CHAPTER SIX
Ava sighed as she leaned back in her chair, her eyes drifting to the courtroom clock. It was nearing four in the afternoon, and there was no end in sight with the case she was working on.
The grandparents on both sides of this case—the Wilsons and the Johnsons—were at each other’s throats, each fighting tooth and nail for temporary custody of the twin girls who had been removed from their home. Their parents were drug addicts, completely unfit to care for the girls, and while Ava wanted to believe the grandparents had the twins’ best interests at heart, the courtroom drama felt more like a power struggle than genuine concern.
The judge had made it clear. No one’s leaving until we find a solution, she’d said.
Ava rubbed her temples, feeling the weight of the day settle in her bones. Her role in the case was nearly done, but that didn’t mean she was getting out of there anytime soon. As she stood up, hoping to stretch her legs, she spotted her friend Sarah and co-worker lingering near the vending machines outside the courtroom. With a nod from the judge that they had a brief break, Ava slipped out of the courtroom and joined her.
“Looks like we’re in for another hour, maybe two,” Ava muttered, her voice weary as she fumbled for change to buy a bottle of water from the machine. She punched in the code, the machine whirring to life as Sarah stepped beside her, eyeing her with curiosity.
Sarah, always a breath of fresh air in a suffocating system, offered a sympathetic smile. “You’ve been in there all day. How are you holding up?”
“I’m surviving.” Ava grabbed the water and took a long drink before looking back at her friend.
“How’s Christian adjusting?” Sarah asked, leaning against the vending machine. “I mean, it’s been what? A few weeks now?”
Ava paused, a flicker of surprise crossing her face. She hadn’t thought about it much, but the truth was, things with Christian were going really well, better than she had expected. She took another sip of water, her thoughts wandering to the fifteen-year-old boy now living in her home.
“It’s actually good,” Ava said slowly, a smile creeping onto her lips. “I don’t know what the other foster families had issues with. He’s been respectful; he mostly keeps to himself, but he’s opening up. Honestly, I’m enjoying having him around.”
Sarah chuckled, nudging her shoulder. “Sounds like you two were meant to be together. Maybe Christian just needed the right person.”
Ava grinned, but before she could respond, her phone buzzed in her hand. She glanced at the screen, her heart sinking a little as she read the text from Christian.
Christian: Don’t forget about the Sea Cadet meeting tonight. It starts at six.
Panic fluttered in her chest as she checked the time. There was no way she’d make it out of court, back home, and then drive Christian to the meeting on time. Damn it. Christian had been looking forward to this meeting for weeks, and the last thing she wanted to do was let him down.
Ava bit her lip, her mind racing through potential options. Sarah noticed the change in her expression immediately. “What’s wrong?”
“I—” Ava hesitated, her eyes flicking back to her phone. “It’s Christian. He’s got this Sea Cadet meeting tonight, and I completely forgot it. There’s no way I can get out of here in time to take him.”
Sarah frowned, thinking. “Can anyone else help? A friend, maybe?”
Ava’s first instinct was to say no, but then a name flashed through her mind. Aussie. The tall, dark, handsome, and entirely too sexy for her sanity Navy SEAL. He had told her, more than once, that if she or Christian ever needed anything, he’d be there. But would he actually want to do something as mundane as driving a teenager to a meeting?
Her fingers hovered over her phone screen, debating.
Sarah raised an eyebrow. “I’m guessing that you have someone in mind?”
“Maybe.” Ava fumbled with her phone. “There’s this guy. Aussie. He told me to reach out if I needed help.”
Sarah’s eyebrows shot up. “A guy? And you’re just now telling me about this?”
Ava rolled her eyes, her stomach fluttering as she scrolled to Aussie’s number. I can’t believe I’m doing this. She pressed the dial button, the phone ringing in her ear. Her heart pounded as the rings went on, and just when she thought he wasn’t going to answer, the line clicked over.
“Hey, Ava.” Aussie’s deep, smooth voice slid through the phone, sending tingles through her body.
God, get your mind out of the gutter, Ava.
“Hey, Aussie,” she replied, forcing herself to sound normal and not like she was internally swooning over his voice. “I, um… I hate to ask, but I need a favor.”
“What’s up.”
“I’m stuck in court, and Christian has that Sea Cadet meeting tonight. I was wondering if you could possibly…”
Aussie chuckled softly on the other end, the sound warm and teasing. “Let me guess, you need me to pick him up and take him?”
Ava felt her cheeks flush, embarrassed by how easily he’d read the situation. “Yes,” she mumbled, biting her lip. “I really hate to ask, but I’m desperate.”
“It’s not a problem,” Aussie said, his tone light. “I’ve got nothing going on. I’ll make sure he gets there.”
Relief flooded through her, but she immediately followed it up with, “I owe you for this. I’ll pay you back.” She cringed the moment the words left her mouth. That sounded awful.
Aussie laughed, and she could practically hear the smile in his voice. “Oh, I’ll be looking forward to you repaying that favor.”
Her cheeks burned as she realized how that could be taken. “I didn’t mean—”
“Relax, Ava. I’m just teasing.” His voice dropped, still playful but with a hint of something more. “I’ve got this. Don’t worry.”
She managed a weak laugh. “Thanks. I really appreciate it.”
“Anytime. I’ll see you later, Ava.” His voice was like a low purr, and before she could embarrass herself further, she quickly hung up the phone.
When she looked up, Sarah was staring at her, wide-eyed.
“That was Aussie?” Sarah asked, her tone incredulous. “The Navy SEAL you met a few weeks ago when you took Christian to that college and career fair?”
Ava sighed, tucking her phone away. “Yeah. That was him.”
Sarah’s jaw dropped. “How have you kept this from me? Are you guys like dating?”
Ava felt a mix of excitement and nerves fluttering inside her as she thought back to that night at the restaurant. “It’s complicated. I was out to dinner with Jarod, and Aussie just happened to be at the same restaurant. He followed me outside afterward to make sure I was okay. Then he ended up driving me home.”
Sarah’s mouth fell open in surprise. “And you didn’t tell me this because…?”
“I wasn’t sure what to think,” Ava admitted, her thoughts racing. “But he’s…he’s really something, Sarah. He’s…”
“Amazing?” Sarah finished, her eyes twinkling.
Ava could only nod, a little smile pulling at her lips. Before they could dive deeper into the conversation, one of the courtroom clerks poked her head out of the door.
“The judge is ready to continue,” she said.
Ava took a deep breath, but as she turned to follow Sarah back into the courtroom, her mind wasn’t on the case anymore. It was on Aussie—and how much she was looking forward to seeing him again.
◆◆◆
Ava pushed through the heavy courthouse doors, feeling the weight of the long day finally lift off her shoulders. The two sets of grandparents had finally agreed on a temporary custody arrangement for the twin girls—a rare win in a case that could have easily spiraled into chaos.
Ava smiled, relieved to have been part of a positive outcome, but now all she wanted was to put this exhausting day behind her.
She quickened her pace, eager to reach her car in the dark parking lot when she suddenly collided with someone. Her heart sank as she looked up and saw Jarod.
Of all people, why him?
He stood in front of her, his tall frame blocking her path. Ava’s stomach twisted as she remembered the disastrous dinner from the other night, the way his words had cut deep. She wasn’t ready to forgive him for that. Not now. Maybe not ever.
She tried to move around him, but he stopped her.
“Ava, wait,” Jarod said, his tone pleading as he reached out a hand toward her. “Can we talk for a second?”
No, she thought. He was the last person she wanted to deal with right now. Her mind was still buzzing with everything from the case, and the tension between them was something she wasn’t in the mood to handle.
“I really don’t have time, Jarod,” she muttered, brushing past him, her heels clicking on the pavement as she made a beeline for her car.
He followed her, quickening his steps to keep up. “Ava, please,” he called after her. “I didn’t mean what I said about Christian the other night. I was just frustrated, and I didn’t handle it right.”
Ava’s jaw tightened as she kept walking, her heart pounding in frustration. Frustrated? He hadn’t been frustrated—he’d been cruel. She knew the truth behind his words. He didn’t believe in her ability to foster Christian, and that wasn’t something she could just brush off with an apology.
“I really don’t want to hear it, Jarod,” she said over her shoulder, not bothering to slow down. “As I said before, let’s just keep things work-related from now on.”
She was almost at her car when, suddenly, she felt a hand clamp down on her arm, roughly spinning her around. A gasp escaped her lips as her body jerked back toward him.
“Jarod—”
The sharpness in her voice must have struck him because his eyes widened in realization. He immediately let go, throwing his hands up in surrender, his face pale with regret.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.” His voice cracked with urgency. “I just wanted to talk to you, Ava. I didn’t mean to grab you like that. Please, just listen to me for a minute.”
Her pulse raced, rattled not just by the suddenness of his action but by the intensity in his eyes. She took a step back, her heart still pounding in her chest. There was something about the way he had grabbed her. Whether it was intentional or not, it felt like a line had been crossed.
This isn’t good.
“Jarod, I don’t think now is the best time to have this conversation,” she said, trying to keep her voice steady. “I’ll repeat myself again. We should keep things between us professional from now on. It’s better that way.”
He shook his head, stepping toward her again, his tone desperate. “You don’t mean that. Ava, we’ve been good together. You know that. I’ll admit that I screwed up. Are you really willing to throw away everything we had over one mistake?”
Everything they had? She wasn’t even sure what they even had. Sure, they dated, but that was really the extent of it. She never even slept with him.
But Ava wasn’t easily convinced that he was being genuinely remorseful. His insistence only made her more uncomfortable, the tension between them thickening with each passing second. She didn’t want any part of this.
“I really have to go, Jarod,” she said, her voice firm this time as she turned and pulled her car keys from her purse. “Christian’s waiting for me, and I need to pick him up.”
He hesitated, his mouth opening as if to say something else, but she didn’t give him a chance as she quickly unlocked her car and slid into the driver’s seat, her fingers trembling as she gripped the steering wheel. She glanced in the rearview mirror as she pulled out of the parking lot, seeing Jarod still standing there, watching her drive away.
As she left the courthouse behind, Ava’s thoughts swirled. There was something about the way Jarod had acted tonight. The way he’d been so insistent and so unwilling to take no for an answer. It made her uneasy. Her gut twisted with a warning she couldn’t quite ignore.
Jarod’s going to be a problem, she thought, her mind flashing back to his pleading voice and his desperate eyes. He didn’t want to let go. And that scared her.
But she shook the thought away, her focus shifting to Christian. That’s where her attention needed to be right now. Not on Jarod and whatever was going on with him, but on Christian and making sure she didn’t let him down.
Focus, Ava, she told herself, pushing away the lingering anxiety from the encounter. Christian needed her to be present, not rattled. She pressed her foot on the gas and headed toward the community center, determined to shake off the unsettling feeling that had followed her since Jarod had grabbed her arm.
And as her thoughts settled back on Christian and the evening ahead, one comforting thought rose to the surface.
At least I get to see Aussie.