“We are.” But I wanted so much more.
He nodded and stared off into the distance. “I really like you, Ava, but you know I have to….”
“Yeah. You have to work through your damn list.” I fought hard to hold back the tears. I had no idea where all my anger was coming from, but I felt like my body was filled with molten lava. I gritted my teeth and swallowed hard, willing myself not to explode. A myriad of emotions were swirling in my head, embarrassment, anger, resentment.
“I’ll be here next Saturday at six if you want to go running together,” he said softly.
When I didn’t respond, he simply said, “Bye, Ava.”
I didn’t look up. I barely even breathed until he had left the parking lot. Then, the tears won the battle, and I sobbed. I cried harder than I could remember ever crying. I cried because I was angry that I wasn’t like everyone else. I cried because if I’d had two normal legs, I wouldn’t have fallen on my face in front of Ridge. But mostly, I cried because I was falling in love with someone who wasn’t ready for a relationship.
When my tears had finally dried, I stood, bearing my weight down on my everyday prosthesis until it clicked firmly in place. I loaded my bicycle into the back seat and slid in the driver’s seat. I didn’t immediately leave. I just stared out the windshield, thinking about my life.
Maybe I wasn’t as different from other people as my mind would sometimes have me believe. Everyone had their insecurities. Ridge was proof of that. Outwardly, he exuded confidence and control. He had a solid plan for achieving the goals that he deemed worthy of his list. But he had confided in me, and I listened carefully as he told me about his own insecurities. If I hadn’t heard it with my own ears, I would have sworn that he didn’t have any.
Taking a deep, cleansing breath, I exhaled, willing my moment of weakness away. Ridge worked hard for the things he wanted, and I could take a lesson from him. I wanted Ridge, and I truly believed that he and I shared a connection and that he would see it if he wasn’t so consumed by his fear of failure.
He had invited me to run with him next Saturday, and I would take him up on that offer. But I had a plan of my own, and it involved me seeing him sooner rather than later.
I glanced at my phone. It was just a little after seven o’clock, which was way too early to call Kelsey.
I cranked my engine and headed for home. I needed to shower and head out to a couple of early appointments to show houses. By the time I finished, Kelsey should be up, and I really needed to talk to her. If anyone could help me get inside Ridge’s head, it would be his little sister.
***
It was almost one o’clock by the time I got back home. I sunk down on the couch and thought about Ridge. Even when I’d been having a breakdown this morning and had directed my anger at him, he had remained calm and patient. I should really apologize to him. My behavior was totally out of character. My only reasoning was that I’d had those emotions pent up inside me for far too long.
I dialed Kelsey’s number. After several rings, she finally picked up.
“Hello,” she mumbled sleepily.
“Hey, it’s Ava.”
“Did you go this morning?”
“Yeah, I did.”
“How’d it go?”
I rubbed my palm against my pant leg. “Not very well.”
“What happened?”
After briefly explaining the morning to her, I got around to what I really wanted. “Kelsey, cupcakes aren’t the only surprise I want you to take to Ridge tonight.”
“They’re not?”
“No. I want you to take me with you.”
“Good idea,” Kelsey drawled. “You’re definitely more exciting than a pan full of cupcakes.”
I giggled nervously, trying to imagine Ridge’s reaction. “Nice to know I can compete.”
“I’ll pick you up at five. I have to make a few phone calls.”
“See you then.”
I hung up the phone and covered my face with my palms while I worked up a case of nerves. Was I making the right choice? Would he be glad to see me? In my heart, I knew he needed me just as much as I needed him. But would reality dictate something entirely different from fairy-tale dreams?
As five o’clock approached, I took my sweet time getting ready. I wanted Ridge to be wowed when I walked in the door. I wanted him to rethink our relationship, to question whether he was really making the right decision by pretending that our connection wasn’t enough to trump the other things he was so intensely focused on.
My hair hung down my back in long, golden curls. I wore makeup in soft, neutral colors, except for my lipstick, which was cardinal red to match my fitted, red pullover shirt. I squeezed into a pair of low-rise jeans and finished the ensemble with leather sandals.
At ten minutes after five, I heard a rap at the door. When I opened it, Kelsey waved as she rushed past me to enter my living room.
A low whistle erupted from her lips as she turned and stared at me. “Wait until Ridge gets a load of you.”
“Pfft. He may not even notice me.”
“He’s uptight, not dead. He’ll notice.”
A small smile touched my lips. “I hope so.”
“Are you ready?” she asked, tossing her dark, silky hair over her shoulder. “I’ve got a cupcake to deliver.”
Chapter 11
Ridge
“Don’t you have to work tonight?” I asked Mason as he fumbled around in the kitchen making a sandwich. I sat at the bar, which was the only separation between the kitchen and the living room.
“Nope. Even I get a Saturday night off every now and then,” he said, slathering mayonnaise on two pieces of white bread.
He scratched his bare chest, which was covered in tattoos.
“And you’re going to spend it here?” I asked, surprised. Mason was usually out all night working at the bar. When he wasn’t bartending at Spanky’s, he was usually out clubbing or banging chicks, all too often in our apartment.
The doorbell buzzed, and I stood. “You expecting company?” I asked, crossing the room.
Not waiting for him to reply, I swung the door open.
“Hello, Ridge,” Kelsey said as she entered and set a foil-covered pan down on the bar. “Mason.” She gave him a fist bump.
I turned back to the door, expecting Brandy or London to be on my little sister’s heels. But what I saw was a whole hell of a lot more interesting. Ava stood just beyond the threshold, her deep red lips curving into a wide smile as they contrasted sharply against her dazzling, white teeth.
I felt like the wind had been sucked from my lungs, and when I tried to speak, all I could do was stare at her sexy mouth.
I hadn’t noticed Mason, who must’ve abandoned his sandwich in the kitchen in favor of greeting our guest.
“Kelsey, who the hell is this sexy slice of euphoria?” Mason asked as he made a big production of grabbing her hand and bending over it to place a kiss on the back of her knuckles.
“Mason,” Kelsey said, walking toward the door, “this is Ava.” She turned to Ava. “Ava, Mason.”
“Ava, it is indeed my pleasure.”
Ava smiled sweetly, obviously eating up his attention. “Hi, Mason.” She took in his appearance, his bare chest and low-riding jeans, the numerous tattoos that covered his body.
I was aware that most girls fell prey to his charm. I didn’t think Ava would be one of them. Mason had long, silky hair that many girls would kill for, and he ran his fingers through the tawny locks. “Kelsey, you’ve been holding out on me. Why didn’t you tell me you had such a gorgeous friend?”
Kelsey winked. “Because I wanted you all to myself.”
“No,” I finally spoke up. “Just no. Mason, don’t be hitting on my sister.”
“I didn’t,” Mason objected, a wide grin exposing his dimples. “She hit on me. I was hitting on her friend.”
“Again, no,” I said with finality.
“Hi, Ridge,” Ava greeted.
“Oh,” Mason drawled. “I see. Gotcha. You’ve got your sights on her.” He turned to Ava. “If he doesn’t treat you right, love, just let me know.”
Ava smiled at him, clearly at a loss of what to say. Mason would eat up a mild-mannered girl like Ava and spit her out.
“Stay away from her,” I growled, realizing too late that I sounded like a jealous boyfriend.
Mason held his hands up in surrender. “Alright, dude. I’ll give you the first crack at her.” He winked at Ava. “And if you screw it up, all bets are off.”
I took a step toward him before I caught myself. “Come in, Ava. Can I get you a drink?”
“I’m fine.”
“Want a sandwich?” Mason called from the kitchen.
“No, I’m good,” Ava answered.
“How about you, Kel?” he asked my sister.
She sat at the bar and held her hand out. He gave her his sandwich, and she took a bite. “I am a little hungry.”
“Mayonnaise or mustard?” he asked, grabbing a plate and two slices of bread.
“Mayonnaise.”
“So what are y’all doing?” I asked, wondering what they were up to.
“I promised to bring you a cupcake,” Kel announced. “So I did.” She waved her hand toward Ava.
“Did you bring one for me, too?” Mason asked, raising his eyebrows at her.
“That’s just wrong,” I told Mason. “Don’t hit on my sister, man.”
“But she’s hot,” Mason replied.
“Stop being so uptight, Ridge,” Kel ordered. “It’s not like we’re having sex or anything.”
I frowned and turned my attention to Ava, my line of vision dropping to her lips. “You look amazing.”
“Thank you.”
“How are your arms and your knee where you fell?” I asked.
She held her arm up, exposing the road rash. “I’m pretty scuffed up, but the good news is I’ll live to embarrass myself another day.” She laughed softly, and her gentle beauty amazed me. I couldn’t stop looking at the soft contours of her face, and I wanted to reach out and wrap one of her curls around my finger.
“Have you ever heard the Japanese proverb, Fall seven times, stand up eight?” I asked.
She shook her head.
I continued, “It doesn’t matter how many times you fall down, Ava. What matters is that you stand back up, dust yourself off, and try again.”
She nodded, and I looked into her vivid blue eyes, framed in thick, dark lashes. “You got this,” I whispered.
“I’m sorry,” she said softly.
“For what?”
“I was just so frustrated and angry this morning, and I…wasn’t very nice to you.” She watched me a few seconds more before her gaze dropped to her lap. “Anyways, I hope you’ll accept my apology.”
“You were just having a rough moment. It happens to all of us. Don’t worry about it.”
“So why didn’t you tell me you were closing on a house?” Kel asked as Mason handed her a sandwich on a plate.
“No reason,” I said. My mind had been a bit preoccupied lately and keeping my sister informed hadn’t been at the top of my priorities.
“You want a beer?” Mason asked Kelsey.
“No, she doesn’t want a beer,” I answered for her.
Mason laughed and gave her a canned soda. “I’s just messing with ya.”
“So when do you get the new house?” Kelsey asked.
“The closing’s nine days away,” Ava said.
“Nine days?” Kelsey repeated. “Ridge will have his own house in nine days?”
“You gonna have the Halloween party at your house?” Mason asked.
“That’s the plan. The pool’s heated, so there may even be a few brave souls who’ll want to swim.”
Kelsey shot up from her seat, and her jaw dropped open as she stared at me. “You’re going to have a pool?” she asked in disbelief.
“He is,” Ava answered.
Kel and Mason high-fived each other before they turned their attention back to their sandwiches.
“Speaking of which, Mason, I’ll be moving out the day of the closing. I’ll try to help you find a new roommate, and if we don’t find one by November, I’ll pay November’s rent, too.”
“You’re looking for a roommate?” Kel asked Mason.
Mason nodded as he rubbed the stubble on his jawline. “It appears that way. Why? You got any hot friends looking for a place to stay?”
“I want to move in,” Kelsey blurted.
“Well, Ridge, I just found a new roommate,” Mason announced, and I had the urge to pummel his face with my fist.
Jumping to my feet, I shook my head vehemently. “Oh, hell, no.”
Kelsey scowled at me. “It’s none of your business, Ridge. Isn’t that what you always tell me?”
I pointed down at the floor, my anger rising. “This is my business.” I thrust my finger out toward Mason. “My sister is not going to move in with you.”
“What the hell’s wrong with your sister living with me?” he demanded.
“Hell. No,” I said in a deadly calm voice.
“Stop being a control freak,” Kelsey chided. “It’s not your decision. It’s mine. And Mason’s.”
“Everybody just calm down,” Ava said in a soothing voice. “Come on, Ridge. Let’s go for a walk.”
I could feel the muscle in my jaw ticking. I glared at Mason and Kelsey, and then I glanced at Ava.
“Come on,” she whispered, nudging her head toward the door.
Following her to the entrance, I grabbed my jacket off the hook behind the front door and held it up, so that she could slip her arms in. “If we’re walking, you’d better put on a jacket.”
She obeyed, and as I closed the front door behind us, I caught her lifting the edge of the jacket to her nose and sniffing.
“It doesn’t stink, does it?” I asked, the corners of my mouth lifting upward despite the fact that I was pissed at Mason.
“No, you’ve passed the hygiene test. It smells incredibly awesome.”
Normally, I might’ve laughed at her response, but my anger made it difficult for me to find any humor in the moment. My hands were itching to curl into fists, and I stuffed them in my front pockets.
“Why are you so angry?” she asked softly as we shuffled down a flight of stairs.
“Shit, Ava. She’s my sister, and as much as I like Mason, I know him too well. I do not want him messing with my sister, and if she moves in with him, that’s exactly what he’ll do. He could charm the panties off an ice queen.”
“You do realize that she’s an adult, don’t you?”
“She may be of legal age, but she’s not mature enough to take on Mason.”
“She seems like she could handle herself to me.”
I stopped walking along the sidewalk in front of the complex and stared at her. “Whose side are you on?”
Her face glowed in the lamplight, and when her lips broke into a smile, I had the overwhelming urge to kiss her. She laid her hand against my cheek, and I was surprised by how cold her fingers were.
Her cool fingers slid to the nape of my neck, and she pulled me to her. She lightly placed her lips against mine, and I breathed in her scent. Damn, she was my one weakness, the one crack in my dam of carefully constructed plans, and I knew it was only a matter of time until my walls crumbled. When her tongue teased my lips, I grabbed her hips and pulled her hard against my body as I took over the kiss. I wanted to taste her, to breathe her, to love her. Shit. Love her?
I pulled away from her.
“In case you couldn’t tell, I’m on your side,” she whispered.
I bit back a grin as we began walking again.
“You don’t have to be responsible for everything she does,” Ava said, her eyes cast down toward the sidewalk.
“I’m not.”
She stopped walking and turned to look at me. “Maybe you should just talk to her and tell her your concerns. Then, let h
er make the decision on her own.”
“That’s easy for you to say. You don’t know Mason like I know Mason.”
“No, I don’t, but if you forbid her to do it, as strong-willed as she is, you may just make her want to move in with him even more.”
Man, she had just pegged Kel’s personality. I exhaled loudly.
“Just talk to her,” she urged.
“Fine. You win. I’ll talk to her, but if she moves in with him, anyway, I’m going to….”
“There’s nothing you can do. It’s okay to let her be responsible for her decisions. Come on, let’s go back. I’ll keep Mason company while you talk to Kelsey.”
“I can talk to Kelsey later. There’s no need for you to keep Mason company.”
She grinned. “I’m immune to Mason’s charm.”
I grunted. “I’ve never known a girl to be immune to his charm.”
“I’m not just any girl,” she whispered as she began walking back.
I watched her a moment then caught up with her.
When we reached the apartment, I reluctantly left her with Mason while Kelsey and I stepped outside and down the hall.
“Listen, Kel, I really don’t want you to move in with Mason.”
Kelsey’s mouth dropped open and her hand slapped against her chest. “Really? I would’ve never guessed.”
“Don’t be a smartass,” I grumbled. “Mason discards girls like the condoms he uses on them.”
“Has it ever occurred to you that maybe the girls are using him?”
My mouth dropped open, and I quickly closed it. That thought had never occurred to me, and while it was an interesting twist, I knew better.
“I don’t want you caught up in his games.”
“Look, Ridge, I know you’re just looking out for me. And there may be times that I’ll need your help, but this isn’t one of them.”
“If you move in with him, it’ll be a mistake.”
“Maybe,” she said, “but it’s my mistake to make. Besides, you should worry about your own mistakes.”
“What are you talking about?”
She put her hands on her hips and glared at me. “You know what I’m talking about.”
I returned her stare, but I didn’t respond.
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