Chapter 7
We woke up, we bathed, we talked, I tried and failed to get her to skive off work tomorrow, and Ava shirked yet another prompt from me to get some things off her chest.
But that’s the last time. When we’re out of here, alone, I’m ending this ridiculous stalemate. We’re married. We live together. Adore each other.
The moment I step into the restaurant holding Ava’s hand, I spot Dan. He doesn’t notice me—he’s too busy watching Kate, who looks—God forgive me—like she’s been dug up. Sam, however, who’s sitting next to her, looks suspiciously chirpy.
And where the fuck is Drew?
I’m about to pull my phone from my pocket to text him, but the room erupts into applause, and I look around to see all attention on us. The bride and groom.
Shit.
I quickly get back to husband duties and pick Ava up, carrying her through the tables to where her parents are sitting, putting her down on a chair.
“Darling,” Elizabeth says as I lower to my seat, her volume too high for this time of day. I check Sam and Kate, nod my good morning. “What a wonderful day it was,” she goes on. At least she’s not still banging on about the cake not being cut. “Despite a certain difficult man.”
Is she talking about me? A quick check across the table gives me my answer. It’s really quite something that she calls me difficult. The woman is draining. “Good morning, Elizabeth,” I say on a smile meant to dazzle her. And it does. Her nose wrinkles and she goes back to her coffee. “How are you, Joseph?”
“Very well,” he says. “Did you two enjoy your day?”
That’s debatable. “We did, thank you. Are you being looked after?”
“Too well.” He laughs. I’m not sure how to take it. Amused by the hospitality? He should be here when The Manor is actually operating for its intended purpose. “We’ll be hitting the road after breakfast, so I’ll take this opportunity to thank you for your hospitality.” Joseph nods, and I smile on the inside as I pluck a slice of toast out of the rack in the middle of the table. “It really was a special day.”
“Is Dan going back with you?” Ava asks, pulling my interested eyes her way briefly. I had wondered last night after I shut the door on my visitor if he had mentioned to Ava that he was staying in London. Obviously not. I pick up a knife and scrape a sliver of butter off the knob.
“Oh, no,” Elizabeth says on cue. “Hasn’t he told you?”
Here we go.Do I look surprised? Happy? I put the toast in Ava’s hand, and she looks at me on a frown. I can’t tell if it’s because of the toast or because of her mother’s words. “Told me what?” She takes a nibble of the toast as I discreetly look over to Dan. He’s back to watching Kate, and as I check Kate to assess her persona, I catch her looking at him too. She quickly diverts her eyes back to the table. I shift, uncomfortable. Something’s going on, and I don’t like it.
“He’s staying in London for a while,” Elizabeth says casually, faffing over Joseph’s plate.
“He’s what?” Ava blurts. She doesn’t sound pleased about that. Interesting. If I was a betting man, I would have put my money on Ava being thrilled if she was told her beloved older brother wasn’t going back to Australia. So... what the hell has happened?
“Staying in London, darling,” Elizabeth repeats, wiping her hands on a napkin.
“Why? I thought he has the surf school to expand and work on.” Ava puts the toast she’s barely touched down. Oh no. I retrieve it and set it back in her hand. She hardly ate yesterday, and what she did eat came up. We are not getting into bad eating habits, especially if she’s pregnant. Ava’s once again frowning. And, once again, I don’t know if it’s the toast or the news.
“He says there’s no rush,” Elizabeth goes on, happy. “And I’m not complaining.” Yes, because she’s blind to the fact that her son’s a cunt. I smile up at Pete as he lays some drinks down, and Ava abandons her toast again in favor of her cappuccino.
“Eat,” I order gently, putting the toast back in her grasp.
“I don’t want the fucking toast,” she barks, making me jump and clang the cutlery on the table.
“Ava,” I say, my shock obvious, as she stares at me, wide-eyed and a little shocked herself. Good. It tells me she realizes she’s being unreasonable. I’m just trying to make sure she has something in her tummy after she emptied what she ate yesterday in the toilet. “Mouth.” I cast a quick look over to Elizabeth and Joseph, relieved to see they’re stunned too. But unlike them, I now know the toast isn’t the issue. It’s Dan and his plans.
Ava stands, her fire eyes on her brother. “Where are you going?” I ask, dumping my napkin on the table and rising. “Ava, sit down.”
She inhales, her jaw rolling, anger rampant. Oh Jesus, is she thinking at all? What is she going to do, cause a scene right here in front of everyone? What the hell has happened?
“Sit down and eat your breakfast, Jesse,” she orders shortly.
Say what?I take hold of her wrist as she moves away from the table, stopping her. “Excuse me?” I ask in disbelief. She’s definitely pregnant. Has to be. Her emotions are all over the fucking place.
She turns a steely stare my way, and I withdraw. “I said, sit down and eat your breakfast.”
Oh, she means business. I throw a snarl Dan’s way, since this is his fucking fault. “Yes, I thought you did.” Then I sit, pull Ava down to her chair, and fill her hand with the damn fucking toast. “Ava, this isn’t the time or the place for you to start throwing your weight around,” I whisper close to her ear. And because I’m an arsehole—and maybe because I’m truly worried she’ll kick off and cause a shitstorm that obviously needs a more delicate approach, which is ironic coming from me, I know—I call on my power, breathing in her ear. “And have a little respect in front of your parents.” I find her leg under the table and skate a delicate palm up her thigh. She’s a statue in her chair in an instant. “I like this dress.” My finger tickles the edge of her knickers, and her thighs clamp together over my hand. I kiss her lobe, pulling back a fraction to see her cup shaking as she takes it to her mouth.
Done.
I free her of my touch, lifting my brows when she peeks out the corner of her eye at me.
“Jesse is right, Ava,” Joseph says. “You should watch your language.”
“Yes, it’s not very ladylike,” Elizabeth adds.
I try not to smile. “Thank you, Joseph,” I say, casting a look Ava’s way, hitting her knee with mine, smiling when she scowls into her drink and returns the favor.
“So when are you two honeymooning?”
Ah, yes, onto something more constructive and useful right now. “When my wife says so. When will that be, lady?”
She takes the biggest bite of her toast while staring me down, talking around her mouthful. “When I have time. I’ve got a lot to sort out at work.” She chews, swallows, and smiles sweetly. “My husband knows that.” Don’t I just. God, I love and loathe her sass. Love it more. “What are you grinning at?” she asks.
I’m grinning? Better than snarling. “You.”
“What about me?”
Where do I start? “Everything about you,” I muse, my eyes on her lips. Your smart mouth. “Your beauty.” Your sass. “Your spirit.” Yourincessant need to rile me. “Your need to drive me insanely crazy.” I know I drive her nuts too. Made for each other. Her eyes sparkle, her smile impish as I play with her necklace, just to touch her. To be close. “And the fact you’re mine.”
She breathes out, exasperated by my fussing. But loving it too.
“Oh, Joseph, do you remember being that much in love?”
I laugh, as does Joseph. I’m certain no man has felt the way I feel about Ava. “No,” Joseph says, confirming my thoughts. “I don’t. Come on, I want to get on the road. I’ll use the bathroom and get our cases,” he says, standing.
Joseph leaves and Ava goes back to looking between her friend and brother. She’s not telling me something. “You’ve noticed it too?” I ask, subtly hinting that I’m aware of the atmosphere.
“Yes, but I’ve been warned to mind my own business.”
About Kate and Sam, yes, but we’re not talking about Kate and Sam, and we all know what will happen if I step in and make sure Dan knows how I feel about any interference. “You have, but I didn’t say you couldn’t tell your brother to back off.”
Ava looks at me in horror as Elizabeth excuses herself. I stand, polite, feeling my wife’s eyes lift with me, and nod when Elizabeth declares she’ll be back.
“You want me to warn my brother off?” Ava asks the moment her mother is out of earshot.
I need to be honest. As does Ava. She won’t let me talk to Dan, because she knows damn well I won’t hold back. She also knows her brother won’t take too kindly to being told what to do by the family’s new golden boy. But... “I think he needs to be told. I don’t want to upset you by doing it myself, so perhaps you should have a word with him.” Appeal to his reasonable side, if he has one.
“I’ll speak to him.” She looks at her toast, grimaces, and places it back down. The thought of talking to her brother has obviously put her off her breakfast. “And before you start”—a halting hand comes up—“I’m not hungry.”
“You need to eat, baby,” I say softly.
Her hand stops mine reaching forward. “I’m not hungry,” she says again. “Can we go home now?”
What am I going to do? Make a scene over toast when I’ve just spent the best part of breakfast ensuring Ava doesn’t make a scene herself? “We can go home now.” I stand and pull her up. “Come on.” I take her shoulders and push her toward the door. “I need to find John.”
“I haven’t seen him this morning.”
No, so where is he? “You say your goodbyes, I’ll meet you out front.”
“Okay.”
I leave Ava at Sam and Kate’s table, heading through the summer room, calling John on my way. “Where are you?” I ask when he answers. I push my way into my office.
“Here.” He’s at my desk, and he looks like he’s had no sleep whatsoever. His shades are hanging under his chin. His tie loose. His suit crumpled.
“Have you been to bed?”
He lifts his eyes but not his head.
“What’s going on?” I ask, closing the door, my heart climbing into my throat. “Is it Sarah?”
He stands, going to the fridge and getting a bottle of water. “She turned up here.”
My jaw loses all control, dropping. “What?” Coral and Sarah? Jesus Christ, I’d be divorced if Ava knew.
“You were in bed. Everyone was in bed.”
In a bit of a daze, I walk to the chair and drop into it. “Drunk?”
“Smashed.”
“More than drink?”
He shrugs, unscrewing the cap of his water and glugging it back.
“Fuck,” I hiss, rubbing at my forehead. I take no pleasure from the state Sarah’s clearly in. None at all. “What did you do? Shit, John, you should have called me.”
He turns, his eyebrows slowly creeping up his forehead. Okay, yes, stupid suggestion. “I put her in my car and drove her home.”
“She let you?”
“She was hardly in any fit state to fight me off.”
“Wait, how did she get here?”
Another slow rise of his brows.
“She drove?” I balk at him. “Fucking hell.” Is she out of her mind? I pause that thought and rewind. Stupid fucking question. “She could be dead.”
“Hmmm.” John’s thoughtful as he finishes his drink and tosses the bottle in the bin. “I’m going to check up on her.”
What can I say or do? Offer to help? We both know that can’t happen, and not only because my new wife will undoubtedly tip the edge if she found out I was dealing with another woman from my past on our wedding weekend. My intervention would also mislead Sarah into thinking I care. Fuck, I do care, we all know it. But I can’t be involved anymore. I can’t.
I drop my head in my hands. “Shit.”
“Don’t worry, I’ve got this.”
“You shouldn’t have to deal with this, John. She needs to pull herself together.” I wince. Harsh.
A knock at the door sounds and Sam pokes his head round. “Ava’s looking for you.”
I sigh, standing. “I’m coming.”
“Meet me round the back,” Sam says to John, before he disappears. I look at John in question.
“He’s following me to Sarah’s in my car. I need to drive hers.”
“Her car’s out front?” I ask, alarmed. If Ava sees that, I’m toast. I let out a stupid bark of laughter.
“No, it’s around the back.”
“Right, yes, good.” Of course he’d have it covered. Protect me. I frown at the carpet. “What do you think of Ava’s brother?”
“I think he’s a prick.”
“Don’t hold back, will you?”
“Whenever have I minced my words?” Very true. “Besides, you think he’s a prick too.”
“Is it that obvious?”
“Yes.”
“Do you think Ava sees it?”
He smiles, but only mildly. “That girl sees more than you give her credit for.” Is that code for tell her everything? “Any news on Van Der Haus?”
“Nothing.” That’s it. The wedding is over and real life is back. All I need is Freja to rock on up and make it a clean sweep of irrational, deluded females. John grabs his shades off the table and walks away. “I’ll wait until you’ve left.”
“John,” I call, stopping him at the door. He turns, slipping his glasses on. “Thanks.”
“No problem.” He picks up his steps.
“John,” I call, making him stop again, this time on a sigh. He doesn’t turn around this time. “I think this is the first conversation we’ve ever had when you’ve not called me a motherfucker.”
“Motherfucker,” he mumbles, pulling the door open and exiting as I laugh lightly under my breath. I pull my phone out, thinking, wondering where Van Der Haus is and when he might strike. Because he will strike. It’s a given. Or perhaps he’s retreated after his failed attempt to drug my wife. I spin my mobile, slipping a hand in my pocket and walking in slow circles. Van Der Haus is a monumental arsehole, but a criminal? I chew my lip and dial someone with no hope they’ll answer. Not after I threatened to make such a mess of him. And they don’t. Fuck.
The door opens and Ava appears. “There you are,” she breathes, ushering me to her with an impatient hand. “Mum and Dad are waiting to leave. They want to say goodbye. Come on.”
I pull a smile from nowhere and go to her, pocketing my phone and sweeping her up into my arms. She squeals, then laughs, arms around my neck. “Anything you say, wife.” I wrinkle my nose when she wrinkles hers, rubbing them together as I walk out with her draped across my arms.
“Why are you lying?” she asks, her eyes set firmly on me.
Lying.
There’s only so long I’ll get away with telling myself my lies are lies of omission. “I love you,” I say, like that’s the answer for all things.
“I know.” She rests her head on my shoulder as I walk on.
“Oh, put her down,” Elizabeth says, exasperated, as I walk down the steps. I’m not sorry to see her go. She’s all right in small doses, and I’ve had too many big doses these past few weeks.
“Did you just roll your eyes?” Ava asks.
“Yes.”
“You’re asking for it.”
Another roll as I place her down and sacrifice her one last time to others. Ava moves in on Joseph first, throwing her arms around him as Elizabeth claims me. “Look after her,” she says quietly. It’s an insult. “And promise you’ll visit us soon.”
“I will,” I say, to the latter demand, not the first. “But your daughter has to take some time off work first.” And if she does, I’m even willing to share her with her parents for a few hours before I take her on our honeymoon, whenever that may be. When the fuck will that be?
Elizabeth surrenders my shoulders for Ava’s, and I take Joseph’s hand when he offers it. “Safe journey,” I say.
“Thanks for everything.” He quickly checks where Ava is. She’s buried in the crook of Elizabeth’s neck. Then Joseph releases me and replaces his hand with an envelope, slapping the back of my hand with his spare.
“What’s this?” I ask, looking down at the bulging package.
“For the bar,” he says. “I said I wanted to cover the bar bill for the day.”
“Joseph, really?—”
“Don’t,” he orders, as sternly as I’ve known Joseph to talk. “I won’t take no for an answer.”
“I’ve not even raised an invoice.” Funny. I don’t know how. Sarah does.
“I’m sure that’ll cover it, but let me know if not.”
I back down, because who the fuck am I to stop him from spoiling his daughter, even if she’s unaware. “She won’t like it,” I say for the sake of it.
“Which is why she won’t know.”
Many might ask what the point is if she doesn’t know. The point is, Joseph feels like he’s done her well. It doesn’t matter that she doesn’t know. He’s there without needing the praise or credit, and that is a commendable quality. I hold the envelope up, nodding my thanks, before slipping it into my back pocket. I hope I can make the same gestures for my kids. The pang of pain isn’t avoidable as I look at Ava. Will she ever fucking accept it? And the money Joseph just gave me? That’s starting our kid’s trust fund.
“Elizabeth,” he calls, forcing mother and daughter apart.
“I’m coming.” She rubs Ava’s cheek, slips into the car, then they drive off, Elizabeth waving out of the window as they go.
I see Dan. Ava sees Dan. Then she walks to the Aston. “You’re not going to say goodbye to your brother?”
“No.” She gets in and shuts the door.
And that’s that.
I look across to him as I round the car. He’s glowering. Fuck me, what’s his problem? I feel like he’s got my card marked. What’s worrying is my card is a fucking mess of marks already, and I really don’t need Ava’s brother digging to find those marks.