Ava (A Hart Twins Novel Rx Book 1)

by Charyse Allan

  God, she was so stinking cute.

  “This is actually our intervention package,” Mason supplied with a smirk, then nodded at me. “It was his idea.”

  Dammit. I didn’t want them telling her. Ava’s gaze shifted to me, a hint of amusement there. With a lopsided grin, I shrugged, hoping she was ready to stop being so stubborn. We all knew she went through Hell and was still slightly there. We wanted her to lean on us. I wanted her to lean on me. I would take it all—all her pain, her stress, everything, and ask for nothing in return, besides a smile.

  Her eyebrows collapsed, and she pinched her bottom lip. “So I was actually leaving to come see you all and apologize for being so awful. I just… I… I didn’t know—”

  “Ava,” Rabia cut her off. With the balloons held out to Ava, she approached her, saying, “We all love you so much. We’ve missed you, but we understand. You’re going through a lot. We just want to be here for you, to share the burden. That’s what friends are for.”

  A tear trickled down Ava’s cheek when Rabia wrapped her in a big hug. I wanted to kiss it away, but she pulled back and scrubbed it off her cheek. “Ugh, I’m so tired of crying,” she said, sniffling.

  “Then let’s eat some cake,” Mason belted out, giving her a quick hug before heading for the house.

  Ava’s gaze landed on me again with an expectant look in place. I realized I hadn’t said anything yet, but I was so afraid if I opened my mouth, I would profess my love again, humiliating myself.

  Rabia watched us while we stood there silently, before clearing her throat. “I’ll help you cut it, Mason,” she shouted over a shoulder, giving me a wink before going inside. She may have thought this would be some romantic moment, but it wouldn’t be. It couldn’t be.

  As if it were a shield to protect me from disappointment and pain, I held the bouquet of flowers out to Ava as I approached her. She took it, smelling them while looking at me from under her eyelashes, much as she did when I asked her to prom. The memory had a bittersweet taste coating my mouth.

  “These are beautiful,” she breathed, lowering the flowers. “I don’t deserve you guys.” She shook her head. I wanted to argue, say something, but a lump clogged up my throat. “Cade… I… I needed to tell you—”

  “Don’t,” I interrupted, holding up a hand. I couldn’t have her telling me again how we wouldn’t work. The pain was already to much. Ever since the day in the hospital, I had tried to let it go. I was still there and still loved her as I always would, but I couldn’t force her to be with me. “It’s okay, Ava. I’m only here as a friend. I’m not going to try convincing you. I don’t expect anything from you. I’m only here for comfort, nothing more.”

  That lip pinched between her fingers, her brow crumpled. “But I… I want—” she broke off while a spark of hope ignited in my chest.

  I moved closer, pulling her hand away from her lips. “What? What do you want?” My eyes pleaded with hers, hoping, hoping, hoping.

  “You,” she breathed, with a cute shrug, eyes full of uncertainty.

  Dear Lord, the one word lit my entire body on fire. With her hair clutched in my hand, I brought our lips close, but not touching. A gasp escaped her, smoky eyes sparkling. “You already have me,” I growled, then crushed my lips to hers.

  We consumed each other in a mixture of smooth lips, teeth clashing, all-encompassing heat. Her hands ran up my chest, coming to rest on my neck. Love poured into me to fill the hole in my chest. Knowing they would be waiting for us, I had to slow it down. At a snails pace, I pulled back, savoring the taste of her. Eyes scrunched closed, she breathed deeply. When they finally opened, they pleaded with mine.

  “I love you.” She slid her hands back to my chest, staring at it her fingers spread wide. “So damn much. I’m so sorry for doubting us, for hurting you in the process. I know we’ll be far away from each other, but you’re right. We can figure something out. I think a love like this, like ours, is so rare—I don’t want to give up on it. I just hope I didn’t take too long. I didn’t ruin it.”

  Hooking a finger under her chin, I lifted her gaze to mine. “Do you think I would have reacted this way if it was too late?” I smirked.

  A smile tugging at her lips, she asked, “So we’re okay?”

  “We’re okay. As long as you can lean on me.”

  Beaming, she nodded, before leaning her forehead on my chest. We embraced each other for one more minute before going inside holding hands. The best feeling in the world. Everyone acted as if everything had gone back to normal. Her parents were overjoyed her friends were there, but sadness clung to them.

  Kai appeared from upstairs a little later, giving Ava a big hug and telling her he was proud of her. I didn’t know what it was about, but I had the feeling he helped talk some sense into her. We had a good time, eating cake, talking about the past, and comparing it to where we’d be in two days after graduation.

  Getting to spend time with Ava, watching her laugh, made my insides tingle. I had missed her and would have gladly hogged her attention, but I had to share. I settled for holding her hand and wrapping my arm around her waist throughout the night. There was never a moment we weren’t touching in some way. When we left after hugs were given, I felt lighter than I had in weeks.

  The next two days flew by. After our finals, I spent every second I could steal with Ava. Having already put in my notice and such with the station, my last night had been on Monday. I was going to miss that job, even miss Rick a bit, but I was moving forward, hopefully on to bigger and better things.

  Graduation was short and mostly annoying. It was impossible to be by Ava since our names were so far apart. I watched her get her diploma, got mine, we cheered, threw our hats, then I was in a hurry to find her. She had gotten what she wanted, having her brother there, which made me happy. He was a cool guy and didn’t seem to mind me too much.

  The only thing that put a damper on the night was that Mia wasn’t there graduating with her sister. The police officer, Pierce, was also there but in regular clothes and hanging out with Ava’s brother. My mom and Darrel even made it, which shouldn’t have surprised me since graduation was supposed to be a big deal, but I only wanted to spend my last night in Portland with Ava, not the entire senior class.

  When we finally got out of there, we had an awkward dinner with all of our parents and Kai. My mom stole most of the show announcing her and Darrel had set a date to go down to the courthouse and get remarried. I was only slightly worried about that now because I had gotten a peek at who Darrel was becoming. If he kept his head on, he might actually be good for her.

  We rushed through eating before I dragged Ava off to a lookout on the edge of town so we could watch the stars. Dread filled me while I held her on the hood of my car. It would be difficult to leave her the next day. I wouldn’t be far away, but then she would leave for Tennessee and we’d have to live the unknown. We could make it work, I was sure of it because we loved each other, but we were finally where we should be, and we had only gotten a few days to enjoy it. Our time was up.

  I had no idea how busy I would be with the internship, so I couldn’t make any promises—not even to come back to send her off to Tennessee, which I wanted to be there for. Needed to be there for. She was making this huge leap into life after going through some really shitty stuff, and I wanted to be able to be there for her. Really, if I could, I would have driven her down there myself.

  After sitting in silence for a long time, her sad eyes rested on me, making my chest ache. “I’m gonna miss you,” she breathed. Her hand squeezed in mine, I brought it to my lips. “I can’t believe I’ve wasted so much time. If I hadn’t been so stubborn, we could’ve been doing this for the last three months.”

  With a chuckle, I rubbed my lips back and forth along her fingers. “But you’d still be going to Tennessee and we’d still miss each other.”

  After holding my gaze for a long minute, the depths of those grays smoldering, she sighed. “I’m so scared.”


  “You have nothing to be scared of.” I gave her a hard look, not liking the sound of that at all. After going through so much, she had every right to be scared, but I wanted her to feel strong, as she was. “You’ll fit right in, find things to do, start your own life. You’re going to love it.” With that I hopped off the hood, dragging her with me. “I need to get home if I’m going to get out of here tomorrow.”

  She nodded, but didn’t move for a second. Then she wrapped her arms around me, resting her forehead on my chest. I could have held her forever. There was so much more I wanted to do, to say, but this wasn’t the place or time. No matter how much we would miss each other, we would have more time.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Ava

  My heart ached when he left. I helped him pack up his car and sent him on his way with a steamy kiss. His first day at the agency wasn’t until Monday, but he had to get settled in at his dad’s apartment he would be staying in. Since it seemed Darrel would be sticking around Portland, he had no use for the one in Seattle.

  I tried really hard not to cry because it’s lame and I was tired of it. When he left we made promises to call and talk everyday, and he said he would try to make it back before I had to leave, but he couldn’t make promises. When he was gone, I went back to the house. I had thought about going with him and staying in Seattle for a few days, but I still had so much to do.

  During that one week, I hung out with Rabia and Mason as much as I could. They helped keep my mind on track. It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be with Cade. He would text me throughout the day, then call me every night, talking to me into the morning. We were getting to know each other better than we ever had.

  He started his new job and said he was basically the coffee guy, which pissed him off but made me laugh. He wanted to be working with the bands, at least helping with scouting them, but he was stuck running errands for his boss. Since he wasn’t busy doing anything important at work, he got to text me a lot throughout the day.

  By Thursday, the day before I was leaving, I missed him like hell. He hadn’t said anything about being able to come before I left on Friday, so I was determined to ask him when he called that night. Throughout the day, I had been moving around the house trying to make sure everything was ready. My car was packed up, and Dad’s Jeep had a moving trailer hitched to it so we could move my furniture. Mom had gone a little overboard with her shopping, but I figured it was all she had to keep her mind occupied. They had their things to help deal with Mia still missing, if only for a little while.

  I hadn’t found anything to help. She was always on my mind. I always missed her. Walking past her door every stinking day was pure agony, which was one of the reasons I had to leave. Add that on top of the horrible nightmares I screamed awake from every night… leaving was the best option.

  On my way up the stairs, I had to pass her room, yet again, but this time the door was cracked open and I could hear Dad’s low murmur and Mom’s quiet sobs. My gut wrenched, making me want to vomit. Ignoring them and the whole situation would have been easy, but that wasn’t me.

  I nudged the door open, trying to ignore everything in the room except my parents sitting at the edge of Mia’s bed. Mom sobbed into Mia’s pillow while Dad held and rocked her. I hadn’t gone in Mia’s room since she disappeared because it hurt too damn much and I was a coward. The scene was so intimate and gut-wrenching—I stood there with my mouth hanging open like an idiot.

  Dad looked up from Mom’s shoulder, muttering, “Ava.” He cleared his throat, and Mom’s head jerked in my direction, her eyes blurry with tears. Dad stood, putting a hand on Mom’s shoulder while I clutched the door handle to keep from bolting. “You all set to go?” he asked as if this scene was totally normal.

  Mom placed the pillow on the bed before getting up. My mouth worked like a fish out of water, but no sound came out. I couldn’t move, couldn’t say a word because all the sorrow in their eyes weighed on me, shoving me further and further into the ground. They came to me, wrapping me in a tight sandwich hug, choking me with their agony. When they finally pulled back, Dad rested a hand on my shoulder.

  “We just miss her, honey.” He sighed. “And the police still don’t have any leads. It’s been almost three weeks, and we don’t know anything.”

  I knew they didn’t have any leads, and they probably never would. On the phone with Cade one night, he shared some stories about some of the shady drug deals he’d gotten in the middle of. He told me if Mia were smart, she would stay missing. It hurt like hell to hear, but he was right. If she came back, either the drug people would find her and probably kill her for what she knew or she would have to go into custody and put herself in danger to testify against them. It was horrifying that she was a part of it. No one could help her. How scared and lonely she must be constantly weighed on me.

  Coming out of my daze, I shook my head. “I can’t go to Tennessee.” I continued shaking my head. “I can’t leave you guys like this.”

  Both their gazes hardened, Mom giving me her “don’t argue” look. “You are going,” she told me, her voice still thick with tears. “We don’t need you to look after us. We need you to do what’s best for your future so we don’t have to worry about you too. Do you understand me?”

  I watched both of them. They were dead serious about me leaving, and I was ashamed to say I was relieved. Words stuck in my throat again, I could only nod.

  “Good.” Mom patted my cheek. “Now, make sure your stuff is ready to leave in the morning, then get downstairs. Kai should be back any minute with dinner, and Rabia and Mason should be right behind him. Is Cade coming?”

  With my bottom lip pinched between my fingers, I shook my head. “I don’t think so. I think he has to work tomorrow. He said he would let me know when he calls tonight.” I shrugged as if it wasn’t a big deal, but it really, really was.

  The thought I may not see him until Thanksgiving break made my heart hurt. Surly, he would get tired of waiting around and find another girl to keep him company, who was actually close. The thought had to be shaken from my mind. It was the type of thought that probably ruined most long-distance relationships.

  “I’m sure he’ll figure it out, Av.” Dad gave my shoulder a squeeze. “We’ll see you back downstairs.”

  I nodded again, then went to my room. It was almost completely empty, with only my bag resting on my bed that we would load up in the morning. The dresser had already been taken down, and the closet was empty, making my room feel hollow. While I looked around to make sure I had everything, my phone went off and my heart skipped a beat at the sight of Cade’s name.

  “Cade!” I exclaimed.

  “Hey, hot stuff.” His sexy voice filled my body with warmth, and blood rushed my cheeks from his nickname for me. But there was something off in his tone, which told me everything.

  My heart sank to my gut, sadness clogging my throat. “You can’t make it?” I choked out, hating how sad I sounded.

  He sighed, and I gripped my phone. “I’m so sorry, Av. My boss is being a dick. I asked him the first day on the job, and he said he would let me know by today. I have Saturday off, though. If you could just wait one more day.”

  He sounded so desperate, I wanted say yes, but there was no way I could. “You know I can’t. Kai has to leave on Monday, and I’ll barely be settled in by then.” I paused, taking a deep breath to keep from crying. “It’s okay. We’ll figure something out so we can see each other before Thanksgiving.” I had to believe that.

  “I love you, Ava,” he groaned. “I hate this already. I want to see you and touch you. I don’t know how I’m gonna go six months without being able to.”

  Yeah, the feeling was mutual. But I promised him I wouldn’t give up just because it was hard. I changed the subject, asking how his day went and so on, then told him I had to go when I heard everyone coming in downstairs. With a smile plastered on my face, I made it through dinner. I laughed with my friends and cried when they ha
d to leave. This was a huge life-changing step. I wouldn’t have my family or friends around to help me through all the hard stuff, but I was totally ready for it. Ready to escape the horrors of this place.

  By the next morning, I was even more ready. We woke up around five, so we could get on the road early. Kai folded his huge body into the driver seat of my car, and Dad and Mom got in the Jeep, then we got on the road. I sent a text to my soon-to-be roommate letting her know we were on our way. The thought I would be living with a total stranger in a couple days made me sweat, but I was ecstatic. After making one stop to get coffee and pastries, I got a text from Cade.

  I love you, Av. Please

  drive safe. I promise I

  will see you before

  Thanksgiving. There’s

  no way I can go that long

  without seeing you. Call

  when you stop and when

  you get to your new

  apartment.

  I hope you’re right. I’ll call you. Love you too!

  Staying positive was the only way I would get through this, but it sucked, plain and simple. At least I didn’t say as much to him, since he probably would have thought I was giving up already.

  The drive was unbelievably long, but I had a blast with Kai. Since I wasn’t going to have much more time with him, I put everything else to the back of my mind and enjoyed his company. We talked and talked about silly things, keeping the crap behind us where it belonged. Since the drive was so long, we took our time, taking stops at cool landmarks, then stopping at a cheap motel for the night to take a break from driving. When I tried calling Cade once we settled in, it went straight to voice mail. I figured he was probably busy, so I settled down for the night.

  When we got up the next morning, we drove some more. The only thing missing from our amazing trip was Mia. We always had fun on road trips, playing games, buying silly souvenirs along the way. She would have had so much fun.