“I arranged it all on the flight here.” He reached for her hand. A tingle traveled down her spine as his lips grazed her skin. He then led her to the sofa to sit. Her eyes lingered on him as she waited for him to speak. He drew a heavy deep breath followed by an exhale. “This room represents the night you handed me your heart. You revealed the pain you kept buried inside and took a chance on me. Looking back, I probably didn’t deserve such trust, but I’ve never taken that moment lightly.”
“Sometimes I wonder if we moved too fast.”
His palm caressed her face as he gazed into her eyes. “You can’t put a timetable on what the heart wants.”
“Maybe not, but I can’t overlook your lies by omission, because my heart wants to forgive you.”
“I regret hurting you.” He sat back with his arms crossed against his chest. His eyes lowered, and voice encompassed with pain. “Fear and denial led to my dishonesty. Unfortunately, I can’t change what I’ve done. But I can promise going forward we’ll handle this situation however you see fit.”
“Meaning?”
“I’ll meet with Lindsey with you present. I want to be completely transparent, and for you to know, there’s nothing romantic between us.”
“I believe you.”
“You do?” he asked, with a veil of hope in his voice. “Just tell me what I can do to earn your forgiveness?”
Ava stared at him, then briefly closed her eyes. Seconds later her sadness was revealed through the flow of tears. “Can you rewind time and not slept with her?”
“That’s the real issue, isn’t it? It isn’t the pregnancy, it’s because I was intimate with someone else.”
Ava nodded her head. “From the moment we had our first date, I never considered being with anyone else. I know that’s on me, and I couldn’t expect you to do the same.” She stroked her fingers across her face to erase the stream of tears. “During the brief moment Brandon and I were together, I couldn’t bring myself to sleep with him, because it felt like a betrayal to you. Yet, it was easy for you to climb into her bed because you hadn’t given me the title as your girlfriend.”
Justin fell silent with his head held low. When he looked up at her, Ava noticed his eyes had a tinge of redness. “The last thing I ever want to do is hurt you. It’ll kill me if I lose you over a lapse of judgment.”
Witnessing the pain in his eyes caused Ava to tear up more. “You won’t lose me,” she said, “because it’ll devastate me to be without you.”
Justin pulled her into an embrace and kissed the side of her face. “I love you, and I’m so sorry for hurting you.”
Ava met his gaze and kissed his lips. “Apology accepted,” she said.
Justin pulled her forward into a deeper kiss. She ran her fingers through his hair as his lips trail down her neck. He placed his hand on the top button of her shirt and just as he was about to unbutton it, there was a knock on the door. “Who is that?” asked Ava.
“I’m sure it’s room service. I ordered dinner.”
She straightened her clothes while Justin opened the door. Moments later, she heard the wheels of a dinner cart roll across the floor towards the living area. The hotel attendant placed the dome covered food onto the dining table. “What did you order?” she asked once they were alone.
Justin lifted the cover of one plate. “I kept it simple with steak and vegetables.”
“Okay, but what’s under that one.” She pointed to a smaller covered plate.
“Dessert for later.”
“Before we dig in, I would like to splash water on my face. I’m sure I have streaks of mascara running everywhere.”
“I have a bag for you in the bedroom.”
Ava smiled. “You packed me a bag?”
“Yeah, I grabbed a few items from your closet at home.”
The smile hadn’t left her face as she entered the bedroom. On a chair beside the window, he’d placed a suitcase and an overnight travel bag. Inside was a facial wash, body soap, and lipstick. The bare necessities. She brought the bag into the bathroom and washed her face. She brushed her hair into a messy bun. When she exited the room, her gaze drifted towards Justin, who appeared in deep thought as he stood near the window that overlooked the lake. He didn’t seem to notice her when she approached him from behind. As she moved closer, she saw his finger stroke his eye as if he wiped a tear. Her heart sank. This was the first time she ever witnessed him express a deep emotional pain. Nothing that had happened months before, such as his kidnapping, imprisonment, or Brandon’s threats to take her life, had rattled this sort of emotion from him. It was the possibility of losing her that caused him to breakdown.
Ava stood behind him and locked her arms around his waist, resting her head on his back. He brought her hands to his lips and moved her in front of him. An undeniable sadness met her as she looked into his eyes.
“I love you,” she said. “I’m not going anywhere. We will get through this together.”
Justin remained silent and placed a single kiss on her lips. He then led her to the dining table. He held out a chair for her to sit and helped push it forward towards the table. He moved to the opposite side and sat directly across from her. They both lifted the covers from their foods and dug in.
“I’m surprised you’re here,” she said, slicing into her medium-rare steak.
“Why so?”
“I told you I needed space, and you typically respect my wishes.”
“Are you upset I came?”
“No,” she blurted and shook her head. “If I’m honest, I’d hoped you would.”
Justin’s lips twisted into a grin as he expelled a small chuckle.
“What’s that smile about?”
“Chase stopped by yesterday, and I was going on about how much I missed you. He convinced me to fly out here.”
“I’ll make sure to thank him. Are we flying back tomorrow?”
“I’m meeting with Becky and a contractor in the morning. She hasn’t been able to resolve the issues with the sewer lines.”
“What time?”
“Around ten. If you don’t mind, I need you to check on the house. We’re paying the management company a shit load of money, let’s make sure they’re earning every dollar.”
“I’m on it. I’ll leave out with you in the morning.”
Ava continued to enjoy her dinner. Midway, it seemed Justin’s spirits had picked up. After they’d finished eating, he moved the covered smaller dessert plate to the center of the table.
She leaned back into the dining chair with a hand on her stomach. “I don’t have room for dessert. I think I’ll pass.”
“Are you sure? It’s your favorite.” He nudged the plate forward.
“Oh really, and what is my favorite dessert?”
“You like lemon pound cake with a side of vanilla ice cream.”
“True.” She nodded her head with a smile.
“But you absolutely love chocolate caramel cake.”
Ava’s eyes widened at the thought as she licked her lips.
“Does that mean I’m correct?” he grinned.
“Right on the head.” She grabbed a fork. “I’ll even share it with you.”
Justin wore a sly smile as he lifted the cover. Her eyes bulged as she loosened her grip on her fork, causing it to clank against on the table. “This isn’t chocolate caramel cake.” Her hand moved over her mouth.
“No, it isn’t. Do you like it?”
Ava lifted the black velvet box that revealed an enormous diamond solitaire necklace with accompanied diamond teardrop earrings. “I love it!”
Justin moved to her side of the table and removed the necklace from its box. Ava stood with a slight tremble in her legs as the coldness of the heavy stone laid against her skin. He turned her around. “Gorgeous, just like you.”
Ava ran to the closest mirror in the foyer to admire the sparkling gem. It was an emerald-cut diamond whose beauty danced underneath the bright lights. She admired it a few moments long
er before moving her gaze towards Justin’s reflection in the mirror as he stood behind her. “How many carats?” she asked.
“Ten.”
What? She mouthed silently. Her fingers stroked the massive stone. “I know you can’t walk into a jewelry store to purchase something like this.” She turned to face him. “I assume you needed time to find the perfect diamond and then had it mounted.”
“I’ve had my jeweler working on it for some months now. I wanted the perfect time to give it to you. I know you’re not big on grand gestures and I didn’t want you to think this was an attempt to…”
“I love it!” She blurted, cutting him off. She inched closer and interlocked her arms around his neck. “I love you.”
In one swoop, he lifted her into his arms. With her legs wrapped around his waist and his hands holding her up by her bottom, he carried her to the bedroom. He placed her on the bed. He removed his suit jacket and unbuttoned his dress shirt. Ava sat up to unclasp her necklace.
“Leave it on,” said Justin.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. I want you wearing nothing but that.”
A sly smile crept across her face. Ava moved beside him and reached for his hand. Without an uttered word, she led him towards the edge of the bed. He sat as she stood before him. His eyes lingered on her body as she peeled off her skinny jeans. It turned her on to see him transfixed by her every move. As she stood naked, the sound of his quickened breaths filled the room. Her hand moved to unbutton his shirt, and with each glimpse of his skin, she placed a short, sweet kiss on his chest, ending right above his navel. She removed his shirt and tossed it on the floor. He reached for her which caused her to jerk her body away.
“Patience,” she whispered.
With his face flushed with angst, he fiddled with his pants buckle. She shooed his hands away and removed his black leather belt, unzipped his pants, and allowed them to drop to the floor. Ava kissed his neck as the tips of her fingers brushed against his skin. With soft, gentle strokes, she followed a trail from the hardened muscles of his chest down to his cock where she caressed him with her hand. He pulled her closer with a firm grip on her ass, drawing her into a kiss. Their tongues darted back and forth as their passion ignited. Ava came up for air only to drop to her knees. Justin expelled an audible moan as she pleasured him with her mouth. The frequent grunts and tugs of her hair indicated he’d enjoyed it. She rose to her feet, and he swiftly moved her to the bed. He kissed and played with every inch of her body before he gave her what she desired.
“Justin,” she moaned, as he rocked back and forth inside of her. Their eyes locked as they came to a satisfying finish. He then placed two quick kisses on her lips and rolled to her side.
Ava faced him, propped up by her arm. “I’m glad we worked out everything. I hated being mad at you,” she said.
“So am I,” he said between heavy breaths.
Her fingers lingered on his sweaty chest. “Can I ask you question?”
“Anything.”
“I’m curious, why do you consider this place as our beginning?”
He turned to her. “Because here is where I fell in love with you. I fought it, but that night… in my heart I knew you were it for me.”
Ava beamed as she kissed his lips. “Let’s agree for the rest of our stay, we won’t utter the words Lindsey, pregnant, or baby. I want this time to be about only us. Once we return home, then we’ll deal with reality. Deal?”
“Deal.”
Chapter Ten
The next morning Ava and Justin had breakfast together in their hotel room before parting ways. He left to meet with a contractor concerning his property, and she set off to check on their house. As she sat in morning traffic on I-85, she placed a call to her mother. Big mistake. Throughout the entire conversation, she expressed her unhappiness about Lindsey’s baby revelation. “Mom, Justin is not leaving me for her,” she said through her car speaker. She’d hooked her phone up to the car’s bluetooth system.
“I don’t understand how a woman can be pregnant for three months and not say a word.”
“In fairness, Justin was unreachable. After what happened to him, he checked out of life. Except for Rebecca, he stayed out of touch with everyone.”
“You mean, he spoke with no one?” she asked. Ava could hear the doubt in her voice.
“No. We’d just shared a traumatic experience and wanted to decompress way from everything and everyone. If you recall, you and I only spoke once before my move.”
“I’ll never forgive Brandon for what he’s done to you.”
Ava exited the freeway and turned at the first light. “Okay, Mom, I have to go.”
“You’re at the house already?”
“Uh-huh. I just turned into the driveway.” Ava was at least three miles away from the house. She didn’t want to listen to her mother go on about Brandon. It’s a topic she desperately tried to avoid. It’s easy to do with Justin because neither one of them have a desire to discuss him. But Tess and Scott always bring him up. She understood they’ve continued their friendship with him, but it has taken a toll on her friendship with them. They’re not as close as they once were.
Ava parked and cut the engine of the car. After she exited, she closed the car door and waved at the neighbors who had emerged from their garage holding the leash of their brown and white Shih Tzu. She turned her attention to their house and the first thing Ava noticed was the immaculate yard. It was apparent the landscapers hadn’t missed a week of yard work. Hopefully, the inside was in the same condition. She entered the house and smiled. It was just as they had left it in tip-top condition. She and Justin agreed to rent the home out in the next month. Instead of renting it to a family, they decided to use it as corporate housing instead. It’s more profitable to offer a furnished home in an upscale neighborhood to executives away on business.
Ava continued her tour, beginning in the kitchen and ending in the basement. Once satisfied, she sent Justin a quick text to let him know the house was still in excellent condition. She reached the front door and saw Scott walking up the steps to the front porch through the side window. She opened the door, surprised to see him. “Hey, Scott, what are you doing here?” She stepped out onto the porch to give him a friendly hug.
“How are you, Ava?” he asked.
“Good, but how did you know I was here? I’m staying with Justin near his lakefront property.” He looked worn out like he hadn’t slept in ages. Dark circles sat beneath his eyes, and his normally perfect buzz cut looked overgrown.
“I didn’t. You know I’m just ten minutes away, so I took a chance you would be here.”
“Would you like to come in?”
“Sure.”
She led him into the living room. She sat in a chair, while Scott sat across from her on the sofa. His right leg exhibited a nervous bounce while his fingers stroked his knuckles.
“I asked Tess to speak with you about this, but she refused. So that leaves me.”
Ava frowned and shook her head. “When you say this, I assume you’re talking about Brandon.”
Scott nodded. “I understand you’ve washed your hands of him and cringe at the sound of his name. Can you take a moment to hear me out because this is important?”
Request such as this have made difficult for her to maintain a friendship with him and Tess. Brandon’s name always crept into their conversations. Since she’s been away, Ava has spoken with Meghan more than her other best friend. “Scott there isn’t anything left to discuss concerning Brandon. I thought I made myself clear when you and I saw him after his arrest.”
He looked her in the eyes and grimaced. “We’re well past that, Ava. I don’t know if Tess has told you, but he’s about to be sentenced at the end of the month.”
“She mentioned it.”
“Then you know he’s looking at life without parole for killing Phillip Ramsey.”
She furrowed her eyebrows as she sat stunned. “No, I wasn’t aware.”
/>
“I’m not opposed to him spending time behind bars, because he committed a crime and he has to pay for it. What I am opposed to is no possibility of parole. We both know the person who killed Mr. Ramsey and imprisoned Justin is not the person we know. He spiraled into a dark pit and the catalyst was his breakup with you.”
“Scott, why are you telling me this?”
“Brandon’s family will be there to speak on his behalf for a lighter sentence. Tess refused, but I will also speak. I believe there’s only one person who can have an influential impact on the judge.” He stared at her like he was waiting for her to respond.
“I know you’re not suggesting I speak on his behalf.”
“I am. You were a victim of Phillip Ramsey, and Brandon helped you deal with the aftermath.”
Ava’s body tensed as she rose to her feet. Her eyes narrowed as her lips tightened. “Scott, I understand your loyalty to Brandon, but you have some nerve to ask me to speak on behalf of the person who threatened to take my life with a gun pointed to my head.”
Scott briefly closed his eyes before releasing a heavy sigh. “I know, but…”
“But, nothing! People breakup every day and that doesn’t turn them into a killer or a kidnapper. The person you’re defending kidnapped Justin and held him against his will yards away from where I moved in with him. He convinced us all Justin had killed Phillip Ramsey and was on the run by planting evidence.”
“I know, Ava. That wasn’t him.”
“It was him!!!” she screamed. “And you need to come to terms with that. After he realized I’d found Justin, did he turn himself in? No, he threatened to shoot both myself and him because he couldn’t allow me to be with anyone else.”
Scott leaned forward with his face covered by his hands. “Sorry,” he murmured. “I know this is unfair to you.”
Ava took her place back in the chair. She sat quietly and could feel her body return to a more calming state. “You saw the evidence yourself. You were instrumental in helping me prove Justin’s innocence.”
Deceived by You Page 6
