A Broken Fate (The Beautiful Fate Series book 2)

by Mann, Cat

  “Give him fifteen minutes, Max, and if he isn’t home by then, we’ll call him. But he promised he would be home, so don’t worry.”

  Little tears started to pool up again in his eyes and spill over onto his cheeks. I wiped them away as fast as I could and pulled his tiny pajamas on, the ones Ari had gotten him for Christmas. The shirt had a surfing dinosaur on it and the pants were fleecy and soft. He looked like a miniature version of Ari with his wet hair sticking up in tufts. I carried him to our bedroom and grabbed the gray hooded sweatshirt I always found comfort in and wrapped it around him like a blanket.

  We went to the living room and waited. I put Max on my lap and he laid his little head on my shoulder while he cried. Moments later, I heard the garage door open and I started to breathe a little more easily.

  Ari walked in through the door and came straight to us in the living room.

  “Hey,” he said with a worried look on his face.

  Max’s head perked up when he heard Ari’s voice. He pushed himself down off my lap as fast as he could and ran across the room to Ari. The uncontrollable crying started again, but I think they were tears of relief. Ari scooped Max up in his arms and held on to him tight. Max placed his little hands on Ari’s cheeks and held his face like that, looking Ari straight in the eyes for a solid minute before putting his head down on Ari’s shoulder.

  “What on earth is going on?” He asked.

  “I don’t know. I went to your mom’s this morning to watch Max and found him hiding in a closet. She complained about me being late and I was actually early, then said she would be in L.A. all day, then walked out without saying goodbye or even looking concerned that Max was crying his eyes out. Max took a nap then woke up in a panic crying for you. I called baio but no one would let me speak with you. Every time I call baio no one will let me speak to you. I think I may have fired your assistant, so you might want to call her later tonight.”

  “Ava, not only did you try to fire my assistant but you cussed Margaux out, threatened her life and told her that you didn’t want me around her anymore. Then you threw a fit in the middle of my meeting.”

  I closed my eyes for a minute and bit at my bottom lip.

  “I didn’t know what else to do, Ari. Do you know how frustrating it is to be here, feeling vulnerable, listening to that Fawn somebody or other tell me no, I cannot talk to Mr. Alexander? Max thought you were dead or something. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s fine, Fauna will get over it. I gave her a few days off. Margaux doesn’t expect anything more from you than what you gave her and the people in my meeting are used to your grandmother’s behavior, so no harm, no foul.”

  “Are you mad at me?” I asked peeking at him from under my lashes.

  “Absolutely not,” he said, looking down at Max who still had not let go of him. “Obviously, something is going on and you and Max are a million times more important to me than that stupid job.”

  “Ari, what’s wrong with your mom?”

  He frowned and the crease in his forehead appeared.

  “I don’t know. Fauna called me on my way home to tell me that my mom had dropped by the office to talk. I tried to call my mom on my way home but she didn’t answer. My dad was in court but I’ll call him in a little while and talk with him.”

  I got up and walked behind Ari and peeked at Max, whose head was still resting on Ari’s shoulder.

  “Hey Buddy, are you feeling better now?” Max gave me a small smile and I kissed his forehead. “I told you he would come home.”

  Ari sat on a stool in the kitchen with Max while I made dinner. Rory and Julia came home a little while later, followed by August and Collin. I felt as though I hadn’t seen August in years even though it had probably been only two days. I wrapped my arms around his waist and hugged him.

  “What’s gotten into you?” he asked in fake disgust.

  “Nothing. I just miss you,” I said into his shirt.

  “Well, please don’t get me all wrinkly,” he said with a tsk.

  I playfully tried to shove him away but he held on to me, and hugged me back.

  I pulled out some more ingredients from the fridge and made two huge lasagnas, a salad and an Italian loaf. We all sat down together and ate. Max sat on Ari’s lap, refusing to let go of him for even a second.

  After dinner, Ari called his dad while I found a kid’s movie on Netflix that Max could watch.

  I grabbed spare blankets and pillows and made Max a little bed on the couch and we all lay around and watched the movie with him.

  Ari was on the phone for a good hour with his dad, which was unusual. Andy came over all the time in the evenings to hang out so I just assumed he would hang up the phone and walk over; he must have still been tied up at work. I noticed Ari from the corner of my eye; he put down his phone, pinched the bridge of his nose and walked toward the French doors by the patio. I snuck away from the living room unnoticed and walked with him out onto the sun porch. He seemed to be distraught over something.

  “They think her cancer is back,” he said matter-of-factly. “That’s why my mom has been so moody. She doesn’t want anyone to know yet, but I guess she hasn’t been feeling well. She saw a specialist in L.A. today and they should get the test results back in a week. Dad said she went to baio, right after I left, to tell me about the cancer. Apparently, she was pretty unhappy to find me not there.”

  “Oh, Ari, I am so sorry.”

  He pulled me onto his lap and we sat together and cried.

  “I told my dad we would keep Max for now until she is feeling better. He’s going to bring a bag of Max’s things over tomorrow before work.”

  “Ok,” I said softly. We sat like this a little longer until I heard Max start to cry for Ari. We got up and went into the living room. Rory was holding Max and bouncing him around in the air but it wasn’t really helping. Max still cried, his tears mixed in with his laughter. Ari caught him mid bounce and Max reached over and stretched his arms until he could clasp his hands behind Ari’s neck. I could tell he was getting really sleepy.

  Ari got Max to calm down again and carried him into our room. He lay Max down on his side of the bed and tossed him the two-headed teddy bear we had sitting on our bedroom chair. Max giggled and I kissed him goodnight. I gave Ari a kiss and turned to leave.

  Ari grabbed my hand and spun me back around.

  “No, if he is going to be here for a while, we are going to make this work. I promise to wake you up if you start to scream.”

  “Ari, I don’t know, he is already freaked out enough as it is and I don’t want to make matters worse.”

  “Ava, stay with me,” his eyes searched mine, pleading.

  I hesitated a second and then agreed to stay. Ari slept between Max and me and couldn’t have been the slightest bit comfortable. Max and I both used Ari’s chest as a pillow and he had his arms stretched around us both, holding on tight.

  Chapter 27

  Traitor

  I lay awake. Our bedroom was dark and the only sounds were our quiet breathing and the crashing of the distant ocean waves. I closed my eyes and snuggled my face even deeper into Ari’s chest. That’s when I heard the first tiny creaks of the hardwood floor down the hall from our room. Someone was up; the creaking became slightly louder as that someone crept with slow deliberation toward our bedroom.

  Long moments passed and the noise stopped. Our doorknob began to turn. Adrenaline coursed through my veins and the hairs on the back of my neck stood on high alert. My heart pounded and my palms were sticky. I could taste the metallic flavor of adrenaline. The doorknob clicked and the door was slowly pushed open with a quiet creak. The air was sucked out of my lungs. I was too scared to scream. No noise would come out as I began to panic.

  “Ava, wake up; you’re having a nightmare.”

  My eyes shot open to Ari’s voice and I heard the door close quietly. I drew in a breath. I was drenched in sweat.

  “Ari, someone’s in the house!”

 
“What?”

  “It was my time. I was deciding my fate. No. 7 was here. You scared him away when you woke me up.”

  My fingers were trembling.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I was asleep, only I didn’t know it. I heard someone walk through the house and come to a stop in front of our door. I heard the latch click and someone was pushing the door open. You woke me up and the door closed. I was dreaming reality.”

  “Is No. 7 still here?” Ari shot up and grabbed his cell off the bedside table. Max was still asleep, but his face was pinched up and his little hands were shaking.

  “I don’t know.”

  Ari started to get out of the bed but I grabbed on to him tightly.

  “No, Ari; please don’t go. I’m too scared. I don’t want you to go out there.”

  “What do you want me to do then, Ava? We can’t just stay in here like sitting ducks.”

  I bit on my lip and thought for a moment.

  “Will you hand me my phone, please?”

  Ari did as I asked and slid my cell off the little table to hand it to me. I checked the time. One o’clock in morning! Okay, he would definitely be asleep, but I dialed him anyway.

  “Allo,” August said, groggily and a little grumpily.

  “Je suis vraiment désolé, August, mais c’est une urgence,” I said, apologizing for waking him and explaining that it was an emergency. The tone in his voice immediately changed.

  “Ok, Ava, what’s going on?” his words were rushed.

  “There is someone in the house. Can you please meet us at the back door?”

  “Yeah, sure, right now?”

  “Yes,” I said and motioned to Ari to follow. He hesitated and grabbed Max, cradling him in his arms. I turned the light on in the bedroom, and then opened the door. I flipped on the hallway light and looked up and down the hall. There was no one in sight, but an oddly familiar fragrance created a nausea that rolled around in my stomach. I shot Ari a worried look and hurried to the living room, turning on every single light I passed. The living room was empty, but the blankets, pillows and couch cushions had all been thrown about. I let out a shaky breath. If Ari had not convinced me to sleep with him and Max, I would be dead. I jumped when I heard a knock at the back door.

  “It’s locked,” I heard August’s muffled voice say. He and Collin were looking in through the glass door.

  “Locked?” I looked at Ari and he nodded.

  “Yeah, I locked the door earlier when I got up to get Max some water.”

  Whether or not a door to our house was locked or unlocked at any given time was definitely a hit-and-miss question. So many people came and went that a lock was more of a hindrance than a help. This time the door had been locked.

  Ari walked through the kitchen with Max in his arms and let August and Collin in, I flipped on the rest of the lights and explained to them in detail what was going on while Ari called and woke up Julia and Rory. They clambered up the steps a few minutes later. Everyone pulled open doors and walked through rooms checking to make sure no one was hiding. The front door was also locked.

  “I’m so sorry. I swear someone was here.”

  Ari wrapped his arms around Max and me.

  “Ava, it’s very late and you’re tired. We’re all tired. The house is empty, it’s locked up. Let’s go back to bed.”

  I nodded and suppressed the nasty chill that ran up my spine.

  ****

  I didn’t fall back sleep until dawn, and then woke what felt like moments later to Max patting my cheek with his palm. My cell said five o’clock.

  “Won’t you go back to sleep for me just this once?” I asked with a little pout. He smiled at me, then started to pat Ari’s cheek instead.

  “Shh, no don’t,” I said, stopping Max from waking Ari. “Come on, I’ll get you breakfast and we can wait for Andy to bring you some toys.”

  Max and I went down the hall to the kitchen and I made him a stack of blueberry pancakes. I ran to my study to grab the journal and the post-its of unscrambled letters so I could get some work done and immediately remembered that I had left everything at Aggie’s the evening before. I went back to the kitchen and texted Andy, asking him to bring the journal along with Max’s bag when he came.

  I picked up all the scattered blankets and pillows in the living room with a queasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. Andy showed up at the back door after Max was done with breakfast and had been dressed. Max gave Andy a big hug, dug one of his puzzles out of his bag, and carried it with him to the living room floor.

  “Hey, Andy, good morning! Did you get my text?” I asked, noticing that he did not have my journal of work with him.

  Andy rubbed at the back of his head.

  “Yeah, I did get your message, but I couldn’t find your things anywhere, Ava. Are you sure you brought them over?”

  “Yes, of course I’m sure. The journal is brown, leather-bound, and the post-its are stuck to it. I left them in the living room by the chair -- you can’t miss it.”

  He shook his head, “Well, they weren’t there this morning.”

  “Ok, wait here for like five minutes with Max and I’ll go get it,” I offered.

  “Um, Ava, it’s best that you don’t go over there right now.”

  I started at him blankly.

  “Why not?”

  “Because Aggie isn’t feeling well; she was on a tirade last night when she found out about Max staying here and she wore herself out. She is angry that Max is here with you and I just think it’s best if you stay away from her for a bit.”

  “What?” I cried in disbelief.

  “I know she is being unreasonable right now. We went through the same kind of stuff with her the last time she was ill.” He shook his head from side to side as he talked.

  “Aggie just… she loves you kids so much that it upsets her to think that she may not be able to be in your lives for as long as she had hoped.”

  “You know I won’t let that happen right, Andy?” I said indicating that I would pull her thread. I could give her more time; as much as she needed.

  “She doesn’t want you to interfere, Ava,” he said blankly, as though he didn’t agree with her choice but had been told to back off.

  “Fine,” I said, “please look for the journal again when you get home tonight; I really need it.”

  “Ok,” Andy agreed.

  “I have to get Ari up for work, so I guess I’ll see you later.”

  “Sure, Ava, bye; let me know if you need anything,” Andy responded and gave me a sorry smile. I locked the door behind him after he left.

  I headed to our bedroom to get Ari up before he overslept, expecting to find him lost somewhere under the blankets. He was just coming out of the closet, barefoot and wearing jeans with a white, long-sleeved, button-up shirt. The shirtsleeves were rolled half way up his forearms. His hair was still damp from the shower.

  “What are you doing? Margaux will have a fit if you enter her office dressed like that.”

  “I’m going to work from home today. I feel uneasy about leaving you and Max here. I have a meeting this morning and then, depending on how that one goes, I may have another this afternoon, but I’m just going to conference in.”

  I smiled. I immediately felt loads better knowing I would not have to battle anyone’s assistant in order to speak with my husband.

  “Okay, do you need any help?”

  He smiled at me as if I was being cute or something, and I was momentarily offended.

  “No, Ava, I can handle it, thanks,” he said kissing me softly.

  Pursing my lips, I followed him into the living room. By then, Max had grown tired of his puzzle and I spent the next few minutes picking up pieces from the floor and from under the couch and table. Pulling his bag into the living room, I began to unload games, puppets, puzzles, cars, trucks and blocks onto the rug. Ari sat with him for a while and they used wooden blocks to build tall buildings which they then knocked d
own, typical guy fun. I told Ari what his dad said about Aggie being angry with me for having Max.

  “Don’t take it personally, Ava. I am sure she doesn’t mean it. Last year, when we went through this she was…” he let out a puff of breath...“My mom was a mess. She cried over everything and was constantly upset. She and I grew closer to each other and I was almost as much of a mess as she was. You were gone, and I didn’t know if you were ever coming back. We were really there for each another and I plan on being here for her now. Please give her time. She loves you, Ava. This isn’t about you and everyone knows that.”

  “Yeah, I guess.”

  Ari looked down at his watch and stood up, “okay, I have to get on the phone for my meeting. Come and get me if you need me.”

  I sat down with Max and we played with his blocks until the rest of the people in house started to wake up and show their faces. Collin rushed through the back door, grabbed a cup of coffee, said a quick hello and goodbye, then left for work. I wondered briefly why he and August didn’t just splurge on a coffee pot of their own.

  August trailed in a little while later, just bumming along as he had through the entire winter break. He poured the last of the coffee into his cup and started another pot. He took a seat on the rug next to Max and me. August was much better at the knock-the-blocks game than I was so I let him take over for a bit. I got up, moved to the chair, and watched them play.

  I love watching Max interact with August. The two of them chatted together so happily, and I could tell that Max had been looking forward to seeing August.

  Max started whispering to August quietly.

  At first, the whispering was just a little game. Max whispered something in August’s ear and then August whispered something back; it was all harmless and silly. Then Max’s face got serious and he asked, more loudly, “Where is the devil?”

  My mouth went dry. August whipped his head around and stared at me.

  “The devil is in hell,” I answered.

  “No, not anymore,” he whispered.

  I looked at Max for a moment and waited for him to say more, but he didn’t. He just shifted his attention to a different toy on the rug. My jaw hung open for a moment as I attempted to recover.