by Debbie Mason
She didn’t know how she managed to remain upright in front of the judges. She barely registered the crowd that had gathered in the dining room. All she knew was that Griffin, his father, and Liam weren’t there. They’d gone to the airport to pick up Finn and Aidan, who were arriving at nearly the same time.
“We won! We won!” Theo bounced up and down and then hugged her. “Thank you, thank you, I’m your slave for life.”
Because the Marquis had taken the slot earlier in the afternoon, the winner of the competition was announced at Greystone. “You more than proved yourself, Theo. Thank you, for today especially. We wouldn’t have won without you. Or you, Helga.” She pulled the older woman in for a group hug. The three of them went to the table to shake the judges’ hands. When Basil mentioned to Theo that he might have an opening at one of his restaurants, she was surprised to hear him say, “I appreciate the offer, sir, but I think this is where I’m meant to be.”
Sophie and Dana joined them, setting up a time to discuss Basil and his bride-to-be’s wedding plans. Looking at everyone’s happy, smiling faces, Ava was glad she hadn’t bailed upon learning Damien would be here. Admittedly, the thought had crossed her mind. And in that moment, she was proud of herself. Proud that she hadn’t allowed him to steal this from her too.
Sophie and Dana led the judges to the ballroom where the St. Patrick’s Day celebration was getting under way. Damien glanced from Ava to Helga and Theo, then he hailed down Basil’s fiancée for an interview.
“Go and enjoy yourselves. I’ll clean up the kitchen,” Ava said to Helga, Theo, and Erin, who’d just joined them. After the strain of the last hour, Ava could use a little time to herself.
“Oh. My. God, did you see how hot that Damien Gray is? I’m going to ask him—” Erin began before Ava cut her off.
“No,” she said forcefully at almost the same time as Theo and Helga. The three of them looked at one another.
“Trust me,” Theo said to Erin. “I’ve met his type before. That guy is bad news.”
“He was a lecher when he was young, and I don’t see any sign he’s changed. He was practically undressing Ava with his eyes.” Helga tapped her Coke-bottle lenses. “I don’t miss much with my new specs.”
Lexi pulled her in for a hug when the room cleared out. “It’s almost over. Will you be okay if I go to the ballroom to keep an eye on things? Griffin should be back anytime now.”
“Yes, please. I’d feel better if you were there.”
“You have to come to the party. At least for a few minutes for Griffin’s sake. I’ll pretend I’m not feeling well, and we can get out of there whenever you want to.”
“Okay. I just need some time to decompress.” After Lexi left, Ava thought about what she’d just said. She shouldn’t need to decompress. She should be celebrating the win with everyone, celebrating her and Griffin’s engagement. And beneath the worry and fear of earlier, something else bubbled up inside her, anger and resentment.
She slapped her hand on the kitchen door, pushing it open. Walking to the radio, she turned it up and kicked off her shoes in hopes the music would relax and calm her like it usually did. But when the song she’d downloaded for Lexi’s afternoon walks came on—“Fight Song” by Rachel Platten—it had the opposite effect.
In his own way, Damien had won again. He’d stolen her joy, and she’d let him. It was time. Time for her to take her life back. And as she thought of everything she’d say to him, she scrubbed the counters in time to the music.
“There’s the Ava I remember.”
Her hand froze, and she slowly turned her head. It was Damien, leaning against the closed door with a glass of wine in his hand.
Simon yowled, and Colleen whipped her arms around, the movement sending the newspaper and half-full teacup off the nesting tables in Jasper’s room.
“Stop that. Stop that right now. I’ll get the memoirs,” Jasper finally relented, muttering under his breath as he crossed the room. He removed an oil painting from the far wall to reveal a safe.
Colleen gave her head a frustrated shake when he carefully lowered the painting to the floor. He didn’t understand the urgency of the matter. “Hurry up. Ava’s in danger and no one knows. He’s here. Damien Gray is here.”
Lexi had been hovering around Ava, but despite the two being thick as thieves, Colleen didn’t think Ava would share her secret. And it was killing the child. She was slipping back to her old ways. Colleen had seen her walking around with a hollow look on her face in that old, ratty sweater. Ava didn’t deserve this. She’d finally gotten her second chance with Griffin. Colleen would be damned if Damien Gray was going to get in their way.
“You have no idea what you’re up against, Damien Gray, but you’re about to find out,” Colleen said as Jasper removed the book from his safe. He sat on the edge of the bed, and she joined him. As soon as he opened the book, she blew on the pages toward the back of her memoirs. They didn’t have time to waste.
“No, no, not back that far,” she said, growing both impatient and nervous. She brought her finger to the page and focused on moving it. After all the energy she’d expended earlier, it wasn’t easy. Once she managed to flip the first few, it became easier. Finally, she turned the page to six years earlier where she’d recorded Ava’s story.
Jasper scanned the lines of the page, his angular face tightening as he read what Damien Gray had done to Ava. He briefly closed his eyes as he reached the bottom of the page and bowed his head. “You should have told Master Griffin, Madame. He deserved to know,” Jasper said, and rose to his feet.
“You’re not telling me anything I don’t already know. But Ava needs us now.”
He returned the book to the safe, removing an old Smith & Wesson revolver before shutting the door. “Don’t worry, Madame. Damien Gray will pay for what he’s done. I’ll see to that myself.”
Colleen gaped at him. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all. All it took was one look at Griffin to know he was a dangerous man. But what no one had realized, other than her, is how dangerous Jasper could be. She leaped from the bed and tugged on his arm. “You put that back.”
Either the slight movement of his sleeve didn’t register or he was ignoring her because he replaced the painting, stuck the revolver in the waistband of his trousers, and headed for the door. She’d seen the same coldly furious look on his face once before. Somehow she had to make him see reason. For the life of her, she didn’t know how.
But as she hurried after him, something caught her eye. It was a copy of the Harmony Harbor Gazette lying on the floor. They’d done a feature on today’s St. Paddy’s Day celebration at the manor. It was on the front page and accompanied by a photograph of Kitty. Colleen tried to pick the paper up but couldn’t make her fingers work. “Simon, come here. You need to bring this to Jasper, and you need to do it fast.”
Jasper would get the message. He’d understand the point Colleen was trying to make. He was in love with her daughter-in-law and had been for a very long time. If he did something stupid and ended up behind bars, he would no longer be there for Kitty. And that’s all the man lived for—Kitty and Greystone.
Simon picked up the paper and managed to slip through the door just before it closed. Jasper wasn’t wasting any time and was almost at the second-floor landing when Simon caught up to him. Simon dropped the paper at his feet. Jasper stared at it for a moment and then nodded. “I know, Madame. I won’t make that mistake again. But one way or another, Damien Gray will pay for what he did to Ava.”
There wasn’t much more Colleen could do. She hoped it had been enough to make him see reason. She walked beside him to the ballroom. If not for Damien, she could enjoy the spectacle of the celebration. She loved St. Paddy’s Day, and the girls had done a right-fine job. The room was filled to capacity with friends and townsfolk enjoying the food and music. Like Jasper, she moved throughout the packed room looking for Ava and Griffin.
She found her family at a table at the far end
. Griffin took a swig of beer, obviously angry at something his brother Finn said. Colin and Liam shared a worried glance. No doubt seeing what Colleen herself did. Griffin was hurting.
“I’m just saying what you’re all thinking,” Finn said. “What? Am I the only one who recognizes that look in his eyes? For Chrissakes, Griffin, cut her loose before it’s too—”
Lexi, who’d been scanning the ballroom, got up from the chair beside Griffin. “You have no idea what you’re talking about, so shut the hell up. You say one more word about Ava, and you’ll be wearing your beer.”
“Whoa, since when did you become her—”
Griffin slammed his beer bottle on the table. “Not another word out of you, Finn.” He twisted in his chair. “Lexi, babe, calm down.”
She pushed her hand through her hair, frantically searching the ballroom. “Where’s Gray? He was at Basil’s table a few minutes ago.”
“I think he headed out—” Liam began.
“Ava,” Lexi said on a panicked whisper, pushing past the chairs.
“What about…Dammit, Lex.” Griffin shot out of his chair to go after her. Colin and Liam did the same.
“What the hell’s going on?” Aidan said as he approached the table.
“I don’t know, but I think we better find out. Push this damn thing, will you?” Finn said, gesturing to the handles of his wheelchair.
Cluing in to why Lexi had said Ava’s name, Colleen stopped searching the ballroom and rushed after them. Jasper must have figured it out before her and was running toward the kitchen. By the time Colleen caught up to them, they were all standing, stunned, in the dining room. At the sound of Ava’s raised voice, Colleen understood why.
“I said no! I told you to leave when you shoved me up against the door and kissed me. Wanted you? Wanted you! The only man I have ever wanted is Griffin, and you knew it. You stole that from me, you violated me, you raped me!”
There was a low growl, and then Griffin said in a cold, menacing voice, “I’m going to kill him.”
Lexi moved to stand in front of him and wrapped her arms around his waist, tears streaming down her face. Kitty was there now, too, crying. So were Sophie and Dana. “No, let her do this. She needs to do this. Please,” Lexi begged him.
Jasper, who’d taken a step toward the door, stopped and bowed his head, drawing in slow, measured breaths.
Colin and Liam moved to Griffin. Colin placed a hand on his son’s shoulder. “Lexi’s right, Ava’s been carrying this around for far too long. Let her get it out.”
Griffin looked away, overcome with emotion, his shoulders shaking.
Colleen couldn’t take it anymore and strode through the kitchen door. Her family’s hands might be tied, but hers weren’t. It wasn’t as if the police could charge a ghost.
“You won’t tell Griffin. He won’t believe you even if you do. He knows what you were like back then, the good-time party girl in her short skirts and low-cut tops.” Damien’s lip curled, his eyes moving over Ava.
“And you were a good-time party boy in your skintight jeans who thought the world revolved around him. So tell me, Gray, if you had too much to drink and Becky Waters tore your clothes off you, climbed on top of you, and—”
“Shut up, it wasn’t like that. It—”
“Was exactly like that. You knew I would never cheat on Griffin. You knew I had no interest in you. But no one ever said no to star quarterback Damien Gray, did they? You just took what you wanted. Well, no more. You’re not going to get away—”
He snarled and grabbed Ava by the upper arms. “You say one word about this to anyone, and I’ll make you—”
Overcome with fury, Colleen grabbed the frying pan off the stove.
Ava lifted her hands and placed her palms on his chest. “Don’t ever threaten or touch me again,” she said, and shoved him.
He stumbled backward, and his head hit the frying pan that was hanging midair. He went down with a loud thud. Ava stared at the frying pan, her eyes wide. Colleen dropped it just as the kitchen door burst open. Griffin stood there. “Ava…”
Ava’s gaze flew past him to the people crowded in the doorway behind him. Her hand went to her mouth, muffling a sob. “No, no,” she whispered, shaking her head. She frantically pushed past everyone, running from the dining room.
“Griffin, go after her,” Lexi said.
Colleen watched as her great-grandson battled for control—his big hands balled into fists, the muscles in his chest and arms flexing. “Lexi’s right, my boy. He’s not worth it. Ava needs you now more than ever.”
“I’ll take care of him, Master Griffin,” Jasper said.
There was a groan from the floor, and Damien slowly pushed himself to his hands and knees. “Bitch, I’m going to sue—”
Jasper lifted Damien to his feet and held him against the wall. He glanced over his shoulder. “Anyone mind if I take the first shot?”
“I do,” Lexi said, and walked over to Damien, kneeing him hard in the groin.
“Don’t put one foot on that bridge, Ava,” Griffin called out to her, his voice ragged from holding back his emotions, his fury. It’d taken everything he had not to kill Damien with his bare hands.
“I’m sorry,” he heard her say on a broken whisper as she turned from the bridge and walked past him with her head bowed, the edges of her sweater fisted in her hands.
He reached for her. “Sweet face, where are you going? I’m right here.”
“You told me not to go over the bridge. I thought you didn’t want me anymore.”
“Jesus, God, no.” He pulled her into his arms. “I’ll always want you, baby. I never stopped wanting you, loving you. Even when I wanted to stop, I couldn’t.” He drew back and framed her face with his hands. “We made a promise the other night, remember? Nothing crosses that bridge but us. He doesn’t get to come between us, and he sure as hell doesn’t get to taint our special place.”
She covered his hands with hers. “I’m sorry. I should have told you, but I was so afraid, so ashamed.”
“I’m not going to lie to you. Even if it’s difficult for you to hear, I’ll always tell you the truth. So you listen to me now. The hardest thing I’ve ever done is stand outside that door and hear what happened to you. What he did to you. What he took from you, from us. I wish you had come to me too. But you had nothing to be ashamed of back then or now. You did nothing wrong. This is all on him.” He kissed the tears from her face. “We’ll get past this. I’ve waited too long to get you back to have anything come between us. You need to talk about this, we’ll talk. You want us to see someone to work through this together, I’m there. But we don’t walk back across Starlight Bridge until both of us have made our peace with this. Got it?”
“Got it.” She reached up on her toes and kissed him. “I love you.”
“I’ve never loved you more or been more proud of you.” He held her tight and then drew back to take her hand.
“Griffin, I can’t go back to the manor. They all heard. They all know…”
“It was long past time they did. And, honey, I know it’ll be tough, but tomorrow, you and I are going to see your dad. He needs to hear it from you.”
She nodded and looked up at him. “I’ll have to tell my Auntie Rosa, Marco, and Dorothy too.”
“Yeah, but not right now. We have something else we need to do.”
“I don’t know if I can go to the police, Griffin. I never told anyone, and…”
“If it was up to me, you’d be pressing charges. But I’ll support whatever you decide to do. Right now, though, you and I have a date with a bonfire to burn your ugly-ass sweater. And I hope when we do, we burn up some of those memories too.”
An hour later, Griffin sat with Ava in his arms on the beach at Kismet Cove, the flames flickering and dancing in the black velvet night sky, waves rolling onto shore, wood smoke scenting the air. “You cold? You ready to go up?” He wrapped his jacket around her.
“No, I could stay here all n
ight and look at the stars.”
“Do you remember how to find Polaris?”
She pointed to the sky. “There’s the Big Dipper.” She moved her finger down. “Dubhe and Merak.” Then she drew a line straight across. “And there’s Polaris.” Turning in his arms, she smiled and trailed her finger down his jaw and neck to place her hand over his heart. “This is my North Star.”
He lowered his head to kiss her. “And you’re my—”
“Griffin, Ava, it’s Lexi. She’s in labor and losing it,” Liam called out. “She thinks she’s dying.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Lexi had been in labor for more than twelve hours. The tension in the hospital room was so dense you’d need a flashlight to see through it. Griffin had retreated into a stony silence after learning what Lexi and Ava had been keeping from him. Ava sympathized with him. In less than twenty-four hours, he’d been dealt two devastating blows. But sitting beside the bed and refusing to speak wasn’t helping. Neither, in her opinion, was Finn.
As handsome as his brother was with his wavy, dark brown hair, laser blue eyes, and square jaw, Finn had been barking orders at the nurses since they’d arrived. Initially, Ava had cut him some slack. Lexi’s news and hers had hit him hard too. It was more than that though. His experience in Central Africa had changed him. The loss of Mary and Riley had changed him, too, as she imagined it had all the Gallagher boys.
Finn had been the brother who was always up for a good time. If that included a little danger, pushing the limits of endurance and speed, he was on it. No doubt his injury was contributing to his surly behavior. Being confined to a wheelchair because of the cast that went from his foot to his thigh would wear on anyone, but Finn wasn’t just anyone. It was like taking a wild horse and locking it in a four-by-four stall.