Avery Legacy - Chapter 61 - Off Track

Laura and Valerie moved back to Eden Falls and into the house that Bram built. They both got jobs and went to work putting their lives in order. After a week or two, Boris stopped by. This was the first time Valerie had seen him since he graduated. He asked her how she was and she let him have it with both barrels. Exactly how did he think she'd been? Pining away for some guy who apparently doesn't care enough to even call. Trying to live through the embarrassment of being dumped the way she had. She couldn't imagine how Boris was even getting to sleep at night. Did their YEARS together mean nothing to him?

Boris shut Valerie up as he always had. He had made a mess of things. He knew that. He wanted to call but didn't know what to say. He wanted to be with her but knew where it would lead. The thought of marriage and kids made him queasy. He knew that if his dad were alive he would have already sat him down and given him one hell of a talking to. He knew all that but it didn't change things. He had moved in with his brother and that was where he was staying. He did love Valerie. He hoped to salvage their relationship. If he could just convince her to drop the marriage idea and just let them have fun again then everything would work out great.

Valerie wasn't about to drop the marriage thing. She had missed him though. She did let him lead her upstairs to her double bed. She did let him make love to her. It didn't change anything. She knew it. He knew it. Just for a little while though, they both pretended that it did.

As the months went by, Valerie and Boris continued to 'see' each other occasionally. She used her career to take her mind off her personal problems. Valerie had joined the military after college. She had just been given a huge bonus after a successful ocean research mission. She was very proud of her work. She had risen in the ranks quickly. People respected her. It made her feel good to know that some part of her life was on track.

Speaking of things off track, Laura still doesn't have a wedding ring either. Bram has been to busy with work. He has been climbing the ladder of big business. She was proud of him. She really was. She just wished that he'd spend more time with her. She wished he'd be more like the Bram she knew in college and less like a high powered corporate tycoon.

Laura has decided to remind Bram of what they once had. She wants her relationship back on track. She WILL NOT become like Valerie. If all he wants is a live in lover, then he can look elsewhere. He WILL marry her or she WILL leave him. She has no intention of being stuck in relationship limbo.

As the months go by, Laura and Bram continue to have a few problems. If anything he is working more than ever. He is becoming obsessed with money and all that it can buy. The only time he notices Laura is when she forces him to. She is becoming more than a little frustrated.

Valerie has continued to focus on her career. She has now become a general. With her career sucess, perhaps it's time now to fix her relationship with Boris. She has to either fix it or end it. She really hopes Boris doesn't force her to end it.

Valerie meets Boris downtown. In public she figures he'll actually have to talk to her. He won't be able to distract her. She tells him that their relationship isn't working. She tells him that she needs more. At the very least, she needs him to move in with her. She wants to feel like his partner and not his mistress.

Boris listens. He sees the end. He can't give her what she wants. He won't move in with her. It would only be a matter of weeks before she'd be planning a wedding. He can't marry her.

The longer Boris sits there the more frustrated Valerie becomes. Why is he forcing her to end it? Why doesn't he just end it himself? She can't understand him at all anymore. Frustrated she gets up and storms off. She leaves him sitting there staring into space.

Valerie eventually wandered into the clothing store. She browsed for a while before deciding to try something on. Boris had come looking for her. He didn't know what he was going to say. He just didn't want it to end. When he saw her go into the changing booth, he followed. He used his Avery charm to make Valerie forget any protest she may have had. She quickly gave into temptation. That was her problem. Boris could always make her give in. After a very exciting encounter, Valerie left. She couldn't be around him right now. She couldn't think straight. She needed some space. She took a taxi home and went straight to bed.

Bram came home from a busy day of being a business tycoon. He was almost shocked to see Laura dressed as Captain Hero. He hadn't even realized she'd been promoted. He had been so focused on work and money that he probably hadn't noticed a lot of things. Bram pulled Laura into his arms and kissed her. He mentioned that they should probably start planning for a big wedding. It had been a while since graduation. They should get married.

Laura told Bram she didn't need a wedding party. She just needed him. The fact that he was suggesting that they get married had made her incredibly happy. She was starting to think he didn't want to get married.

Bram assured her that he did want to marry her. So that night, Bram married Laura. It was a very quiet ceremony. The bride wore her uniform. That night Captain Hero became Mrs. Bram Avery.

They didn't bother with a honeymoon. They both had obligations at work. They would just have to squeeze in some private time between everything else in their lives.

Time passed. Bram decided to invite over some family members. He tried to get Boris to drop by but he was working. At least that's what everyone kept telling him. Bram knew there were things Boris needed to know. It was one thing to act irresponsibly before but now he needed to take responsibility. Now he was going to be a father.

As you can imagine, the topic of Valerie's pregnancy did come up. Everyone knew that she and Boris use to be an item. They all assumed they weren't now. Bede seemed concerned that Valerie might use someone else child to get her claws into his brother. Granted he didn't think Boris had treated her right at all but he still didn't want her manipulating Boris.

As politely as possible, Valerie told the Averys that she had never cheated on Boris. She had not been with anyone other than Boris since her freshman year of college. This baby was an Avery. No she hadn't told Boris yet. She wanted to but apparently he was just to busy. Maybe THEY should tell him to drop by. Maybe THEY could get somewhere with him because she no longer could.