Discovering Pride (Pride Series)

by Jill Sanders

  “I wasn’t avoiding you.” she said looking up into his eyes. But her look gave her away.

  “Oh really?” he said running a hand down her body. “Then what would you call it? Face it Lacey, you’ve been avoiding me. Why?”

  “You think a lot of yourself don’t you doctor,” she countered and started to sit up.

  “Don’t.” The simple word had her relaxing back onto the bed.

  “Maybe I’ve been doing some avoiding of my own,” he said sleepily, lying down beside her. He pulled her close so that her head rested on his shoulder.

  “Why?” she asked in a whisper.

  “You do things to me that I don’t know what to think of yet.” Pulling her closer he kissed the top of her head. “I’ve just come out of a bad relationship and wasn’t looking for anything yet.”

  She waited until his breathing slowed, steadied. “I’m sorry I avoided you,” she said nuzzling into his chest.

  “Good.” He let out a soft yawn and promptly fell asleep. Lacey stayed awake to listen to his heart beat against her cheek and fell asleep thinking about the man who was quietly snoring next to her.

  As she felt light fingers run up her ribs, she inhaled and tried not to squirm. Only her brothers knew her ribs were ticklish. These fingers didn’t mean to tickle her but arouse her as they ran down her ribs and hips to the outside of her thighs. They lightly traced the muscles of her legs; then, they circled toward the inside of her legs. Slowly they moved up higher, pulsing toward her, and closing in on her. When he lightly touched her with a whisper, she let out a low moan.

  She sure was hard to wake up, but Aaron was enjoying seeing how much he could get away with and for how long before her eyes finally fluttered open. Several times she had sighed and moaned when he had run his fingers over her delicate skin; once she’d sucked in her breath after his fingers had run over a particular rib. He would have to explore that ticklish spot later. Now, he wanted to make her want him as much as he was aching for her. After having woken up with her soft body wrapped around his, the passion of her smell in his head, he was full of intent and purpose.

  He was even more aroused when he found her moist for him. Spreading her legs gently, he started to explore her more as she let out another moan and turned her head to the side. He eased back and she settled back down.

  When he finally entered her it was with slow and easy movements causing her eyes to opened and grab his shoulders.

  She came awake quickly now. When she opened her eyes, Aaron filled her vision. He was smiling down at her as he moved.

  “Good morning.” He leaned down and kissed her until she was out of breath.

  When she surfaced again, it was to the soft sound of rain. The empty spot next to her was still warm so she looked around. She saw the blinds had been closed only allowing minimal light in. Rolling over she gasped at the alarm clock and jumped out of bed to begin the search for her clothes only to discover they were nowhere in sight. Quickly yanking open the dressing drawers, she settled for one of Aaron’s white tee shirts and some gray sweats that she had to roll up four times to see her feet.

  She started out of the bedroom and paused as she heard Aaron on the phone. She headed towards his voice, reached the room just as he slammed down his phone in disgust.

  “Is there a problem?” Lacey walked up behind him and reached for him.

  “It’s nothing.” He pulled away from her and started to pace in front of the empty fireplace.

  Lacey watched him pace and his frustration build.

  Finally she walked over and took his hands said. “How about I make us some breakfast?”

  If he wasn’t ready to open up she would just have to break down his barriers little by little.

  Aaron sat at his counter watching her quick and steady movements while she prepared breakfast. He enjoyed watching her movements noticing that she looked more relaxed this morning. The circles under her eyes were gone and she was humming to herself. He could just imagine her dressed like this and doing the same things in his kitchen for years to come.

  Not wanting the moment to end, he thought of his plans. He knew he wasn’t due at the office until later that day; his first appointment was at eleven, but he would have gladly blown everyone off to be able to spend the whole day with her in his house.

  “What are you doing for Thanksgiving?” Lacey looked up from her task of moving the cooked eggs to plates.

  “I suppose I will be spending it with my Grandfather. I hadn’t really thought about it yet.”

  “What about your folks?” she asked setting a full plate in front of him, then taking her own and sat next to him.

  “Well, I haven’t heard from them in maybe eight months. They are somewhere in Europe I think.”

  “Won’t they be coming home for the holidays?” She took a piece of bacon and nibbled it.

  He thought of that word, “home” and almost laughed. “My folks and I came to an arrangement years ago about the holidays. They spend them somewhere tropical and ignore the fact that they have a son, and I spend my time doing whatever I want to do without them. It’s for the best really.” His voice held no bitterness and to be honest Aaron believed every word

  “That is their loss. Would you like to spend it with us? I can promise you good food, good company, cold beer, and football on the big screen,” she smiled. She couldn’t understand a family who wouldn’t want to be together during the holidays, but knowing this little fact from his past, made her want to get her hands on his parents.

  The football game was exciting, the beer was cold, and the food was excellent. But, according to Aaron the best part of the day was the company. Everyone was together and having a good time. Aaron’s stomach was full; he had a cold beer in his hand; and, he felt, maybe even for the first time in his life, like he was part a family.

  His grandfather was there, sitting in a big recliner; his eyes were glued to the TV set. Occasionally, he would stand to scream at the set along with the rest of the group.

  Megan and Todd sat on the love seat in front of the windows. Megan had a blanket wrapped around her with her feet in her husbands lap. Todd occasionally rubbed them for her, but he was more into the game at the moment than rubbing his pregnant wife’s feet.

  Iian had poured his tall frame into the other large recliner in the room. While Aaron and Lacey sat next to him on the other couch. She had on a bright green Oregon Ducks sweatshirt with matching socks; her feet were tucked up underneath her.

  The brothers bartered, joked, taunted, and laughed with each other throughout the game; this was something Aaron had never seen in his entire life. At first he was uncomfortable, thinking they were mad at each other, but soon he learned this was a normal pastime between the family members. Lacey always appeared to be in the middle of each argument, egging her brother’s along and never really taking sides.

  Aaron wondered how a woman, who was half the size of her brothers, held such power over the two men. When she asked for more chips, Iian had not even blinked at the request and had slipped out of the room to fill another bowl. Todd had tried to put his feet on the coffee table at one point; it had only taken a single look from Lacey to set his feet back firmly on the ground. To be this close as siblings amazed Aaron, and at the same time he had never been more jealous in his life.

  All this thinking about families drew out old memories of his childhood. He must have been around the age of eight when he presented to his parents a chart he had drawn up, outlining a list of reasons why he should have a brother. In his eight year old mind, a brother could play with him; he wouldn’t be so lonely. He could guide and protect his younger sibling; and maybe, he would have someone who would love him unconditionally.

  Shaking his head, he recalled his parents’ response to his request. He recalled also the new boarding school he had then been sent to; it was stricter than the prior schools; they frowned upon and tried to discourage such behavior in mere children…

  Lacey had noticed the m
inute Aaron stopped focusing on the game. When he withdrew into his own world his face changed, his shoulders tightened, and he gripped his hands on his knees. The major clue to his introspection, however, was that the last touchdown had been celebrated by every man in the room, except one. Then as quickly as his mood had come on him, it was gone with a shake of his head, and he seemed to rejoin the group for the rest of the game.

  She was left pondering what it would take to break down the barriers he seemed to hold so tightly around his thoughts.

  She admitted to herself that she really enjoyed watching him interact with her family. She also thought everyone had gotten along wonderfully, especially after Aaron had relaxed. However, by the time everyone was ready to leave for the evening, concerns played heavily on her mind that she had trusted him with her most precious gift of her heart while he had yet to open up his own heart to her. Something, she thought, that should have come along with the intimacy they had shared. Maybe, he just need more time. Megan had needed time to accept love when she had first arrived in Pride. Maybe, Aaron needed the same thing—time.

  When Aaron got home after dropping off his grandfather, he was headed back to the kitchen for one more beer and saw the message light blinking on his machine. Pausing in the entryway, he shrugged out of his coat and hit the button as he continued into the kitchen. When he heard his mother’s voice, his hand stopped on its way to the refrigerator door. His mind froze and after a second he could feel his heart rate increase. He heard a buzzing in his ears and shook his head to clear it. Rushing back to the machine, he hit the rewind button.

  “Aaron. We are shocked to hear you’re in Oregon and don’t know what you’re doing there. We’ve talked to Jennifer and think it’s time you resolved your problem and stopped running away from your commitments. Your father and I expect this embarrassing situation to be handled before the wedding. We expect to see you in California when we get there after the New Year.”

  No “hello;” No “goodbye;” No “how are you?” Nothing personal—that was his parents.

  Storming to the fridge, he yanked it open and grabbed a beer. He needed it now along with a few others.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  The days after a holiday were always busy. It was strange how people flocked to home-made food one day and then the next they wanted someone else to do the cooking for them. Maybe it was the dishes they didn’t want to deal with, or maybe it was just getting away from their homes. Whatever it was, Lacey enjoyed these busy times. The sounds and smells of it all felt like home to her. She knew that people were out making their black Friday purchases, pushing and shoving each other at the closest malls. She, on the other hand, had nothing to worry about because she had most of her Christmas shopping done early—thanks to her favorite online stores.

  It was half way through the dinner rush when she felt that familiar tingle down her spine. Looking over, she saw Aaron walk in and take a seat at the bar located along the far wall. Mary, the bartender on duty, quickly rushed over to take his order.

  After dropping off her latest order she took a minute to stop at the bar.

  “Did you want some dinner?” she said kissing him quickly. She sat next to him and tried not to notice how he had stiffened a little at her light touch.

  “No, just a quick drink, that is all I want right now,” he nodded his thanks as Mary set down a whiskey. “Since this is the only bar that’s opened right now…” he trailed off and drank the whiskey in a single swallow.

  “Oh, okay,” she said, and noticed she was being hailed by the couple at table twelve. “I’ll be right back.” She rushed back to work.

  Twenty minutes later she stopped back at the bar. She didn’t know how many drinks he’d had, but by his look, she was sure the bar stool wouldn’t hold him up much longer.

  “Want that dinner now?” she asked him. Her shift was almost over, and the majority of people had cleared out, leaving the restaurant almost empty.

  Mary delivered another drink to Aaron, shook her head at Lacey, then went to the end of the bar and started clearing some dishes, leaving them alone again.

  “Are you alright? Has something happened?” she asked placing her hand on his forearm, noticing his eyes were red and blood shot.

  He laughed quickly. “My life,” he shook his head after downing the whiskey. “My parents,” wishing for another shot, he started to wave to the bartender.

  Lacey quickly grabbed his arm. “How about I take you home; you can tell me about it.”

  Looking in to her eyes, he saw the concern and something more—he saw trust.

  “I just can’t deal with this,” he shook his head and started to get up. She grabbed his arm and shaking her head she looked into his eyes.

  He could only guess at what she saw there. Hell, he’d gotten drunk two nights in a row—not just a little drunk, but rip-roaring drunk. He had woken with the taste of cotton in his mouth and his head felt as if someone had split it in two with an ax.

  He had thought about his messed up childhood and his potential marriage disaster. Now, according to his parents, he was the one screwing this up. It appears they expected him to make it “right” before the wedding; just what the hell did they mean by that?

  “Aaron,” His name seemed to shake him free and he looked into her face. “Let me take you home.”

  “I’m fine.” he started to walk away. He would walk home maybe that would clear his head. He doubted it, but it was worth a try.

  “If you don’t want me to stick around, I won’t.” she said taking his arm again to steady him. “But, I’m still driving you home. It’s going to snow later.”

  As they walked by the end of the bar, Lacey informed Mary that she was dropping Aaron of at home. “Tell Katie to take over my tables will you?”

  “Sure, I’ll let her know. Goodnight.” Mary gave Lacey a quick smile.

  When the cold night air hit him, he seemed to wake up through the haze his mind had been in since he received the phone message.

  “My trucks over there,” he said handing her his keys.

  He remained silent during the short drive to his place. His mothers’ voice was playing around in his head as they passed the large pine tree in the middle of town square. The tree was decorated with all different colored lights and ornaments. He noticed that each of the street lights had ornamental decorations hanging from them. Each house they passed had lights or decorations; it seemed the whole town was lit up.

  Seeing his own newly installed driveway lights did little to lift his spirits. He had wanted to see her, but when he sat at the bar the only thing he could think about was the phone message, and naturally self-pity took over. What was he doing here? Did he really think he could hide from his parents? Did he really want to? Did he really think he could start fresh?

  Man, he wanted another beer. Drowning his problems had worked for him last night. Sure he had woken up on the floor in his living room with a splitting headache, but he was sure he had spent most of the night on the soft leather couch. Maybe he should have stayed home tonight.

  Stopping just in front of the newly installed garage doors, Lacey turned off the truck and turned to face him. She could hear the light drizzle of rain hitting the roof of the truck. They sat there for a while looking at each other.

  “Please tell me this isn’t to do with us.” she said.

  He quickly turned his head towards her.

  “No.” he turned back to look at his house. “It’s funny, you know, you think I wouldn’t put so much stock in something like a house.” He sat and looked at the place. She turned and did the same.

  “It’s a nice place. It doesn’t even look like the same house on the outside and the inside.” She turned to him. “You should be very proud of it and yourself.”

  When he let out a large breath, she asked, “Are you going to tell me what this is all about?”

  “Let’s go inside, I’ll get a fire going.” He got out and made it half way around the truck before s
he started to follow him.

  As he bent over the paper and wood in the family room fireplace, she walked into the kitchen and started a pot of coffee.

  After the coffee was done, she took two mugs into the room. She saw him sitting on the large couch staring into the flames. For the first time since meeting him, he looked lonely and lost.

  “I thought I could break away from them,” he took the mug from her and set the cup on the coffee table without taking a sip. She shook her head and sitting next to him handed the cup to him again; this time she made sure he took a drink. “I don’t drink like that often,” he sat the cup down again. “I just wanted you to know.”