Whatever It Takes

by Elizabeth Perry

“Ok, look. I get it. You hate me. You’ve made that perfectly clear. But I care about you, Avery. And your son deserves this. If you won’t do it for yourself? Good fucking God, woman. Do it for your kid! That boy could have been killed last night! If you would have gotten home twenty minutes sooner? You could have been raped...beaten. Killed! And then what? What would happen to your son? You’ve got to think reasonably about this. I’m offering you a sweet deal here, with no strings. This is an opportunity to go back to school, and finish. It’s a chance to be living in a safe home with your son and raising him yourself. He deserves that, and you know it.”

  I scoff at him before pushing against his chest with all my weight.

  “Way to make me feel like a complete asshole, Eric. Thanks.”

  “I’m not trying to make you feel like one. But, seriously, say yes.”

  “Eric, really.”

  “Jackson deserves this, Avery. He totally does. If you won’t do this for yourself, do it for him.” He pleads, his words slicing right through my armor and hitting me in the heart.

  He’s right...as much as I hate to admit it?

  He is totally right.

  Jackson deserves better than I have given him, and well?

  I would love to be home with him and be able to go back to school.

  But a home that includes Eric?

  God...I just don’t think that I can do that. Not when my body still reacts to him after all this time...it’s a recipe for disaster and I know it.

  But then, my eyes finally meet his, and well...

  It’s a big mistake.

  Because when his body is this close to mine, and then, when I look into his eyes?

  My resolve totally fades.

  And suddenly, the words are leaving my lips and I can’t even stop them.

  “Ok.”

  The smug smile that spreads across his face should be enough to make me take it back.

  Except, I know deep down, that he is totally right.

  I don’t have a job, I’m not in school here, and let’s be honest.

  I’m terrified at the thought of having to go back to my apartment.

  I could go home to Michigan, but, then I would have to admit my defeat to everyone and anyone there.

  Plus?

  My dad doesn’t exactly know that I dropped out of school, and, the last thing that I want to do is to disappoint him.

  So...here I am.

  At Eric’s mercy.

  And I’m fairly certain that I have just made a deal with the devil.

  “WE’RE HERE.” ERIC GLANCES over at me, flashing me a small smile before punching in a code at the gate.

  “Good. The excitement was just about killing me.” I tell him, unable to keep the dryness out of my voice.

  “Yeah.” He rolls his eyes as the gate swings open. “I can tell. The enthusiasm is radiating off you.”

  I’ve been nothing but quiet since the moment that our plane touched the ground. And once I was alone with Eric in his car?

  Well, my mouth has stayed clamped shut.

  But honestly, deep down? I may not be enthusiastic here, but, I am curious. I lean forward slightly in my seat, as the large black wrought iron gate opens, and we drive through slowly.

  The driveway is black asphalt, completely shaded by the massive mature trees that surround both sides of the driveway. It’s almost as if he is driving me completely back into the woods.

  We drive a bit further, and I sit a little more forward in my seat, as the trees become more sparse, and everything opens up.

  As if we’ve just transpired into another world, suddenly, I’m met with a lush green lawn, with areas of large dune grass and other plants meticulously maintained in multiple different gardens. We are now back in full sunlight, and, as we turn the corner, the home comes into view.

  I can’t help it...I’m smiling wide and staring out of the window like a little kid on Christmas morning who stares at all the presents under the tree.

  The scene surrounding me is just that beautiful.

  “This is my home.” He tells me proudly, and still, I can do nothing but stare in awe.

  Ahead of me, lies a yellow Tudor style home, that seems to go on for miles. It’s enormous. There is a large front porch, all red brick, that covers the entire middle of the home.

  He brings the car to a stop in front of it, before killing the engine.

  “Garage is back that way.” He nods his head towards the back of the house. “But we can park here for now to unload.”

  “Great.” My once piss poor attitude has changed significantly. And now? Well, now I really don’t know what I feel.

  “I’ll grab the suitcases if you want to grab the little guy.” He nods his head towards Jackson, who fell asleep just a few minutes into the ride.

  “Ok.” I agree, before stepping out of the car on shaky legs.

  This is where I will be living for the next few months...glancing around, I can barely believe it.

  I expected his home to be nice, and I expected it to be large.

  But this?

  Never in my wildest dreams did I expect him to be living in his own damn fortress, in a mansion, on a piece of land large enough to more than likely require its own zip code.

  I exhale loudly, before shaking my head, and reaching down into the backseat of the car, unbuckling Jackson and lifting him into my arms.

  I wobble slightly, adjusting to the dead weight that is my two-year-old, before steadying myself and waiting for Eric to grab the bags.

  I follow slowly behind him, as he punches in a code for the door.

  “Every door and every gate here are all a number code, ok? So, no keys, which makes it easier.”

  “Ok.”

  “The code is the same for every door.” He says, before punching in some numbers and opening the front door.

  I follow behind him and suck in air.

  “Wow. Eric. It’s beautiful.”

  He glances back at me, his eyes meeting mine, before a smile tugs at the corner of his lips.

  “Thanks. It’s taken a long time to get it to this point. I’ve done almost all of the work myself.”

  “Really?” My eyes try to take everything in, but there is just so much to see.

  “Yeah. I have a lot of time off in the off season, and, well? I never really had a home growing up. So, when I bought this place, I really wanted to make it my own. It’s my first home, ever.”

  His words squeeze my heart, and if they didn’t? The look that crosses his face totally would.

  While the world only sees one version of Eric Wayne, I know better than anyone that there is a whole other version, and that started from being a kid without a real home.

  “Well, you’ve done a great job. Really. It’s very nice.”

  “Thank you.” He breathes, before setting down our bags. “I can give you a tour if you want? Or, if you’re tired, I can just show you to your room.”

  As much as I dislike the man, still. The eager look on his face to show me his house is evident. And I am curious to see it, especially since I will be living here.

  So, I nod.

  “Sure. I would love to see it.”

  “Ok.” He grins, before reaching over to me and grabbing Jackson out of my arms.

  “Little guy looks heavy.”

  I open my mouth to argue, but really, he’s right. Jackson was pretty much dead weight, and, I think this tour might take some time.

  So instead of arguing, I simply follow behind him, letting him show me around.

  Trying to pay attention to the house tour does pose just a slight difficulty, because it forces me to follow behind him, and well? I may hate the guy, but it would be impossible to ignore the fact that the view of his behind is pretty freaking spectacular.

  Add into that the fact that he is carrying around my child?

  Good Lord.

  It’s enough to make even the coldest woman’s ovaries burst.

  I try to force my eyes up, doing
my best to pay attention and keep track of things. We walk through a living room, which looks like it’s probably never been sat in. He leads me into the kitchen, where my jaw drops to the floor over the beauty of all of the high-end appliances, before he shows me to his study, his theatre room, too many bathrooms to count, several guest bedrooms, and then, finally, his trophy room.

  I pause in the doorway, as my eyes scan the room.

  Jersey’s hang in shadow boxes, covering the walls, along with various trophies and metals.

  My heart flutters as I stare at his high school jersey, the same one that I used to sit in the stands and watch him play in before my eyes connect back with his.

  He’s watching me, and when I turn my head, our eyes lock.

  And of course, my stupid knee’s go weak.

  “Remember that one?”

  I simply nod.

  He holds my gaze for a bit longer before I finally find the will to pull my eyes away. As I spin to leave the room, I catch sight of his college jersey hanging on the opposite wall.

  “Never did get to see you play in that one though. You were already over me at that point.”

  He steps in front of me, blocking my escape, before staring at me, hard.

  “That’s where you’re wrong, Ave’s. I wasn’t over you then. Hell, I’ve never gotten over you.”

  Oh, please. I can’t even stop the disgusted sound from leaving my mouth. But as I try to step past him, he moves, causing me to almost run into him.

  “I mean that.”

  “Can we just finish this tour already? I’m tired.”

  He allows me to step past him, thankfully, and I move quickly away.

  This whole thing is turning out to be a bit harder than I imagined, because if I happen to get stuck alone in a small room like that with him again?

  Lord help me.

  He shakes his head and mumbles something underneath his breath that I can’t understand, before leading me to a set of French doors, and nodding his head towards them.

  “Want me to show you outside?”

  I just nod.

  His backyard is gorgeous, perfectly landscaped with a meticulously manicured lawn.

  He points out a large pool, and then a hot tub, that looks incredibly tempting, before ushering me back inside.

  “Pools heated if you want to use it. Gate code for the pool is the same code for the doors and the main gate in the driveway. Same code for the garage too. Remember, no keys. Just the code.”

  “Got it.”

  “I’ll show you upstairs now.”

  I follow along, careful to keep my eyes off of his ass, as we truck up the back staircase.

  He points out the door to his bedroom, before leading me down the opposite hallway.

  “This will be your room.” He opens the doorway to a room almost at the end of the hallway.

  I can’t help but to notice the irony here. I mean, when Eric moved in with my family all of those years ago, we were also on opposite ends of the hallway. Entirely opposite sides of the house.

  I’m sure that had been my dads plan, of course, to try to keep us from finding our way to each other.

  Of course, that hadn’t worked...but I can’t help but wonder if Eric is trying to recreate that in some way.

  I doubt it, of course.

  He’s probably just trying to give me some space.

  I follow him inside of the room, my breath catching in my throat.

  “Wow.” I shake my head, taking in the beautiful four poster bed covered in soft white linens, complete with a wide array of coral and navy-blue throw pillows. There is a large white long thread rug underneath the bed, and then another matching rug in front of the fireplace, which is flanked with two high back off white chairs with thick silver decorative studs.

  “No way did you design this.” I blink, literally in awe of the beautiful, high-end décor.

  “Nope. Got me.” He chuckles, before leading me into the bathroom. “I hired someone.”

  “It’s beautiful. Way too beautiful for servant’s quarters.” I tell him, with full honesty.

  “You’re not my servant, Ave’s.”

  “I’m your housekeeper. A housekeeper who has no idea how in the hell I’m going to manage to keep this house clean. It’s massive, Eric.”

  He flashes me a wicked grin, before opening a door at the other end of the bathroom.

  “Not the first time I’ve heard you say that to me. Although I have to admit, I liked hearing it a lot more last time.”

  “Ok.” I shake my head, before reaching over and grabbing Jackson out of his arms.

  “We’re going to have to set some ground rules if this is going to work out.”

  “What do you mean?”

  I spin to face him, careful to avoid full eye contact before adjusting Jackson on my hip.

  “I mean, if this is going to work out, this needs to be a business only relationship. No innuendos like the one that you just made. No calling me baby, or any of that crap. I’m here to work for you Eric, and that’s it. I need you to treat me like you would treat anyone else who works for you.”

  He nods slowly, before looking me up and down.

  “Alright. I can try to do that.”

  “Try really hard.”

  “I...” he shakes his head, before laughing. “Ok, ok. I can do this. See? I almost made a comment there, but I let it go. And that was a good opportunity.”

  “Sicko.” I can’t help but to smile, before shaking my head and brushing past him.

  “Jackson has his own room? That wasn’t really necessary...oh my god.” I step through the doorway, and my jaw hits the ground.

  I glance around, in sheer astonishment, as I take in the room, that has been completely converted into a child’s room.

  A toddler bed sits in the corner, his name splayed across the wall in large navy-blue letters. The bed set is made up of a sports theme, and on the other wall, boasts a white armoire with a baseball bat lamp sitting on the top.

  “How did you...Eric.” I shake my head, before turning towards him. “This is too much. You didn’t have to do all of this...how...?”

  “I wanted you guys to feel at home. This is your home now.” His eyes lock with mine, as he takes a step towards me. I feel all the air leave my lungs in one big swish as he comes even closer to me until we are damn near sharing the same breath.

  “This is your home now, Ave’s. This is his home too. For as long as you’ll have it. And all jokes aside, I’m glad as hell to have you here. Both of you here.”

  We stand like this, staring at each other until I finally find the courage to take a step back.

  “Thank you.” It’s all that I can muster right now, anyhow.

  “I’ll let you get settled.” He takes a step backward before turning and heading out of the door. “I’ll leave your bags right here. You know where I’m at. If you need anything.”

  “Ok.” I swallow, as he nods, and turns towards the door.

  “Oh, Eric. Wait a second.”

  He glances back to me, as I take a deep breath.

  “The code. You kept mentioning a code, but you never told me what it was.”

  “Oh.” He nods slowly, his eyes locking with mine.

  “21291.”

  “Wait, I should probably write that...” Understanding dawns, as my mouth drops open.

  “Your code is my birthday?”

  “Yeah.” He nods once, before taking a step towards the door. “I’ll let you get settled.”

  The ice the surrounds my heart for this man begins to melt, as the door clicks shut.

  The code to his home, is my birthday?

  It can’t be a coincidence...

  The only explanation that fits, is that he changed the code right before we arrived here.

  That would have been pretty damn slick...and hard to pull off.

  Although he did manage to have Jackson’s entire room set up for him, so...maybe.

  But if not? If that’s ju
st been his code? Well, then I am in serious trouble here.

  This man broke my heart badly once. And if I’m not careful?

  He’s going to break it all over again.

  Chapter 15

  Eric

  If I know one thing with absolute certainty?

  It’s that I could never get tired of the sight in front of me. Because I swear to God, there is nothing else that I would rather see every morning.

  Avery is standing at the kitchen island, headphones in her ears, dancing around in place all while cooking breakfast.

  And it’s a damn fine sight.

  A million memories rush through my mind, and for a second, I feel like an eighteen-year-old kid again, falling in love with the woman that I wasn’t supposed to have.

  Except this time, it’s different, because I’m not falling in love with her. I’m already in love with her, the same as I have been for the last six years.

  I lean against the doorway, watching her for a while until she notices me standing there and abruptly stops.

  She pulls the earbuds out of her ears as her face reddens, before biting her lip.

  “Oh, hey. How long have you been standing there?”

  “Not nearly long enough.” I shake my head, before nodding towards the stove.

  “What are you making there? It smells delicious.”

  “Oh.” She grins wide before shrugging.

  “Honestly? It’s kind of a breakfast surprise. You didn’t really have much in the fridge, so, it’s just something that I kind of made up.”

  “Yeah, sorry about that. I should have had it stocked up before we got back.”

  “Oh, don’t apologize. Anyhow, that’s my job now, right? You had enough stuff in there for me to figure this out.”

  She nods towards the pan.

  “It’s just an egg scramble. You had a green pepper and a couple pieces of bacon that didn’t look too old...and then some eggs. I also found some sausage in the freezer, so.” She nods towards the pan. “All of that equals breakfast surprise.”

  “Sounds perfect. Do you need any help?”

  She shakes her head. “No, but thanks. Cooking is my job, anyhow. But if you have a few minutes, maybe you could give me a run through on what all you want cleaned and when. And then, of course, where the grocery store is. And some kind of a list of the things that you want weekly.”