Number Eleven

Chapter 19.

Oakley POV

Today is the day. It's finally time to meet Ava's family.

Now I'm not usually a guy who gets nervous, considering that I work best under high-pressure situations, but I did indeed wake up this morning with a stomach full of nerves. I don't think it helps any knowing that her parents are going to be hard on me, having had gone through everything they did with David last year.

Fuck just thinking about the piece of s**t has my blood boiling. Luckily I haven't had to do anything remotely regarding him these past few weeks, but it still doesn't stop his words from repeating themselves in my head all the goddamn time.

"You take a punch just like she did. Like a little bitch."

"Just like she did."

"Like a little bitch."

His nasty snarl has fully ingrained itself in my brain and I would love nothing more than to finish what I started in the storage room. And although I haven't brought up the whole situation with David since the night it happened, I would be lying if I said that I didn't still have questions for Ava.

A light knock on my truck's window causes me to nearly jump straight out of my skin as I smack the top of my head against the roof of my truck. I quickly roll my window down and see my beautiful girlfriend standing with her arms folded across her chest and a smirk on her lips.

"Were you planning on staying out here all night?" she teases, the playful glimmer in her eyes never letting up.

I realize then that I had been parked in front of Ava's family home for the past ten minutes daydreaming.

What a great first impression.

The rather large yet extremely cozy-looking craftsman home is covered with earthy toned stone, along with a greyish-green type of siding. Pointed roofing sits above the second floor, along with wide windows. A three-car garage sits on the right side of the home, faced with a huge driveway.

"Maybe I was just waiting for you to come outside to greet me?" I joke, wearing a sarcastic smirk. 

Ava rolls her eyes at me while I grab my keys from the ignition as well as the flowers that ma insisted I bring from the seat beside me.

"Good call with the flowers. How did you know to get daisies?" A look of surprise flashes across her face and I just give a slight shake of my head as I hop out of my truck, locking it once I shut the door.

"Have a little faith babe." 

She raises her eyebrow accusingly at me and I chuckle, "Fine. My mom told me to get them. Happy now?"

She lets out a light laugh and interlocks our fingers after taking the flowers out of my only good hand as we make our way to the front door. "Very."

"You ready?" she asks once we reach the closed door.

"Let's do this baby doll."

Shaking her head at me, she gives my hand a squeeze before opening the door. "Always the confident one."

The smell of turkey hits me in the face and makes my stomach growl as I let my eyes start to explore the new territory.

Similar to my house, Ava's has a very open floor plan. Straight across from the front door sits the living room, featured with a fireplace that rests in between two built-in bookshelves and a white three-seater couch with a matching armchair. The kitchen sits behind the living room, with light oak cabinets and marble countertops making up the huge island and counters resting against the wall.

"This way." 

I quickly kick my shoes off and let Ava yank my hand and lead me past the kitchen and towards the dining room. Sitting in two of the eight chairs resting in front of the white wooden dining table, are Ava's mom and another girl who I'm assuming is her brother's girlfriend.

"Mom, Sydney, this is Oakley," Ava introduces us with confidence, not letting go of my hand. Sydney greets me a simple wave of her hand while Ava's mom gets up out of her chair and stands with her hands on her hips, sizing me up with narrowed eyes. 

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Layton." I try to swallow the lump in my throat and hold my hand out in front of me for her to shake.

"You were right when you said he was handsome, Ava baby." My eyes widen, and I watch as Ava turns bright red while her mom belts out a loud laugh.

"Put that hand away and give me a hug. Save the manners for my husband." I almost choke on air as she grabs me with her tiny arms and brings me in for a tight hug. "Oh and call me Lily, Mrs. Layton makes me sound like my crazy mother in law."

"Sounds good Lily," I chuckle as I send Ava a wink over her mom's shoulder.

"Where did dad and Ben go?" Ava asks as soon as Lily unwraps her fierce grip on my shoulders

"Oh you know them, Ben insisted on your dad helping him fix that piece of crap car he won't sell." That causes all three ladies to laugh together until loud footsteps start thumping their way across the light hardwood from somewhere down the hall. 

"Son that thing is a piece of s**t. You're gonna end up stranded on the side of the damn road in no time," A gravely voice chides, becoming louder the closer they approach.

"It's my baby. No way in hell am I giving her up." Is the response from the other set of footsteps, this time a little higher in pitch than the first one.

"Oakley, these two teenagers are my dad and brother," Ava shoots both men a warning look as soon as they join us in the dining room, daring them to be mean to me. 

She's so cute.

The older man who is clearly her father reaches my height with ease. His eyes are narrowed into slits and his lips are pulled tight into a straight line.

After a few seconds of trying to wear me down with his intense gaze, he thankfully gives up once he realizes I'm not going to back down. 

Once again I reach my hand out in front of me and wait for him to shake it. Immediately his hand is placed in mine as he grips it tight and gives it a firm shake. I grip his hand back just as hard and return the shake. A look of approval flashes through his eyes for a quick second before he covers it with his emotionless gaze once again.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Mr. Layton," I introduce myself confidently, not allowing my nerves to cause any waver in my voice.

"Nice to finally put a name to the face, Oakley. Hope you're hungry, Lily made enough food to feed an army," he chuckles and lets his hand drop to his side before walking over to his wife and wrapping an arm around her waist.

"Um hello? I'm still here. Nice to meet you, man," Ben mocks before taking a few steps towards me and shaking his hand with mine just as tightly as his father had.

"Likewise."

"Okay now that all the boring introductions are over, help me set the table, Ben," Lily orders, waiting by the table for a huffing Ben.

"Why do I always have to set the table?"

                                                                                        ~~~

With piles of food on each of our plates, we sit in comfortable silence with the few exceptions of some casual conversations as we eat.

"So Oakley, Ava here tells us you play hockey. Is that something you're serious about pursuing permanently?" Lily speaks up with genuine curiosity.

"Yes, I do. And absolutely, hockey is something that I want to do for as long as I can," I reply, my voice strong.

"So that means you plan of making it to the big leagues? You want to play in the NHL?" her dad pipes in, his voice bold.

I can't say I didn't see this one coming.

"Yes, sir. I've already been approached by quite a few teams. It's been my dream since I was little." I can tell by the time I finish answering him that he's upset. His jaw clenches and he leans closer to the table, his eyes not wavering in their fierce showdown with mine the entire time.

"So you and Ava have talked about what's going to happen once you are jetting off all over North America and she's here attending her classes? You're serious enough about her to leave and come back for her?" His words come out strong, and I don't miss the venom dripping from his tone as he questions me.

A clang rings from beside me and I turn my head slightly to see Ava's fork lying on her plate. Her hands are shaking and her cheeks have turned a deep shade of red. I quickly move my hand to rest on her thigh, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Dad! What is your deal right now?" she hisses through her clenched teeth.

"I can assure you that I'm very serious about your daughter. I wouldn't be here if I wasn't." 

"Are you ready for that? Never seeing him because he's constantly hopping around from city to city? You deserve better than to be left in the dust until something better comes along," he shoots at Ava, blatantly ignoring my prior comment. 

"Sir, with all due respect, I don't plan on leaving Ava in the dust. Nor do I plan on being gone for long periods of time," I try and reason. 

"And we're just supposed to trust you on that? Believe what you say with blind faith? I don't think so," he shoots, his words slicing through me like a knife through warm butter. 

By now the room is dead silent. Lily sits beside her husband in shock, her mouth hangs partly open and her brown eyes are open wide.

"Dad this isn't the time or place. Drop it," Ben speaks up this time, pushing his chair back slightly and watching Derek intensely.

"Ben's right. Now if you'll excuse us we'll be upstairs," Ava growls. She shoots up from the table and grabs the hand I have resting on her thigh to lead us to the staircase before I have a chance to say anything else. Not like it would have done any good at this point. 

Her breaths come out as short, angry puffs and I have no idea what words I should try and say. I simply follow behind her as she drops my hand and starts climbing the stairs.

I take notice of all the family photos sitting on the built-in shelves that cover the wall beside the stairs. I don't blame her dad for asking those questions, yes they should have been asked in a different way, but I would have asked the same things. The part that sucks the most about what just happened was that he wasn't wrong about anything. Well, other than me finding something better. There is nothing and no one better than Ava.

I reach the top of the stairs seconds after she does and follow her into the room at the end of the hall.

"This is or was, my room. Make yourself at home." She flops her body down onto the bed and closes her eyes.

Her room is exactly the opposite of what I imagined it would look like. A teal blue bed set matches the color of the walls and a white fuzzy rug is thrown down beside the right side of her bed. A large desk sits against the same wall as her bed, resting under a large window. Two doors sit on the opposing wall, which I'm guessing lead to an ensuite and a closet. The room is clean and sleek without a single thing out of place. Quite the opposite of her current room. 

My guess, Lily.

I sit down beside her on the edge of the bed and rest a hand on her leg. "Are you okay?"

"He's not usually like that. I'm sorry he treated you like that," she apologizes.

"Don't apologize. I'm a big boy I can deal with it. It really wasn't that bad."

A few moments of silence fall between us before Ava quietly mumbles out her next words. "Do you think what he said will actually happen?"

My mouth opens and closes like a fish as I try and think of what to say. The last thing I want is for Ava to start doubting this.

To start doubting us.

"What do you mean?"

"You're going to be gone most of the time and I'm just going to be.. well here. Hockey is the only thing keeping you in Vancouver. What happens when you aren't here anymore," she mumbles, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Come here," I urge, waiting with my arm held out. Slowly she gets up from her lying position and comes to sit beside me, tucking her neck into the side of my neck and wrapping her arms tight around my torso. "You're absolutely clueless if you think hockey is the only thing I have here."

She inhales a shaky breath while nodding her head and cuddling further into my side. I rub my arm up and down her back and clear my throat. "Besides, the odds of me being drafted at the end of this season are extremely slim. I'll most likely be here for another year, there's no use in worrying about it now."

Nodding her head, she doesn't say anything. We just simply sit together in silence, both of us wishing that my words were true.