Crooked Little Heart Chapter Five

Zac chewed his lip as he drove Avery home from the hospital hours later. His mom had agreed to keep the kids mainly because he didn't feel like Avery was ready to be around them, not in her current state of not remembering anything. It broke his heart though knowing that she didn't remember him or even most of their life together and it made him worried that the hospital hadn't been able to find anything wrong with her in their tests.

"Are you going to speak?" he asked as he looked over at Avery who was staring out the window. She had been silent ever since they left the hospital and he guessed her talk with Taylor had probably made things worse. "I'm not really accustomed to this silence between us. Even when you are mad at me you talk to me."

Avery rolled her eyes as she listened to Zac talk, "What do I have to say to a man that I hate?" she asked harshly as she turned to look at him. "I just want to wake up from this awful dream and be back with my real husband and have my real life," she said knowing she already missed how things used to be. She missed Taylor, her Taylor and not this made up version of Taylor.

"You don't hate me," Zac said as he tried to smile though he felt cut by her words. "Or at least you didn't hate me last night," he said as he looked back at the road. Things had been fine between them last night and she had sure seemed to love him when she let him do things to her that would make most women blush.

"I do hate you," Avery said as she chewed on her lip and watched as he eventually parked the truck into the driveway of their house. A house she didn't even remember moving into and that was foreign to her. Getting out she unbuckled but waited for Zac to lead the way before going inside. She was afraid of getting lost and it's not like she even had a key anyway.

Zac again felt cut by her words, "Why do you hate me for?" he asked her as he walked onto the porch and unlocked the door. "What did I do to make you hate me so much?"

Avery rolled her eyes again at Zac's words, "For one you left me for Brenda and you never came back. For the other thing you forced yourself on me the other day and that was a shitty thing to do."

Now it was Zac's turn to roll his eyes as he opened the door and stepped inside of the house he shared with Avery, "I did come back Ave," he stated as he turned to look at her as she came in. "I came back when you came out to California and told me you were pregnant with Stella. I chose us and our family in the end and I'd never force myself on you," he frowned as he walked closer to her to put his hand on her cheek but when she moved away from his touch he frowned more. "I love you."

"I don't love you," Avery told him honestly as she shook her head after backing away from his touch. "And I don't remember any of what you are saying. I know you never came back. I married Taylor again and we raised Stella as ours," she told him knowing this new world was messed up and she just wanted a way back to her own. "Stella calls Taylor daddy and I'm in love with my husband again," she said though she knew that was probably partly a lie given how Zac had affected her when she knew he was back.

Shaking his head Zac laughed bitterly, "You could have fooled me on not loving me," he replied not sure what had changed between last night and today that was making his wife a different person but he hated it. He hated this version of Avery. "You wouldn't have raised Stella with Taylor," he corrected knowing his wife wasn't that rude to keep such a huge secret from him. "You wouldn't lie to me with something that big."

"But I did," Avery replied knowing she had. "I have to find a way to get back to the reality I know because this one is going to drive me crazy," she sighed not sure if she could stay here without going crazy. Everything was vastly different and it scared her. She was married to Zac and apparently they had another baby besides Stella. A baby who she couldn't remember or even bring herself to feel love towards.

"I think what you need is to rest," Zac sighed as he looked at her. "You need to rest and maybe when you wake up you'll be better."

Avery scoffed at his words because she doubted that but maybe if she did rest she'd wake up back in her own time. "Maybe a nap would be good," she agreed finally as she crossed her arms. "Can you walk me to the bedroom?" she asked as she felt her cheeks get warm. She wasn't sure she'd find the room again now and she really didn't want to get lost.

Nodding his head Zac turned and lead the way to their bedroom. When he made it there he looked at Avery, "If you need me just holler for me okay. I'll be in the basement but I'll have the door open."

"The basement?" Avery asked wondering what he had in the basement that could be so important.

"It's where we keep our Christmas stuff," Zac shrugged as he looked at her. "We were going to decorate with the kids today but I guess I can do that on my own now."

Avery looked down feeling bad that she had ruined that..at least for the kids sake, "Sorry," she whispered before looking back up and eventually crawling into the bed she had woken in that morning. After she was in bed she watched as Zac left the room, leaving the door cracked.

Laying back on the bed she sighed loudly and closed her eyes, waiting for sleep to take her.
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"You did amazing," Zac smiled as he sat on the bed and looked at his wife who now had their newborn son in her arms. "Minus when you were trying to break my hand off with your death grip."

Avery laughed slightly at Zac's words, "I wouldn't have held your hand with a death grip if you hadn't gotten me pregnant in the first place," she teased before looking down at their son. "Though I wouldn't trade Owen for the world."

Zac smiled at her words, "I wouldn't trade him for the world either and I only got you pregnant because we make such cute babies together. I mean have you seen Stelly? With your and my looks she is going to be a heart breaker out there and I am going to have to invest in a ton of bullets."

Again Avery laughed, "You mean with just your looks. Stelly is the spitting image of you babe," she nodded as she leaned over to peck Zac's lips briefly. "Maybe Owen will end up looking like me and I won't feel like all I can do is spit out your clones."

"But spitting out my clones is fun right?" Zac asked her as he wiggled his eyebrows. "I mean the whole pain part isn't but the making them is."

"Is this your way of saying you want another baby?" Avery asked as she laughed some more. "Because if so it almost has me convinced to just have one more child with you."

Zac smirked at her words, "Of course that is me saying I want another baby," he confirmed as he looked down at Owen. "I think Owen and Stelly need a sibling one day. I think I just want my kids to have siblings which I never got the chance to have."

When Zac mentioned not having siblings Avery couldn't help the pang of guilt she felt for the secret she was keeping from him. She still had not told him Jolene's secret. The one she had confessed too when she had found out she was pregnant with Stella. She hadn't told Zac that he was the result of an affair Jolene had with Taylor's father.

"Then I guess one more kid won't be so bad," Avery agreed trying to push her guilt away as she smiled and before she could say much else she heard Owen start to whimper.

"Is that his hungry whimper or his I have a messy diaper whimper?" Zac asked hoping it was the first especially since he had promised Avery he would change the next messy diaper.
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Waking from her sleep Avery laid in bed for the longest time as she looked at the ceiling. She was trying to process her dream or memory or whatever the hell it was. It was proof that what Zac was saying was true but it went against everything she knew that was really true and well it also made her feel guilty for not remembering more of this twisted reality or even much of this version of her life.

"Owen," she muttered to herself as she pictured the baby she had been holding and then the baby that Zac had been holding this morning. It was the same baby just a bit smaller. It also made her sad to think about as well because of the fact that her loss of Jackson was still fresh and yet apparently here Jackson had never existed. No she had Owen who it seemed she remembered partly and who she found herself loving already from that brief glimpse she had seen of this realities past.

Getting out of bed finally she chewed her lip and opened the door. Remembering the way into the living room she came to a stop seeing that Zac had seemingly got the tree set up and decorated and now he was fast asleep on the couch. A sight that made her laugh when he snored loudly.

Avery walked to the couch and reached for the blanket on the back, covering Zac up she chewed her lip again when he stirred some and opened his eyes. He looked half asleep even as he took her in.

"Avery?" Zac questioned wondering if he was still dreaming or if his wife had covered him up.

"It's me," Avery told him as she tried to give him her best smile. Maybe the damn memory or whatever it was had messed with her again because she almost felt sorry for how she had treated him earlier before laying down.

Seeing her giving him a smile Zac sat up some, "A..are you okay?" he asked knowing he hoped she was back to normal. That she was the woman he loved and would soon be married too for three years.

Avery again found herself chewing on her lip, "I'm fine," she told him at his question. "I mean I still don't think this is where I belong but I'm better than before I laid down," she said as she looked away from him when even through his sleepy looking eyes she could see a hint of sadness. "I didn't meant to wake you. You just looked so peaceful sleeping and I wanted to cover you up in case you were cold."

"I was fine," Zac told her as he forced a smile feeling any hope of things fixing their self today being dashed. "Thanks for actually caring for once," he said a little harshly remembering her saying she hated him and didn't love him. Words that still stung.

Frowning at his harshness Avery closed her eyes, "I'm sorry for earlier okay. This is just hard to adjust too," she nodded knowing that it was hard for her to go to bed in one reality and wake up in another. "I'll try not to be so rude from now on."

"Can you try remembering me and our life together?" Zac asked as he reached out for her hand and pulled her closer to the couch until he eventually felt her fall onto his lap where he wanted her to be.

At Zac pulling her into his lap Avery kept her eyes closed, "I can't make any promises," she told him as she shook her head hating that again he was melting every defense she had up to keep him out.

Hearing her answer Zac kissed her neck softly as he let his arms go around her waist, "I love you Avery," he whispered on her skin as he let his lips move up to her cheek. "I love you so much and I wish you could remember that," he sighed as he squeezed her slightly.

Avery opened her eyes as he kissed her neck and then her cheek and each time he talked she shivered because his breath hit her skin. Turning her head to face him she leaned in and kissed him on the lips even if it was against her better judgement. At least in this reality she wasn't hurting Taylor by kissing Zac or even being with him. She was Zac's wife and anything they did intimately was how it was supposed to be.

Zac kissed Avery back when she kissed him. He was surprised but he wasn't going to question her. Nope instead he kissed her more and eventually he had found a way to lay her back on the couch as he laid over her, his hand finding it's way under her shirt. He was again surprised she was letting things go this far but again he wasn't going to question out of fear she'd stop this or tell him how much she hated him.

Letting Zac kiss her and lay her down on the couch Avery moaned out as his hand found it's way under her shirt and she found herself breaking the kiss to take her shirt off. Even if she was pissed at him and even if she was confused at how she had gotten to this reality she was still a woman and she still had needs. Needs that Zac could help her with and hell a few days ago she had gotten off to thinking of him going down on her.

"I want you," she nearly whined out as she looked up at him feeling extremely needy and that made her blush. She had never needed Taylor this much and she was ashamed that she apparently needed Zac so much but it had been years since she had been with him. She missed his touch and she missed the way she felt at home in his arms.

Zac smirked hearing Avery whine out that she needed him and took his own shirt off before looking down into her eyes, "Tell me how bad you need me," he said as he let his hand go down to her jeans which he undid slowly before kissing her lips briefly and then kissing down onto her neck. "Tell me how much your pussy wants my dick," he growled out as he bit her neck roughly knowing she liked it when he took charge and had his way with her.

Blushing at his words Avery pushed him away and felt confused at his roughness and his demanding. "A..are we normally this rough?" she asked as she raised an eyebrow wanting an answer before they continued to go any farther.