by MJ Masucci
“Brooke?”
Brooke wheeled around at the sound of her voice, and the look of shock on her face was priceless. Ava felt a huge sense of satisfaction.
“Look at you Ava. I would think that New York suits you well. You have never looked thinner.”
She came over to Ava and hugged her. It was a rare display of affection from Brooke, so Ava knew it was disingenuous.
“So when did you lose the weight?”
“Oh, about five years ago.”
“You know good looks run in the family. It just took you some time to get over that ugly duckling stage.”
“She was never ugly Brooke.” They both turned to see Michael walking down the hall. Before she could say anything in retort, Alicia came out of the nursery with the twins, one in each hand.
“You must be Brooke. I would hug you, but I have my hands full here.”
“Sorry, honey, I wish I could help, but I am filthy and don’t want to touch them,” Michael said.
Ava went to Alicia to take her nephew into her arms.
“Brooke, do you want to hold your nephew?” Ava knew she was putting her on the spot. Brooke hated kids.
“I’m not very well trained with babies. I don’t want to drop him or anything.”
“I doubt you would drop him. Even daddy knows how to hold a baby and it’s been years.”
Brooke again declined, and Ava followed Alicia downstairs to put the twins in their bassinets. When they were out of earshot, Alicia asked her what that was all about.
“Brooke hates kids. I was just trying to get under her skin. She wasn’t very nice to me when we were younger.”
“I know. Michael told me. I’m sorry you never had a good relationship with her. I always had a wonderful one with my sisters Rose and Ingrid. You will meet Rose tomorrow at the rehearsal dinner, and you already met Ingrid who is doing the catering.”
“I want to go and see Xander. Do you need my help with anything?”
Alicia waved her off knowing how much she wanted to see him. She made her way down to the pool house to see where Xander was just as Jacob and Sandra were coming out into the pool area.
“When did you get here?”
“A few minutes ago. Natalia told us we were staying in the new pool house with Xander. Your dad had a nice job done on this place since we saw it last year.”
“Is Xander in there?”
“We heard the shower running when we put our bags inside. Xander must be in there.”
She started to enter the pool house when her cousin tried to stop her.
“Ava, why don’t you wait for him out here with us?”
“Jacob, we aren’t at the office now. I can have as much contact with Xander as I want and I want to.”
Sandra started laughing. “You know she is right. You can’t tell her what to do outside of work.”
Ava went into the bedroom to find Xander. The shower was no longer running, and she went to the bathroom to see him wrapped in a towel in front of the mirror shaving.
“There’s my girl.” He tried to kiss her, but she pushed him away to avoid a face full of shaving cream.
“It’s only shaving cream.”
“Shaving cream you can’t eat.”
“If I shaved with whip cream would you kiss me then? I think there is a can in the refrigerator.”
She crossed her arms defiantly. Her expression got serious. “Did you know that Brooke is here?”
“Yes, she came down to give us some of her good old fashion bitchiness. We were building the horseshoe pit, and she didn’t want to hug Michael because he was dirty.”
“I saw her in the hallway when I was coming out of my room. The look on her face when she saw me was priceless. If she came home more, she would have known that I was no longer overweight.”
“Ava, really even if you were overweight you would still be gorgeous. It’s not only what you look like on the outside. Your personality, your kindness, your love makes you much more attractive than she ever could be.”
“But you’re biased because you love me.”
“That’s bullshit. Even when I saw you years ago, I thought you were beautiful, and I was an asshole to women back then. Tell me something, is Brooke aware we are together?”
“I’m not sure, why?”
“Just wondering is all.”
Ava went to sit in the living room while Xander finished shaving and dressing. He wondered what Brooke would say when she found out he was dating Ava. They had some history being the same age and attending Cameron University together.
That night, everyone got together for a barbecue. The Keenes, Wilders, and Alicia’s family joined together in the outdoor kitchen to cook. There was plenty to eat, but Ava was not feeling hungry. That nausea feeling was back, and she only nibbled on a few things. She noticed that Xander and Robert were watching her. The weight issue hung in the air. Several times she caught Alicia and Michael watching her. She had no idea what they suspected, and it never dawned on her that she might be pregnant.
During the evening, Xander asked Ava if she wanted to take a walk. She gladly accepted because she wanted to spend a few moments alone with him and the noise from the crowd of people was grating on her nerves. They walked to a section of the property that had a lighted gazebo and went to sit down. She felt a chill and shivered.
“Sweetheart, are you cold?” Xander put his arm around her and pulled her close to his body. He took the opportunity of being so close and away from prying eyes to kiss her. They made out for several minutes like two teenagers without realizing that someone was spying on them. Brooke was curious of the body language they displayed at the barbecue. Xander was always hovering around her and sat next to her wherever she was. So when she saw them leave she had followed them to the gazebo. She stayed watching their display of passion until they left. She wasn’t close enough to hear their conversation, but when she saw Ava go into the main house and Xander head to the pool house, she followed him. She found him sitting on a lounge chair in the pool enclosure and sat down next to him.
“What do you want Brooke?”
“Why are you so cold to me?”
“Every time you are around it’s to cause trouble or hurt someone.” She moved closer to him.
“As I remember it, we had some pretty fun times down here didn’t we?”
“That was a long time ago Brooke, and it was just sex.”
“To me, it wasn’t just sex, but you thought you were too good for me didn’t you?”
“You have it all wrong as usual. I never thought I was too good for you, just too smart to get tangled in your web. Why are you bringing this up?”
Brooke leaned in close to try to kiss him, but he pushed her away. “What the fuck are you doing?”
“Don’t you want me, Alexander?”
“If you think I gave off that vibe then you’re reading it wrong. I don’t want you.”
“You know I saw you with Ava.”
“So you saw me, and you thought you would do what? See how serious our relationship is? It’s very serious. I love her.”
Brooke threw her head back and laughed. “Alexander Wilder you don’t know what love is. What could you possibly get from my little virgin sister? She couldn’t possibly satisfy you more than I can.”
“Brooke you need to watch what you say about Ava.”
“Fuck you, Xander. How would your girlfriend feel if I told her that we fucked several times right where we are sitting? Does she even know that we fucked?”
“Careful, Brooke. Your jealousy is showing. You could never match up to Ava. She has all the qualities you don’t. What bothers you more? The fact that I’m in a serious relationship with Ava, or the fact that I would never be in one with you?”
“You’re a bastard, Alexander, and I’m going to make sure that Ava knows what you are really about.”
“I don’t think she would believe you.”
Brooke rose from her chair and walked out of the pool enclo
sure leaving Xander alone. He knew she might be right. It was one of the secrets that he had been harboring about his past. He had fucked Brooke several times when they were in college. She tried to turn it into more but he could never get involved with her any way but casually. She didn’t know how to treat men. She used them until they had nothing left to give, then she discarded them like an old shoe. He wasn’t going to be one of those guys. She had hated that he didn’t let her cage him. He didn’t realize the damage had been done, though.
Ava had gone into the main house to change her sandals to sneakers. She had come along just as the conversation with Brooke took place. She was now aware of the sexual relationship that Xander had shared with her sister. In fact, it jarred a memory loose from years ago. The man she had seen having sex with Brooke that one summer night. The man she saw with the family crest on his leg that she could only make out DER on it in the minimal light of the pool deck. It all made sense. It was Xander.
The faded outline of the tattoo on his upper thigh that she had seen so many times over the past three months. She couldn’t place it then and now she could. The crest read WILDER. She ran away back up to her room throwing herself on the bed. She was sickened by the thought that he had had sex with Brooke. She curled into a ball on her bed and cried herself to sleep.
Later that night Xander came looking for her. He quietly knocked on her door and when she didn’t answer he opened it. She was curled up on her bed wearing her sneakers. He tried to rouse her, but she didn’t wake. So he pulled off her sneakers and put a light blanket that was at the end of the bed over her. He kissed her on the cheek and whispered his love for her. Tomorrow, he would not be seeing her until the dinner time.
The men were all going on an early morning fishing trip on Lake Lanier in Atlanta. He didn’t particularly like fishing, but it was instead of a bachelor party, which Alicia forbade Michael to have. So in the interest of being one of the group, he was going. He felt uneasy as he went to sleep. Ava never came back out to see him at the pool. She was wearing her sneakers when he found her which meant she was on her way to join him. He hoped she was alright.
As Xander tried to wake Ava, she pretended to be asleep. She was so upset with him that the last thing she wanted was to have an altercation with him in her father’s house. Jason already had his doubts about Xander, and she didn’t want to make it seem like he was correct in his beliefs. She loved him dearly, and he lied to her. He promised always to be honest with her. She wasn’t sure how she would have taken the revelation that he had slept with Brooke before but at least it would have been done in private.
Now she would have to wait until they got home to have the discussion with him. She was glad she wouldn’t have to see him until later the next night. It would give her time to think. In the middle of the night, she got up to use the bathroom and heard one of the twins crying. She went to the nursery and saw that Michael was red-faced and full of tears. She picked the baby up and checked his diaper.
“You’re soaked, little man. Let me change you.” Just as she started to remove his diaper, Alicia came into the room.
“Ava, you are a Godsend. Thank you. I heard him crying, and it took me a minute to get out of bed. I’m so tired.”
“Alicia, why don’t you go to bed? I’ll take care of the twins. You deserve a decent night’s sleep and tomorrow is a busy day.” She said it just as Elizabeth started to bawl in her crib. “Go, I got her.”
“It’s time to feed them are you sure you can handle it? Why don’t I just get the bottles and then I’ll go back to bed.” Ava agreed, and when she finished changing Elizabeth, Alicia had come back with the bottles.
Ava went to wash her hands and then sat down in the rocker, and Alicia positioned the twins in her arms so she could feed them together. Alicia waited until the babies were happily sucking at their bottles before she went back to bed. Ava was in bliss. She wanted this for herself, but now she wasn’t so sure that Xander was the right man for her. She felt vulnerable and everything that had happened over the past few months had weakened her spirit. She put her head back and rocked slightly as she fed the twins. When they were finished, she moved them to her shoulder and gently burped them. They were almost asleep when she put them back in their cribs. But she felt peace being around them.
Ava was awakened by the sun in her eyes. In her haste to go to bed, she forgot to pull the shades down. She heard hushed voices in the hall. She didn’t want to see anyone yet, especially Xander. She was sure someone would ask what happened to her the night before, and she wasn’t ready to explain. It was only 6:15 AM and the voices must be the guys who were going on the fishing excursion. She heard her door open and feigned sleep. Lips kissed her cheek and fingers stroked her face and hair. She could smell Xander’s cologne and feel the stubble on his face. She wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction of waking up. He waited and then she heard the door close. She breathed a sigh of relief suddenly feeling a huge wave of anxiety. She was a ball of emotions.
At 10:00 AM she dragged herself out of bed and into the shower. All the women on both sides of the family were going to attend an afternoon tea. Alicia’s grandmother had served tea to her when she was a little girl, and she loved the idea. Her sister, Ingrid, was handling all the arrangements just as she did for the wedding tomorrow. Ava was not in the mood for high tea or afternoon tea or whatever you called it. She much would have preferred to be out with the guys on the fishing trip. She wanted to spend the rest of the day in her room ignoring the outside world.
“Ava, are you decent?”
“Come in Rachel.”
Rachel had a serious look on her face. “You know we are worried about you. You left the party last night, and no one knew where you were until Xander found you asleep in your bedroom. What’s with you?”
Ava burst into tears making Rachel worry more. She extended her arms out to her, and Ava moved into them for a hug. “Let’s sit down and tell me what is wrong.”
She poured her heart out to Rachel telling her everything that had happened the night before.
“Shit, I had no idea they slept together. You can’t get yourself worked up over this. You need to allow him to explain. From what you tell me he told Brooke he loves you. He is a good man. We all have known him our whole lives and even though he has had his bad points, he has done a lot of good, too. Don’t let one stupid slip ruin a good relationship. I see how he looks at you and how you look at him.”
“How is it that you always know what to say?”
“That is my forte. I should have been a Psychologist.” She kissed her cousin. “Now get dressed. You have to save me from your snooty sister. She has been following me around all morning asking about my designs. I am praying she doesn’t ask me to make her something. No offense, Ava, but I never really liked Brooke much especially for the way she treated you.” She patted Ava on the shoulder and left the room to allow her to dress.
Ava didn’t come out of her room until it was time to have afternoon tea. They had it in her father’s dining room which could accommodate twenty people comfortably. Between Michael’s family and Alicia’s there were nineteen including all the cousins, grandmothers, aunts and close friends. Ava seated herself between Rachel and Gabby Wilder. The table looked wonderful with several three-tiered trays of finger sandwiches, scones, little cakes, and pastries. Several pots of tea rounded the table. Ava ate little because she had that feeling of nausea again.
“You don’t eat much do you?” Gabby asked her.
“I just haven’t been feeling so hot the past couple of weeks. I’ve been feeling nauseous. I think it might be because of the heat. It got worse when I came down earlier this week.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. You should have Alexander take you to the doctor when you get home to New York.”
“I was planning on doing that if it didn’t resolve.” Alicia who had overheard the conversation decided that she couldn’t wait until Sunday to talk to Ava. She waited until everyone said
their goodbyes and the others retired to their rooms or outside.
“Ava, can you help me with the twins?”
“Of course. They were so quiet during tea. I didn’t hear a peep out of them.” The babies were sleeping quietly in their bassinets in the library just off the dining room well within earshot. Alicia picked up Michael and instructed Ava to do the same with Elizabeth. They carried them up to the nursery and laid them down in their cribs.
“Wait here,” Alicia said.
She went down the hall to her room and came back with a small bag in her hand.
“Sit down; I think you will need it for the conversation.” She moved away from the cribs and sat down opposite Alicia in one of the rockers.
“Alicia you are scaring me.”
“I want to know when your nausea started.”
“I guess about two or three weeks ago. “
“Any other symptoms that you noticed?”
“I’ve been very tired. I usually have a lot of energy but not lately. What do you think it is?”
Alicia just nodded “When was the last time you had your period?”
Ava hesitated and then brought her palm to her mouth. “Oh my God, it’s been weeks since I had it. I’m late, very late. With everything that’s been happening, I completely forgot.” Her face became panic stricken. “How can I be pregnant? I’m on the pill.”
“Calm down. There are other medications that can disrupt the effectiveness of the pill. I was on it, too, before I got pregnant. I had bronchitis, and the doctor gave me antibiotics. I didn’t realize until I was pregnant. Did you take antibiotics recently?” Ava jumped up from the rocker, closed her eyes, and Alicia could see her lips moving. “Ava?”
“Yes, several weeks ago. I had a bad sinus infection, swollen glands, and fever.” She stood up shaking her hands. “I can’t be pregnant; I just can't.”
“Why can’t you?”
“Daddy would kill me if he found out.”
“You’re a twenty-four year old independent woman with a college degree and your own place.”
