by Kat T. Masen
The moment they leave, I wrap my arms around Ava.
“So, Nikki’s advice seems about right.”
She smacks my arm playfully. “I need to pump. I’ll be back soon.”
Ava disappears to the bedroom while I move toward the bassinet and scoop Emmy into my arms. I place a kiss on her forehead, lingering to inhale her baby scent. I saw her two days ago, but even then, Emmy looks like she’s grown.
Rocking her gently, I walk around the room, and slowly make my way toward Ava’s bedroom. The door is open, and Ava is on the bed trying to type on her phone with two breast pumps pumping milk out of her.
“Don’t judge. I’m trying to multi-task.”
She places her phone down and removes the two pumps as I place Emmy in her cradle near the bed. Ava set up the apartment so whichever room she is in, Emmy has a place to rest.
I cross my arms with a simper, watching Ava’s tits entirely out.
“You know, they’re just breasts, Austin. You see them every day at work,” she teases.
“I do, but they’re your breasts,” I say, etching closer to her. “And they’re big and perfect…”
I crawl on top of her, moving my hands toward them, desperate to feel them.
“Austin… ” Ava breathes, “… stay the night, please. I want you all night long.”
My fingers graze her nipple, causing a small amount of milk to drip. Fuck, why did that turn me on?
“Ava, we can’t fuck, not yet. I need you to heal properly because once we do, there’s no stopping.”
She brings my face to hers, crushing her lips onto mine.
“Fine, so you’ll fuck me in the ass, then?”
I drop my head, laughing softly. “You’re going to kill me. You know that, right?”
Ava slides her hand down my chest, past my abs, then into my jeans, where she grabs my cock.
“I’m tired of lying to myself. I want you to fuck me in whatever way is safe. There, I said it.”
We strip off our clothes, turning the lamp on beside the bed while Emmy rests. We don’t have long before she wakes up, and while it feels odd to be intimate inside the room with a baby, neither of us stops because of it.
Ava is insatiable, begging me to make her come in every way possible. I can’t get enough, devouring every inch of her but also trying to be mindful not to hurt her.
I’m in love with her boldness, her heated demands, and confidence in her body. When I slide inside her ass, I beg myself not to come straight away.
But she’s fucking tight, and nothing screams dirty like a woman begging you to come in her ass.
“Ava,” I breathe, trying to slow down my movements to savor this moment. “I want us to come together.”
I move her carefully, so she’s straddling me reverse cowgirl. Then, with her hair cascading down her back, she leans into me, spreading her legs to play with her pussy.
The angle she’s in leans my cock into her ass deeper. I allow Ava to grind at her own pace, not wanting to hurt her. Finally, she warns me with her moans and the pitch of her breath. With a grunt escaping me, the same time I feel her contract around my cock, it causes me to explode inside her.
Once again, I’m barely able to see, my vision a burst of light as my entire body tingles in delight.
We both catch our breaths while I ease myself out of her.
“I’m…” she begins with, to stall, barely able to breathe, “I’m covered in milk.”
The bed is a mess, her breasts lactating everywhere.
“Go shower,” I tell her. “Just tell me where the sheets are, and I’ll clean it up.”
Ava informs me to look inside the closet in the laundry room. While she showers, I strip the bed, throw the sheets in the wash, and then make the bed. Emmy stirs, just in time for Ava to come out and feed.
I hop into the shower as well, then keep my boxers on as we lay in bed together while she feeds.
“She’s looking more like you,” Ava says softly. “Your hair.”
“I think she’s going to be all you.”
Ava shakes her head with a knowing smile. “She’s going to be a daddy’s girl, just like me.”
As if the Universe is watching us, waiting for the perfect moment to strike, my phone goes off with a text from Lex.
Lex Edwards: I spoke to John at Cedars-Sinai. He wants to meet with you if you can fly over. I’m arriving tomorrow morning if you want to visit me in my office to chat.
I quickly read the text, then put my phone away. Lex pulled me aside during his visit, mentioning his contacts at Cedars-Sinai in Beverly Hills. They have a level one trauma center, but the competition to get in is fierce. Transferring mid-residency isn’t easy unless, of course, Lex Edwards lends you a hand.
“Is everything okay?” Ava yawns beside me.
I nod, my smile fixed as I watch her feed our daughter. “Just perfect.”
Ava and Emmy were fast asleep when I left early this morning. I rushed home to change and grab my things, then made my way into work.
Thankfully, things are quieter today, giving me some time to catch up on paperwork and get my head together. Yesterday with Ava was amazing, but neither one of us talked about the future, too caught up in devouring each other’s bodies like animals in the wild.
A few patients are admitted with minor injuries and one older man who suffered from a stroke. Even with a few colleagues off sick, we still manage to stay on top of things.
“You have a minute?” Lane is beside me at the desk, her face less than pleased.
“Sure, is everything okay?”
“Yeah, I mean for me. I just want to make sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine. Why do you ask?”
“I don’t want to show you here. The nurses are all watching.”
Lane motions for me to follow her into the storage closet because it’s true, the nurses are known for gossiping, which drives me insane because we all have better things to do.
She pulls her phone out of her pocket, clicks on something then turns the screen around to show me.
“What am I looking at?”
“Read it.”
It’s an article on an entertainment website with a picture of me, Ava, and Emmy in her carrier. Given Ava’s social media following, I’m not surprised to see this nor care who knows I’m Emmy’s father.
“So, what’s new? The media are always taking photos of Ava.”
Lane purses her lips. “Read below.”
There is a photo of Millie and me. This would’ve been taken years ago. In the photo, she’s in my arms, and we’re kissing, both of us smiling. The article continues on, dating both those photos to last week.
“The affair between Austin Carter and his ex-Amelia Edwards-Romano has torn the family apart. Billionaire, Will Romano, is said to be livid at the breakdown of his marriage, and close friends of the family have said Amelia has never stopped loving Austin, devastated to learn her sister fell pregnant with his child.”
My blood boils as my teeth grit from the anger festering inside of me. I pass the phone back to Lane.
“So what? It’s one fucking article.”
Lane drops her head. “It’s not one, Austin. It’s all over social media. I’m sorry.”
I kick the bucket in front of me, rage pouring through me at this absolute nonsense. Why the fuck can’t people leave us alone? The moment Ava and I are in a good place, people need to destroy it with their greed and jealousy.
“I need to call Ava.”
I open the door, but Lane calls my name. “I know they’re just rumors, but maybe you should reconsider this. You know, take a break from Ava.”
My head tilts, confusion setting in. “Excuse me? You don’t just take a break from someone you’re in love with. It doesn’t work that way, Lane.”
Her odd stare is unfamiliar, not like the usual loving and friendly Lane I’ve grown accustomed to.
“I forgot, Ava Edwards is the rich girl who gets whatever she wants, includ
ing someone else’s boyfriend,” Lane insults, her tone laced with malice.
As I glance at the woman who I once admired, all I can see now is the scales of her slithering skin, and the hiss of her snake-like tongue. Ava was right in questioning my association with her.
“I’d hate to think, Lane, you had anything to do with this,” I tell her coldly. “Jealousy is an ugly disease, and it doesn’t look good on you.”
Walking out of the room, I lift my gaze to see Ava standing a few feet away. She is dressed in sweats, her hair in a messy bun. Her worried eyes twist in sympathy, and then they shift the moment Lane walks out of the closet as well.
“Ava,” I call.
The fire in her eyes burns with a molten rage. I move closer, but she raises her hand.
“Don’t you dare,” she warns me.
“It’s not what you think. None of this is what you think.”
“I think you just walked out of the storage closet with your ex. I think it’s too hard for you to admit the truth when you’re around me because maybe there is a truth to this article, that maybe your feelings for my sister never disappeared.”
“You’re ridiculous, Ava,” I accuse, running my hand through my hair with frustration.
“Maybe I am. That’s what happens when you’re in love. You don’t think straight, and when you see with your own eyes what you’ve been assuming all along…it only reiterates how stupid I am to think I’m all you’ll ever need.”
I open my mouth to say something, but she swiftly turns around and runs out down the corridor. My feet don’t move, frozen in this one spot.
I should have told her I love her, and she’s all I need.
But I’m just as angry, wondering why I’m the god damn villain here when I’ve done nothing wrong besides love Ava and not push her. I know she’s always been quick to run away when the going gets tough, and forgive me for doing the right thing by her.
I desperately want to leave with only an hour left in my shift, but a pregnant woman is admitted at thirty-four weeks, just like Ava, almost fully dilated.
Uncanny timing, of course.
Just another reminder of the Universe playing its fucked-up game.
When my shift is over, my first reaction is to go talk to Ava. But I stop outside on the pavement, knowing Ava is angry and will not calm down enough to talk to me. She’s hot-headed, stubborn, and I need a better way to approach this.
So, I take a cab to see the one person I know can help.
I don’t expect to see Lex and Romano in the same office.
Just my luck.
Judging by Lex's sympathetic gaze and Romano's arctic glare, it’s obvious to see the fake news has been brought to their attention.
“Austin, please take a seat.”
I shake my head in silence, pacing Lex’s office with my hand running through my hair. My chest caves in, the overwhelm too much to handle and fogging my mind at this very moment.
“I don’t know what I’m supposed to do,” I say while pacing, the frustration increasing my tone. “Ava is angry. She thinks I’m still in love with Millie. No matter what I say or do, it’s not fucking good enough. I’m at my wit’s end here. I can’t keep fighting this uphill battle.”
“Austin.” Lex remains calm, sitting behind the desk with his posture straight. “Life has been anything but easy, especially since you’ve both just welcomed a baby. To add to that, you’re tired, and I can only recall how exhausting it can be to work those long hours in the hospital. Ava is stubborn, and she protects herself by putting up barriers. She needs to calm down, which I will agree on. I am just about to go see her since she won’t answer my calls.”
“Stubborn would be an understatement,” I mutter.
Lex glances at Will, his expression softening as he releases a sigh.
“This is the unfortunate nature of the beast. The Edwards family has always been subjected to media scrutiny. Charlotte and I have thick skin. We’ve learned over the years to pick our battles.”
“It’s all bullshit!” I raise my voice, desperate to kill whoever caused this nightmare. “And it’s tearing my family apart.”
Romano is oddly quiet, bowing his head without a word.
“Do you love my daughter?” Lex questions.
“Of course, I love her, Lex. She’s the mother of my child, but what difference does it make when everyone else’s opinions mean more to her than my truth?”
“Then marry her,” Romano mumbles, barely audible inside the room. “Marry her, and everyone gets their own happily ever after.”
My facial muscles turn slack, a flat gaze aimed at Romano, surprised to hear such words come from his mouth. From the beginning, he made it clear my relationship with Ava was orchestrated to ruin his life. Although things settled when Ava gave birth, I wasn’t expecting him to encourage me to join the family completely.
Lex appears to be just as stunned, blinking slowly with his brows furrowing.
“Do you love Ava because she’s the mother of your child?”
“I can’t breathe without her, Lex.”
He nods, then places his hands on his desk.
“Then it’s settled. Just as Will suggested, marry Ava. If you both love each other, then stop ruining it for each other. You’re just delaying the inevitable.”
I watch on with confusion. “Did I just hear right? So you’ve given me your blessing to propose marriage to Ava?”
“You were always part of the family, son. Just wrong daughter to begin with.” Lex turns to Will with an amused expression. “Sorry to rub salt in your wound, but nevertheless, rather true.”
Romano lets out an annoyed huff, glaring at Lex because he can. The two of them are more like best friends than father-in-law to son-in-law. Yet rightfully so, their persona is just that of a controlling billionaire who always gets their way. It’s a completely different world, nothing at all like practicing medicine.
“I wouldn’t even know where to begin with getting her to talk to me, let alone proposing.”
Barely thinking straight, a thousand thoughts are running through my mind. We’re talking about Ava here. I can’t just propose marriage, especially since she was there the first time I attempted to propose marriage to someone. This has to be special and meaningful. Then there’s the matter of the ring. Again, it’s Ava. I’ve spent enough time with her to know her taste in jewelry is refined.
“I’ll help you,” Romano intervenes, his eyes finally meeting my gaze. “Just as long as you promise me to never ever hurt my sister. You understand me?”
I look him in the eye, the man I once considered my arch-nemesis.
“What do you have in mind?”
Twenty-Five
Ava
In just a heartbeat, everything is ruined between us.
I leave Austin standing in the corridor, his face crestfallen at my callous words. The moment between us is a blur, like my body is standing there, yet my mind is elsewhere, so far in this mess I created inside my head. I’ve hurt the one person who means the world to me.
But even as the words leave my mouth, I know I’ve made a mistake. I’ve allowed it all to consume me, the lies, the media frenzy, and the worst offender of all—my insecurities.
Now it is all too late. The damage is done, and I’ve crushed the man I love.
When I get back to my apartment, Eric takes one look at me with sympathy in his eyes. He stuck around to babysit Emmy when I lied and said I had to take care of something. He brought his laptop, so balanced watching her and dealing with this media mess. When it comes to unwarranted scandals, Eric knows exactly how to handle it.
Shaking my head in silence, I sniffle as my eyes cloud and my words choke on the sobs stuck in my throat.
“Ava, sweetie, sit.”
Eric brings me a bottle of water as I sink into the sofa, throwing my head back and reliving it all. I don’t understand what came over me. This need to protect what is mine. But that’s the thing, Austin isn’t mine. He’s E
mmy’s father and the man I’ve been intimate with.
But that’s where it ends.
“I don’t want to talk about it, Eric,” I mumble.
Eric checks his watch. “Okay, listen. I have our legal team on this, and you bet we’ll sue whoever’s ass started this mess.”
“What’s the point, Eric? It’s always going to happen no matter who I’m with.”
With his arms crossed, Eric stands up. “Ava Edwards, I know you’re upset. But you need to stop this damn pity party of yours. This isn’t the woman I admire, and god damn it, I refuse to keep watching you destroy yourself because you can’t wake up and admit the truth. Where is the great Ava Edwards, huh?”
“Eric,” I stammer, “I don’t know what’s happening with me either.”
Eric releases a collective sigh of frustration, and I don’t blame him—I’m frustrated with me too.
“Listen, I’m already running late to a meeting. As soon as it’s done, I’ll call you. But please, for the love of God, pull yourself together.”
Eric leaves my apartment as I sit here, lost with what to do. It isn’t out of character for Eric to dish out tough love. In so many ways, we’re alike. I have zero patience for self-pity, but when you’re the one walking in those shoes, it’s a whole other ball game.
While Emmy continues to sleep, I do nothing but stare at the wall. For how long, I’m not sure. When she stirs, I change and feed her, then place her back down for another nap.
Just so I can go back to staring at the wall again.
My phone sits on the sofa beside me. There is no missed call from Austin, not even a text message. There are several from other people, but I ignore them and hit dial to call Millie. When the call connects, I can’t even talk.
“Ava,” Millie calls softly. “What did you do?”
I shake my head, though she can’t see.
“I ruined it, Millie. I hurt Austin, accused him of all these things which I know in my heart aren’t true, but I don’t know what came over me.”
If anyone knows me, it’s my flesh and blood.