Road to Them: The Road Series Book Two

by Erica Andrews

  Three great finds.

  Giggles erupted from me as I thought at what I bet the guys reaction was going to be when they saw my finds. Especially when they saw where I put Hugh.

  About done with my piles of long forgotten items, I perused over the now enormous piles of things that I didn’t want or need.

  Which was a lot. Compared to the small pile next to it, I felt kind of bad for not keeping everything beach related. The starfish hooks, stared at me from the bottom of the pile. Okay never mind, I didn’t feel bad anymore.

  But, I had to do something with them, because I couldn’t really just haul it off to the dump. But I didn’t really want to keep it here either. I wanted to start fresh, not look at the Alabama clock that Trevor brought home from a “quick” trip to Tuscaloosa. That I bet now how nothing to do with the clock and instead everything to do with a certain co-worker.

  Choices. Choices.

  Aha!

  Phone, luckily, in my back pocket, I texted the guys, my fingers dancing across the screen to see if my fantastic plan would all come together.

  Hey, Kasper when are you moving your things to Dean’s and Damon’s I can’t remember?

  Kasper

  Friday, Why?

  Because I have a brilliant plan!

  Dean

  I know, you are going to move in with us?

  He was joking, right?

  One could never determine with Dean.

  Wrong, try again.

  Kasper

  You want some of my stuff to go to your house?

  Closer…

  Damon

  She wants to get Kasper to put some of his stuff in a garage sale…..

  We have some stuff too.

  Ass.

  Okay yes, Damon is correct, but I want to have a yard sale. And if we all put our stuff together, it’d be like a family yard sale.

  Kasper

  I’m in as long as we get to help you move everything.

  Dean

  Hey I’m totally in, as long as we still have movie night on Saturday.

  Elated that they agreed so easily I texted back

  Okay, so Friday after kickboxing, I’ll come over help unload and go through everything we want to sell then in about two weeks have the yard sale? Sound good?

  Kasper

  Sounds good

  Dean

  Ditto

  Damon

  Yeah.

  Now that my fantastic plan had started to take form, I put my phone back into my pocket, clasping my new findings to my chest. I closed the door to the eerie attic, where invisible monsters resided, with the toe of my foot, as I juggled my treasures in my hand. The last thing I needed to do was drop the only three things I found I liked, ruining all my hard work.

  Down the narrow stairs from the attic, I paused to make sure I had the correct step. Once safely down the steps I made my way into the living room, and sat my treasures on the couch, almost falling upon Duchess’s giant paws.

  She had decided to fit herself right between the coffee table and couch. Maybe in a stroke of misfortune hoping I would fall over her as she sat, not making a sound. Great Danes were vicious like that. They acted all cute, but deep down they’re minds were diabolical. Won’t give them a treat, oopsie, had an accident. Oh, can't chew on your shoe, okay then I’ll go lay on your bed.

  “Thank you Duchess, for not moving and allowing me to almost face plant onto the coffee table, and slowly die an excruciating painful gory death.”

  She made a sound close to disgust, and rolled her eyes. Okay, maybe she didn’t roll her eyes, but it sure looked like it.

  Once I made sure Duchess wasn’t going to attack my treasures, I made my way to the kitchen, fixed some coffee and poured it into my dick mug. I really needed a new hutch...and some new mugs.

  Back against the counter I took a sip of coffee and pondered over these last few weeks. I found three amazing guys, an okay dog, joined a book club that I love...sometimes. Gained two best friends, and now those three amazing guys are my boyfriends and fall was just around the corner. In almost three months, so much had changed. Some good and some not so good. But even with the bad it was the happiest I’d ever been.

  Coffee halfway gone, I gulped down the rest and pushed off the counter

  If I was going to have a yard sale in the next few weeks, I guess I needed to start organizing things. Posters, separating items, putting prices...this was going to take a lot of time.

  A lot of time I didn’t have.

  Luckily, I knew of five new book club friends who had time and would help. Maybe grumble while doing it, but they would still do it.

  I just wished I knew what to expect when they showed up, with them you never knew.

  And I guess I was about to find out. With a sigh, I pulled out my phone once again and hit four on my speed dial.

  “Hey, Betty, how would you like to help me with something?”

  Twenty-Four

  Kelly

  1. Guys were big babies when asked to get rid of things.

  2. Dogs did not help with organizing.

  3. Why was I doing this again?

  “I love this thing.”

  “It’s a giant beer bottle, Damon. You have no need for a giant plastic beer bottle.”

  Damon clasped his hands tightly around the bottle, unwilling to let go of his fondness of something hideous. I never imagined he would be a lover of all things tacky and old.

  “It’s an antique. You can’t get rid of an antique. I was going to put it in the man cave.”

  I raised my eyebrows. “You mean the “Man Cave” out back with rusted car parts, and uneven bar stools? That man cave?”

  Dean who had just walked out of the house carrying cooking utensils in a small box, laughed. “Ha, she’s got you there Damon. All I gotta say is thank God. I hated that stupid ass beer thing. You don’t even drink that beer.”

  I smiled as Damon moved towards Dean causing him to slowly backtrack towards the house.

  Dean didn’t like the beer bottle did he?

  Dean still skirting around Damon, I yelled so he could hear me, “I’m glad you say that, because that pickle flask, is going also.”

  Suddenly stopping, Dean’s face morphed from one of joy to utter shock. “What, no, my flask is awesome. It's a pickle, plus a flask. It’s a one of a kind.”

  Damon who held his treasured bottle under his arm laughed. “Now who’s got who’s number, dickhead?”

  Well this escalated quickly.

  Pointing his finger, Dean jumped forward. “Listen here, dick for brains, you can shove that–”

  “Enough.”

  Too busy throwing insults back and forth and worried about beer and pickled flask, they both had failed to notice when Kasper had come back for more boxes.

  Kasper sweating and panting with exertion had multiple boxes stacked high, teetering on the edge. Though I doubted they would fall. Kasper had a thing for control and precision. If I remembered correctly, and I did. Oh, did I remember them.

  Head to the side of the boxes, Kasper glared at the brothers in front of him.

  “A little less arguing, a little more working. We agreed Kelly could take over, now let her do her job.”

  Not pausing to listen to their excuses Kasper continued into the house with Duchess at his heels.

  Dean and Damon quiet, who looked slightly chastised, brought their treasures to me... reluctantly.

  “Here, just make sure she goes to a happy home. A funny home.”

  I raised my eyebrows. “She?”

  Dean patted his pickle. “I named her Tickle The Pickle. It had a nice ring to it.”

  What it sounded like was not funny, but dirty. And I mentally set a reminder to wash “Tickle The Pickle” before the yard sale.

  Damon up next eyed me seriously. “You know, I could just pay you to let me keep it or just flat refuse you.”

  I smiled. “Or you could just sell it and try to buy something we all could use an
d I’m pretty sure you want to make your girlfriend happy.”

  He eyed me, through the tumbles of hair that had slid into his face. “Like what?”

  I blew the hair out of my face, and rolled my eyes. “Oh, I don’t know, a dog bed for Duchess, a dresser for me when I stay over….?”

  He pushed his hair out of his face raising his eyebrows. “A dresser… for when you stay over? Are you saying, if I bought you a dresser, you’d stay over?”

  Men were so dense sometimes.

  Even the most worthiest of male specimen could be so clueless. Like the male before me. A perfect specimen to look at, but even he hadn’t thought about what having a girlfriend meant and the many benefits of having one. I.E. sleepovers.

  “Well if I knew I had a place for my stuff and felt welcomed I might.”

  He nodded his head while shoving his beer bottle at me. “Done.”

  Without another word he turned with determination in his steps as he headed to the truck to help Dean with more of Kasper’s stuff.

  Hmm, maybe the promise of a co-ed sleepover was all it took to get the boys working. Who knew?

  I filed that piece of information away for another day.

  Now I had to figure out what I needed to do after my successful win of the flask and beer bottle.

  I could help with the boxes.

  The sun glared down on me as I headed over to get the smaller boxes on the truck.

  By the end of the day, I knew I was going to be lobster red and slick with sweat.

  Joy.

  Buzz.

  Buzz.

  The sound of my phone had me pausing mid-stride. Who could be calling? With one finger I held up my hand to show the boys that I’d be there in a second.

  And maybe I should’ve used a different finger, but I thought it was funny at the time.

  Pulling my phone out of the pocket, I looked to see who could be calling. Besides the guys, the girls in the book club were the only ones who called me.

  Dad?

  I hadn’t heard from my parents, since I had moved. I mean we were close, kind of. But since I divorced Trevor, things had been strained. Especially with Mom. I hadn’t even told them about the break-in cause truthfully I didn’t know what their reaction would be. Dad was always happy, fun and slightly immature. While Mom, well I had to get my anal tendencies from somewhere. And though they were different, they loved each other. But neither had called me since I left...so why now?

  Not wanting to hold off the inevitable, I answered the phone.

  Hello, Dad? Is everything okay?

  I heard the hesitation in his voice.

  Everything is fine kiddo, how’s my little Kelly Green?

  I rolled my eyes. No matter how old I was, I was always going to be my dad’s little Kelly Green.

  I’m actually great. I'm in a book club and I’ve made friends and well everything’s great.

  He paused.

  Well that’s great, real great.

  I loved talking to my dad, but he sounded distracted. And a distracted Dad meant nothing good.

  Dad, What’s wrong? I know you called for something, now what is it?

  He coughed loudly into the phone.

  Ah, well you picked up on that did you?

  Yeah, Dad, I did. You're kind of easy to read, even on a phone.

  Okay, well here's the deal. We heard about the break-in and before you get your panties in a twist, a woman named Emily Stone called. Which we’re glad she did, she said something about you dating their son?”

  My heart pounded in my chest. I hadn’t even told Emily about the break-in. I closed my eyes, Kasper must had told her. Dang it.

  Not knowing what his words were doing to me my dad continued.

  And well when your mother heard about it she just had to see you. Make sure you were okay and since school hasn’t started yet, she thought now was a good a time as ever. Plus, you know we love that area and the Amish. So there’s that and other things…

  His sentence drifted off and I knew what I was about to ask would not get the answer I wanted to hear.

  What other things Dad?

  He laughed.

  So you picked up on that too, huh?

  I rubbed the area between my eyes as a headache began to grow from the escalating conversation.

  Yes Dad, now what is it?

  Well your mother talked to a friend and well they have got it in their head that you would love it if he came too. Ya know, just to check and make sure you're safe.

  My stomach gurgled, at the mention of a “he”. There was only one “he” that I knew of that my mother would even consider bringing up here. And I hoped I was wrong.

  Dad, please tell me it’s not Trevor, please tell me Mother did not do what I think she did.

  A giant sigh could be heard over the phone.

  I’m sorry kiddo, I wish I could. But they got it in their heads, that they could talk you into moving back. After that break-in, they think you’ll be safer down here. And I know you’re probably happy, but you can’t tell your mama nothing right now. She’s on a mission.

  I knew it. I could suddenly feel the headache morphing into a full fledged migraine. And that migraine was my mother and Trevor.

  Dad, I know how Mama is.

  I knew you would, so I figured we would come up and see you . She’d see how happy you were and so would Trevor and then abracadabra we’d leave.

  Not knowing what else to say and knowing a southern mama wasn’t one to be reckoned with I did the only thing I could. I agreed.

  Yeah, Dad that sounds like a great plan. So uh, when can I expect you?

  Yeah um hun, that’s another thing. We uh, we’re going to be there next week.

  One week. The time of the yard sale. They’d meet the guys and my book club.

  This was going to be a shit storm, and I was going to be in the thick of it.

  Great.

  Okay, well that’s great Dad, but I’ve got to go and get ready for a yard sale I’m having in about a week. So, I gotta go.

  Oh, so you’ll be having the yard sale while we’re there? That’s great. Hey, we could help. Your mother would love that.

  That’s what I was afraid of.

  Yeah Dad, that sounds great. Well I better go. I’ve got so much to do.

  Alright kiddo, we’ll see you in a week. Love you.

  Love you too, Dad. Bye.

  Hanging up my phone, I found the guys had come over to see what was going on.

  Kasper the first to step forward, dipped his head slightly to look at me. “Was that your dad?”

  “Yeah, I guess y’all heard my side huh?”

  Damon came around the truck putting his arms around my shoulder. “Yeah, we did. Now if you could fill us in on his side. We’d appreciate it, darling.”

  Unease settled into my stomach at what I was about to tell them.

  “Well my mother, got an idea in her head.” I eyed Kasper. “Brought on by your mother, by the way. How she got their number I have no clue, but she called and told them about the break-in and me and you dating. And now my mother is very upset and my father is upset because she’s upset. And have you ever dealt with a southern mama? No, you haven’t. Well let me tell you, it is not an easy thing–”

  Damon interrupted, “Darling get to the point.”

  “Okay well in one week my parents are coming up to visit and they’re bringing a friend.”

  Dean looking relieved stepped up. “Oh is that all? I’d love to meet your family and friend. This will be great.”

  Kasper who had picked up on my stress, and looked slightly chagrined at his mother’s part in all this, asked, “Who is the friend Kelly?”

  Always observant, that was my Kasper, I only wish this time that he wasn’t so observant.

  I bit my lip as I looked at them all.

  “Mom is bringing Trevor.”

  * * *

  For a sneak peek at my new series

  * * *

  Monster<
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  Turn the page

  Monster - Prologue

  The screaming. I hated the screaming. The sound of someone losing all hope, giving up. No matter how long I did this job, I would always hate the screaming.

  Pulled from a life of contentment, laughter, and love I was twisted into what I am now. What most would consider a creature of night. Bringer of destruction. Lover of pain. A monster.

  And I was. Depending on what your definition of monster was. Webster’s dictionary defined it as one who deviates from normal or acceptable behavior or character. If this was true, then couldn’t we all be a little bit of a monster?

  Hades, Donn, Santa Muerte, Grimm. Throughout the years I had been called many things. All wrong. Very wrong. I was all of these and none of these at the same time. Death and destruction followed me as death was my only goal.

  I was Death. At one time I was mortal, a girl with a love so fierce I thought nothing could break us. I was wrong. Death could break anybody. Even me. Throughout the centuries, I had evolved, become more than the simple shell of a girl that I once was.