I finished my own food and went in search of a trash can to dump the paper products. I found Julia in the kitchen, opening up cake plates. She was in the full glow of pregnancy now, and she looked adorable in her little maternity dress.
“Jules, thank you so much.” I hugged her and dropped a hand to rub her belly. I had full tummy touching privileges, even if no one else did. “How’s my little goddaughter doing in there? Cooking up nice?”
Julia laughed. “I don’t know about cooking, but she’s been kicking like crazy. Jesse swears she’s going to be a soccer star. As a matter of fact, he started calling her Mia.”
I tilted my head, considering. “Mia Fleming. It has a ring to it, doesn’t it? I like it.”
“We’ll see. I’m not committing to any name yet.” She stood back, looking at the cake. “Are you really having a good time, Ave? Are you enjoying your shower?”
“More than you know. It’s been perfect. I can’t thank you enough.”
“Well, you can always return the favor and throw my baby shower. My mom’s driving me crazy, wanting to do it. I’d rather have it around here than up there.”
“If it can wait until after the wedding, consider it done.”
“Speaking of the wedding, how’re all the plans coming? Everything running smooth?” Julia rinsed her hands.
I nodded. “As far as I know. Giff sends me weekly updates. He and my mom talk on the phone at least daily, I think.”
“That sounds dangerous.” She picked up a towel. “And work’s going all right?”
“Yeah. Suzanne checks me every day for signs of turning into the Bride from Hell, but so far, she’s been disappointed. I make it my mission to stay calm, just to aggravate her.”
Julia laughed. “Ava, I’d be more surprised if you did turn into Monster Bride. You always been . . . you know, a rock. The calm one. The girl with the plan. Nothing rattles you.” She leaned to kiss my cheek. “You’ve talked me down more than once, that’s for sure.” Her hand dropped to her stomach and rubbed the bump.
“Happy to do it.” I picked up a plastic fork and snagged an edge of the frosting from the cake. “So Jesse’s adjusted to everything? You two doing okay?”
“Better than okay.” Jules beamed. “You’d think the whole baby thing was his idea. That he’d totally planned it. He’s reading all the books and planning out the nursery. He talks to her every night, and he calls me at least four times a day to check in.” She shook her head, but her smile grew bigger.
“And you love every minute of it.”
“I really do.” She giggled. “I thought this was too early for us. I’m still not sure I’m ready to be a mother, but I know I’m already her mommy. I love her so much, Ave. I can’t imagine how much more I can love her when I actually get to hold her.”
I swallowed back a lump in my throat. I understood what Julia was saying, but I couldn’t quite feel it. And I figured I wouldn’t, not until I had my own bump to rub.
Jules caught my expression. “So am I inspiring you? You and Liam thinking about a honeymoon baby, too?”
“Ah, no, I don’t think so.” I shook my head. “We’ve talked about kids in pre-Cana classes, and we know we both want them, but we’re not ready to nail down when yet. And of course Father Byers says that’s okay, because it’s not up to us, it’s up to God. So I guess we’ll have to trust Him, right?”
“How are the classes going? Is Liam doing okay with them?” Julia knew the strict rules of the Church, and she knew Liam had some qualms about what might be expected of him.
“He really is. He’s talking about joining the Church, maybe in the next year or so. He says he wants us all to go to Mass as a family when we have kids. Father Byers is just beside himself about that, he’s so pleased.” I grinned. “The only thing Liam isn’t so sure about is that we’ve decided on a week of abstinence leading up to the wedding. Father Byers manages to ignore the fact that we’ve been living together most of the time, but he did ask us to consider a sort of fasting when we get to the final week. Liam agreed, but the closer it gets, the less . . . um, enthusiastic he is about it.”
“I bet.” Julia laughed. “Well, he’ll live. And just think how much sweeter it’ll make your wedding night.” She gave one more glance around the kitchen. “Okay, bride, let’s get this cake out there and start serving before I’m tempted to just eat it all myself.”
“All right. But Jules, I just wanted to say—thank you, again. And I’m proud of you. I was looking at old pictures the other day, of the two of us in freshman year. God, we were so young. Can you believe where we are now? You’re an old married lady, about to be a mama, and I’m going to be a bride, too.”
Julia set down the cake and pulled me into a full hug. “I couldn’t imagine going through all of it with anyone but my best friend.”
I laughed as baby Mia kicked at me. “We’ve come a long way, baby. And we’re not nearly done yet.”
28 days to W Day
“HEY, DAD, ANY NEWS from the real estate agent?” I opened the fridge to find my lunch.
My father was sitting at the kitchen table, a newspaper opened in front of him. “Ah, yes, I’m supposed to see another apartment today, around noon.”
“Great.” I forced a smile. “Well, I’m out of here. Make sure you lock the door when you go, okay?”
“Will do.” He didn’t even look up.
I opened the front door and nearly fell over Ava, who was sitting on the cold concrete, her coat wrapped around her against the biting wind. “Whoa! Ava, you okay, babe? What’re you doing out here?”
She turned her head and looked up at me, and fear choked me when I saw her eyes filled with tears.
“Babe . . . what is it?” I crouched down and wrapped my arm around her.
She shook her head. “I just needed to talk to you, and I don’t ever get any time alone with you anymore. I get up early, and he’s there, at the table. I think I’ll wait and talk to you after he goes to bed, and he stays up to midnight.” She buried her face in her hands. “I started to leave this morning, and he was just sitting there, like a lump, and I couldn’t take it anymore. I just sat down here.” She shivered, and I held her tighter.
“Come on, baby. Let’s get you to my car.” I lifted her even as she shook her head.
“I need to go to work. Suzanne’ll flip out if I’m late.”
“She’ll have to flip out, then. Because I’m taking you to Beans, and we’re going to sit and talk.”
I got Ava settled in the passenger side of the BMW, and then I jogged around to my side, got in and started it up, turning on the heat and the seat warmers. Her teeth were chattering.
As the car heated up, I pulled Ava’s phone out of her purse and searched for Suzanne’s number. When she picked up, I kept my voice light.
“Hey, Suzanne, it’s Liam Bailey. No, I know Ava’s not there yet. She’s feeling a little under the weather this morning, so I made her stay home. No, nothing serious, I don’t think. Just a cold. She’s been overdoing it, working so hard.” I added that little jab, knowing that Suzanne had been pushing Ava for the last few months. “She might be in this afternoon, but we’ll have to see how she feels. I’ll let you know. Okay, I’ll tell her. Thanks.” I hit the end and smiled at Ava.
“She says to tell you to stay home all day and rest. She said you’ve been looking run down, and she’s not surprised you got sick.” I shoved the phone back into her handbag and put the car in reverse.
“What about you? Don’t you have classes to teach this morning?” She could speak now that she was warming up.
I grinned. “No. I was leaving early just to get out of the house, but I don’t have anything until one.”
Ava dropped her head onto the back of the seat. “Liam, I know he’s your father. And I understand you’re trying to help him out. But God, I just can’t take it anymore. He’s driving me crazy. I can’t be myself in my own house, and I never get any time with you, and I even feel self-conscious having
sex. I can’t relax. We’ve got to do something.”
“I know. I’ve been wracking my brain, and I keep asking him about finding an apartment. He says he looks, but each one has something wrong with it. I don’t know what to do.”
We pulled into the parking lot of Beans So Good, and I held Ava’s hand as we went inside. It was relatively empty, since most people had already gotten their coffee fix earlier. We found a table in the back at sat down with our mugs.
“I feel terrible, saying this.” Ava traced the handle of her cup. “I feel terrible even feeling it. But I want him out of our house. And I know that puts you in a horrible position. I even thought I could be the one to tell him he needs to move, but each time I think about doing it, I chicken out.”
“No, babe, it shouldn’t be you. He’s my father.” I took a sip of my coffee. “I’ve tried. But each time, he starts thanking me for saving his life. He finally admitted to me the other day that he’d been planning to drive off a bridge the day he came to see me on campus. I guess that came out in his appointment with the therapist. He’s on antidepressants now, and he says he’s not suicidal anymore. But it’s there in the back of my mind. I keep thinking, what if I make him move out and then he does something drastic?”
“We need someone who he can’t manipulate. Someone close to the situation, but not involved. We need . . .” Ava raised her eyes to me, and for the first time in weeks, a real smile spread over her face. “I know exactly who we need.”
21 days to W Day
“MRS. BAILEY, I CAN’T thank you enough.”
Liam’s mother smiled at me as she reached for a napkin from the dispenser in the center of the table. We were eating lunch at the small café down the street from my office.
“I just wish you hadn’t waited so long to call me.” She wiped off her fingers. “Ava, I’ve known that man for over thirty years. We may not be married anymore—” She glanced at her watch. “Well, as of about an hour ago, we’re not married anymore. But I still know what makes him tick.”
“I can’t believe how fast it all happened once you got involved.”
She laughed. “I know. Amazing how that works.”
“Do you think he’s really changed? Or was that just part of his manipulating Liam?”
“I hope he’s changed. He seemed . . . maybe a little more humble when we talked. But who knows? I think we all need to be mindful of putting ourselves in any position where he can take advantage of us.” She shook her head. “Do you know, he actually had the audacity to ask if he could move back in with me while he looked for a new place?”
I sighed. “Nothing surprises me anymore.”
Mrs. Bailey tilted her head, regarding me. “Are you okay, Ava? You look tired.”
“I am. I’ve been busting my a—my butt at work. And now that the wedding’s so close, suddenly there’s a million things to do. I thought everything was running smoothly, but Giff and my mother call me all the time. I’m tired of having to decide things. I just want it done. And this is supposed to be a quiet wedding. Can you imagine what it would’ve been like if we’d done anything bigger?”
“Don’t forget that I’m here to help.” She patted my hand. “And try to relax, Ava. You’re the center of this whole event. You’re the one who’s kept everyone going. Don’t let it get to you now.”
I puffed my cheeks and blew out a breath. “Everyone says that. ‘Ava’s the calm one. Ava’s the rock.’ I’m feeling like maybe this rock is about to sink.”
10 Days to W Day
I PICKED UP THE telephone, working hard not to roll my eyes when I saw my dad’s name on the screen.
“Hey, Dad, what’s up?” I held the phone with my shoulder as I unlocked my car door. My last class had run late, with such lively discussion that everyone stayed well after the session had ended.
The sigh on the other end was grating. “I just needed to talk to you, son. I’ve had a situation come up here.”
Oh, hell to the no. I wasn’t going down that road again.
“What’s going on?” I kept my voice neutral.
“Lacey called this morning. She had . . . news. It seems, uh . . . it seems that I’m going to be a father. Again.”
I sat down in the driver’s seat and let my head fall onto the steering wheel. Fuck. Why this, why now?
“Are you sure? I mean, you’re sure it’s yours?” I knew he’d been fucking his secretary off and on, but it wasn’t outside the realm of possibility that she might not have been exclusive.
“Yeah, seems like it. We’ll do a DNA test, but the timing seems right.”
“Well . . . congratulations?” What else could I say? He’d knocked up his secretary. I wondered if there were a greeting card for that situation.
“The thing is, I’m going to try to make it work with Lacey. We’re going to get married. Don’t worry, I’m keeping it really quiet, but what I was wondering is, will there be room for her at the wedding?”
Shit. I was going to have to dump this on Ava, and I knew my girl was already on the verge of . . . something. I wasn’t sure exactly what it was, but for the past few weeks, she’d been slightly closed-off. Tense. She swore everything was fine when I asked, and I figured it was stress over the wedding. The last thing she needed was one more complication.
I cleared my throat. “Sure, Dad. That’s fine. I’ll let the DiMartinos know.” Oh, that would be a fun conversation, too. “By the way, when are you planning to get married?”
“Uh, probably this Friday. Just quiet, over at the courthouse. You wouldn’t want to come and stand up for me, be my witness, would you?”
Sure, nothing better I’d like to do than be my father’s best man when he marries the chick he knocked up while he was still married to my mom. No problem.
“Let’s see what happens, but maybe.”
“I just want to do the right thing this time, you know? I want to give this child the best chance at life. Do all the things right that I screwed up with you. I think this might be the second chance I’ve been looking for.”
“HE WHAT?” I HISSED the words.
Liam slumped in his chair. “Knocked up his secretary, decided to marry her, wants to bring her to our wedding. That’s the Cliff Notes version.”
Something boiled inside me, and I swallowed it down. Breathe in, breathe out. This isn’t Liam’s fault.
It’d been a hell of a day. I was working hard to get everything at the office set up to run while I was away after Christmas, on my honeymoon. And then at four thirty, I’d gotten a call from a distraught client, whose social media accounts had all been shut down just as his biggest push of the current campaign was about to go live. It’d taken me two hours to figure out that he’d posted an image without first securing the rights, and that was why his accounts were suspended. I’d spent another hour calling all my contacts and using every favor owed me to get the suspension revoked. It was now eight-thirty, and I was finally home, where my fiancé was waiting to tell me his dad’s good news.
“So can we add her to the guest list? I figured one more person wasn’t going to be a big deal.”
“And normally it wouldn’t, except that everyone’s been adding ‘just one more person’ for the last two weeks. We’re pushing a hundred, Liam. That’s thirty more than we said.”
“A hundred? How did that happen?” He raked his hand through his hair.
“Just like I said. My mom thinks of one person she missed in her first list. Daddy does the same. Your mom, too. We have to invite Angela’s parents so they can hold the baby during the ceremony. It all adds up.”
“No need to yell at me. It’s not my fault.” Liam let his head drop back.
“Yeah, well, not mine either.” I pushed in my chair. “I’m going upstairs to get a bath.”
“Will you call your mom and tell her about Lacey? Or you want me to do it?”
I stopped and answered without turning around. “Oh, no, my friend. That is very much on your shoulders. I already talked
to my mother four times today, during a very busy, very stress-filled day. This one’s on you.” I stamped up the steps and slammed the bedroom door. I ran the bathwater, took off my clothes, climbed into the tub and cried.
7 days to W Day
THE DAY WAS GRAY and blustery, bitterly cold, and it felt as though snow was not outside the realm of possibility. I hunched my shoulders against the wind as I walked down the sidewalk toward the courthouse. I’d had to park several blocks away, thanks to the influx of holiday shoppers into the city.
It was only four o’clock, but it felt like twilight. The days were growing shorter, the closer we got to the end of the year. Christmas lights shone down from the poles above me, throwing odd shadows as they swaying in the wind. I turned to jog up the steps and into the stone building.
I found my father and Lacey waiting upstairs, just outside the judge’s chambers. I vaguely remembered Judge Wallace as a decent man who’d always spoken to me as though I were an adult, even when I was a child. Dad had asked him to perform the ceremony quietly, and he’d agreed.
Lacey stood close to my father, and from the expression on her face, she dreaded seeing me as much as I did her. Her big brown eyes reminded me of a cow’s, I thought uncharitably. Her dark blonde hair was done up in an elaborate style. It didn’t go at all with the suit she was wearing. She held Dad’s hand and regarded me with wariness, which didn’t surprise me, considering the last time I’d seen her, she’d been under my father in my mother’s bed.
“Liam. Thank you for coming, son.” He opened his arms, and I forced myself to return the embrace. He glanced over my shoulder. “Ava’s not with you?”
I shook my head. “She couldn’t take another day off work, not with the wedding coming up. She’s been swamped.” And the truth was that I hadn’t asked her to come. That just seemed like straw that might break this camel’s back. When I’d told her that morning that I was planning to drive up to attend my father’s marriage ceremony, an expression I couldn’t identify had flickered across her face. But she’d only nodded.
I Choose You (Perfect Dish Romances Book 3) Page 15