese. It’s my comfort food and if I wasn’t paying attention, or rather when I was by myself and safe from any judging eyes, I could devour the whole box single handedly.

  Surely he had noticed a few discarded boxes in our trash can, knowing damn good and well I hadn’t shared any with him. Thankfully he was polite enough to not mention it.

  I pick up a pork chop with my fork and bypass the green beans. The healthy shit was for Chris. He had started running with his brother Max a few months ago and needed all the greens he could get.

  When we settle in he tosses something on the kitchen table between us. I reach for it and turn it over in my hand in examination. It’s his two year chip.

  “Congratulations, Chris. You worked hard for this.”

  That was all I said on the matter. I know he didn’t like the emphasized attention on his sobriety. He was so much more than just a recovering addict and I didn’t want him to feel like that was part of his identity. As far as I was concerned it wasn’t.

  “This is so good.” He sighed after swallowing his first bite of pork chop. “I’m starving. Max is trying to kill me on this new diet.” He points his fork at me. “Don’t tell him I ate this. Fried is definitely not on the list of approved food.”

  I laugh. “You’re sneaking around eating pork chops now?”

  “Fried pork chops.” He corrected. “I guess if you grilled these things they would be fine with him. They would taste like shit though so I’m glad you didn’t. This is delicious, Nat. Really.”

  “You’re so d
eprived of decent food you’re practically drooling over seasoned salt and batter.”

  He closed his eyes in pleasure and my stomach twisted in response.

  Is that what he looks like when he comes?

  I grabbed my water and chugged down the cool liquid to shake off those thoughts. Tingling pulses between my legs and I cross them under the table in the hopes it’ll go away. I couldn’t afford to think about sex. I had spent so much time erasing it from my life over the past year and a half.

  The last man I slept with was a paying customer for fuck sake.

  Yes. You heard me right.

  I had sold my body to countless men. And that was probably why I had absolutely no interest in sex or men anymore.

  Tell that to your libido, Natalie. It’s going haywire right now.

  It seemed to flare up from time to time when I looked too closely at Chris. He was actually one of the few men I hadn’t slept with at some point in my life. Why ruin that now?

  He was a close friend.

  Supportive.

  Understanding.

  We lived together. If I fucked him I would lose my only real friend besides Lacey and find myself homeless all over again. Look what happened last time I was alone and wandering around without a friend or a place to live. I had ended up in the Davis mansion as the newest girl in Brad’s little collection.

  We finish dinner and he smirks across the table at me.

  “You know what sounds good right now?”

  “What?”

  “Ice cream. Rocky Road ice cream.”

  I looked down at my clothes. I already changed into my pajama pants and really didn’t see myself getting dressed. I tell him as much but, Chris being Chris, he always has a solution.

  “Just ride with me to the store. You can wait in the car while I go inside.”

  “Deal.”

  We climb in his car and when he starts backing out of the parking spot I look over at him.

  “Put your seatbelt on.”

  He rolls his eyes but does as I ask. Within seconds he’s pulling onto the main road, seatbelt fastened, heading to pick up our favorite ice cream.

  “You better not tell Max about this ice cream run.” He gave me the side eye and I caught a glimpse of the humor in his eyes.

  I giggled at his irrational worry about his little brother finding out he ate fried pork chops and shared a pint of Rocky Road with me. “I won’t.”

  Chapter 3

  Chris

  “God. Damn. It. Max.” I choked out as I slowed my pace in front of the new omelet breakfast bar two miles from the apartment.

  Max found it last week and decided it would be a great replacement to the donut shop we used to run to. He was a tyrant with this new diet shit and somehow I was wrangled into participating. For the most part. The Rocky Road last night with Natalie was pretty damn good.

  Okay. I felt better since I cut some of the junk from my diet and started exercising with him. My energy had skyrocketed and I was able to work off some of my stress and tension from work. I was healthier and I could feel it.

  But fuck man. The daily jogs were brutal. I thought it would get easier, as he promised it would. I was starting to get the impression he was full of shit and just wanted someone to suffer with him.

  That’s where I came in. Insert brother that didn’t have anything better to do than risk having his first ever asthma attack.

  Ok. That was dramatic. But the pain when I breathe made me wonder if I needed medical attention. Max said I needed to practice better breathing techniques during the run. Easier said than done.

  I take one last gasp for air and start jogging across the street before he disappears from view around the front of the restaurant. I catch up fairly quickly and am pleased to find him out of breath too. At least it wasn’t just me this time.

  “What’s wrong, bro?” I taunt. “Too many bacon, egg and cheese burritos this week?”

  “You know I don’t eat that shit anymore.” He snapped, resting his hands on his knees momentarily. I smirk at his tone. It seems my little brother isn’t so gung ho about his plan to cut all fried foods and starches anymore now that he’s been without his beloved bacon, egg and cheese for a couple weeks.

  “Come on.”

  He opens the door and the bell chimes loudly. We’re greeted by the cashier as we make our way to the counter to pick our omelet ingredients. I eyeball the bacon longingly. Max catches my eye and shoots me a glare so I pass it up. He does the same when I gaze at the cheese a moment too long.

  He can be such a pain in my ass sometimes. Do little brothers ever get less annoying?

  “Fuck off.” I mumble under my breath, loud enough for him to hear me but not the cashier. The poor kid doesn’t need to be dragged into our calorie deprived argument.

  “Can I help you?” The cashier asks Max, who looks surer of himself than I do and ready to order.

  “Egg whites, tomatoes and mushrooms.” He says, refusing to look at the cheese and bacon. I know that’s what he really wants. He’s just too stubborn to cave and admit this diet is excessive and stupid. It may be healthy for the body but it sure wasn’t good for the mind.

  “And for you?” The cashier turns to me.

  “Egg whites.” I say begrudgingly. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth saying it. What happened to the good old days when we had donuts? I already gave up heroin and all forms of alcohol. Asking me to give up donuts and bacon was crossing the damn line. “Tomatoes. Ham. And cheese.”

  Max sighs and rolls his eyes at the end but I pointedly ignore him. I’m getting the damn cheese and that’s final. He better not say shit about me adding a coffee to my order either. The two mile run to get here earned me that. And I needed the caffeine boost to prepare me for the two mile jog back.

  We stand at the counter and watch the guy whip up the omelets and cook them both within minutes. We take our plates to two seated booth by a window and dig in.

  “You’re probably wondering why I’m so obsessed with this diet, huh?”

  “Not really. I just figured you were turning into a fucking calorie Nazi. There’s a reason?”

  “I’m asking Lacey to marry me this weekend.”

  He pulls out a small velvety box from his pocket and hands it to me. I pop it open and find the sparkling diamond ring he picked out. It’s simple, it’s big and I know she’s going to love it.

  Honestly, she would love anything Max gave her. He could go to a pawn shop and find some plain tarnished band. She would still say yes. That’s how I knew they were perfect together. She loved the shit out of my brother.

  “Wow, bro. Congratulations.”

  I don’t try to talk him out of it the way some brothers might. I’m genuinely happy for him and this proposal has been a long time coming.

  I’ve already accepted Lacey as a sister because I knew there was no way those two would split up again after everything they’ve been through. Not after I fought to get both of them to see the light when they broke up two years ago in a moment of sheer stupidity and stubbornness.

  Who thought I would be the voice of reason, leading them both back to each other?

  They both owed me big. And what did I get for it? Put on a no donut, no ice cream, no fried pork chop diet.

  “You think she’ll like it?”

  “She’ll love it.”

  “You think she’ll say yes?” He asks, nervously playing with his fork and pushing an untouched piece of omelet. I stab it with my fork, pop it in my mouth and answer him.

  “Of course she will. She loves you man. I’m honestly surprised you waited this long to ask.”

  “You are? I mean we’re still in school. What if she wants to wait until we graduate. What if she-”

  “Stop worrying, little brother. She loves you. That’s all that matters. She won’t say no. So she might want to wait until you guys graduate next year to have a wedding.” I shrug. “You guys can just stay engaged a little longer if she wants to wait. But she won’t
say no. There’s no way.”

  He takes a deep breath. “Thanks. I needed some sort of pep talk. I guess that’s why I wanted to come here this morning.”

  “The donut shop was closer. Just saying.”

  “It is. But if Lacey says yes I need to look good in my suit. And you need to look good in yours.”

  I lift an eyebrow. “I always look good.”

  He laughs at my cocky expression. “Will you be my best man? I know it’s a little early to ask. She has to say yes first-”

  “She will.”

  “-but there’s no one else I would want standing by my side.”

  “Of course I will. There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”

  I swallow hard. Things were rocky between me and my brother for a couple years. It means a lot to me that he still wants a relationship with me after everything we went through together. Everything I put him through.

  I was older. It was my job to protect him growing up. Natalie too. And I failed to protect either of them.

  Yet they both still wanted me around for some reason. I was determined to be deserving of the unquestionable, unconditional love from my brother and faith and trust from Natalie.

  Sharing an apartment for the past year and a half with her really strengthened our friendship. It deepened bond. Other than my brother, she was honestly the closest thing I had to a best friend.

  “Well that’s settled.” He cleared his throat, fighting to lift the heaviness between us. “You ready to run back?”

  I groaned and ate the last morsel of my omelet, knowing I would need the protein to survive the next hour.