Chapter 28 #2
Hours later, she found herself sitting on the same stool, this time with a glass of white wine in hand and the sound of the boys’ hushed whispers and laughter carrying downstairs well after lights out.
She’d offered to help Owen with the dishes, but he’d refused, setting her up at the island instead.
She admired the view. An evening of Mario Kart, a movie, and herding two kids to bed who were way too hyped up on sugar had left his hair more undone than usual.
Strands coiled around his ears that’d escaped his bun, brushing the collar of his white t-shirt.
An overwhelming urge to run her hands over his back came over Ava as she watched him work.
She gave into the feeling and slid off the stool with her glass of wine in hand.
She perched on the countertop next to him so she could see his face. Owen’s lip curved into a smile at the sight of her.
“Tonight was nice. You’re so hot when you’re in dad mode,” Ava said.
Owen laughed. “It was nice having you here tonight. I like having you in my home. And in my bed.”
Ava shoved at his shoulder at the last part. “Someone’s getting ahead of themselves.”
“A man can dream, can’t he?”
Owen loaded the last dish into the dishwasher and washed his hands. Ava gulped down her wine, transfixed by the way his forearms flexed. He dried his hands, then turned to face her, leaning a hip against the sink.
“Come here,” he said. Without giving her a chance to move, Owen gripped the side of her neck and pulled her into a kiss. His thumb gently caressed her jawline, and she opened her mouth further, letting him take whatever he wanted.
They broke apart when the laughter coming from upstairs grew even louder, the boys clearly not going to sleep soon.
“I should probably tell them to settle down,” Owen said.
Ava shrugged and ran a hand down the front of his t-shirt, relishing in the fact she could touch him whenever she wanted. “Or we can ignore it and let them have their fun,” Ava said.
Owen shook his head at her and captured her wandering hand in his. Ava threaded her fingers through his.
“Why am I not surprised you’d be the pushover?”
“You know how my mom was … still is. She was so hard on me growing up. About grades, colleges, jobs, internships, sports. Way harder on me than she ever was with Lucas and Noah. I never felt good enough for her. So yeah, I would never want a kid to feel that way. Guess that makes me a pushover.”
She gave Owen a small smile that grew bigger as he brought their intertwined hands to his lips and kissed the inside of her wrist. The soft touch sent goosebumps up her arms; the sensation far more arousing than she’d expected.
Her head buzzed from the wine and the comfort she found in letting her walls down.
“Your mom never was my biggest fan. I wasn’t ambitious enough for her taste.”
Ava hummed, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
Owen let go of her hand and tucked some of her hair behind her ear. “How are you doing? These last couple of weeks have been heavy for you.”
Ava traced the rim of her wineglass with her finger, thinking through her feelings before responding. She was trying to be better about facing her grief instead of ignoring it, hoping it would simply go away.
“I’m okay. Some mornings I wake up and I forget Dad is … gone. It’s like he’s on vacation, and I’m waiting for him to come back. And then the smallest things can happen, and it triggers these intense emotions when I least expect it.”
While she talked, her knee unconsciously bounced.
She’d opened the faucet of her emotions, and it was hard to turn off.
And yet, she held back the one truth she hadn’t dared to say out loud, because no one would understand.
Or rather, the only person who might understand was standing next to her and confessing her regrets out loud scared her.
Like he could pick up on her thoughts, Owen pushed off the counter and turned to face her. He slid his large hands up her knees, pulling her legs apart to make room to stand between them. His firm touch grounded her, bringing her nervous tic to a stop.
“Do you want to talk about it? These triggers?” His voice was low and calm and made Ava want to bury her face in his chest.
“I love being around Avery. He’s such a cool kid.
Loveable and smart and adventurous. And he’s just as cute as you were.
But it can also hurt so damn bad sometimes knowing I’ll never have that.
That I’ll never get to see my dad as a grandpa.
I’ll never have that experience with him, and the regret is overwhelming sometimes. ”
Emotion scratched at her throat, her tears begging to come to the surface.
A couple slid down her cheeks, leaking from her eyes without permission.
Owen rubbed one of her thighs with his hand and caught her tears with the other.
He didn’t offer assurances or tell her it was okay, and that gave her the strength to keep going.
“I thought I had more time. And if I’d known, maybe I would’ve done things differently, you know?”
Ava’s tears kept coming. Silent, unassuming tears like a dripping faucet. Owen cupped either side of her face with his hands to wipe them from her cheeks. His brown eyes softened as he looked at her, reminding her of smooth, melted chocolate.
“I get it,” he said.
She held his gaze and let his understanding settle over her. It wasn’t a false assurance, because he knew her past. He was her past, and he knew her.
Owen pressed a kiss to her forehead and pulled away, going back to resting his hands on her spread thighs.
Ava reached for her wineglass and frowned when she found it empty.
“More wine?” he asked
“Please,” she said.
Owen squeezed her thighs before taking the glass from her hand.
She wiped the last of her tears and slid off the counter to return to her stool at the island.
Owen filled her glass and grabbed a beer for himself before settling on the stool next to her.
Another round of muffled laughter sounded from upstairs, making her smile into her wineglass.
“Do you want more kids?” Ava asked.
Owen took a long drink before responding.
“I wouldn’t mind. Avery’s asked about having a sibling for years, but Maddy always said she was one and done.
And while I was involved with Maddy’s pregnancy as much as I could be, I still missed out on so much since we weren’t in a relationship.
If I had the chance, I’d want to go through the experience again with a partner.
But if it never happens, I’m also fine. Avery is all I could ask for and more,” Owen said.
Ava nodded, processing his answer. She couldn’t help the small swell of hope that blossomed in her chest, even as she ignored the glaring issues that stood in the way. At least until they decided on their future.
He turned on his stool to face her, his knees pressing against the outside of her thigh. Owen took another long drink and set it down. “Why do you ask? Are you offering?” He gave her a smirk that had her shoving at his shoulder again.
“Not funny.”
“Wasn’t trying to be.”
Ava shook her head at him, unable to stop her smile. “I’ve missed this,” she confessed.
“Me too, Birdie.”
She leaned into him, sighing with contentment when he cupped her jaw once more and met her for a kiss. She gripped the front of his shirt, wanting to touch him everywhere she could reach. They were so lost in their kiss, Ava didn’t hear the quiet footsteps down the stairs and into the kitchen.
“Uhhh…” Avery’s voice pulled them apart.
Ava’s face heated at being caught by Avery, unsure of how to react.
Owen pivoted much more quickly, turning fully on the stool to look at Avery. “Why aren’t you in bed, bud?”
“I was thirsty,” Avery said.
Owen stood, squeezing her shoulder. Then his lips were at her ear. “I’ll get him squared away. Be back,” Owen said, pressing a kiss to her hairline.
Ava remained seated at the island and took a big gulp of wine to calm her embarrassment. Owen and Avery bustled around the kitchen before Owen guided him toward the stairs and back to bed.
“Good night, Ava,” Avery said.
Ava put her glass down and turned on the stool to look at them. Avery looked so small next to his dad, his hair a mess from being in bed. But he didn’t seem upset. Curious, maybe, from his wide-eyed expression. Ava’s chest tightened. “Night, Avery,” she said with a wave.
Owen exchanged a look with her and led him from the kitchen. Ava threw back the rest of her wine and brought the glass to the sink. She rinsed it out and put it in the dishwasher while she waited for Owen to come back.
Her phone vibrated with a new message.
Lucifer (Lucas): I’m here.
Ava: Be out in a few.
Lucifer (Lucas): You have five minutes, and then I’m leaving your ass.
Ava rolled her eyes but didn’t respond. She considered testing his patience, so she had an excuse to spend the night.
But even though Avery seemed OK with her presence, she didn’t want to take things too far.
She gathered up her things, finding her purse and pulling on her sweater she’d left on the couch.
Owen came downstairs, meeting her in the living room. “I take it the date is over?”
Ava nodded. “Lucas texted he’s here. So much for a warning. Walk me outside?”
Owen took her hand to walk her out. He pulled them to a stop before opening the front door, releasing her hand to grab her hips. Ava’s hands tangled in his hair, messing up his bun even more.
“Don’t stress about Avery catching us.”
“I wasn’t–”
“I know you, Birdie. It’s going to be fine. Yeah?”
Ava pressed a kiss to his lips. “Yeah,” she whispered back.
Not content with a small peck, Owen drew her into a goodnight kiss that had her toes curling and left her uncomfortably turned on, considering she was about to get in a car with her brother.
When her phone vibrated in her pocket, Ava had a feeling that was a final warning from Lucas.
Owen led them outside and walked her all the way to the Subaru. Tori’s red SUV was nowhere to be found, thankfully. He opened the passenger door for her and Ava climbed inside.
“Thanks again for tonight, Lucas. I owe you one,” Owen said.
“You both owe me many favors,” Lucas responded.
Ava shared a look with Owen, both of them hiding back their amusement. Laughing would only rile Lucas up more.
“Text me when you’re home,” Owen said to her. At Ava’s agreement, he straightened and shut the door.
Lucas threw the car in reverse without a word. Ava gave him a few minutes until she couldn’t take it anymore.
“How was the date?”
“None of your business.”
“That well, huh?”
Lucas shot her a look. “I don’t want to discuss it.”
Ava eyed him more critically, her attention caught by the large purple hickey and smudged red lipstick on the side of his neck. He was definitely holding out on the details, and from what she could see, that might be for the best.