by Lulu Pratt
She sees no threat in me, and finds the courage to say these things with confidence, because she’s certain I won’t do anything about it. I’m flabbergasted by her audacity and complete lack of respect for me. It’s like she only kept me around for a time like this, when she saw me as useful, and she could take advantage without any remorse for how my life was affected or destroyed.
Before I know what’s happening, I lunge at her, my closed fist connecting with the side of her left cheek as she stumbles backwards before I pounce, launching on top of her.
My fists wail hard and fast with no regard as I yell at the top of my lungs, every ounce of kindness disappearing from my body.
“You ruined my life over some fucking revenge?” I yell, raining blows as Petra covers her face with her arms, but I’m not giving up.
There’s been enough of my kindness being confused with weakness, and now I’m at my wits’ end, exploding with rage as she screams beneath my fists about how Logan deserved it.
Even hearing her speak his name infuriates me. She doesn’t know Logan, and never has. She’s a psycho to hold a grudge for this long, and I’m not stopping until she understands that.
Chapter 40
LOGAN
“GO! GO!” Rodrick yells as we climb the steps as fast as possible.
Ava is on top of Petra, her hands coming down so fast I can barely grab her, and even when I do, she continues swinging as I wrap my arms around her shaking body.
“Ava baby, calm down,” I say, never having seen this side of her.
I thought her fit in the car was the worst of it, but she’s got an even colder side to her. I needed her to be mad at me so she would look out the window, not paying any attention to me. Pissing her off seemed like a good idea at the time, but after I planted the recording device on her purse, I realized she was really hurt by my words, although I never meant any of it. I even cursed at her, but I didn’t think it would upset her so much. She’s such a good girl, her heart couldn’t stand so much betrayal and devastation in one day.
“Logan?” she says, confused as her eyes come into focus. “What are you doing here?”
“Petra Morgan, you’re under arrest for grand larceny, wire fraud, mail fraud, and extortion. Anything you say…” The police officer escorts Petra out of the room as Ava looks on in confusion.
“I’m sorry, it was the only way.”
“What was the only way?”
“Rodrick found the connection between me and Petra, and we knew she had perpetrated the theft at the party. She was working with a valet and one of my guys in security, who tripped the surveillance system so she wouldn’t be on camera going in or out of the area, but from process of elimination, we knew it was her.” I struggle to simplify such a complicated investigation.
“Logan, I didn’t know anything about it. I swear, I didn’t. I would never steal from you, I don’t even care about your money,” she says, and I smile at her sweet little voice returning, after having to say goodbye to a side of her I never want to bring out again.
“I know, baby, I always knew you had nothing to do with it,” I say. My grin spreads, watching her nose scrunch up as she tries to understand.
“So why did you say those things and get so mad at me?”
“When Rodrick called with the alert that the check I sent you had just been cashed, I had this idea for you to get Petra to confess. We’d discussed it before, but Rodrick thought you were too nice. I felt like you could do it, but knew you’d get too anxious if it was staged. I was mean to you because I wanted you to shut down and move away from me. It hurt to see you like that, but I planted a recording device on your purse while you weren’t looking. We’ve been outside listening to this whole thing.” I swallow hard, knowing this is what I feared about the entire idea, whether she could forgive me again for manipulating her, and taking advantage of her kind nature.
Petra was right, I wasn’t a nice person. I was an asshole, and it made me successful in business, but not so much with people. In the short time I’d known Ava, she taught me how much further kindness would get you.
It didn’t matter who you were when it came to Ava, she treated the janitor just as she did the boss. And it wasn’t just about money. She never threw money around, even when I begged her to. She thanked people and showed her appreciation with her time and her beautiful smile.
“You listened to all of that?”
“After all that I just said, that’s what you have to say?” I chuckle at her blushing.
“No, I also want to tell you to watch your mouth, especially when you talk to me!” She points her finger at me as I wrap my arms around her.
“I’m so sorry, baby. I guess I didn’t really think it through. I got blinded by vengeance and just wanted to get the brooch back. I took advantage of your love for me, trusting that our bond would be strong enough to overcome something like this, after all I’ve already done,” I say as shake my head.
“So, you didn’t mean those things you said?”
“Of course not. I’m in love with you.” I pull her close to me, happy when she doesn’t pull away, but still fearful she won’t forgive me.
“You’re in love with me?” Her words are soft, and my stomach clenches to hear her talk in that tone again.
“Ava baby, I love you more than anything in this world. I just want you to forgive me. I need you to forgive me. I swear, I’ll spend the rest of my life making this up to you,” I beg her, my eyes peering into hers as she looks back with the blankest of expressions.
It’s not normal for me not to be able to read her, and that makes me nervous, knowing I cannot lose her. This has been the longest hour of my life, waiting for this moment, in hopes I could repair what was always broken.
“You’re serious, Logan?”
“What do you mean?”
“You knew it was Petra this whole time?”
She completely ignores my plea and I fear my deception may be too much for her to bear.
“Not the whole time, no. Rodrick discovered it for sure the night you stayed at my house. He called me with the details that morning.”
“I knew it! You were so closed off, hiding things on the computer and rushing off the phone,” she recalls. I hadn’t even picked up on her noticing those things.
“I’ll never keep secrets from you again, Ava. I was just trying to figure out how best to go about it,” I promise, trying to explain the logic behind my decision.
“You let me go all this time, and you knew?” Her eyes go wide as she pokes me in the chest.
“Were you stressing?” I ask.
“Logan, I couldn’t sleep!” she yells so loud everyone still roaming through her house pauses and looks in our direction.
It never occurred to me the predicament she was in, caught between me and Petra, having to choose who to be loyal to. I wasn’t even sure she knew about the crime, but I knew that even if she was aware, she didn’t have anything to do with it.
“I can make that up to you.” I lean down, rubbing my nose against hers to test the waters.
“I love you,” she says looking directly at me, and my heart skips knowing that I haven’t ruined what we had. I don’t care what I have to do or say, I’ll make sure she forgives me and forgets all about this crazy situation.
“I love you more,” I whisper before pressing my lips to hers. She deepens the kiss quickly, and I pull her flush against me as I close my eyes, reveling in the taste of her after fearing I’d never have the privilege of kissing her again.
“What about your grandma’s brooch?” she asks, pulling away from me.
“Yeah, baby, the police recovered it two days ago when Petra mailed it to her sister’s house,” I say. I smile, amused that after all of this, she’s still more worried about me than her. “I’m going to make it all up to you, Ava. I promise.”
“And just how do you plan on doing that, Mr. Draper?” she challenges with a hand on her hip.
“Well, I was hoping you
would do me the honor of accompanying me on another trip, but this time I’m all yours – no work.”
“Like Fiji?”
“Just like Fiji,” I recall what was easily the best two days of my life, spent doing nothing but loving her.
“I would like that very much.”
“Good, because we’re leaving now.” I wrap my arms around her.
“Now? Logan, I have to figure my life out. Everything happening with Petra, I have to find a smaller place, and my business…” she begins processing the thoughts lined up in her mind.
While I respect her ambition and independence, she’s crazy if she thinks I’m going to let something so trivial come between me having her all to myself.
“Ava baby, you’re moving in with me.”
I’d decided she was going to live with me while we were in Fiji, I just didn’t know how to convince her.
She looks at me with shock, before a smile spreads across her face.
“In which property? Because I’m not the type of girl who can live just anywhere, you know,” she jokes.
“You can pick the place, and we’ll figure out what to do about your practice together on the jet.”
“You’re serious, aren’t you?”
“I’m dead serious.”
“Okay, well, let me pack,” she rolls her eyes.
“No, no, no,” I grab her tightly as she struggles to free from my grip.
“Logan, I need clothes,” she says, pulling me to her closet.
“This time you’re doing things my way. They’ll have your clothes when you get there,” I whisper before lifting her off her feet.
“Logan!” she screeches as I carry her down the stairs, but I just laugh as I make my way to the Bentley.
“Hello, Ava, sorry for the confusion. It was all Mr. Draper’s fault,” Rodrick greets her at the car.
“I’ll handle you later,” she playfully wags her finger at Rodrick before turning to me.
“Logan, there are still people all in my house,” she points to the police officers still collecting evidence.
“You don’t live here anymore.”
I smile down at her, and she smiles back.
Leaning down, I kiss her one last time before climbing into the backseat together, happy to finally leave all this madness behind us.
Epilogue
AVA
A SINGLE TEAR rolls down my cheek as I watch the blonde newscaster report the sentencing of the woman who was once my best friend. After the stressful details of the case, I thought for sure every drop of emotion I had left for Petra had faded. After all, it was me who insisted Logan pursue the charges against her when he was struck with guilt once Rodrick confirmed her motive.
Logan’s parents were arrogant pricks. That wasn’t up for debate. But Logan didn’t deserve to be punished for their behavior. Besides, he was a child when it all happened. Since the brooch was recovered by the police, and Petra remorsefully returned the money, Logan wanted to let it all go. I wasn’t okay with that, because deep in my heart I felt that if Petra wasn’t punished, she would only continue down her destructive path of using people.
The suspect, Petra Morgan, a thirty-year-old self-employed professional, has agreed to the terms submitted by Bennett, Scholtz & Leinett on behalf of billionaire investor, Logan Draper. In accordance with their deal, Ms. Morgan will serve one year of probation in addition to completing four-hundred hours of community service.
My eyes are glued to the broadcaster, who unlike me can read the details of the case without any emotional attachment. A breath escapes me, one I’ve been holding for a while now, and a rush of relief floods through me. Hope replaces the despair, and I believe for the first time that this can all one day become a distant memory.
There was nothing else I needed to know, and nothing more to say. My friendship with Petra is officially history, and the tear still stuck on my cheek is nothing more than a celebration of reaching the finish line.
“This isn’t about her. This is your day, Ava,” my make-up artist for the day Cate smiles, turning off the TV before tilting my head upwards with her pointer finger, while reaching over to her extensive array of make-up pallets.
“We’ll do a little bronze like we talked about, but not too much,” she mumbles, more to herself than me.
“That’s fine,” I smile, happy to be in the final stages of preparation.
After spending two hours on my hair and nails, and another hour getting dressed, I’m ready for the glam portion of this day to be over. I have so many more important things to do, and most pressing is reuniting with Logan. Last night was the first time we’ve slept in separate beds since he swept me away from the home I used to share with Petra.
Logan and I left to enjoy six days in Paris, although most of our time was spent in our hotel suite, or the bedroom of our hotel suite, to be more specific. They don’t call it the most romantic city in the world without good cause, that’s for sure, and we did our best to embrace the sexiness that flows through everything French.
Now I had major decisions to make. After what felt like a lifetime hiatus, I knew I needed to get back to work, but my heart didn’t seem thrilled to return to life coaching. There were other passions calling to me, and as scary as it was to imagine a new life for myself, a part of me thought it was just what I needed.
A big change would give me the opportunity to reinvent myself, and after the whirlwind I’d been through, that felt necessary. After much debate, Logan forced me to accept what I initially thought to be a disrespectful joke – two years of the joint revenue from both Petra and me at our life coaching partnership. She had cashed the check for revenge, but Logan always wanted me to have it.
Now, it was the seed money for my new venture. At least that’s what Logan called it. I’d spent countless hours trying to decide what I wanted to do with it, but the more I considered, the less sure I was about anything.
“You’re all done.” Cate beams, stepping back to admire my face like an artist who’s just finished a masterpiece.
“Okay, ladies! Everyone out, Ava needs some time to herself!” Ms. Newton yells. She’s been a planner extraordinaire, and without her, I doubt I would’ve ever made it to this day. Glancing over to wink at me, she herds everyone from the hotel suite that is larger than any home I’ve ever lived in.
Well, that was before I began living with Logan.
We spent weeks in his Hollywood Hills home, but it felt so much like a staged house, I couldn’t live there comfortably. Next, we tried the condo he frequented near his office, but it was too much like a bachelor pad for me. Lastly, we lived in his Bel Air estate, and I barely made it a week in that snobby neighborhood.
While I couldn’t pinpoint the problem, Logan was convinced I needed to make a home for us on my own, so we picked a beautiful family estate in Beverly Hills. It wasn’t so grand that I felt uncomfortable, but it was definitely the type of neighborhood I would drive through and dream of living in. After closing on the home a month ago, we decided to allow the interior decorator complete autonomy, and today would be the first day either of us saw our new home.
Standing from the chair, I take a deep breath, a bit anxious to see my reflection as I take the two short steps to the full-length mirror propped against the wall. Cate did an amazing job, and although I look glamorous, I still look like myself. I’d feared being unrecognizable, caked with make-up, and knew I wanted the pictures from today to bring back nothing but beautiful memories, so despite how uncomfortable it was, I made sure everyone knew exactly what I wanted.
My heart races as I flip my brown hair over my shoulder, slowly untying the silk robe to reveal the dress that has never failed to take my breath away. My hands instantly drop to the fabric with its intricate bead work, pearls delicately intertwined in the lace so subtly that you could miss it if you didn’t pay attention.
“My God,” I gasp to myself.
I may look like Ava, but I feel like a completely new person. My li
fe is nothing like the girl who met Logan, and today will only solidify my transformation. With trembling hands, I trace the details of the diamonds bought for me in Australia dangling from my ears before deciding I’m ready.
“Oh, baby!” My dad says when he sees me. His eyes are already red and puffy from what has surely been an emotional day for him and my mother.
“Just remember this is your day. You’ll remember this for the rest of your life, Ava.” My mom pinches her lips tightly to stop from crying before gently kissing my cheek and hurrying off to find her seat.
The large white double doors open to reveal a room full of people, all dressed to perfection with love in their eyes as they look back to the doorway, where I stand with my arm intertwined with my father’s.
“Let’s go, baby girl,” he whispers before taking the first step.
My eyes are trained on the end of the aisle where Logan stands in a black tuxedo, somehow even more handsome than the day I met him. His eyes are glassed over with emotion, and the closer I get, the more he fidgets from side to side with anticipation.
“Who gives this bride to this groom in marriage?” the minister asks, standing a step above Logan.
“I do,” my father answers proudly, releasing my arm and kissing my cheek before joining my mother in the front row.
The smile on Logan’s face as he takes the half step to me sets off a flutter in my belly. I take his hand and step to him, now standing directly across from the man of my dreams.
“You may all be seated,” the minister announces to the audience.
“I love you so much,” Logan quickly leans in to whisper as the room full of our closest friends and family settle into their seats.
“I love you too,” I mouth as the room grows silent.
I can see the internal battle in Logan’s eyes as he stands so close to me without being able to take me in his arms. His desire has always amplified my confidence, and today it is only magnified.