by Ali Vali
"Doing? You want details? Not that I'm doing anything inappropriate with or to her. Well not anything I'd feel…" An amused Robert who feared a call from his daughter if he pushed Junior too far brought Junior's ramblings to a close.
"Not details, Junior, trust me on that one. But she's working for you, buying a new house and from my dinner dates with her, I can tell that she wants something more from you. It's been eight months, it's time to give it to her."
"I love your daughter, sir."
"Have you told her that?"
"Sort of." From her answer Junior could see where Jillian had gotten her habit of eye rolling.
"Not one more day, Junior, don't let one more go by without telling her that."
She looked into the office that was directly across from hers and saw both Emmett and Kristen playing quietly on the floor on an activity blanket Jillian had gotten for them. Their idol was on the phone with the company's operation center in Texas getting some problems taken care of, but she would smile at them whenever there was a lull in the conversation. Jillian had taken them in with her that morning when the sitter called in sick, but in reality they had become a common sight around the office.
I'll be damned, Junior, you have a family. The time is coming soon when you won't need me anymore. Emmett spotted her first and got up on his now sturdy legs and walked over to her. "Hi, Avery."
"Hi, buddy, did you break anything while I was at lunch?"
"No ducks here to play wiff."
"No ducks, buddy, that's right but you have Jillie to play with." When Avery sat down the baby came crawling over and pulled herself up by her pant leg. Jillian looked over enjoying the sight of Avery holding the two youngest Baxters. They had put Bailey in a school close to the house they had both decided on, but the invitation that Jillian was waiting for before she put her own house on the market had yet to come.
"If you make me fly to Houston, I'm telling Junior on you." It was the last thing Jillian said into the phone before hanging up. "When are you going to sweep me off my feet and make l-o-v-e to me?"
Avery smiled at her from the sofa in Jillian's office and talked to Emmett instead of the woman behind the desk. "Emmett, do you think if we asked Jillie to sell her house and move in with us, she would do it?" As an answer, the little boy pulled her glasses off and threw them across the room. "You are quicker than lighting, I swear." She got up and put him down next to the blocks he had been playing with before spotting her and moved to Jillian. "Can I talk you into leaving with me for a little while? Sally said she would watch destructo and his sister."
Some of the staff on the executive floor of the company smiled as the two left hand in hand. Any resentment Jillian feared over her job and her relationship with Avery had not materialized, and everyone under Sally's watchful eye was very supportive. In the garage, Avery opened the passenger door for Jillian and kissed her before the blonde got in. They didn't talk as they drove to the new house that was ready for them to move into.
Avery parked the car in the driveway and looked at the big structure in front of them. "I'm not really good at anything but pumping oil out of the ground, or I wasn't interested in being good at anything else until I met you." She got out and helped Jillian out of the car before she went on.
"I'm not real sure why you stuck with me all this time, but I wake up and you are always there. It still shocks me that you didn't freak out when I somehow ended up with three kids, but I thank the gods for you every day and I think the kids, in their own way, do to."
"Avery, honey, what's this about?" Jillian was getting worried when Avery started sweating when she started talking.
"Just let me get all this out and then you can talk ok?" Jillian smiled up at her and nodded her head, so Avery took her by the hand and led her around to the back of the house. "I want to apologize for taking so long to do this, but I just figured you would leave."
"Oh, Avery, I don't want to leave." When she got a pointed look from the tall woman Jillian stopped talking. "Sorry."
"I thought about how I could tell you how much you mean to me and the topic is so overwhelming that it was hard to pick just one thing, but I think I finally have it." Avery opened the gate to the back yard and in the middle of the grass sat a big sycamore tree waiting to be planted.
"You bought me a tree?"
"I fell in love with a tree hugger so I thought it was appropriate."
"Run that passed me again." Jillian pulled them to a stop and looked up at Avery.
"I love you and I want you to move in here with us. I want you to put your house up for sale today and move all your stuff in here this weekend. Don't worry about arranging it, I called the movers and they'll take care of it, unless you say no."
"Ok, is it important to you to know that I love you too?"
"Sort of."
Only Avery would pick this moment to answer me like this. "Excuse me?"
"I'm not finished, and any declarations from you right now will make me forget what I'm saying."
"Ok, please continue."
Avery led her to the tree and dropped to one knee. "I want to wake up with you every morning, I want to build a life with you and the kids here, I want you to help me raise them as our own and I want you to know that I will always belong to just you. Will you be mine?"
"Can I tell you now?"
"It would seem the appropriate time, yes."
"I love you, Avery, you idiot. I can't believe you kept me waiting all this time, but I see it every time you look at me so I'll forgive you this once." Avery squeezed her hand to get her back on track and answering her questions. "Yes I'll move in, and I'm already yours and you know that. I have been ever since you sat next to me smoking that cigar and pointing out stars."
"Can I point out one more for you?"
"Tonight? You have a date."
"I was thinking about right now." Avery pointed to one of the low branches in the tree and waited. Jillian looked up to find a ring hanging from a string and when the stone caught the sunlight it did look like a star. The crying blonde pulled Avery off her knees since she couldn't reach the diamond and she wanted to try it on.
"It's beautiful, thank you."
"You're beautiful and I want to show you how much."
"In the backyard?"
"Nah, I had them move the bed early."
"Why today?"
"Because I couldn't go one more day without touching you, and it seems stupid to want to."
"Stupid to want to touch me?" The look of annoyance Junior was more than familiar with was starting to take shape on Jillian's face.
"No, Jillie, stupid not to."
Avery picked her up and carried her around to the front of the house so she could carry Jillian over the threshold. As the passion they had kept bottled up for months came pouring out, they never saw Avery Sr. pumping his fist in the air when Jillian shouted out a roaring 'Oh Avery'. His daughter had forgotten he and Minnie were coming in to look at the new house and help supervise the move. The elder Baxter was walking around the yard when Jillian's approval of whatever Junior was doing made him stop for a minute.
Inside Jillian was going to bite down on Avery's earlobe again but popped her head up instead. "Did you hear someone let out a whoop?"
"Actually all I can hear right now is blood rushing in my ears."
Jillian laughed at her exhausted looking lover and pinched her on the leg. "Avery Baxter, you have been holding out on me. That was fantastic."
"You provide really great inspiration." Avery looked down at the gorgeous body draped over hers and felt like doing everything they had just done all over again.
"Junior, get dressed and let us in." Her father's voice coming from right outside the window made them both break out into a full body blush.
"I may need therapy marrying into your family."
"He is a little bigger than life."
"If he tells anyone this story, he's going to be a big piece of toast." Jillian kissed the tip of Avery's nose to let her
know she was joking before climbing off her and picking up her clothes.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The move went according to plan and the three children got to spend more time with their grandfather and great aunt while Jillian and Junior told the workers where everything went. They had tried to take them once a month to Huntington so that Avery Sr. would have the opportunity to see the children, and both he and the kids looked forward to the visits.
They settled into their new home and worked at becoming a family. Bailey's nightmares got less frequent once Jillian moved in and the eldest child lost her fear they were going to be sent away. To commemorate their anniversary almost a year to the day they met, Pegasus was ready to begin production.
Jillian and Avery tucked their three wildcatters into their bunks for the night after two hours of trying. The excitement of taking a helicopter out to the rig and having the men take them on a tour had pumped them up more than if they had consumed four bags of candy each. Avery wanted to continue the family tradition her father had started in having all generations of Baxters at the completion of every major project.
With Possum keeping watch over the sleeping forms, Avery took Jillian back up to the empty helipad. "Happy anniversary, my love."
"You remembered our first date?"
"It's all those romance lessons Bailey's been giving me."
"Do you love me, Avery?"
"You know I do."
"Enough to give me something I really want?"
"If I can give it to you, it's yours."
"I want another little Avery Baxter of my very own." Jillian leaned back into the body behind her and wished on the falling star she was following in the sky that Avery would say yes.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
"So you see, Susan, that's how I ended up with Avery, III." Avery looked down at the baby sleeping in the carrier and smiled. She had gotten up early to check on him and decided to bring him along for the visit she felt compelled to make.
"Two years ago on this date, I thought Maria was playing the biggest April Fool's joke on me in history and, as it turns out I found that God has an enormous sense of humor. He took you and Quinton away from them, but he gave me a life I look forward to living now. Don't get me wrong, I'm sorry about what happened and I hope that wherever you are, you know that Bailey, Emmett and Kristen are loved and well taken care of. I wanted to come out today and thank you both for the precious gifts you entrusted to me. I promise to take good care of them and to tell them of the parents that loved them all."
Avery put the flowers she had brought with her in the vase between the two head stones and got to her feet. "Rest in peace and before I go I brought you a gift. It's the last one I have that Emmett hasn't gotten to, and I wanted you to have it."
She picked up her son and walked back to the car. A wooden duck stayed behind, looking over the peaceful setting just like he belonged there.
The End
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