Sky Cowboy (14 page)

“Are you ready for me, honey?”

I nod in response and begin to pant as my breathing shallows.

“Are you wet, Ava?” His voice is almost a whisper and it’s so unnatural to hear a man like him – a
manly man
– whisper that it causes my body to clench in the most amazing way.  It was so hot, it was
smokin’.

“Yes,” I tremble in reply.

“Good,” he murmurs as he slides a finger inside me.

My back arches and my ass tilts toward him as I let out a low moan.

“Mmm, that’s my girl.  You’re soaking.”  He removes his finger and it’s soon replaced with his cock.  In one swift movement, he fills me, completely.

I push back against him as he slams into me over and over again.  I can feel it building.  My stomach starts to clench as my womb gets hot, and then I explode, crying out his name as the shudders overwhelm my body.

“Jeremy.”
 

“ARGH, Ava,” he grits out, then he stills inside me and finds his own release on
a low rumble that comes from his gut.  I feel it vibrate through my back, and I automatically squeeze my muscle, causing him to chuckle and withdraw from me.

I walk into the bathroom to clean myself up and then walk back out to Jeremy.  He’s phone pings to alert him of a text message and he glances at it before telling me that Jackson and Edie are good for the barbeque at their place.

“I’ll shoot home and grab a change of clothes, and then pick Oscar up on my way back from the bus stop, if you want to put some meat and the drinks in an esky,” I offer.

A frown crosses his face at my words and then quickly disappears.  “
C’mere, Ava.”

“What’s up?” I ask, walking into his arms.

“What do you think about callin’ this your home?”

“Uh,” I blink, shocked.

“I want us to be a real family, and to me, the mum, the dad and the kids all live in the same house.  That’s the way I was brought up, and it’s the way you were brought up.  It’s also the way I want to bring Oscar up.  We’re getting married anyways so rather than delay the inevitable, I reckon you should just move in. This weekend.”

“Um,” I don’t know what to say.  I mean, this is everything I ever wanted.  I’ve wanted Jeremy for as long as I can remember.  I have dreamed many dreams where he, Oscar and I are a family.  There is absolutely no reason for me to disagree.

“Is Oscar okay with this?”  I finally find my words and ask the most important question.

“See, that’s why I love you.  Always concerned about my boy.”  He nods his head and continues, “He asked me this morning when I was helping him with his toothpaste, why you didn’t live with us.  He wants you here as much as I do.  Probably more actually,” he adds on a chuckle.

“Okay.  Guess I’m moving in then.”  I can’t contain my grin.  I’m the happiest I’ve ever been in my entire life.

“Mummy-Ava!”  Oscar launches himself into my arms off the step of the bus.  I catch him easily and give him a hug before setting him down.

“How was school?”  I ask as we wave ‘bye to the bus driver and the other kids.

“Oscar made a friend and his name is Toby. 
Just like Toby from Thomas
,” he says, his eyes wide with excitement.  “Toby said Oscar can go to his place for his birthday.”

“Wow.  That’
s great, buddy.  You ask Toby’s mum to send an invitation and then you can go to his party.”

“He did give me the
inbertation.”  He thrusts a crumpled up envelope at me.

“In-
Va-Tation,” I say, crouching down so he can see the way my lips move.

“In-Bar-
Tation,” he mimics back.

“Close enough, buddy,” I laugh.
  “Come on, let’s get back home.  We’re going to visit Olive this afternoon.”  I ruffle his hair as we walk back to the vehicle.

“Oscar
loves
Olive,” he tells me enthusiastically.

Twenty minutes later we arrive at Jackson and Edie’s.

“Oh, look at the little chubba bubba.  She’s grown so much in just a couple of weeks.”  I stroke little Olive’s face and coo over her.  She really is the most beautiful little girl.  She looks exactly like the Henley boys – olive skin, dark hair and clear blue eyes – except her features are more feminine and delicate.  Her little fingers are long and she wraps them around my pinky, holding on tight. 

“So, I hear congratulations are in order,” Edie smiles and nods towards my left hand.

“Yep,” I grin back. 

“Congrats, sweetie,” Jules says, pulling me in for a hug.

“I didn’t know you guys knew,” I say, shaking my head.  “I’ve been holding off telling anyone before we told you guys.”

“Oh, you know what Jeremy and Jackson are like – they tell each other
everything
.  I swear to god, those two are worse than women with their gossiping.  Jeremy came over here just before he left to have little
man to man meeting
with Jackson.  I guess he wanted moral support or maybe a pep talk.  After he left, Jackson came in and spilled the beans to me.  I’m so happy for you, Ava.”  Tears fill her eyes as she gives me a one armed hug, since her other arm is being occupied by Olive.

“Thank you,” I sniffle, “I’m so happy.”

“Good. Then you might be open to something Jackson and I have been talking about, and because they gossip like a bunch of women, I also known he and Jeremy have talked about it.”

“Oh?”

“Since we have Olive, Jackson and I really don’t want a long engagement.  We’d like to be married before Christmas…or rather, close to Christmas – Christmas Eve to be exact.  Anyways, I know Jackson and Jeremy have thrown about the idea of joint weddings in jest in the past, but if you’re okay with, I’d love for us to have a double wedding.”

“Wow,” I mouth.  I hadn’t even thought of the actual wedding yet.  I’d only been engaged a week or so.  In fact, I’d never really envisioned my wedding day.  I always knew I wanted to marry Jeremy, but I never actually thought of all the other stuff – the dress, the cake, the bridal party, the venue, the guests…Those things had never crossed my
mind.  The only thing I was ever concerned with, was it being Jeremy who put the ringer on my finger and promised to love and cherish me for the rest our lives.

“You don’t have to answer yet.”  Edie says quickly, misconstruing my silence
for displeasure in the idea.

“I think it’s a fantastic idea,” I reassure her.  “I’ll chat with Jeremy and make sure it’s okay with him, but I don’t see a problem with it, as long as you and Jackson are cool with the double wedding thing.”

“I’ve already mentioned it to Jackson and not only is he keen to have a double wedding because it will be a blast, but he also thinks it’s logical, especially when some family members will have to travel such a long way to get here.  It makes sense to combine the two.  We were also thinking of having Olive christened just before the wedding service started, but we were just chucking around ideas.”

“Kill three birds with one stone,” I laugh.

“As long as I’m a bridesmaid and a godmother, I don’t care how many weddings and christenings we combine.”  Jules adds to the conversation.

“Of course you’re my bridesmaid and Olive’s godmother,” Edie tells her.

At Edie’s words, I suddenly realize that I won’t have a bridesmaid if we combine the weddings.  If Jeremy and I had our own wedding, Edie and Jules would be bridesmaids.  There is no way I would ever entrust Kennedy to such an important role.  There’s no doubt in my mind she’d find some way to fuck it up.  So, with us having a joint wedding, Edie will have Jules as her bridesmaid and I will have no one.

“Hey, Ava, you okay?”  Jules waves her hand in front of my face.

“Oh, yeah.  Sorry, I just zoned out there for a bit,” I laugh it off, but I can’t shake the sad feeling that’s settled around me.

The boys fire up the barbeque and begin cooking the steaks and sausages.  Edie goes off to feed and change Olive, with Oscars ‘help’
. Jules is refilling everyone’s drinks, so I decide to head into the kitchen to make some salads.

An hour later we’re all seated outside by the bonfire, in our camp chairs with our plastic plates full of delicious food sitting on our laps.  I glance across to Oscar who is collecting small sticks to chuck on the fire. 
He really can’t sit still for long
, I smile to myself.

The boys are talking about the good season Jackson is having with the crops and Jeremy is filling him in on the good condition of the cattle.  They’ll get a good price at the sale yards when the time comes to sell them.  Edie is busy feeding her face while she gets a quiet moment.  I look over to Jules, who’s lost in thought, staring at the bonfire.  I wonder why no one has mentioned the elephant in the room, but I figure, it’s Jules’ story and she’ll tell it when she’s ready.

Once it starts to get late, Jeremy and I decide to go back to his place – which will soon be
our
place.  Oscar has school tomorrow and we don’t want him to have a late night.

After tucking Oscar into bed and reading him two bedtime stori
es, he finally falls asleep.

“Did Jackson talk to you about the joint wedding idea?”  I ask Jeremy’s chest.  We’re lying in bed, my arm thrown across his belly, my knee cocked up over his and my head on his chest.

“Yeah, he mentioned it.  What did you think?”

“Makes sense, I guess,” I say quietly.

“Hey,” Jeremy gives me a squeeze.  “We don’t have to if you don’t want to.  We can have our day separate.”

“It’s not that.”  I mumble.   I don’t know how to explain it without looking like an idiot.

“What is it then, honey?  Whatever it is, we’ll work it out.  I don’t want your stressin’ over shit that doesn’t need stressin’ over.”

“I just
…Since I became friends with Edie and Jules, I imagined if I ever got married, they’d be my bridesmaids.  I’d never had solid friendships with girls before them – mostly because of Kennedy ruining them before they really started.  So, obviously Edie is having Jules as her bridesmaid, and if we have a joint wedding, I’ll have no one.  I feel like the biggest loser,” I say, humiliated.

“First off, you’re not a
loser.  You’re anything but a loser, Ava.  You’re a beautiful, kind hearted, generous, loving woman.  I’m sure if you talked to the girls and explained shit to them, Edie would be happy to share Jules, and I reckon Jules won’t mind
bein’
shared.”

I feel my heart lighten a little bit

“You think?” I ask hopefully.

“Yeah, honey, I do.”

“Who’s going to be your best man?”

“Jackson and I will be each other’s best man.  We’ll only have to sign each other’s certificate at the end of it.  There’s no one else I want standing beside me on my wedding day, and he feels the same way.”

“So, we’re really doing this?  A joint wedding, on Christmas Eve?”

“Looks like it.”  I can hear the smile in his voice as he gives me another squeeze and kisses my hair.

Four months to plan a double wedding.
We must be insane.

Two months later

“So, you’re happy with the white lanterns?”  Edie asks me.  We’re sitting around our dining table.  Wedding plans are in full swing, and the big day is only two months away.  Jules, Edie and I are discussing decorations and finalizing the menu.  Olive is asleep in her cot, and Oscar is on the lounge watching a
Thomas
DVD.

“Yep.  I love the look of the white ones.  Sometimes the
coloured ones look tacky, so all white is good for me.”  I reply.

“Okay, next on my little list of wedding bliss –
Ha!
  That rhymed. 
I’m a poet and I don’t even know it
!”  Jules laughs at her own joke.  That girl is so random.  Maybe that’s why we love her so much.  “Moving on,” she continues, “you guys need to decide on the two meat options for the main course.  The caterer wants the final decision by the end of this month.” 

“Okay, we’ll talk to the boys about it and let him know in a week or two.”  I tell Jules.

A couple of weeks after Edie had mentioned the joint wedding idea, I had mustered up the courage to talk the girls about my bridesmaid dilemma.  I explained the situation as best I could, and prayed they wouldn’t think I was a freak for being friendless for so long.

I should have known they would never judge me.  Jules immediately said she’d love to
be a ‘
jointmaid’. 
Don’t ask me how she came up with that name, but that is now what she’s referring to herself as.

Edie didn’t have a problem with it either.  In fact, she thought it was a fantastic idea, and she had no problem sharing
Jules, just as Jeremy had predicted. 

“Right. Table decorations, what are we thinking?”  I ask Edie.

“I like either the goldfish in bowls, or the water lilies in the tall vases.  Which do you like better?”

“I like the idea of the goldfish, but I’m worried about kids plucking them out and playing with them,” I grimace.

“Oh, yeah.  I didn’t think of that.”

“So, lilies in vases?” Jules looks between the two of us.

“Yes,” we answer at the same time, and Jules goes back to writing notes and ticking boxes.

My phone vibrates on the table in front of me, so I quickly glance at the display and put it to my ear.

“Hey, mum,” I greet.

“Oh, thank god, Ava.  I thought I might not be able to reach you.”  Mum huffs and puffs through the line, sounding flustered.

“What’s wrong mum?”

“The bakery delivery truck broke down a couple of hours away and won’t be here until at least tomorrow afternoon
, I’ve got a Country Women’s Association meeting tonight, and you know I have to be there – I am the secretary after all – which means I have absolutely no time to bake for the shop.  We’re out of everything and I’m in a spot of bother.”  I have to stifle a laugh as I imagine her flapping her arms around while she explains to me how
important
she is within the community.

Oh Christ.  She’s a bloody drama queen.

“Mum, I don’t think the CWA will fall off its perch if you miss one meeting.  It’s not like one of the other old ducks can’t take notes
but
I’m free to come in and bake some shit if you want me to.”  I roll my eyes as I say the words.

“Oh, you will?”  Her voice is high pitched and hopeful.  She knew I would have said yes before she even dialed my number.

“Yes, mother.  I’ll be there in a few.”

“See you then.  And, Ava?”

“Yes?”

“Mind y
our language.  How many times have I have told you, a proper lady doesn’t need to use bad language?”

“More times than I care to remember,” I sigh.

“Yes, well, it would do you well to listen to my words of wisdom.  I am a very wise woman, Ava.”

I smile and roll my eyes again, thankful that she can’t see me.  “See you in a bit.”  I decide to end the conversation before she carries on anymore.

I hit end and then look at the girls.  “Coffee House drama.  I have to go, but I’ll catch up with you guys tomorrow.”

“Everything okay?”  Edie asks.

“Yeah, it’s nothing major, but according to my mum, the crisis she’s facing is the equivalent of me saying my vows while hanging upside down off the Sydney Harbour Bridge.  You know how she is,” I laugh. I lean down and kiss both their cheeks, before Oscar and I leave.

I make a quick call to Margaret and ask if she can have Oscar overnight.  Thankfully she agrees, and as it turns out, she’s in Pine Creek so she’ll meet me at the coffee shop to pick Oscar up.

I text Jeremy on the way to let him know what’s happening so he won’t be worried when I’m not home early tonight.  He’s on a muster at the moment, he’s been gone for two days but he’s due back tonight.  That’s a good thing too, because I miss him like crazy.  I would call him but service is patchy so I’m not guaranteed to reach him.  At least with a text, I know he’ll get it when he lands, if not before.

Half an hour later I arrive at the Coffee House.  As I imagined, mum is running around with her arms flapping. 
She looks like a chicken.

“Go grab a juice, buddy and sit down over there.  I’ll fix you something to eat in a minute, ‘
kay?”  I tell Oscar. 

“Yes mummy.”  He’d dropped the Ava part about three weeks ago.  My chest squeezed and my heart warmed every single time he called me
mummy
.  It’s like music to my ears, and it’s one tune I’ll never get tired of hearing.

“Ava. Thank
God
you are here.  I’ll leave you to it. Just make a couple of different baked goods.  I’ll need enough for tomorrow and possibly the next day.  I have to get home so I can shower and change.  Mildred O’Keefe needs a ride to tonight’s meeting.  That husband of hers is a no good alcoholic.  I don’t know why she bothers with him.”  She shakes her head and before I can respond, the door slams behind her and she’s gone.  I walk over and lock the door.  The Coffee House shuts at four o’clock on a weekend, and it’s just gone ten past.

“Feel like a sausage roll, Oscar?” I call out.

“Oscar loves sausage rolls,” is his reply.

I pull out the sausage roll from the warmer and put it on a plate with a squirt of tomato sauce.  Oscar tucks right in, and I tell him to come find me when he’s finished.

I walk out to the kitchen area and spot three overflowing shopping bags full of ingredients.  I take everything out of the bags and place them on the bench.

I decide on
orange and poppyseed muffins, cranberry and white chocolate cookies and caramel slice.  If I’m feeling energetic when I’ve done all that, I might make a chocolate mud cake.

I’m just about to start, when I hear someone knocking on the shop door.

“Hey, Margaret,” I say as I open the door to let her in.

“Hello, sweetheart.”  She kisses my cheek and the calls out to Oscar.

“Ma. M-A. Ma,” he yells out as he comes racing across the room.

I have a quick chat with Margaret and then her and Oscar leave.

“See you in the morning, buddy.  Daddy and I will come pick you up, okay.  Be a good boy for Ma.”

“Oscar will be a good boy.  Oscar is always good,” he replies solemnly.

“I know,” I laugh and ruffle his hair.  “Love you.”  I say, kissing his forehead.

“Oscar loves you, mummy.”

I wave them off and then head back to the kitchen to start baking.  Sooner I get this done, the sooner I can head home to the man I love.

Three hours later I’ve finished the cookies, the trays of slice are cooling in the fridge and I’ve finished off one batch of muffins.  The rate I’m going, I might be able to squeeze that cake in.  I look out the window and see that it’s dark outside.  I haven’t heard from Jeremy yet.  I assumed he’d be home by now or at least in service to shoot me a text back.  I hear the
tap tap
sound of someone knocking on the shop door and I know it’s Jeremy. 
I just
know
it is.  He’s come to surprise me.  I almost bound out of the kitchen and through the seating area.  I don’t even look through the curtains before I fling the door open. 
That’s where I fucked up
.  I should have looked.  If I did, I never would have opened the door.

“
Jer-,” I stop midway through my excited greeting and my eyes widen as I look at the woman standing before me.  Her pupils are dilated so much I can barely see the colour of her eyes.  It looked like her hair had been blonde at one point, but now it has a dirty greenish-brown tinge to it, and it looks like it hasn’t seen a brush for a decade; it’s that ratty.  Her cheek bones are hollow, making her black rimmed eyes look sunken into her head.

My heart thuds in my chest and a feeling of unease and terror swims through my veins.

“Well, well, well,” she rasps.  Her dry, cracked lips form an evil smile.  “Lookie what we have here.  I been waiting for a clear moment to have little chat with you, Ava.”  Her mouth curls into a scary snarl when she says my name and I feel my body start to shake.  I’m literally
that
scared, my body is trembling.

Then it hits me.  She knows my name.  How does she know my name and who the
fuck
is she?

“Do I know you?” The confusion I’m feeling is clear in my tone, and for a spilt second, I’m no longer scared, I’m just bewildered.

A harsh bark of laughter escapes her throat. “Do I know you,” she mimics in a high-pitched, childlike voice.

That’s when I go back to being scared
.  This woman is off her fucking rockers!

Suddenly her whole demeanor changes.  Her hands comes up from by her side and she waves a pistol in my face.  My breathe catches in my lungs and I feel like I’m going to choke on it. 
Choke on air
.  That’s how
petrified
I am.

“Get inside,” she snarls at me and gestures with the gun.

Stiffly, I turn around and walk back into the seating area.  “Make me a coffee, aye?  Two sugars.”  She commands me once we’re fully inside.

“Uh, sure,” I reply hesitantly. 
This woman is off her fucking rockers
.

I walk around the counter and set about making her a coffee, which, I might add, is extremely hard when you
r hands are shaking like a leaf, not to mention, a gun is trained on you the entire time. 

After a few minutes I hand her
the coffee and she takes a small sip.  Her eyes are darting everywhere really quickly, and I just stand quietly behind the counter and watch her. 

“Seems we got some business to discuss.”

I don’t answer her because I don’t know what business we could have to discuss.  I’ve never seen this woman in my life.  I take a moment to look her over.  She’s really skinny and she has scabs on her face.  The rest of her body is covered by clothing.  On top, she’s wearing a dirty long sleeve shirt.  Her legs are covered with a filthy pair of jeans and on her feet are a pair of old, holey sneakers.

She plops down into a seat before continuing, “You have any idea who I am?”

“N-no,” I stutter.

“I find that a bit surprising.  See, I
’ve been watching you for a while now, and just today I heard somethin’ that made me want to snap.  It made me just wanna rip your pretty little head clean off your perfect little fucking shoulders.”

I gulp at her words.  My mind is spinning, I can’t make sense of anything.

“Still got nothin’ to say?”

“No,” I whisper, “I have no idea who you are.”

“S’pose I should take that up with Jeremy,” she ponders.

She knows Jeremy?  How have I not seen this woman before in my life?

“How do you know Jeremy?”

Another harsh bark of laughter escapes her throat.

“Oh, honey,” she says in a condescending tone, “I been fuckin’ Jeremy for years.  We even have a kid together.  You might know him, seeing as I hear him callin’ you
mummy
.”  She is shrieking by the end, she’s so mad.  Her arm holding the gun is flailing about and I’m scared it’s going to go off and kill me.