by Bella Grant
“I didn’t want to leave,” she answered. “I wanted you here with me the whole time I was in labor. It was too late by the time I broke down and realized how badly I needed you. I didn’t even know you were in the city until I lost it during labor and Mateo admitted that he saw you. As soon as I knew you were here, I had to see you and I sent him to get you.”
“I’m glad you did. I just…I’m having trouble understanding how all this happened. It’s crazy, right? It’s fucking crazy.” Carter immediately clamped a hand over his mouth. “Sorry!” he apologized, wide-eyed. “I didn’t mean to swear.”
“I think our son will survive,” she said with a small, silvery laugh. “I’ve missed you, Carter.”
“I’ve missed you too, Ava,” he said, kissing the top of her head.
“We’re not done talking about this, though,” she said firmly. “But we are done for right now. Would you like to hold your son?”
“Desperately,” he answered, extending his arms to take the tiny bundle. As he looked down into the sleeping infant’s face, he felt an immeasurable love swelling in his chest, filling his eyes with tears. “My God, he’s incredible.”
“Yes, he is,” Ava said, lying back on the pillow. “He certainly is.”
Chapter 26
Ava
It had been a grueling two months since Ava had moved into Carter’s townhouse. At first, Mateo insisted that she and the infant were no trouble, but each day got a little harder and she knew he was losing sleep and struggling in his law courses because of it. Besides, with each day she spent with Carter, it was hard to ignore how indispensable he was to her happiness and how foolish she had been to run away. He was a natural with their son, whom they named Nicholas after much debate, and the relief she felt from having a co-parent was incredible.
In early spring, he came with the movers to help her pack up her life with Mateo and move into his townhouse. Ava settled into her new home, and they became a couple again. And they had an adorable baby boy in the mix. Carter seemed happy, and the café was already a huge success, exceeding all projections to date. Still, she couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy about the impermanence of it all.
Boston had become her home, and a lot of it had to do with the fact that Mateo was here. He was Nicholas’ godfather, and right now, Ava couldn’t imagine her life without him. Nor could she imagine life without Carter, but she wasn’t ready to move back to her old home. She didn’t ever want to go back, moving steadily and determinedly forward instead, on to new adventures in new places. But his home and his life were there, and eventually, the work in Boston would be done, and he’d return home to his mansion and his community, and then what?
As she sat on the plush rug in front of the window, enjoying the afternoon sunlight while playing with a giggling Nicholas, she decided it was time to broach the subject with Carter, who worked on his laptop on the sofa next to her.
“Honey?” she asked, suddenly feeling nervous.
“Yes, my darling?” he answered, looking up from his computer.
“What are we doing?” Ava looked at him anxiously, her heart beating fast in her throat.
“What do you mean?” he replied, confused. “Right now?”
“No, I mean what are we doing? What are we? What are we doing with our lives? How does all of this work?” She waved a set of colorful plastic rings in front of Nicholas to keep him entertained, but inside, she was a wreck, waiting on edge for him to put her at ease. Everything about Carter made her believe that he would do the right thing, but until the words were spoken aloud, an unbearable doubt weighed on her. The more she let herself love him, the more fearful she was of losing him.
“Well, this isn’t how I was going to do this,” he said, closing his laptop and walking over to his desk drawer. Opening the bottom one, he rifled through some papers before removing a small, black box from the back of the cabinet. He returned to her, box in hand, and settled on the floor next to Nicholas.
“Ava, I want you to marry me,” he said, taking her hand and sliding a glimmering diamond on it. Nicholas reached for it, dazzled by the sparkles bouncing around the room in the sunlight, a prism of happy promises.
“Carter,” she whispered, staring at her hand. “Is this for real? You’re not just doing this because of Nicholas, are you?”
“You’re the love of my life, Ava. You and Nicholas. I want a life with you more than anything,” he replied, smiling. “So does that mean it’s a yes?”
“Yes,” she said, her voice breaking in a sob. “Absolutely, yes. A thousand yesses!”
“Perfect,” he said, kissing her hand, then pulling Nicholas onto his lap. “What do you say, my man? Should Dada marry Mama?”
Nicholas gurgled and blew spit bubbles, and Carter laughed, wiping the drool from his chin. “I think that’s a yes,” he said, grinning at Ava. “My darling girl, I can’t imagine my life without you. Everything changed the minute I met you, and I sometimes wake up and don’t know how we got here. But I thank God every day that we did. It’s been one hell of a ride, but I wouldn’t change a second of it because all of it led me to you, and us, and our son.”
“I couldn’t have said it better,” Ava replied, sniffling and wiping the tears from her eyes. “These damn baby hormones…they’re making me all…gushy!”
Carter laughed and leaned in to kiss her. Once Ava had composed herself, she realized that although their relationship was clarified, their lives were just as messy as ever.
“Where are we going to live?” she asked. “I don’t want to move back. I like it here. I like being near Mateo. Is there a future for us in Boston?”
“Of course there is,” he answered. “Wherever you want to be, that’s where I’ll be. We can make anything work, my love. Absolutely anything.” He rolled onto his back and held Nicholas in his outstretched arms, rocking him back and forth in the air. The child cooed with happiness as his father jiggled him in the air, bouncing him up and down.
Ava looked on, feeling as if her heart were three sizes too large for her chest, wondering if she’d ever get used to feeling so happy. This was a family. This was what love felt like. And she had it all now, everything she’d ever dreamed of and so much more. Lying down next to her husband, she sighed a deep, contented sigh, and whispered, “I love you.”
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents
COPYRIGHT
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Epilogue
NOT SO INNOCENT
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Cha
pter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
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