My Twist of Fate Read online

  “That is not what I am talking about, and you know it,” Aislyn told her sternly.

  “Nothing is wrong, Aislyn. I just have a headache. I tend to get unbearable when I have a headache. Please don’t take it personal,” she gave her a smile.

  “Alright then,” Aislyn said as she started driving in the direction of Adalyn’s home.

  A few minutes later they pulled up in front of her house, where George was waiting. Adalyn had texted him to let him know that she was on her way. George was there to give her replacement keys. He had all new locks installed, as well as a security system.

  “Here are the new keys. Let me show you how the alarm system works, then I will be out of your hair,” George told her as he handed her the new house keys.

  They spent the next few minutes going over the security system and how it worked. Aislyn made herself comfortable on the couch, so they could discuss that in private.

  She was flipping through channels on the television when Adalyn re-entered the living room without George, who had just left.

  “I need to take something for the headache and start cleaning up that broken glass in my room. You are welcome to stay if you would like, but please understand that I probably won’t be the best company,” she told her, giving her a sad smile.

  “I just want to make sure you are going to be alright here by yourself. If you want me to stay, I will,” Aislyn told her.

  “I should be fine. I just really need to get this stuff done,” she explained.

  Without another word, Aislyn hugged Adalyn and let herself out.

  Adalyn went to the kitchen to make some tea and to take something for her headache. As the water was heating up, she headed into the bedroom to see the remaining damage that needed cleaning. To her surprise there was nothing. George must have cleaned everything up and replaced the mirror above her dresser. Her room looked just as it had the first day, she had moved in. There were no signs of damage anywhere. With a long sigh of relief, she headed back toward the kitchen to stop the screeching of the tea kettle.

  Setting her tea on the coffee table, she remembered she needed to set the alarm. She did so, before making herself comfortable on the couch. Then she remembered she needed to change out of the dress she was wearing, so she wandered into her room to put on some pajamas.

  A few minutes later, she was again sitting on the couch sipping her tea and flipping through the channels.

  Adalyn woke up to the shrill sound of an alarm. Confused she stumbled over toward the alarm system, punching in the code for it to turn off. She was not sure what triggered the alarm, she couldn’t see anything out of place. She stumbled toward the door and didn’t see anything; it was still locked. She walked from room to room, looking for anything out of place. The kitchen was clear, as well as the laundry room. She made her way toward the back part of the house. The bathroom was clear. She finally made her way into her bedroom.

  In her room she found it to be clean as it was when she came home this evening. There was one major difference though; bedroom window was open with the curtains blowing in the cold breeze. There was also a single red rose laying on the pillow of her bed.

  With shaking hands, she ran to grab her phone and dialed the police. She told the dispatcher what had happened. She was told that an officer would be out to take her statement as soon as possible. She was also informed to leave the residence and not to touch anything.

  After hanging up with the police dispatch, Adalyn grabbed the blanket off the back of the couch and wrapped herself in it. She tucked her phone in her pocket and went outside to wait for the police to show up to take her statement.

  She didn’t have to wait long before an officer showed up. Adalyn was shivering as the officer walked toward her.

  “What can I help you with tonight ma’am,” asked the officer as he came to a stop in front of her.

  Adalyn took the next few minutes to explain the situation, not leaving any details out.

  “Would you mind showing me the way to your bedroom, so I can look at it please,” Officer Costa asked.

  Adalyn looked behind him in the direction of his partner, silently questioning.

  “He is going to remain out here and look for clues and possible witnesses to what happened,” he explained calmly to her.

  Just as they made it to the bedroom, there was a commotion outside.

  “Let me in. I need to make sure she is alright,” she heard Ashton snarl at whoever was trying to stop him from entering.

  Adalyn ran into the living room so he could at least see her. “I am fine, Ashton,” she told him.

  Officer Costa looked from Adalyn to Ashton, deciding on whether to let him in. He was well aware of who Ashton was. He had also never seen him in such a panic. “Let him through,” he told his partner.

  Ashton was instantly at her side, wrapping his arms around her. “What happened?”

  “Why are you here Ashton? Aren’t you supposed to be at the shop?” Adalyn asked him, not meeting his gaze.

  “Ais, is at the shop. We saw the police heading in this direction and I got a sick feeling in my stomach, so I needed to come check on you. Now tell me what happened,” he told her.

  Adalyn took a few minutes to explain what had happened to Ashton. She realized in that moment that he was making it very difficult for her to stay away from him. She mentally stressed over the fact that he was once again involved in her dramatic life. But she couldn’t deny that being in his arms made her feel safe. She would enjoy it this one last time.

  “Miss James, do you have somewhere you can stay for the evening? We need to do a thorough search of the scene,” Officer Costa explained.

  “You guys just did this,” she whined, feeling completely overwhelmed at the situation.

  “I understand how frustrating it can be,” he told her calmly.

  “So, Ashton, I have to ask. Did you actually punch Officer Hayes?” Officer Costa chuckled.

  “Yes, and I don’t regret it. He deserved it,” Ashton told him. He went on to explain his version of what had happened because he had a feeling Officer Hayes made himself look innocent.

  “Sounds like him, especially when a pretty girl is involved, one that he can’t have,” Officer Costa chuckled.

  Adalyn stood silently and watched the interaction between the two men. She concluded that at some point, if not currently, they were friends.

  “Get your girl some place safe, so we can get this shit situated,” Officer Costa told him.

  They walked silently to his car. He opened up the passenger side door and helped her to get in. After making sure she was situated, he made his way around the car to the driver’s side. They travelled in silence, the short distance to the shop.

  As they pulled up in front, he parked the car, ran over to her side, and opened her door.

  “Let’s get you inside. I will check out a couple of things, then take you back to my place. We will take care of everything else tomorrow,” he told her as he guided her into the shop.

  Adalyn hadn’t been inside since that day she tried get away from whoever had been following her. Looking back on it, she always knew it had to be Andrew. She just didn’t want to admit it to herself.

  They were greeted by a very concerned looking Aislyn.

  “What happened?” she asked as she came over to hug Adalyn.

  Ashton took a few minutes to explain what had happened, because Adalyn found it very difficult to say anything, at all.

  She felt horrible for going mute, but it was what it was. She couldn’t control her reaction to the situation.

  “Since there are no appointments on the books for tonight, we are going to go ahead and close up a little early. I know that there isn’t much time before we close anyway, but I want to get her home and settled,” he told Aislyn.

  “It’s only an hour, and it has been slow tonight,” Aislyn nodded in agreement. She quickly locked the register and grabbed her things from under the counter. She was ready to head home
.

  Five

  Adalyn woke the next morning, feeling rested for the first time in a long time. She also realized that she couldn’t move. She blinked her sleepy eyes trying to focus them, remembering that she was again at Ashton’s house. Looking around slowly she found herself staring at a sleeping Ashton. He had his arm wrapped around her waist and his leg thrown over hers. So that was the cause of being unable to move.

  She slowly and carefully unwrapped herself from him. She urgently needed to use the bathroom. After a couple minutes she was successful. Adalyn walked toward a door that she thought was the bathroom, and to her disappointment it was a closet. A very large walk-in closet. She turned slowly in a circle before noticing the other door, making a beeline for it.

  Once Adalyn was done using the bathroom, she washed her hands. Then she remembered she hadn’t brought any of her things with her, again. She searched under the bathroom sink for a new toothbrush. She didn’t find one underneath the sink but was successful in one of the small drawers that were in there. She broke open the wrapper quickly and brushed her teeth like it was the first time in forever.

  Adalyn made her way out of the bathroom, finding Ashton awake and sitting against the headboard watching her. She also noticed that he wasn’t wearing a shirt. His chest was on full display, and it was more beautiful than she could have ever imagined. Ashton was extremely toned, covered in rippling muscles and tattoos. Adalyn was frozen in place and couldn’t move closer, no matter how badly she wanted to.

  Ashton began to throw the blanket back so he could stand. That caused Adalyn to turn around quickly with her back to him. She wasn’t sure what he was wearing, and she wasn’t sure what she would do if she saw.

  Ashton walked up behind her, wrapping his arm around, and turning her to face him.

  “How did you sleep, sweetheart?” he asked her.

  “Um, fine,” she told him, afraid to look anywhere but at his chin.

  Placing his finger under her chin, he tilted it up, so she had to look at him.

  “Would you like some coffee?” he asked her with a grin.

  Her eyes widened and a smile broke out on her face, making him smile in response. His girl was a complete caffeine addict.

  Adalyn finally noticed that he was wearing a pair of sweatpants as he pulled her from the bedroom and toward the kitchen. Releasing a breath, she hadn’t realized she was holding, she slowly followed behind him to the wonderful smell of coffee.

  Aislyn was already seated with a cup of coffee of her own.

  “Good morning,” she said as they entered the kitchen.

  Ashton planted Adalyn in a seat and made his way toward the cabinet to make two cups of coffee. Adalyn couldn’t help but watch as he moved gracefully around the kitchen. Feeling a nudge against her leg, she looked down to find Ronda staring up at her waiting for her to pet her.

  Adalyn giggled at the dog’s antics but leaned over to pet her head. Ashton looked up from preparing the coffee to see what had caused her to giggle. He was happy to hear that sound. It caused a huge smile to spread across his face.

  Setting the coffee in front of her, he walked over to the door to let Ronda outside for a little bit. Normally as soon as the door was open, she tore off outside, but today she didn’t even turn toward the door. She just stayed next to Adalyn, enjoying the attention.

  “Ronda, outside,” Ashton called to her, with no luck. The dog continued to lean against Adalyn.

  Ashton started walking toward her but stopped when he heard Ronda growl.

  “Are you serious right now?!” he growled back at her. “Sweetheart, would you please tell her to go outside,” he asked her.

  Adalyn giggled again at the dog’s antics. Looking down at the huge rottweiler, she smiled, and scooted off her seat. Walking toward the door she had seen Ashton open, she opened it. “Want to go play?” she asked Ronda. The dog took off before the door was even completely opened, making it a little difficult for a dog her size to make through safely. Once again, Adalyn was giggling at the dog’s antics.

  She followed behind the dog to the backyard where she was running around the yard like her tail was on fire, not that she had much of one. Adalyn couldn’t believe the energy and speed a dog of her size had. Once Ronda was done running, she came and calmly sat down at Adalyn’s feet. “Would you go potty, you know that is why you had to come out,” Adalyn giggled, staring at the giant dog. With a huff, Ronda stood and went about doing her business.

  Once Ronda was done, Adalyn turned to go into the house, to see that Ashton had come outside. She wasn’t sure how long he had been out there, but she was enjoying the view as she walked towards him to head into the house. Ronda pushed past them both and went into the house first heading for her water bowl.

  “That dog has never growled at me before. She likes you,” he told her as she walked in the door before him.

  “I like her too,” Adalyn said with a smile.

  An hour and a half later, Ashton was pulling up in front of his lawyer’s office, with a very nervous Adalyn in the passenger seat. He hated having to put her through this, but he knew it needed to be done. Her safety was his number one priority, and he needed to get his name cleared, so he couldn’t keep her that way.

  “Ready to get this done and over with, sweetheart?” he asked as he climbed out of the car. Adalyn nodded silently, watching him walk around the car to her side. He opened her door and held his hand out to her, helping her from the car. Again, Adalyn had to wear something of Aislyn’s since she didn’t have any of her things. Today she was wearing a pair of leggings, ballerina flats, and a flowy peasant blouse.

  Ashton opened a door, entering his lawyer’s office. He was greeted by a woman with fiery red hair that hung down in curls around her shoulders.

  “Hi there, Ashton. What brings you in today?” she asked him, not acknowledging Adalyn’s presence.

  “I just needed to speak to Jerry about a situation. Could you let him know that I am here, please?” Ashton told her. Ashton did not like how she constantly threw herself at him and didn’t understand why she did it whenever he was around. It wasn’t like he had encouraged her.

  Leaning over to push a button, she informed Jerry that Ashton was there.

  Ashton pulled Adalyn into his side. “Sorry if she is making you uncomfortable. Please know that there is nothing going on between us and there never has been. You are the one I want,” he whispered in her ear, causing a shiver to travel all the way down to her toes. Ashton chuckled at her reaction; he did enjoy it.

  “Good afternoon Ashton. This must be your beautiful girlfriend that you told me about,” said an older gentleman standing in the doorway that he just entered.

  “Yes, Jerry. This is Adalyn James,” he explained with a smile, guiding her with a hand on the small of her back toward the open door.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss James. I can see what all the fuss is about,” he chuckled looking from her to Ashton. He closed the door behind them.

  Ashton and Adalyn spent the next hour giving their statements in regard to both situations. They were informed not to have any contact with Officer Hayes. If the police were needed for any reason, they were to inform dispatch that he was unable to be the responding officer. Jerry had written up their statements as they spoke. By the end of it, everything that was needed was signed, notarized, and filed.

  “I will be in touch to let you know when the court hearing will be,” Jerry told them both. He shook both of their hands and walked them toward the door.

  “It was very nice meeting you, Miss James. I hope the next time we see each other it will be under better circumstances,” he said with a warm smile.

  “It was nice to meet you too. No offense, but I hope I don’t have to see you again,” she told him shyly. Both men chuckled in agreement.

  “Are you hungry?” Ashton asked as they walked toward his car.

  “Not so much, my stomach is in knots,” she explained, looking nervous.
/>   “What has you so nervous? The hard part is over,” he asked.

  “If I am being honest, everything. The situation with Andrew, having to see Jerry, you,” she whispered the last part.

  “Me? Why do I make you nervous?” he asked.

  “You are so intense. I hardly know you, but you have come to my rescue too many times already. I don’t want you mixed up in all my drama. It isn’t fair to you and your family. I think it would be best if we didn’t see each other anymore. I will stay at a hotel until my house is ready to be lived in again,” she told him confidently.

  “I decide what I want to do. As far as this situation with Jerry, it will not be forever,” he growled as he closed her car door.

  Adalyn watched as he stalked to the driver’s side of the car, knowing that she was doing the right thing. She couldn’t bring anymore drama to his life, or his family. They were just too sweet.

  The drive back to Ashton’s house was silent. Neither of them knew how to continue that hard conversation. Ashton couldn’t continue without yelling; he was so irritated at the thought of her just walking away without even trying. Adalyn on the hand couldn’t talk about it without crying, knowing she was doing the right thing by walking away.

  As soon as the car stopped Adalyn jumped out of the car and started walking in the direction of the nearest hotel. She didn’t make it far at all before Ashton had her pinned against the car.

  “You are just going to walk away and not even us a chance? You can’t tell me you don’t feel whatever this is between us! I feel it every time we are even in the same room, Adalyn. There is no way that you don’t feel it!” he growled.

  “I do feel it, and that is why I have to walk away,” she told him as tears streamed down her face.

  “It is not just your choice, Adalyn. I want to give us a shot, no matter the consequences,” he pleaded.

  Adalyn shook her head and tried pulling away. Ashton wasn’t letting that happen. He pressed himself up against her, pinning her closer to the car. Before he could second guess his own actions, he kissed her. It wasn’t a gentle kiss either, it was a consuming, breath stealing kiss. His hand travelled up to her neck that way he could control the kiss better. He felt it when she finally let go and gave in. Her entire body began to shake, and she wrapped her legs around his waist.