“Oh, dear. Yes, excuse me,” Jane said as she rushed away.
Ava glanced up when he stepped into his cabin and offered him a rueful smile. “This is the first time I’ve ever prayed for anything to go viral. My manager is also putting out a press release.”
“That’s good. We’re heading back to Corpus Christi. Mind if I hang out with you in here until we get there?”
“Mind? No. Get over here.”
He closed the door behind him, then sat beside her on the settee and pulled her into his arms. She melted against his chest. He rested his chin on her head. “Emily and I had a fight.”
She pulled back to look up at him. “What happened?”
“Well, for one thing, she said I’ve never been family to her.”
Her mouth fell open. “Ouch. Rude.”
He shrugged. “I mean, you told me that might be the case, and I’d begun to suspect you were right. She also determined we have no place in each other’s lives. I said, we at least have to be coworkers, behave professionally. She agreed. So, I guess that’s that.”
Ava processed that for a moment. “Are you ok?”
“It hurt, but…” He pulled in a deep breath, then met her gaze with a small smile. “I know who I am.”
Her lips echoed his smile. “You do?”
He nodded. “Yes, and that isn’t dependent on Emily, or the Holdens, or my dad, or even you. My identity is in Christ. I’m going to trust that he’s going to work things out for my good even if that means I have to let go of someone I loved for a long time.”
“Amen. You don’t have to stop loving her, you know?” She laughed softly at his surprised look. “I know I was jealous of your connection with her, but I do understand it. I know who you are and what she meant to you. We can still pray for her together. If God can bring your dad around, imperfect though that relationship may still be, then Emily isn’t too far gone.”
“The possibility of that is so far in the future…” He shook his head. “I can’t even imagine when or how it could happen. Right now, I’m OK with that. I think I need the space as much as she does.”
“OK.” Looking a bit dewy eyed, Ava lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “I just hate to see you hurting.”
“Hey, don’t worry about me. I’ve got you. I’ve got God. I’ve never felt more blessed, more joyful, more loved—” He was interrupted by her sweet, passionate kiss.
A minute later, she pulled back enough to capture his gaze with her turquoise eyes. “I’ll be your family, baby.”
He laughed as he traced curve of her chin. “You already are.”
“Oh, good.” She stole another kiss. “You know you have a whole bunch of new relatives to meet. My parents. My cousins. My uncles and aunts.”
“Your parents,” he repeated.
“My parents.” She frowned. “Are you ready for that?”
He smiled. “Bring it on.”
Chapter Thirty
Ava adjusted the arrangement of white roses and eucalyptus leaves that her parents had sent, then stepped back to survey the table setting. “How does it look?”
“Perfect,” Ian said as he stepped up beside her.
“Really?”
“Yes, even better than the three other times you rearranged everything.” He smiled when she shot him a sideways look. “I mean it. It looks great. The living room looks great. The appetizers look great. You look way better than great.”
She watched his gaze drift over her structured navy dress. Stepping closer, she smoothed the collar of his gray dress shirt. “Thank you. So do you. How are you not nervous right now?”
“Should I be?” He searched her gaze. “I want your parents to like me, but it’s like I told you back at that waterfall in St. John. Whether they do or not, doesn’t change how much I love you. Will it change how much you love me?”
“No. Of course, not.” Somehow that affirmation did nothing to stop the anxiety coursing through her veins. Suddenly, she said. “I know. Let’s pray.”
“OK.”
She joined hands with him. “God, thank you for bringing us here safely. Thank you for bringing us together to begin with. Please, give us favor with my parents. Give us wisdom, courage, discernment, peace, patience, whatever you’ve got God. We could use a whole bunch of it. I pray that my parents’ hearts would be open to what we have to say. I pray that they would see within Ian all of the wonderful things you’ve created him to be and the amazing help and support he is to me. Thank for this time for my family to be together. I pray that it would be… That it would be good. In Jesus’ name.”
“Amen.” Ian wrapped her in a hug and kissed her temple. “You’ve got this.”
“We’ve got this.” She pressed a quick kiss to his lips. “Let’s try to relax for a minute before they get—”
The doorbell chimed.
“Or not,” she finished, then whispered, “They have a key, so that’s all the warning we’ll get.”
She led the way from the dining room to the living room just as her mother stepped inside the house with Ava’s father right behind her. Clara smiled at Ava and offered a hug. “I’m so glad y’all were able to make it home. No trouble with the press on the drive from the airport, I hope?”
“None at all.”
With a grin, James swept Ava into a warm hug. “Ahoy! There’s my little pirate.”
Ava laughed. “Unintentional pirate.”
Her dad released her. He gave her a quick wink, then turned to Ian with a mock scowl. “And here’s the scallywag who stole her away.”
Ian offered a slightly unsure smile. Ava rolled her eyes at her dad, confiding to Ian, “He’s joking.”
She sent a pointed glance to her dad that said he’d better be joking. Her dad offered a shrug and a smile before lifting a prodding eyebrow. Right. The introductions. “Mom and Dad, I’d like you to meet Ian Sinclair.”
“Your husband.” Her dad added as if he was still trying to process that fact. He offered his hand for a firm handshake. “James Emerson. We’ve met before, I believe?”
“Yes, sir. At a Treasure Hunter’s meet and greet. It’s wonderful to see you again.”
James nodded. “I don’t believe you’ve met Ava’s mother, my wife, Clara.”
Clara stepped forward to offer Ian a hug and an air kiss on the cheek. “It’s such a pleasure to meet you.”
Ava gestured to the coffee table where she’d placed the appetizers her mother had ordered. “Shall we?”
It took them a few moments to get settled. Her parents sat together on the loveseat while she and Ian chose the couch. Ian’s hand landed on her knee. She caught hold of it, threading their fingers together, suddenly very conscious of the fact that she hadn’t even brought a boyfriend home before. Now, she was introducing her parents to her husband. He was incredible, but they didn’t know that yet.
Her dad set his glass of sweet tea on the coffee table. “Well, Ian, I promised Clara I wouldn’t read you the riot act about not asking for my blessing before proposing to my daughter.”
Clara patted James’ knee. “Darling, nothing about their romance was traditional.”
“That’s true,” Ian said, bravely venturing into the conversation. “How did the two of you meet?”
Clara smiled up at James. “A mutual friend introduced us, but we want to hear about y’all. Obviously, we saw what happened up to the point where Ian left the pirate show. How did you two connect again afterward?”
That was Ava’s cue. She was supposed to jump in, carefully steer the conversation, make their love story sound romantic yet responsible. Instead, her mind went blank. She glanced up at Ian.
He spoke for them both. “Production for Pirate’s Plunder was based on a small island off the coast of Florida. They had sort of a holding house there for contestants to stay after they were eliminated from the show, since they wanted us to keep a low profile before our press tours. I was still there when Ava arriv
ed. We decided that we would like to visit the actual Caribbean and took a vacation to the Virgin Islands before my press tour. We stayed in separate villas, of course. We got to know each other better, fell in love, and knew we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together.”
Clara eyed them contemplatively. “Before your press tour? So how long ago was that?”
“About two weeks ago now.” Ian looked to Ava for confirmation. She nodded. Two weeks? Had it really only been two weeks? He added, “But we also spent a lot of time together on the show.”
Her dad shook his head slightly. “That still isn’t much time to get to know each other.”
Ava finally found her voice. “I think Ian knows me better than anyone. Granted, we still have a lot to learn about each other. We’re eager to do that, but there’s a lot more to knowing someone than just the simple facts of their life. Ian knows who I am—the truest part of who I am, and he loves me for it. I guess… I guess that sounds rather silly.”
“No,” Clara said softly. “It doesn’t sound silly at all.”
James looked at Ian. “Would you say the same of Ava? Does she know you better than anyone?”
Ian was quiet for a moment. In his silence, Ava was almost afraid that he’d say ‘no.’ That maybe he thought the Holdens knew him better, since he’d known them longer. Instead, he met her gaze with raw vulnerability. “Ava knows me even better than I know myself. She sees me for who I am, not who she wants me to be, but she still somehow does want me. As for whether she knows me better than anyone else in my life, there is no comparison. Ava wins. Hands down. In every area. No one could even come close. Nor would I want them to.”
Ava couldn’t tear her gaze from Ian’s, not even when unshed tears threatened to blur her vision. A soft smile lifted her lips. James cleared his throat, drawing Ian’s gaze and shattering the moment. She remembered how to breathe again, then glanced back to her dad.
“Well, Ava and Ian, Clara and I want nothing more than for your marriage to succeed. If there is anything we can do, please reach out. Marriage isn’t always smooth sailing, so when you hit those rough patches, don’t go through them alone. Find help. Make it last.”
Was that it? Her parents were accepting and approving of her marriage? Honestly, she hadn’t given them much of a choice, but she couldn’t quite believe it could possibly be that simple. Nevertheless, she offered a smile. “We will. Now, are y’all ready for some dinner?”
Dinner was a more light-hearted affair with her father filling them in on his recent travels and how his campaign had gone so far. He finally admitted, “I’d like to see some improvement in our ability to capture younger voters, which is why I’ll really be counting on you once your press tour is over, Ava.”
She looked up from the perfectly cooked flank steak on her white china plate and dared to ask, “Is that why there are so many events scheduled for me?”
“Yes, this is the perfect time to capitalize on your increased popularity and influence.”
Clara nodded. “There is such a long waiting list for the Evenings With Ava events.”
Ian tilted his head. “What are Evenings With Ava?”
“Well, they were supposed to be an intimate gathering in key cities where James needs to drum up support with younger voters. The format would be a question-and-answer interview with a facilitator who would take questions from the audience. However, with the amount of interest we’ve received, we are really going to have to think through whether we want to find larger venues.”
James narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. “What about increasing the number of events?”
Feeling Ian’s gaze on her, Ava lowered her fork. “Increase it?”
Clara nodded slowly. “That might work, but wouldn’t it be better to stay focused on the same areas? Unless… Do you mean multiple dates in the same location.”
“Yes, exactly.”
“I do like that idea.” Clara smiled and turned to Ian. “You know, I was also thinking it would be good to involve you in the events as well.”
Ava shook her head slightly in disbelief. “What?”
Ian looked slightly amused. “How would I be involved?”
“We don’t have an interviewer yet.”
James frowned. “I don’t think that would be the best use of his involvement, Clara. People would want to ask him questions as well.”
“True, but we don’t want to change the billing or the branding of the events. Perhaps Ian could just drop in every so often to answer questions at the end of the event. You know, like those musical artist who surprise concert-goers by having other unannounced stars join them on stage during performances.”
“That’s a great idea, Clara. I’m sure Ian would want to travel to see Ava every now and then, anyway.”
Ava’s fingernails bit into her palm. She glanced at Ian who still seemed more amused by the minute. He lifted an eyebrow. “How exactly did y’all get to the point in this plan where I’m seeing my wife only every now and then?”
“Oh.” Clara blinked as if she’d forgotten Ian was present at all. She looked at Ava in confusion before turning to Ian. “I thought Ava must have told you. She’ll need to travel quite frequently over the next several months to help with her father’s campaign and for a few other engagements that we had to make during her absence. I’m sure you understand.”
Ian glanced around the table. He straightened slightly as if suddenly realizing her parents actually expected all of this to take place. Finally, his gaze met Ava’s, then landed on her white-knuckled fists. His jaw tightened. Fire filled his eyes.
He seemed ready to say a great many wonderful, strong, protective things. Instead, he pressed his lips together. He reached over to cover her fist with his hand. “Ava?”
She glanced up from their hand to meet his eyes. Breathlessly, she asked, “Yes?”
“I trust you. One hundred percent. What do you think is best?”
Her mouth fell open. It felt as if the air rushed from the room. She released a soft little surprised laugh. Strength filled her—so did courage and resolve and all the things they’d prayed for. She would not allow her parents to continue directing her life and, now by extension, Ian’s. No more. No way. No how.
The time had come for her to stand up for herself, for Ian, for their relationship, and for God’s will in her life—whatever that might be.
She let her hand relax and her fingers thread through Ian’s again. Lifting her chin, she turned to her parents and finally spoke one long overdue word.
“No.”
James’ eyebrows lifted. “No?”
Clara asked, “No, what?”
“No,” she looked at her mother. “I do not want to campaign.”
Her mother gasped, then painful silence descended upon the table. Ava stole a quick glance at Ian who gave her a supportive nod. Squaring her shoulders, she continued, “I’ll decide about the other events on a case-by-case basis.”
Clara let out a disbelieving laugh, “You can’t be serious. Everything is already planned. Commitments have been made.”
“Exactly. It was done so without my input or agreement. Therefore, I suggest you unmake those plans.”
Her father frowned. “Ava, you’ve known about my plans for ages. It should be no surprise that we expected your help. You’ve never indicated you were unwilling to support me before. What’s changed?”
“Me. I’ve changed. After everything I’ve been through over the past few months, the last place I’m comfortable being right now is in the spotlight.”
Confusion filled his voice. “How can that be possible? You just appeared on a reality show.”
“My purpose for being on that show was to get away from everything in an environment that was supposed to be safe and controlled. I had no idea that the show was going to turn into Pirate’s Plunder or that it would be as popular as it is. Dealing with all of that is enough of a challenge without adding the stress of ca
mpaigning.”
She paused, then admitted. “The truth is I probably wouldn’t be able to do it anyway. I still have panic attacks. I probably need to go back to counseling to learn how to deal with this anxiety. The last thing I need is more of it.”
“We didn’t realize…” Clara began. “I mean, I saw the panic attack you had on the pirate show, but I thought it was just due to the circumstances of the show. James?”
He searched Ava’s face, then soberly said, “We’ll find someone else to headline the events or we’ll cancel them outright.”
Relief filled Ava. “Thank you.”
“Your well-being is… It’s more important than my campaign,” he managed to say, though it seemed to cost him more than he’d probably like to admit. Her relief was short-lived, though, for the very next instant he asked, “What are your plans then?”
She swallowed hard. “My plans?”
“Yes, what will you be doing instead of campaigning? I know your mother mentioned those two jobs in DC, but we can—”
“I’ll make my own plans. From now on. All of my own plans. Right now, I don’t have any.”
Her father tilted his head as if he wasn’t sure he’d heard her correctly. “You don’t have any?”
“None. Whatsoever. Well, perhaps one.” She met Ian’s reassuring gaze. “I’m going to move to Corpus Christi to live with Ian. He has a job and a house there. Since I don’t have either at the moment, it makes the most sense. We’ll figure the rest out from there.”
“What about my mother’s house?” Clara asked, “You’re part owner. You don’t have to offer tours unless that’s what you want.”
Ava glanced at Ian. He offered a light shrug and said, “To be honest, we’re still figuring out where we want to live and work. We’ll take it all into consideration.”
Concern filled her father’s voice. “It seems like there is a lot y’all are unsure about.”
“That’s true,” Ava admitted. “We may not know what God has in store for us next, but we know it’s going to be good. We want to make sure we have room enough to follow Him wherever he might lead.”
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