by Elle James
Leslie smiled gently. “Is that someone you, Ava?” She laid her hand over Ava’s. “Are you afraid of being hurt? That you might be falling in love and he’ll leave?”
“No.” Ava shook her head vehemently.
Leslie’s eyebrow cocked. The woman saw right through her.
Ava nodded. “Yes. I can’t see him again. It’s not fair to Mica, and it’ll only be harder the longer this drags on. I already feel awful about it.”
“Oh, sweetie, you’re falling in love.”
“No, that’s impossible,” Ava frowned. “I’ve only met the man. We’ve only been together two nights. People don’t fall in love that fast. It takes years.”
“Like it did for you and Michael?” Leslie asked, her tone quiet.
“Yes. We knew each other for years before we knew we were in love and wanted to marry.”
“Have you never heard of love at first sight?” Leslie asked.
Ava grimaced. “Surely, you don’t believe in it. That’s purely lust. Once the lust wears off, what do you have? Nothing. And he’ll have no reason to stay.”
“Have you ever thought that maybe you’re feeling the way you are because you and Sean are perfect for each other? BODS matched you for a reason. I didn’t do anything to influence the system. It was all about what you and Sean entered in your preferences.”
Ava pressed her hands to her cheeks. “He doesn’t want a lasting relationship. I don’t want Mica to get too attached. It will break her heart when he leaves.”
“What if he doesn’t leave?”
“I can’t take that chance.”
“But what if he doesn’t?”
“Then he’ll come to regret that he’s stuck in a relationship he never wanted, and he could take it out on Mica. I can’t risk that. I’ve lived through that kind of hell. I won’t put Mica through it.”
Leslie leaned forward, a frown pressing her eyebrows together. “Sean isn’t your stepfather, Ava.”
“My mother and stepfather had to have loved each other when they first met. The problem was he could never accept a child that wasn’t his blood. It’s hard for any man.”
“I repeat, Sean is not like your stepfather.” Leslie drew in a deep breath. “Do yourself a favor and don’t make any rash decisions. We’re supposed to go out tonight with the gang.”
“I can’t go,” Ava said, shaking her head.
“You need to go and talk things over with Sean. See if he’s had a change of heart about the whole ‘no relationship’ thing.”
Ava shook her head. “I can’t. He was just as adamant about it as I was. Even if he has changed his mind, that doesn’t mean he wants a relationship involving a woman with a small child.”
“I don’t know, he was really good with Mica at the fair last night. And she’s taken a shine to him.”
Ava flung her hands in the air. “Exactly. This will only hurt Mica. I have to break it off with Sean before things get worse.”
A sound in the hallway outside the kitchen made Ava freeze. She rose from her chair and hurried to see if Mica was eavesdropping on their quiet conversation.
The hallway was empty.
Leslie came to stand beside Ava, a worried frown denting her brow. “Do you think she heard us talking?”
Ava shook her head. “I hope not. I don’t think she’d understand all of it, even if she did.” She walked down the hallway to Mica’s room. The door was closed.
She opened it and looked inside.
Mica sat on her little bed, hugging her stuffed bunny.
“Are you okay, Mica?” Ava asked.
Mica nodded and hugged her bunny tighter. “I missed my bunny.”
Ava smiled. “I missed my Mica.” She crossed to her daughter, bent and gave her a big hug. “I love you, sweetie.”
Mica flung her arms around Ava’s neck and squeezed hard. “I love you too, Mama.”
“I’ll be in the kitchen if you get hungry,” Ava said and left the door to Mica’s room open as she left and returned to the kitchen.
“Is she okay?” Leslie asked.
“She’s fine,” Ava said.
“I need to go. But I want you to think about it before you do anything.” Leslie hugged Ava. “Whatever happens, I only want to see you and Mica happy. And if you want to break it off, do it tonight when we’re all out at the Ugly Stick. I can take you home afterward.”
Ava hugged her friend. “Thanks. You’re a good friend.”
“I love you like a sister.” Leslie hugged her again and left the house.
Ava could have spent the day doing laundry and cleaning house, but she didn’t want to sit around and think anymore. Every time she did, she thought about what she needed to do and started crying.
She’d read online that Austin was having a parade for veterans in the downtown area. Supporting the troops was a much better use of her time than moping around the house in anticipation of breaking it off with a man she could so very easily fall in love with.
“Mica, put on your shoes,” she called out. “We’re going to a parade.”
* * *
Sean woke that morning and rolled over to love on the woman who’d rocked his world the night before.
The pillow beside him was cold and empty.
He sat up and listened for sounds of Ava moving about his massive penthouse.
Silence reigned.
Throwing back the comforter, he leaped out of bed and made a quick pass through the apartment, knowing it was in vain. Her clothes and shoes were nowhere to be found.
Ava had left sometime in the early hours of the morning.
He worried that a lone woman in the dark wasn’t safe in the downtown area. With a glance at the clock on the microwave, he whistled. Ten-thirty? Hell, she could have left during the daylight for all he knew. How had he actually slept for so long? He never stayed in bed past six in the morning.
Sean headed for the shower, making a detour through the living room to snag his cellphone. He dialed Leslie’s number. She was supposed to drop off Mica at ten and would have seen Ava in the process.
Leslie answered on the first ring. “What did you do to Ava to make her cry?” she asked without preamble.
His heart skipped several beats. “Ava was crying? Why?”
“She’s convinced she needs to break it off with you. I just spent the last thirty minutes mopping up her tears. I repeat, what did you do to make her cry?”
“I have no idea.” Sean dropped onto the sofa, his gut knotting at the thought of Ava in tears. “What did she say?”
“That you two were only supposed to be dating, and she couldn’t risk hurting Mica when you guys split up. Did you tell her that you were going to break it off with her soon?”
“No. In fact, we have a date tonight,” Sean said. “I thought the evening went really well. I don’t know what changed from the time she went to sleep to the time I woke up.”
“Oh, Lord. You did it, didn’t you?”
His cheeks heated. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You made love to her, didn’t you?”
“I don’t know what business it is of yours what Ava and I did last night.”
“Don’t you see?”
He flung his free hand in the air. “What are you talking about? I don’t see anything.”
“You made love. Holy hell, you made love too soon. Now she thinks she has to break it off because she’s afraid of falling in love with you. You didn’t give her enough time.”
“Time for what?”
“She married her best friend from grade school. They knew each other for years before they dated and married after high school. That’s why she thinks falling in love is a long process.”
“Who’s falling in love?” Sean’s heart beat faster at the thought. Falling in love? Was Ava falling in love with him?
Hell, was he falling in love with Ava? Was that why she was constantly in his thoughts? Everywhere he looked, he saw her in something. The sky was t
he color of her eyes. Every blonde he passed made him look twice in hopes it was her.
“Sean? Are you still there?”
“Yeah.” He shook his head to clear it of all the images he’d stored in his memory of Ava at the steak restaurant, Ava and Mica on the Ferris wheel—Ava in his bed, her hair splayed out across the pillow. “I’m here,” he murmured.
“Oh, boy. You two are a case. You’re falling in love and fighting it all the way,” Leslie said. “BODS put you two together for a reason. You’re a perfect match. Why are you making it difficult on yourselves?”
“I’m not falling in love,” Sean said, though his tone wasn’t all that convincing.
“Whatever,” Leslie said, dismissively. “What are you going to do to keep her?” She paused. “You want to keep her in your life, don’t you?”
“Yes,” he answered before he could think too hard. “Yes,” he repeated, knowing it was what he wanted. “But am I the right guy for her? She’s special, and Mica is a terrific kid. I don’t want to screw her up with my crappy track record.”
“What track record?” Leslie demanded.
“My childhood wasn’t perfect. My father was a bad example of what a dad should be. I don’t have the skills to be a good father.”
“You were wonderful with Mica at the fair. Why do you think you’re not daddy material? You are not your father. You learned what a bad father is, and you’ll never let a child suffer like you did.”
“Mica deserves a good man.”
“Sean, you’re a good man. You need to cut yourself some slack. You’ll make a great father.”
“You’re assuming Ava and Mica want a man in their lives. And you’re assuming I’m falling in love with them.” He shook his head, though Leslie couldn’t see him do it. “We’ve only been out twice.”
“And you hit it off immediately. You’re made for each other. You just have to get Ava to give you guys time to make her feel comfortable that you’re not going to bug out of their lives.”
“But what if she doesn’t want me in her and Mica’s lives? I can’t stalk her. She’ll get a restraining order.”
“I don’t know what to tell you. Whatever you do, you need to get her to go out with you again. And again, until she learns that you’re in it for the long haul.”
“How do I do that? What if she calls to say she’s not going to go out with me tonight?”
“Don’t answer the phone,” Leslie said.
“What?”
“If you don’t answer the phone, she can’t cancel on you.”
“She could leave a message or text.”
“Show up at her door at the agreed-on time like you never got a message.” Leslie sighed. “Just get her to go out with you again. You can’t let this end. She’s in love with you. I just know it.”
“How do you know it?”
“A woman doesn’t cry that many tears over a man she doesn’t love,” Leslie said. “You have to convince her that everything will be okay. I have to go. You’re a smart man. You wouldn’t be a billionaire if you weren’t. Figure it out.” Leslie ended the call, leaving Sean with a knot the size of Texas in his gut.
Ava wanted to break it off with him.
No way. No freakin’ way.
His cellphone rang. Thinking it might be Leslie again, he had his thumb hovering over the receiver button and almost pressed it when he saw the caller ID.
Ava.
Every instinct inside him urged him to take the call. Leslie’s words echoed in his mind. He ignored the call and ducked into the shower. He had an engagement to make that day that had been planned for quite some time, or he would have skipped it and run over to Ava’s house.
It was a good thing he had that engagement. He couldn’t go to Ava’s house until it was time for their date. She had promised to cook dinner for him.
Surely, she’d go ahead with their plans if she couldn’t talk with him long enough to cancel the date.
Either way, he was showing up at her house at six-thirty that evening. Whether she let him through the door or not was completely up in the air.
All he knew was that he had to try. Deep in his heart he knew that Ava was worth the effort. Ava and Mica. The two had found a way into his heart, filling a void he’d never known he had. He’d be damned if he’d let them slip away.
Chapter 9
Ava and Mica arrived thirty minutes early to the street where the parade would take place to get good spots to view the procession.
She’d purchased a small American flag for each of them to wave as the veterans passed by.
A motorcycle gang, wearing black leather jackets and red, white and blue do-rags, fell in beside her and Mica.
At first, Ava was apprehensive, until one of the bikers smiled and handed Mica a stuffed bear with a black leather vest like the one he wore.
Mica thanked him and grinned up at her mother. “Look what the nice man gave me.”
Ava thanked him. The gang was a good reminder to her not to judge people based on what they wore. They were there to support the veterans, just like her and Mica.
The parade began with an Army color guard, carrying the American and Texas flags. They stopped in front of the viewing stand and waited for the University of Texas marching band to fall in behind them. Once they came to a stop, they all faced the stands to play the Star-Spangled Banner while the Texas flag was lowered, and the American flag waved in the breeze.
Ava stood proud and sang the national anthem with the crowd of onlookers.
After the final note played, the marching band led the procession down the street to a medley of songs representing the different branches of service.
A group of veterans on motorcycles rolled slowly by with flags flying from the backs of their bikes. They were followed by a troop of veterans on horseback, each sporting an American flag on a pole.
An Air Force Unit marched by in their blue uniforms, all in step, all facing forward as they marched to the beat of the man calling cadence.
A group of men in camouflage uniforms walked by, pushing the wheelchairs of aged and disabled veterans. Many of those disabled veterans wore the purple hearts they’d been awarded for their injuries sustained in combat.
One of the men walked close to where Ava and Mica were standing, pushing a wheelchair.
Before Ava could react, Mica shouted, “Mr. Decker. It’s Mr. Decker.” She ran into the street and hurled herself at the man in the military uniform.
Sean let go of the wheelchair with one hand and caught Mica.
“Mica!” Ava ran after her daughter, only to discover the man who’d occupied all of her thoughts for the past week held Mica in one arm, while he continued to push the wheelchair of the elderly disabled veteran.
“Hey,” he said. “If I’d known you wanted to help, I would have invited you to come along.”
“Can I? Can I help push?” Mica clapped her hands.
“I don’t see why not.” He looked across at Ava. “As long as your mother is okay with it.”
“Mama? May I?” Mica pressed her hands together as if in prayer. “Please.”
Ava frowned. “Are you sure it’s all right? It looks like only military personnel are doing the job.”
“I’m sure Sergeant Stanley would much rather have two pretty girls push his chair than me.” Sean leaned over the man in the chair. “Am I right, Sergeant Stanley?” he asked, practically yelling at the man so that he could hear.
“Oh, yes. Yes. Pretty girls.” He winked at Ava and Mica. “Much better.”
Sean set Mica on her feet.
Ava’s daughter handed the little flag she’d been holding to the old man in the chair, making him smile.
She moved to the back of the chair and reached up to the handles.
With Sean’s help, she pushed the chair down the street, keeping pace with the parade for the first few blocks. When she grew tired, Sergeant Stanley offered to let her ride with him, which delighted Mica.
Ava marched al
ongside Sean, conflicted once again by her desire to keep distance between Mica and Sean and her desire to see more of the man. If she was the only one with anything to risk, she might take her chances and ride the wave to the end. But her decisions impacted her daughter. She couldn’t let her selfish desires break Mica’s heart.
Sean had stated up front that he wasn’t into long relationships. And nowhere in the list of preferences had he said he wanted to play father to his date’s child. If he did decide to take on both of them, how soon would it be before he began to resent his ready-made family?
Ava’s stepfather hadn’t always been mean. The anger and resentment seemed to have built over the years, until all he ever did was find fault with her and yell whenever she came into the room.
When the parade came to an end, Ava thanked the disabled veterans for their service and sacrifice. Then she turned to Sean with every intention of calling off their night of dinner and dancing.
“Sean, I—”
Sean held up a finger. “Sorry. I hate to cut you off, but I need to get Sergeant Stanley to the van taking the veterans back to the home.” He picked up Mica and hugged her close. “Keep an eye on your mother. Hold her hand so that she doesn’t get lost in the crowd.”
Mica nodded, her face serious. “I will.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tight. “Thank you for your service,” she said, mimicking what others had said all along the way. “I love you, Mr. Decker.”
Ava’s heart squeezed hard in her chest. She had to end their connection. Mica was entirely too attached to the man already.
“Sean, we really need to talk,” Ava said.
He’d turned Mr. Stanley around and started for the exit. “I’ll see you at six-thirty, tonight,” he called out over his shoulder. “I’m bringing the wine.”
“About that, Mr. Decker,” Ava called out, “I don’t think it’s a good—”
Sean was halfway to the parking lot. He glanced over his shoulder. “Did you say something?” he shouted over the noise of the crowd dispersing.
“I’m not sure it’s a good idea—”
He cupped a hand to his ear. “Can’t hear you. I’m riding back to the care center. I’ll see you for dinner at six-thirty.”