views.” I pointed toward the floor-to-ceiling doors that replaced the walls of the home. “The master bedroom is pretty much a floor of its own,” I said as she silently observed the unique home while I led her up the stairs. “Addy might enjoy the theater room if you decide the timing is right and wish to bring her here.”
“She’ll have us both moved in,” Avery laughed. “Jesus Christ, I can’t bring her here and tell her this is her friend Mitch’s home. She’ll never leave.”
“We could tell her it’s a vacation home like you told her about my place on the beach.”
“More like a fucking resort carved into a mountain,” Avery said as she walked with me onto the rooftop. I used the control panel before walking out to turn on the gas fire pit that was surrounded by lounge furniture. Beyond that was an endless, sprawling view.
“We can sit out here for a while, or we can always go in so you can get some sleep.”
“So, is this an official invitation to spend the night with you, Mr. Mitchell?”
I eyed her flirty grin. “I would love for you to stay with me for as long as you wish.” I chewed on the inside of my cheek; she looked so tired. “You must be exhausted after the day you’ve had.”
“I just want to see and absorb these views. It’s all so beautiful,” she said, walking further out on the patio.
“The view isn’t going anywhere if you’d rather close your eyes.”
“You know what sounds nice?” She walked over, sat on the sofa and turned to me. “Why don’t we have a little wine and relax here for a while? Be warned, though. I might fall asleep in your arms.”
“I think I can handle carrying you to bed.” I grinned. “I’ll be back with the wine. Any preference?”
“Surprise me,” she said, settling into the cushioned seating.
I walked down to the wine cellar, grateful I could help Avery escape the bullshit of this day. Her ex needed to be behind bars, in my opinion. Neither she nor Addy deserved a scum of the earth shit head like him in their lives.
I loathed drug addicts with every fiber of my being. They were too fucked up and selfish to understand what they were doing to the people who loved them. Avery had dealt with this shit for at least three years that I knew of, and I only knew that because of Addy’s age. Thank God she had the strength to leave that self-destructive environment and bust her ass to make it work as a single mom. California was not a cheap place to start over, especially on your own.
All I know is I couldn’t be more grateful that in her fight to keep herself freed from that asshole, she found a job at Mitchell and Associates, and by some mystical coincidence, I’d walked out on the floor that day and saw her and Addison.
If I’d never gone to that floor, I would’ve never seen that she had secretly come back into my life. Was I committed to her? To Addison? After tonight, I could safely say I was. I wasn’t letting her out of my life again.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Avery
The fragrance of masculinity, sandalwood, and decadent leather filled my senses, and I smiled when I recalled I was safely in Jim’s house. It was still dark out, and even though I woke somewhat startled that I was not in my own bed, this calmness I felt kept me in a peaceful and restful state of bliss.
The soft, crisp sheets were an experience on their own. The fresh breeze flowing in the room kept everything in my body in this rested state. I turned to curl onto my side, and that’s when my eyes popped open. My sleepy bliss was stolen away by reality.
Holy shit. I wasn’t awake enough to calculate that I’d made good on my joke about falling asleep on the roof at Jim’s place, and he certainly carried me to bed. Now, here I was, eyes open, with the light of the room enhanced by the balcony’s garden-lighting. The lighting worked to enhance my view of the man who’d saved me from turmoil in every way yesterday.
I snuggled closer to where he lay flat on his back, and just as I’d fallen asleep in his arms in England, I wrapped my body around him. His right arm came up and pulled me in closer, while his other hand rested on my leg.