As Long As You Love Me

by LuAnn McLane

  “Wakey, wakey, eggs and bakey.”

  Ava moaned but then sat up straight. “What time is it?”

  “Nearly noon.”

  “No way.”

  “Yes way, home skillet.”

  “Are you serious?” Ava brushed her hair from her eyes. She looked down and noticed she was still in Jesse’s shirt and that there was a smear of chocolate down the front.

  “Apparently, I can be.”

  Ava sniffed the air. “You are serious?”

  “Well, you have a well-stocked fridge, so I decided I could manage breakfast.”

  “And did you?”

  Jesse winced. “For the most part. Do you like your bacon extra crisp and your toast burnt?”

  “Actually, yes.”

  Jesse did a fist pump. “Yes! Coffee strong?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “Are you just trying to make me feel better?”

  Ava shook her head.

  “Then you’re in business.”

  “And the eggs?”

  “Don’t want to talk about it,” he said with a grimace.

  Ava washed up and then headed into the kitchen. She put her hands to her chest when she saw the breakfast nook all set up. “Oh, this is lovely, Jesse!” The flowers he’d brought her were in the center of the table, making her press her lips together to hold in her emotion at the sweet gesture. The island was a bit of a disaster, but this somehow only made his efforts even more endearing. “It’s a pity I didn’t get to watch you put this together.”

  Jesse shook his head firmly. “It wasn’t pretty.”

  Ava walked over and gave him a kiss. “But you’re in your boxers.” She wiggled her eyebrows.

  “That hide nothing,” he said.

  Ava laughed when he actually blushed. “You are the sweetest boyfriend ever.”

  “I try.”

  “And you succeed,” she said, sitting down at the table.

  Without mentioning why, Jesse suggested that they move the rest of the rehearsals before the competition to Grady’s house, where they could use Heartbeat’s studio for practicing, and Ava readily agreed. They discussed last-minute details of their wardrobe.

  “I’m rethinking the shirtless thing,” Ava said. “I think we should do black pants, suspenders, and each of us wearing a fedora. I want the attention to be on the dance and not your chest. Agreed?”

  “I like the idea. It’s close to what we wore for the Heartbeat reunion tour, and since we’re dancing to a Heartbeat song, your suggestion is spot-on.”

  Ava spread butter and strawberry jam on her toast, nodding. “Yeah, exactly. The first outfit suggestion was for the tango. I thought about changing it in the middle of the night.”

  “We were still up in the middle of the night.”

  “Oh, right, well, in the middle of the morning, then,” she said, picking up her coffee cup.

  “This will be one of the few times I’m up before you, but I have a guitar lesson in an hour.” He took a bite of his rock-hard bacon and winced. “Jeez . . . I need to improve my skills.”

  “I could learn to stay up late and sleep in. It feels indulgent.”

  “Now that’s a skill I’ve mastered.”

  Ava laughed. “I can name a few others.” She grinned, blushing furiously. “Did I just say that?”

  “You did. I think you were referring to my bicycle and boating expertise?”

  Ava pointed a stiff slice of bacon at him. “That too.”

  After they finished breakfast, Jesse offered to clean up, but Ava waved him off. “I know you need to head home to shower and change for your lesson. You only have thirty minutes. I’ll clean up.”

  Jesse glanced over at the mess he’d made. “Sorry for making you clean up after me,” he apologized, looking so damned cute that she wished he didn’t have to leave.

  “Not a problem,” Ava assured him, but she gave him a lingering look that nearly made him groan.

  “Keep looking at me like that and I’ll cancel the lesson.”

  “That wouldn’t be fair to your student,” Ava pointed out.

  “True. A minor lapse in my new adulting habits. Thanks for the save.”

  “You’re welcome. Oh . . . you need your shirt.” She looked down at the chocolate stain and grimaced. “My turn to say sorry.”

  “I don’t need my shirt to drive home, and you look sexy in it.”

  Jesse scooted back and stood up. After giving her a kiss on the cheek he located his pants on the living room floor. “If you like, I’ll pick you up later for rehearsal,” he called over his shoulder.

  “I’ll meet you there. See you later,” Ava said brightly, but after Jesse left she cradled her coffee cup in her hands. While she felt good about ignoring the nasty attempt Anthony had made at taking her down, she still felt icy fingers of fear slide down her spine. She wondered if he had anything else up his sleeve, and shuddered at the thought.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  THE ONE

  After giving his guitar lesson, Jesse headed over to Grady’s house a couple of hours before Ava would arrive. He needed to get Grady’s opinion about the A2 and Not-So-Angelic situation. Jimmy thought he was doing the right thing by keeping his mouth shut. But when Jesse popped into the local diner for a club sandwich and a couple of people mentioned the interview to him, he began rethinking his decision.

  Jesse pulled into Grady’s crushed-shell driveway and waved at his brother, who was seated in a lounge chair by the pool. When Jesse approached, Grady reached into a small cooler and tossed him a beer.

  “Thanks, this will go down good,” Jesse said, taking a seat next to his brother. “Where’s Arabella and my favorite niece?”

  “At the movies seeing the latest Disney princess. You saved me when you called. Thanks,” Grady said with a grin.

  “Anytime.”

  “So, what’s on your mind? You seemed kinda stressed. Is it about the show? Because I’ve got everything under control.”

  “No,” Jesse said, pausing to take a healthy swig of his beer. “Have you seen the interview or the tabloid bullshit that Anthony Grecco and his mean-ass girlfriend put out there?”

  “No, I don’t pay any attention to that shit anymore.” Grady snorted, but when Jesse explained the bathroom incident and the situation, his brother sat up straight. “Well, fuck that noise. Man, that sucks.”

  “Uh, yeah.”

  “How’s Ava taking it?”

  “She was pretty shaken up last night. I mean, I wanted to hunt the asshole down and beat the living shit out of him.”

  “Understandable. I just don’t get it. What’s he trying to prove? Why the hell does he want to even be here in the first place?”

  “Good question. I guess the prize money. And I think he wants to make Ava miserable.”

  “Well, I’m sure they got paid for the story.”

  “I didn’t even think of that. Wow, what a scumbag.”

  “We know how that works.” Grady shook his head. “So, what are you gonna do?”

  “Ava and I decided that we should take the high road and ignore the whole thing. I mean, I suggested it.”

  Grady nodded. “Probably the right move.”

  “I wasn’t sure you would say that. You’re the badass brother, remember?”

  Grady chuckled but then lifted one shoulder. “I’m a family man now, so I look at life differently. Don’t get me wrong—I’d like to take a swing at the asshat too, but unfortunately, I think you’re doing the best thing by ignoring it. We’ve been down this road before. Did you tell Ava that it’ll blow over quickly?”

  Jesse looked down at his beer can. “Yeah. But she went through some nasty gossip with this dude when they broke up. She’s over this sort of thing. She didn’t want to get involved with me at first because she wanted to lie low, and now this shit happens.”

  “This wasn’t your fault.”

  “She let me know that. Damn, Grady, and get this: Ava feels responsible for bringing me into
it.” He took the last swig of his beer and crushed the can.

  “They’ll be gone after Saturday.”

  “Thank God. I can’t wait.”

  Grady tossed him another cold beer. “And we’re going to rock the house on Saturday. No one will be thinking about what’s-his-name and his girlfriend. Ava doesn’t know what’s up, does she?”

  “Nope.”

  “Good.”

  Grady gave him a level look. “And Jesse, we’ve got your back and hers too. He won’t dare pull anything during the show. He’d better not, anyway, or I’ll forget the family-man stuff and personally kick his ass all the way into next week,” Grady promised.

  Jesse popped the top on his beer and leaned back in the lounge chair. “I sure as hell hope you’re right.”

  “But hey, bro, I’m happy for you. I mean, you’re in love, right?”

  Jesse grinned. “Man, I thought you and Jimmy and Oliver were whipped, but I get it now. Grady, I’d do anything for her.” He chuckled. “Even fix breakfast.”

  Grady tipped his head back and laughed. “And how did that go for you?”

  “I left her kitchen looking like a war zone, ruined the eggs, burned the toast, and the bacon was hard as a rock.”

  Grady slapped his thigh, laughing. “Did she poke fun at you?”

  “No—she said she liked it that way.”

  “Aw man, what a sweetheart. Does she know how you feel about her?”

  “Oh yeah.” Jesse nodded and couldn’t help but smile. “I couldn’t hold it in any longer. Grady, she’s the one.”

  “And so, don’t forget it.” Grady tossed his empty in the cooler. “You know my history with Arabella.”

  “All too well.”

  Grady shook his head. “Second chances don’t come around all that often. I was lucky I got one with her.” After a reflective pause, he checked his watch. “So, when’s she gonna get here?”

  Jesse looked at his phone. “In about an hour. So only one more for me or I’ll mess up the dance. Although I know it so well I could probably do it after ten beers.”

  “Wanna find out?”

  Jesse laughed. “Now, the old me would have jumped on that one just for shits and giggles. But I’ve been doing some serious adulting these days. Getting up early for rehearsal. Not staying up all night. Eating my veggies. Are you impressed?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Funny how falling in love makes you want to be a better person.”

  “You’re the last Heart to fall. Timber . . . boom! What does it feel like?”

  “Incredible. But a little scary. I just want to improve everything I do. And I’ve got a lot to improve upon.”

  “I get that, but it seems like she’s fine with who you are. Arabella and Maggie really like her.”

  “I knew they would,” Jesse said.

  “Want that last beer?”

  “Is there any doubt?”

  Grady laughed and tossed Jesse the beer. “I’m looking forward to Saturday.”

  “Me too,” Jesse said, but he couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that something was going to go wrong and that it was going to involve A2 and Not-So-Angelic.

  “Hey,” Grady said. “Like I said, we’ve got your back.”

  Jesse leaned over and tapped his can to Grady’s. “Thanks.”

  “Always. Now let’s talk about sports, something I don’t get to do much around here. Somehow Disney always trumps a game.”

  Jesse laughed, glad he’d come over early to hang out with Grady. When he heard a car pull into the driveway, he chugged the rest of the beer and tossed the empty to Grady. “Hide the evidence,” he whispered, trying to look innocent when Ava approached. “Hey, home skillet,” he said, drawing a look from Grady. Damn, she looked cute in shorts and a pink tank top.

  “Hi, Ava,” Grady said. “Want a beer?”

  “You have beer?” Jesse asked. “You’ve been holding out on me.”

  Ava laughed. “Jesse, you can’t fool me,” she said, and to his surprise she nodded to Grady. “Sure, I could use a cold one.”

  Grady tossed a beer to Ava.

  “Hey, what about me?” Jesse complained.

  “You said—” Grady began, but Jesse silenced him with a look and held his hand out for a beer.

  “This rehearsal should be interesting,” Ava said, popping the top.

  “Did you have anything to eat?” Jesse asked. “I could make you a sandwich.”

  “Jesse, this isn’t your house,” Ava said with a look at Grady.

  “He thinks it still is,” Grady said with a grin. “Are you hungry?”

  “I had a salad a little while ago, but thanks.” She raised her can. “This is hitting the spot.”

  Jesse stood up and gave Ava a quick kiss. “You have a good day?” he asked, careful not to mention the interview incident.

  Ava sat down on a lounge chair. “Yeah, I put together our wardrobe, so that’s taken care of. Are Arabella and Ella around?”

  “Princess movie,” Grady said. “Jesse saved me from going.”

  Ava laughed. “What’s not to like about a princess movie?”

  “Hey, I had a tea party with Ella today. I sat in a tiny chair, I wore a tiara, and I listened to the soundtrack of about a dozen Disney movies. I deserved a little guy time.”

  “Agreed, but I would love to have seen you in the tiara.”

  “Just look at Arabella’s Instagram. It’s there in all its glory.”

  “Awesome.”

  “My badass days are history,” Grady said with a shake of his head, and then looked over at Jesse. “Has Jimmy finished the Christmas song for Oliver and Belinda yet?”

  “No, and Oliver is bugging him like crazy.” Jesse turned to Ava to explain. “Oliver and Belinda are putting together a Christmas album and they wanted an original song along with some classics. They want Heartbeat to join in on a few of the songs.”

  “I love Christmas albums,” Ava said. “I almost wore out my Heartbeat Christmas CD.”

  “More than ’NSync?” Grady asked hopefully.

  “Say yes,” Jesse whispered.

  “Of course,” Ava said with wide eyes, and then hid her grin by taking a sip of her beer. “No contest.”

  “Grady is a little competitive when it comes to Justin Timberlake,” Jesse said in a loud whisper. “And Nick Carter.”

  “Yeah, right.” Grady shook his head and then stood up. “I was way cooler than either of those dudes.”

  “Of course,” Ava said, trying to hide her smile behind her beer can.

  “I’m in charge of fixing a late dinner for my girls. If you’re hungry after practicing, I’m sure there will be leftovers,” Grady offered.

  “Thanks,” Ava said. “We might take you up on that.” She finished her beer. “Okay, Jesse, we’ve got to get this party started.”

  Ava stood and gave Grady a hug. “It was great to see you.”

  “I want to see more of you two over here after the show,” Grady said.

  “You got it,” Jesse said. “Okay, let’s do this.” He took Ava’s hand and they walked over to the studio. Once they were inside, he pulled her into his arms. “You really okay?”

  Ava rested her cheek against his chest. “I had a few angry moments, but I just want to concentrate on the dance and get those two idiots out of Sea Breeze.”

  “Me too,” he said. He gave her a kiss and then walked over and turned on the lights.

  “Wow, nice setup,” Ava said with an appreciative nod.

  “Grady remodeled when we did the reunion concert. It’s pretty sweet.”

  “Okay, let’s see how good you are at mixing drinking with dancing.”

  Jesse did the moonwalk across the floor over to her, and was glad when she laughed. He never wanted to see a horrified look on her face again. And if he did, there would be hell to pay this time around.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  TOXIC

  Ava sat in the dressing room of the hall, putting the finishing touche
s on her makeup, adding a bit more drama to her eye shadow. She was trying to keep her nerves at bay, and she was doing a pretty good job of it. For the past three days, she and Jesse had rehearsed hard, and she knew it would pay off when they performed to open the event. Then, after the performance, she could sit back and watch the rest of the show. The only bad part about it was that she would have to be an adult and not boo when Anthony and Angelica took the stage. Luckily, because the rehearsals had taken place at Grady’s house, they hadn’t run into A2 and Not-So-Angelic at the performing arts center, and Ava planned to stay in the dressing room until the last minute.

  Still, though, she was nervous. The ping! of her phone made Ava jump in her seat, although with a quick glance, she saw that it was just a message from her mother asking for her to send video of the dance to show off to everyone. Because of the busy summer season, her family couldn’t break away from Gigi’s to watch it, but they wished Ava and Jesse the best. She hadn’t told her parents how serious her and Jesse’s relationship was just yet, but the thought of the joy on her mother’s face at the announcement chased away the last of her jitters and made her scold herself for being so jumpy. After all, it was getting close to curtain time, so the chances of any kind of altercation with Anthony were getting slim.

  “Almost there,” Ava said to her reflection. She smiled when there was a knock at the door. Hurrying, she opened it, expecting to see Jesse . . .

  But to her dismay, it was Anthony who stood there. Before she could close the door in his smug face, he pushed his way into the dressing room and locked it.

  “Get out,” Ava said with enough heat to make his eyes widen.

  “Ah, Ava, don’t be that way,” he said smoothly.

  “I’m calling Jesse.” Ava turned to grab her phone, but Anthony grabbed her arm, sending a cold shot of fear into her chest. She tried to wrench her arm free, praying that Jesse would hear Anthony, break down the door, and kick his ass. “Let go.”

  “Not until you listen to what I have to say to you.”

  “Go to hell,” Ava hissed, trying not to show her fear. “You’re toxic.”