This Road

Three

Three

The darkness outside had barely just started to sweep into the sky when we’d gotten off the plane. Alison had notified Scott of the time we would be landing, so from what I understood, he would be waiting at the entrance of Terminal One in the pick-up zone. Either that or he’d been driving laps due to the no-parking rules that seemed to follow every airport I’d been familiar with. We’d made good time and landed a few minutes past six. Then we made it outside by six-thirty.
The desert dryness kissed my face the moment we stepped through the doors. It was warm. Very warm, even for winter. I wasn’t surprised though. The western desert states were always a bit more heated than the east. I shook off my coat and draped it over my carry-on duffle. Alison paused for a moment and put down one of my suitcases. Her eyes skimmed the pick-up zone. “Doesn’t look like he’s here yet.” She sighed.
I pulled out my phone and texted Cami. Can’t call right now. But made it safely. Waiting to be picked up.
She didn’t answer. I pressed my lips together. Okay, then.
A few moments later a red, full sized, Ford pick-up truck pulled up to the curb.
Out of the driver’s seat hopped a young man looking to be around twenty or twenty-one. He had a dark, ash blonde buzz cut. He wore combat boots and a pair of dark blue jeans. His gray bomber jacket was left unbuttoned, revealing a blue and black plaid shirt underneath. His stature was tall with a hint of definition under his clothing. A deep tan caressed his skin smoothly and effortlessly.
“Hey Honey,” She smiled. And glanced inside. “Where’s your father?” She moved to the bed of the truck.
He shrugged. “Not here. He forgot to do the grocery shopping that you’d asked him to do today while you were gone, but don’t tell him I told you. He’s out doing that.”
She pressed her lips together. “Why? Why do I even ask?” She sighed and threw the suitcase into the back. “Blake, please take the suitcases and load them in.”
Blake came up to me and gently took the hard case from my hands. "Well isn’t it little Ronnie.” His smile reached his eyes. “Look at you, all grown up. You look much older than seventeen.” He threw my luggage in.
I felt myself returning his smile. “Nice to see you again, Blake. It’s been a while.”
“That’s for sure. In my opinion it’s been too long.”
He turned to Alison. “Ma, I don’t know if it’ll be safe for her to be in the house. Look at her. Tall, lean, tan, she’s a supermodel. The guys won’t wanna leave her alone.” He spoke with more of a western draw than I remembered him having. In fact, so did Alison. Years away in a different place changed people. Including the way they spoke.
“They’ll adapt.”
He shook his head. “I don’t know about that. She has nice boobs now. And all the boys are hormonal. A little physical too.”
I felt a blush creep up my neck and into my face.
She gave him a  hard look. “Watch it, B.”
“Speaking of physical,” he came over and wrapped his arms around me, picking me up before spinning around with me. “I’ve been waiting to do this for a long time!”
I laughed as I held onto him tightly. “When did you get so strong?”
“About the same time my testosterone kicked in.” He put me down and winked. “Shoveling hay does things for you.”
“Hay?” I asked, puzzled. “You work on a farm?”
Looking shocked he said, “Work on a farm? Ma, you didn’t tell her?”
Alison shrugged. “It’s been a day. I forgot she didn’t know.”
“We moved one more time when we got out here. We decided we wanted horses and some chickens so we moved to a farm.”
“You have horses?” I practically squealed. “I’ve only ever been riding once!”
Blake opened the door for me. “Well now, you’ll be gettin’ to do that a little more often from here on out.”
I climbed in and thanked him before he shut the door. Once they were both situated up front I said, “So how many do you have?”
“We have a few. Like, seven.”
I felt my eyes bug out of my head. “Wait, seven?”
“One for every family member. Each horse responds differently with each person. The more of a relationship the person and the horse has, the easier it is to communicate.”
It made sense. I remembered one time, when I was in girl scouts, I went horseback riding for a meet and the horse didn’t like me. We just hadn’t clicked. He tried throwing me off of him. So they stuck me on another horse and it was fine. But then one of the other girls had no trouble with the one that tried to kill me.
“You’ll always find Jaiden in the stable,” he said as his eyes glanced at me in the mirror. “In case you wanted to know where to find him.”
I felt my heart do a weird tremor. “Oh, um.”
“Y’all were like best friends once. Does he still talk to you?”
How did he not know that he’d abandoned me a long time ago? Then again, Jaiden always kept things to himself. He was present in other people’s lives, but if it was something he didn’t really care about, he wouldn’t mention it. This realization hit me hard. “Not really.”
He drew his eyebrows together. “Really? Well that’s a surprise. He used to talk about you all the time.”
I cocked my head to the side. “What would he say?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know, just that he kind of missed you and how things used to be.”
So, if he’d missed the way things used to be, why hadn’t he talked to me? Why hadn’t we sorted out our apparent differences and worked things out? Had he found out I’d liked him once and he was embarrassed and humiliated and just didn’t want anything to do with me? “Huh,” I said.
“He used to be in love with you, ya know.”
This comment got my attention. ‘Wait, what? When?”
“Years ago. When y’all were like eight or something. It was a while ago.”
“What would he say?”
“He’d say just how much you meant to him and how he wanted you to be his one day. I’d always tease him for having a crush, and he’d always bite back saying, ‘well, if you don’t see the true reason why I feel something for her, then you must be blind from how incredible she is. Otherwise you’d feel something for her as well. But I’m glad you don’t.’ After enough of those comments I kind of backed off, because he was right.” He gave me a toothy grin.
I blinked. So Jaiden had loved me once. The way I’d loved him. I wondered if any of those feelings were still there? Or, I wondered if they’d all faded out by this point? I laughed to myself. This was years ago when we were children. The chances were slim. I changed the topic. “What about the others? Are they as charming as I remember them being?”
Alison stifled a laugh. “When Blake said ‘hormonal’, he wasn’t kidding. They’re pleasant and respectful...for the most part. But Carter’s been starting to think with his - Carter’s hit that special time of this life.”
I grinned at her catch. Blake and I shared a knowing smile. “Aren’t we all familiar with that time?”
“Some more than others.” She gave Blake a look. He turned to her briefly before saying, “Well don’t look at me! I wasn’t terrible.”
“Mmmm, says the one who’d sneak girls into his room after curfew.”
I watched Blake’s ears turn pink. “You’re not supposed to know that.”
“When your brother would come out to tell me that you were laughing again, and moving around a lot, don’t think I didn’t know what was going on.”
“Well, this just changed everything.” His face lost all color and he quickly quieted up.
“So, I think a new location deserves a new wardrobe,” Alison turned to me and smiled. “Tomorrow morning, I’m taking you out for breakfast, and then we’re gonna go buy you some new clothes to help you feel like you fit in more with the west. I’m thinking sundresses, riding boots, plaid, and a nice pair of cowboy boots. And we can’t forget the hat.”
“It gets hot here in the summer,” Blake spoke up. “You may want something loose fitting and short. Like crop tops and mini dresses.” He winked at me, and again, I felt my face flush.
“And if you choose to dress like that, no worries, Honey,” Alison said, “Blake just won’t be allowed to come home. And if any of the others make a move on you, they’ll regret it.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “Be respectful, Young Man. Control that tongue of yours. And that mind.”
“Okay, okay,” he sighed. “Sorry, Veronica.”
I shrugged. “I’ve been through worse.”  One time, when I had been changing for volleyball practice in the locker rooms, the football team decided they wanted to prank the girls, so while half of us were half naked, a few of the football players ran through the locker room from the front entrance to the back entrance, waving a white flag as they’d gone.
They’d been suspended for a few weeks after that as well as kicked off the team.
I felt sorry for them. I felt sorry because of their stupidity. They deserved what they’d gotten.
My phone buzzed. I checked the text.
Taylor: You made it, ya?
I smiled. Yeah, alive and safe.
Taylor: So glad. I miss you already.
I miss you too! My stomach twisted as a wave of sadness swept over me.
Taylor: Now I’m stuck here with Camille. How the hell do you expect me to stay sane with her? She’s a freaking handful.
I bit back a laugh. I mean, you’ve made it THIS far with her.
Taylor: But it’s different now. Before, I had you. You were the one that brought us together. I don’t know what we’re gonna do without our glue.
Going back to what I’d said earlier, I hadn’t been friends with Cami until I was ten. When we’d started hanging out, she’d come over for movie nights. Taylor and I would have them all the time, but I wanted to start sharing with her. So eventually it had been the three of us. Although they’d always been at each other’s throats, they loved each other. Have faith in the relationship. You both are close. You don’t need me to keep you two together.
Taylor: But then that takes you out of the equation.
No, it just sets the reality.
Then Cami texted me. Cami: Ahhh, so glad you’re safe! Miss you lots! Call me soon!


A half hour later we pulled up a dirt road surrounded by land. A big house came into view a moment later. Next to the house was a horse stable. There was a wrap-around porch and a balcony directly above it. In the front lawn, bikes, a football, and a soccer ball were scattered across the grass.
We pulled to a stop, and suddenly a wave of anxiety came over me abruptly. What if I didn’t fit in? What if I was rejected? Blake and Alison got out of the front. I followed behind them. Blake reached over into the bed of the truck and pulled out one of my hard cases. He handed it to me. “Here you are, your highness.”
I crinkled my nose at him. “Really?” 
He shrugged. “Look around, Ron. You’re the only girl here, besides my mom. You know how long she’s been wanting a girl in the house?”
Alison came over to me and draped an arm around my shoulder. “Of course though, I won’t ever be able to replace your parents, but I can do my best to love you as my own. I always have.” She gave me a meaningful look, and I knew what she was implying. She wasn’t going to try to take their place. But she was going to do her best to be a mother figure to me. She loved me like I was hers even though she knew I wasn’t. That didn’t faze her.
They made their ways to the front door, and I trailed behind them as I examined my new surroundings. The sky had turned dark rather quickly. Twilight had just begun sweeping in when we got off the plane, and now it was dark. I looked up at the sky that displayed a million sparkling stars and sighed. Oh, Mom, I thought, I hope you’re watching over me. I’m sorry I was such an awful daughter.
As we entered through the double front doors, I was instantly greeted by sounds of yelling and running. The sound of a barking dog joined in with the chaos. “Don’t be such a cry baby, Kaleb!” I heard a boy shout. His voice carried through the kitchen and around the corner as he came into view. He was tall and skinny, wearing a red shirt and a pair of black Nike basketball shorts and black socks. He had a head full of dark brown hair. Freckles dotted his cheeks.
A younger boy with dishwater blonde hair and tan skin came into view quickly afterwards crying out and complaining. “Give it back, Carter!” I looked over to see that Carter was holding onto what looked to be a remote control car. “It’s not yours!”
“Didn’t Mom ever teach you to share your stuff? We grew up sharing with you, now you can return the favor!”
“You stole it from me when I was playing with it!” He cried out, starting to get emotional. “You’re being a jerk!”
A medium sized dog playfully nipped at their heels. It had black semi circles of fur that covered its eyes and led up to its ears, and a white snout with a white line that led up between its eyes, smoothing out into a half circle. Two light brown spots covered the brow bone. It’s coat was black, but it had white legs and a white tip to its black tail. From the way she looked, she seemed to be a cross between a Jack Russell Terrier and a Border Collie.
I looked over at Alison who was pinching the bridge of her nose.
The dog quickly noticed my presence and came over, very happily sniffing me and jumping up, trying to lick my face. I giggled.
“Stella, down!” Blake leaned over to me. “Welcome to paradise,” he whispered into my ear before he moved forward. “Okay, Punk, give it back to him. If anyone should be getting criticized about not sharing, it’s you!” He snatched the toy from his fingers before giving it back to Kaleb. Kaleb smiled before giving Carter a dirty glare and sticking his tongue out at him.
“Mom…” Carter complained.
“I am sick of you picking on your little brother,” she said in a reprimanding way. “Don’t think you’re invincible to gettin’ your butt grounded, mister.”
He rolled his eyes and then his gaze settled on me. He smirked. “Holy Hot Stuff.”
I cleared  my throat. Why?
“Remember, manners,” Alison pointed a finger at him. “Decency before desire.”
He huffed. “Fine. Hi there, the name’s Carter.” He reached for my hand before settling a kiss on my knuckles. I held back a laugh.
“Stop drooling,” Blake slapped the side of his head. “That’s not what Mom had in mind, Genius.”
“I know who you are,” my voice came out a little raspy and I cleared my throat. “You haven’t seen me since you were five.”
“This is Ronnie.” Alison set a reassuring hand on my arm. “Tj and Melody’s daughter. We’ve known her family for years.”
Knew. 
“Why didn’t you tell us she was so hot?” he asked her. Again, I felt my face turn pink.
“Because even though she is a beautiful girl, I don’t see her for her beauty, I see her for who she is. So should you.”
He gave a sheepish grin. “Sorry Ronnie. It’s nice to see you again, even if I don’t remember you all too well.”
I shrugged. “It happens. But look at you! You’ve gotten so big! I remember when you were little.”
“Yeah, well things change. And why the name ‘Ronnie’? Isn’t that a boys’ name?”
I mentally smashed my head into a wall. It was obvious that Alison was doing the same thing because the next thing she said was, “bath, pj’s, now.”
“Ronnie’s short for Veronica,” I explained. Stella thoroughly sniffed my luggage before coming back over to me and sitting against my legs.
Carter started trudging up the stairs. “At least it’s kind of cute.”
Alison turned to me before she moved on from the situation by saying, “I’m so sorry about that. That’s not exactly a pleasant thing to come home to.” Home. I tried wrapping my head around that four letter word. This was my home now. “You must be hungry. I know I am. Come on, let’s see what there is.” She briefly turned to Blake. Put these in her room for us, please?” She motioned to the suitcases.

Blake straightened to attention and threw her a salute. “Yes Ma’am.” He picked up two out of the three bags and carried them upstairs as if they were lighter than air.
Alison blew out a sigh before she gave a tight smile. “He’s in the ROTC.” She called out to the dog. “Let’s go outside!” She moved down the stretch of the hall leading to the backdoor in the kitchen. “Kaleb, what did y’all have for dinner?”
“Dad ordered Domino’s,” he called back to us.
“Again?”
“It was a busy day,” I heard a deeper voice say. I turned around to see a grown Danny. His blue eyes lit up the moment he recognized me. “Well look who joined the party!” He came over and threw his lean, toned arms around me. “How’s it been?” He was a good four inches taller than me now. His dark brown hair swept over his eyebrows effortlessly, and for a moment he reminded me of Jaiden when we were younger. Only, Jaiden had broader shoulders than he did.
Awful. Just absolutely awful. I forced a smile. “Oh, well, you know...family complications are always a joy. But holy cow, when did you get so tall?” I swatted at his hair. “You’re like what, five-eleven now?”
“Yeah, tell me about it. Somethin’ like that.” He exchanged looks with his mom. “But it’s so nice to see you again. For real. And don’t worry; I heard Carter’s mouth get himself in trouble again, but you can be assured that not all of us are as barbaric.”
He flashed an award-winning smile.
Alison hooked her arm around his head and pulled him over to her side. “Out of all the boys, I think Danny’s the most respectful. But for the others…” she sighed a defeated breath. “-I don’t know where I went wrong. They must get it from their father.”
“I heard that.” Scott’s familiar voice echoed through the entryway. He was carrying bags of groceries before pointing to Danny and saying. “Shoes on. I need your help unloading.”
Danny nodded before taking off around the corner.
Scott set the groceries down on the floor before lifting his cowboy hat, wiping a beads of sweat off his forehead. His dark hair had streaks of gray, and his sandy colored skin looked tough and worn from years of hard work. Yet, his eyes remained the same warm hazel they’d always been. The smile reached his eyes. “Well if it isn’t little Miss Veronica Munroe.” He came over and wrapped his fatherly arms around me, pulling me in. “You’re like a foot taller than the last time I saw you.”
“Hi, Scott,” I breathed in his warm, earthly scented skin. He smelled like mint and Cedar woods and sweat. He held me for a moment, and I knew it was because of all the events that had happened over the course of the last few weeks. And just like that, the grief came rushing back at full force. I clung to him, wishing he were my dad.
And I didn’t even have Dad’s cologne on me to calm me down. A few tears leaked out of my eyes. I released a shaky breath.
Scott rubbed my back and rested his cheek on my head. “I’m so sorry, Baby Girl, I am so sorry. It isn’t fair to you.”
I nodded into him, giving him permission to comfort me.
I heard Danny come back in and set the groceries down. He paused for a minute before saying, “Hey, is she okay?”
“She’s had a long day.” I heard Alison respond. “She’s tired.”
I heard him shuffle between his feet. “Yeah, I get that. Traveling is something, isn’t it? Jumping in between time zones and all.”
I pulled away and wiped my eyes. Scott stared down at me with a frown across his face. You good? He mouthed to me.
I nodded and smiled, wiping the tears away. Then he pressed his lips to the crown of my head and put his hat on the table before grabbing the store bags. He moved them over to the fridge.
“I’m sure it’ll clear up over the next few days,” I smiled reassuringly at Danny.
“By the way,” he said, “I haven’t spoken to Lindsey in a while. How is she doing? I was thinking of reaching out and asking how things are going for her.”
The mention of my little sister’s name practically knocked the breath out of me. For a second I forgot to breathe. “Uh. Ya know, she’s...good.”
“Alison didn’t miss a beat. “Can you go check on your brother please and make sure he’s getting ready for bed?”
“Sure thing,” he answered, and took off down the hall. I released a sigh and shut my eyes. I had a feeling this was going to be a lot harder to avoid than I’d originally thought.
Alison ran her hand over my arm. “I know it hurts, Honey. I know.”  She picked up a pizza box from the counter and looked inside before offering me the box. “Barbeque chicken has always been your favorite, right?”
I smiled at the fact that she’d remembered a detail as small as that. “It always has been.”
A few minutes later Scott got up from putting away the food. “I’m gonna go check on Jaiden to see how he’s doing in the stable.” I froze at the mention of his name. “If you wanna come with me to see him, you are more than welcome to follow along.” He picked his Stetson up from the table and put it back on his head.
Forcing a grin I said, “Aw, thanks. It’s been a while. But I’m super tired and haven’t eaten all day.”
He moved towards the door. “No problem. He’ll be here for a while longer.” He chuckled before ducking out the patio door.


A full box of pizza later (because yes, tonight was proof that boys didn't have a sense of self-control when it came to pizza - well, the Roth boys, anyway), Alison showed me up to my room.
As I was climbing the stairs behind her, the front door opened, and I turned my head back in time to see the familiar set of hazel eyes. Jaiden. I stopped for a second and my breath caught in my throat. I paused on the step and drank him up as if he was water. His skin was even darker than it had been years before, leaving him a very deep bronze. His sweat glistened off his toned muscles that flexed once he shrugged off his jacket. The years had been kind to him. He took off his hat. His blonde hair wasn't shaggy the way it used to be. It was cut short and framed his face very well. It was darker now than it used to be, but more sun-bleached than it had been. He wore work boots and a pair of faded jeans accompanied by a dark red and black flannel shirt.
He ran his hand through his hair, making it stand on its ends before kicking off his boots next to the door. Then he turned towards the stairs ever so slightly before flicking his eyes upwards for a second. He did a double take once he caught a glimpse of me. He stood there, frozen, as he kept his eyes trained on me.
My chest began to ache and I realized I’d been holding my breath. I exhaled and inhaled again. A tingling sensation ran through my veins as I kept my eyes focused on him, my mouth parted slightly.
It felt as of all time had stopped. My heart was hammering, trying to break through my chest. I wanted to suddenly be in his arms. I wanted him to take me to bed. To show me love.
He must have just realized he was staring because a moment later he broke our connection and proceeded down the hall to the kitchen. I sighed before finishing my trek up the stairs.
I turned the corner and met Alison at a door. She pushed it open and flicked on the lights.
Revealed was a bedroom with teal walls and cherry blossoms sprouting out of a finely detailed tree. Leaves fluttered around the walls and there were gold and silver paint specks splattered all around.
Pushed up against the right side of the room, sitting parallel to the coral colored curtains that covered the window, sat a queen sized bed with coral and teal bed sheets. A few pillows were neatly propped up against the headboard. A floral duvet cover was tucked neatly into every corner of the canopy bed frame. Sheer curtains tumbled from the top of the frame down to the floor. Next to the bed was a desk with an adorable ivory lamp, and near the door was a big closet with a brown, wood finished dresser. On the opposite wall was a door leading to a bathroom. Thank heavens I didn’t need to share one with the boys.
“Your mom told me a while ago what you were into these days,” Alison spoke up softly. “I just thought the colors and the art would bring a little bit of comfort.”
It had. For a moment it felt like home. I nodded. “Thank you, Ali. I really, really appreciate everything. And I’m sorry things were so sudden.”
She shook her head. “Stop that. I’m not bothered by you being here at all. The boys were thrilled.” All but one. “But I’m heartbroken that it had to happen in this way.” She gave me a kiss on the forehead, brushing my hair out of my face. “I’m gonna let you do what you need to do. My home is your home. What’s mine is yours.”
I nodded. She left me to myself and to my shattered thoughts.