Baby For The Mountain Man

“I did. Very much so.”

“How did things go when you got home?” I asked.

“As well as I figured it would. Dad tried to get me to take the books back to the library. He poured my coffee down the sink. But not before I took a massive chug of it in front of him.”

“I have no idea how you’ve lived with that man for so many years,” I said.

“I didn’t have a choice. Until all of this marriage stuff came about, I guess I didn’t realize how much of my life he really wanted to control. Either that, or I had simply become okay with it.”

“Did you return the books?” I asked.

“Nope. I started reading one of them on the couch and he fumed every time he saw me reading it. But they are in my car right now. I didn’t trust my father’s actions enough to keep them in my room.”

“Where does he think you are right now?”

“We may have had a fight before I stormed out. He asked me where I was going all dressed up and I told him I had a date.”

“You what?” I asked.

My eyes connected with hers and I watched her shy away.

“That’s not what this is, is it? Oh, shit. I’m so sorry, Travis. I could’ve sworn you were asking me out on a date this afternoon. You know, one of those cook-in dates like in the movies.”

“I did,” I said. “Don’t misread my shock. I just didn’t think you would’ve told your Dad something like that.”

“Oh,” she said. “Well, it was more to get under his skin than anything. To make him upset. It’s a petty move, I know. But I was over his antics for the day. I stalked out of the house as he came rushing to the door, and I drove away before he could get to me.”

“Well, I’m just glad you’re here,” I said.

“Me, too.”

We ate and continued to talk, the conversation flowing easily between the two of us. I steered the conversation away from her family and we settled onto a friend of hers. Cassie. She talked about all the things they got into during school and how they always had sleepovers. I enjoyed watching her eyes light up with the memories from her childhood as she dove into the more positive memories of her life.

By the time we were done with dinner, we had also finished the bottle of wine I had purchased.

“This is really good wine,” Ava said.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it. Do you have a favorite?”

“Nope. I haven’t tried many of them. The only drinks I’ve ever had were the ones my mother let me have or the ones my brothers made for me from underneath their bed after Dad fell asleep.”

“Sounds like my twin brothers. They did all sorts of those types of things growing up.”

“What were their names again?” she asked. “Did you ever say?”

“I don’t think so. I might have. Jasper and Leo.”

“Are they identical twins?”

“Nope. Fraternal. But they might as well be identical. They do this weird thing where they can finish each other’s sentences and shit. There was one time Leo had gotten into a car accident, and Jasper just looked at my mother and said ‘something’s wrong’. Ten minutes later, the police were calling.”

“You’re kidding,” she said.

“Nope. It’s the weirdest fucking thing I’ve ever experienced in my life.”

“I couldn’t imagine being that close to someone,” she said.

“I think it would be nice.”