I didn’t want to let her go. But Serena was still standing here, and I needed to fucking calm down to figure out what all of this was about. I needed to let Ava calm down, too. Neither one of us were in control right now. I would take a minute. Then I would go find her. She didn’t have a car here.
I reluctantly dropped her arm, turning my back to clench the patio railing. I couldn’t watch her walk away. I needed to breathe. I had a sinking feeling and everything that had just happened felt like a fucking sucker punch to my stomach.
“Rhett, is everything okay?” Serena stepped beside me to put her hand on my back.
I turned on her, my anger boiling over, “What the fuck was she talking about, Serena?”
She stepped back, shocked. “I have no idea. She obviously has issues-”
“Don’t you fucking say a damn bad word about her,” I interrupted. “If I find out that you had anything to do with this, so help me God...”
I didn’t finish my threat. I just stared her down before walking off to find my girl and Adam. I needed to get to the bottom of this shit. He obviously told her something that made her think that baby wasn’t mine. I needed to know what it was.
I stormed back into the house, searching for Adam first, so I at least could understand what Ava was talking about. I looked through the house and didn’t see either one of them. I spotted Riley. He broke his conversation, coming towards me when he saw the look on my face.
“Rhett, man. What’s going on?”
“Adam. Have you seen him?”
“Yeah, he left a few minutes ago.”
Shit. I guess I would have to find Ava first then, I scanned around the room, trying to find her once again.
“What about Ava? Or her friends. Where are they?”
“They just ran out the door. I think Ava was with them. She looked pretty upset.”
“Shit!” I ran out the front door into the street. I was too late. I saw Lizzie’s car tail lights already headed down the road. I threw my hands in my hair, pulling hard at the strands in frustration. I didn’t think about her friends taking her away from me. Shit. How could I not see that coming? I wasn’t in my right mind, that’s why. “Fuck!” I yelled, wanting to punch something. Riley ran out behind me, stopping a few feet away.
“What the hell’s going on, Rhett?”
“Adam said something to Ava. Something that upset her and made her think the baby wasn’t mine. I need to know what’s going on. I need to know what he said to make her think that.”
“Shit, Rhett. I’ll find Adam. You go find your girl,” he clapped me on my back, walking backwards away from me. “As soon as I find him, I’ll call you.”
I nodded my head at his plan and then ran back into the house to grab my keys.
“Party over,” I yelled through the house as I walked back in, “Get the fuck out!” I could care less if I offended anyone right now.
I got in my car headed for Wellesley. I had no idea if they were going to her place or Mike’s or maybe even that Amber girl’s. I tried calling Ava first. She didn’t answer. I wasn’t surprised by that. I tried calling four more times only waiting a few minutes between each call. Still no answer. I sent her a text to at least let her know I was coming for her. She didn’t respond. I didn’t really expect her to.
I tried calling Lizzie next. She didn’t answer either. I sent her a text.
R: Pull over. Wait for me.
She immediately replied.
L: No, fuck off. She needs some space right now.
Well, at least that was something. I called Eric, the head of our security, giving him Amber’s name. I needed her address in case I didn’t find Ava at her apartment or Mike’s house.
I went to her apartment first, since I had a key. I could see the apartment lights were dark through the windows. I hoped that just meant that maybe she’d fallen into a drunken sleep. I opened the door. It was quiet. I hastily rushed around her apartment finding it empty. Shit.
I walked out, locking the door behind me, getting back in my car, turning towards Mike’s. I was half-way there when my phone chimed with a text. Amber’s address. I would try that last. Just as I turned onto Mike’s street, my phone rang.
“Did you find him?” I asked pointedly, skipping the pleasantries. Riley wouldn’t care.
“Yeah, he’s at his house. Passed out drunk.”
“Wake his fucking ass up.”
“I tried. He just keeps mumbling and passing back out.”
“Damn it!” I punched my fist on the steering wheel, ignoring the pain that radiated through it.
“What about, Ava?” he asked cautiously.
“I haven’t found her,” I sighed, losing hope that I would. I’d drove past Mike’s house as we talked. It was dark and absent Lizzie’s car, so I didn’t bother stopping. I flipped the car around, driving towards Amber’s
“I’ll stay here with Adam. I’ll question him as soon as he wakes. Call me if you need anything else,” he hung up.
When I got to Amber’s, there was still no sign of Ava. I circled back to her apartment, hoping I just missed them in passing. I waited outside her apartment, trying to pull my shit together and regain some control. I needed a level head for whenever she arrived.
I waited out there for at least thirty minutes before I started to realize she may not be coming home. I was walking down the stairs of her complex to get in my car and drive by her friends’ houses again when I got another text.
L: Headed for Litchfield Hospital. You should come.
I felt a wave of relief that was quickly replaced by fear. She didn’t have to explain further. I knew it had to be David in the hospital. I just hoped I would make it to her in time.
The drive to Litchfield was torturous. I had nothing to do but be lost in my thoughts, fears and regrets. I should have never let Ava walk out that door. I still can’t make sense of what she’d said about the baby not being mine. There was nobody else’s it could be. I had thought at one time maybe Serena had slept with someone else, but she promised I was the only one she had ever been with, and I had no reason not to believe her.
When I finally got to the hospital, I headed to the front desk to find out where David’s room was. I stopped in my tracks, seeing Stephen. He was standing there seething, fists clenching, ready to fight. I didn’t blame him. I knew he cared about Ava, and I had just fucking hurt her.
“Where is she?”
“You should leave.”
“No chance. I need to see her.”
“She’s dealing with enough right now. She doesn’t need to deal with your shit. You’ve hurt her, and she’s hurting more now. Her dad’s gone. She’s surrounded by her friends and family… that’s enough. It’s what she needs.”
“You don’t know what she needs. And it’s not your fucking call,” I growled.
“Are you that fucking selfish? If you didn’t already break her tonight, you will someday… If you care for her, you’ll walk away. You’ll let her grieve and move on with her life. She needs space, and you need to let her go.”
I knew he was right. I had hurt her. I wasn’t letting her go, though. She didn’t need to deal with whatever this fight between us was right now. We could deal with it later. I was going to be there for her. She needed me. She was mine. I opened my mouth to tell him just that when my phone rang. I glanced down at the screen. Riley. I answered it.
“Rhett, he’s awake. I think you’re going to need to deal with this in person.”
I looked over at Stephen, who was still standing there ready to fight me if I tried to get to her. And I was willing to do just that. I would fight any man who tried to keep me from her, but I also knew she was hurting enough from me and the loss of her father. If I beat the crap out of one of her best friends right now, it would just cause her more pain. I would go home and get the other part of this figured out. Then I would come for her.
“I’m on my way.” I hung up the phone. I narrowed my eyes at Stephen, letting him know
I wasn’t giving up and then left.
By the time I got back to Boston it was morning. I hadn’t slept all night. The adrenaline pumping through me, keeping me awake. I went straight to Adam’s house. I banged on the door. I didn’t care if they were asleep. I was getting answers now.
Riley answered half-way awake, letting me in. He stopped me before I barged through the door.
“Rhett, before you talk to him just remember none of this was his choice. He wanted to tell you. Keep that in mind. He knows he fucked up and should’ve told you sooner.”
I didn’t know what Riley was talking about, so I wasn’t making him any promises. I moved past him to find Adam and hear what he had to say.
I was still reeling from everything Adam told me. I was beyond pissed. The last fucking eight years of my life I’d been torturing myself over something I should have never had to deal with. I about beat the shit out of Adam when he told me everything he knew and had done with Serena behind my back. I probably would have if it hadn’t been for Riley. I didn’t care that he’d slept with Serena. I was pissed that he never told me that he did or that he was pretty sure the baby was his.
I went to my place to change and then got on the plane to New York. Serena had apparently left Boston this morning. I was tired, but I didn’t bother sleeping. Thoughts of Ava kept me awake. I wanted to see her, to be there for her. First, I needed to finish dealing with this mess. I couldn’t go to her until I had things back under control.
I checked in on her often through Jackson, knowing she likely wouldn’t take my calls or respond to my texts. He let me know the funeral was going to be tomorrow. They had been prepared for David’s passing, so everything had been arranged quickly. She wasn’t handling it well, and it killed me not to be there for her. But I couldn’t be the man she needed right now. Not until I took care of my own shit.
As soon as I landed in New York, I headed to the condo Serena and Aubrey shared. They weren’t there, so I tried the usual places while trying her cell. She didn’t answer which was unusual. I figured she’d heard from Adam or someone, warning her I was looking for her.
I headed to my parent’s penthouse to rest. The exhaustion and cluster fuck of emotions had started to wear on my body. My parents weren’t home, but Valerie was. I had hoped the house would be empty, forgetting she was out of school for the summer.
“Rhett, you look terrible? What happened? What are you doing here?” Valerie hit me with her twenty questions.
I sat down on the couch, leaning my elbows on my knees to support my head. I didn’t even know what to tell my little sister. It wasn’t a burden I wanted to lay on her, so I didn’t answer her. I just stared at the ground, rubbing my temples with the palms of my hands. My mother arrived home minutes later.
“Rhett? What’s wrong? Valerie, go get your brother a water. Give us a minute,” she dismissed Valerie from my side. My mother took a seat on the couch next to me. “Rhett, what’s happened? Is it Ava? Is everything okay?”
I shook my head.
“Tell me what’s wrong,” she commanded, waiting for my answer.
“I need to find Serena. Have you heard from her?”
“No, I haven’t. I was just at a charity function with her mother. I thought she’d mentioned she was visiting you boys in Boston.”
“She was, but she left….,” I paused, trying to figure out how to say the words out loud. Still unable to believe the truth in them. “I think she lied to me about the baby. I don’t think it was mine. I need her to confirm it.”
I heard my mother gasp. Before she could respond, Valerie interrupted our conversation.
“Did Ava tell you?”
I looked at my little sister, standing there with the glass of water, wondering how she could possibly know that. She looked down at her feet guiltily.
“How did you know that, Val?”
“Promise you won’t be mad at me,” her words trembled on her lips.
“Val, I could never be mad at you. Come here. Tell me what you know.”
She moved slowly to join us on the couch, sitting between my mother and me. She sat there silent, staring at her hands as she wringed them together in her lap, scared to speak.
“Go on Val, honey,” my mother encouraged.
She finally spoke, telling me about years ago, overhearing Serena have a breakdown in the hall, and how she had caught Serena and Adam making out in the woods. She said she had told Ava all this on her visit and that Ava had suspicions that it was Adam’s baby. Ava had confronted Serena in the bathroom at New Year’s, but Serena didn’t admit it at the time. Val apologized over and over for not telling me years ago. I reassured her I wasn’t mad at her. She was just a kid then and none of this was her fault.
I knew Serena had lied, manipulating my family and me. And whether she admitted it or not, I was done with her. Done with feeling guilty. I still planned to confront her. My mother insisted I get some sleep and eat before I did. She would hunt down Serena for me.
I went to my bedroom, sending Jackson a quick text to send me the information for the funeral. As I waited for his response, I closed my eyes.
When I woke, I had no idea what time it was. I checked my phone and saw it was nine in the morning the next day. There was a text from Jackson saying the funeral was at ten in the morning. Shit. I was going to miss it. There was no way I could make it in time even with a private jet flying me. I rolled out of bed, feeling like I had been hit by a bus.
I hadn’t planned to sleep through the night. I had planned to just take a nap, then deal with Serena before leaving for Litchfield last night. My mom knocked on my door as she opened it.
“There’s some breakfast for you, and I’ve confirmed Serena is at her condo.”
“Thank you,” my voice felt like razor blades in my throat. “Can you have some flowers sent to the funeral for Ava’s family?” It wasn’t what I wanted. I wanted to be with Ava. At least this way she would know I was thinking of her.
“Of Course,” she paused. “Rhett, I don’t know what you plan to say to Serena, but your father and I support you… just know that,” she added before walking out.
The conversation with Serena went about as expected. I first gave her the opportunity to come clean. When she denied that it was Adam’s, I told her everything Adam and Valerie had told me. She finally confessed everything, pleading for me to forgive her if only for our family’s sake. It seemed her manipulation knew no boundaries. I told her I was done with her and that she should stay far away from me, Ava and my family. I would be making sure of it.
After leaving Serena’s, I had a few things left that I needed to take care of. I needed to make sure there was no way Serena could work her way back into my life. Unfortunately, it wasn’t going to be easy. Our fathers were close, and I was going to have to ask mine to get involved. And not just on a personal level, but a business level. I knew it would be a lot to ask from him, but I would do it for Ava.
Jackson had told me Ava had planned to stay in Litchfield after the funeral. I had expected that. It gave me time to work out the business details with my father. She would have her family with her until I could be with her. This was the last thing I needed to do to gain the control back, and then I could work on helping her heal.
My father was more understanding and willing to negotiate on the business side than I expected. I had told him I was pulling out of the London deal as that was the only deal I had a personal investment in with Serena’s family. He understood and bought me out of my portion. It took a few weeks to work out all the legalities and paper work.
It wasn’t lost on either of us that I would be inheriting it all back along with any other dealings my dad had done with the Archibald’s. But by that point, my dad will have retired, turning the company over to me, and it would not be him withdrawing from deals with his longtime friend. It would be me. I didn’t plan to deal with them unfairly at that time. I would either buy them out or sell my portion. I didn’t have any ill will to
wards her family. Unfortunately, I knew if I stayed in business with them, she would use it to manipulate situations. She had proven I couldn’t trust her.
There were a few things I had been handling in Boston that the Archibald’s were a part of. I spent a few weeks going over the latest details with him, so he could take them over while I would take other things off his plate in exchange. By the time it was all said and done, more weeks had passed then I wanted. It was a necessary evil for Ava and me to move forward. I wanted to show her that I took every step necessary to remove Serena from our lives.
The week before I was going to leave for Litchfield to get her, Jackson called me to let me know she was finally going home to Wellesley and if I didn’t want to lose her forever, I should probably make a move now. That was only after he yelled at me for being an ass and a fucking idiot. I took it in stride. I deserved it.
When I got to her apartment, I didn’t bother knocking. The door had been left unlocked, so I let myself in. She was coming out of her room, carrying a box. She looked more beautiful than I remembered, but thinner. She hadn’t been eating. We stood there staring at each other, neither of us speaking. I wanted to scoop her up and wrap her in my arms, but I was frozen in place, staring at her eyes. They were void. Sad and defeated. It killed me.
I looked around her apartment, realizing it had been cleared out. I didn’t notice it at first, too entranced by the sight of her. I started to panic. I reeled it in quickly, making sure to maintain control.
“Where are you going?”
She hesitated before answering, “California…What are you doing here, Rhett?”
“I needed to see you.”
“Well, now you have. You can leave,” she ordered pointedly.
I wasn’t leaving. Not until I could explain everything to her, but I needed her in my arms. I needed her to feel what was always between us and always would be. She needed to know she was still mine and I was hers.
A Reason to Stay Page 25
