Total pages in book: 235
Estimated words: 227851 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1139(@200wpm)___ 911(@250wpm)___ 760(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 227851 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1139(@200wpm)___ 911(@250wpm)___ 760(@300wpm)
“I hope you’re happy in Spain,” I mutter. “Thanks for abandoning me.”
* * *
My eyes open to darkness, my skin cool. I’m in bed? I squint, my eyes adjusting to the moonlight streaming through the window, casting shadows across the bedroom. And . . .
I can smell her.
Ava.
I turn my head on the pillow and see her silhouette curled up next to me. I don’t remember the drive back to the villa. I don’t recall getting undressed. Getting into bed. But running into Mum? I remember every torturous second of that. Every feeling. Every word.
And my heart hurts all over again.
I ease off the bed and find my clothes in a pile on the floor. I crouch and get my mobile, wondering what the hell I’m doing. It’s there as I knew it would be. A missed call from Amalie. I close my eyes and push my phone into my forehead, jumping when it beeps.
They’ve never blamed you.
I huff, dropping it back on my clothes and rising, raking a hand through my hair. It’s my past. I can’t look back, only forward. I cast my eyes toward the bed.
Where my future lies, sleeping.
I go to her, easing her onto her back and snuggling up close to her warm body. Always so warm. Safe.
She is my home.
My future.
Everything I live and breathe for.
I won’t risk anything ruining us.
Never.
I wake up slowly, feeling her fingers combing through my hair. The warm air of my breath bounces off her neck back into my face. My thoughts are calm. My body relaxed. Ava knew who she was looking at last night before I spoke. She knew.
And she got me away.
“I would never have brought you here if I’d known,” I whisper, so full of regret. It’s been blissful, what we both needed. And now, it’s tarnished. “I never wanted my life with you to be stained by my past.” And hasn’t that been the whole fucking point? Protect Ava and at the same time protect myself. Keep this wild, pure, amazing thing we have exactly that.
“It hasn’t affected us,” she replies. “So please don’t let it.”
“They have no place in my life, Ava. Not before, and even less now.” It’s a second chance.
She nods slowly, understanding. But how could she ever? “You don’t need to explain anything to me,” she says, resolute. It hurts. Her devotion and commitment. “You and me.”
My smile is halfhearted as I fall to my back, pulling Ava onto me. “This place was Carmichael’s,” I say quietly. “It was part of his estate, as was the boat.” I don’t know why I’m telling her this. What does it matter now? We can never come back here, and the boat was sold years ago.
“I know,” she breathes, making me shudder as she follows the line of my scar with the tip of her finger. Lightly. Delicately. Precisely. It’s uncomfortably symbolic.
“How did you know?” I ask, looking down my body, resisting telling her to stop.
“Why else would you have a villa so close to where your parents live?” she asks. So she’s thought about this?
“My beautiful girl is frightening me,” I say quietly.
“Why?”
“Because she’s usually so demanding for information.”
“There can’t be anything else you could tell me that would convince me to run away from you again.”
Thank God she’s not looking at me right now, because my face must be pained. Naturally, I don’t want to talk about Lauren or Rosie. It’s another chance. But there is one thing we do need to talk about. Sarah. We’re going home today. I don’t want to lie to her. “I’m glad you’ve said that.” I feel Ava’s finger stop moving and her body stiffen. “Ava?”
There’s a beat of silence. “What?”
“I need to tell you something.” And I know she’s not going to like it. This is Sarah, after all, but she must let me explain. Hear me out. Understand. And to achieve that, I need to ensure she can’t walk away. I fight with her to move her onto her back, and she doesn’t go easily. Sitting on her thighs, I hold her hands, wondering how to start as she looks up at me like a deer caught in the headlights.
“I’ve had Sarah at The Manor while we’ve been gone.” I blurt it all out fast and immediately wished I hadn’t. Her face is irate. Disbelieving. Fuck, I should have given some context first.
“What?” Her voice is harsh. As livid as her face.
Explain! “She’s dealing with things while I’m gone,” I rush on. “John can’t do it on his own, Ava.”
“But Sarah?” she asks. “You said she was gone, end of. Why, after everything she’s done, would you allow that?” She violently yanks her hands out of mine. “Get off.”
“Ava,” I sigh. “Will you calm down?” Her blood pressure must have just jumped into the danger zone if her red cheeks are a measure.