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That was days ago.
Now, I sat in the bay windows I loved tucking into as a child, staring out at the front yard as it gets pelted with snow.
“Ava,” my mother says, getting my attention as she hands me a mug of hot chocolate. The marshmallows are slowly melting at the top, and I feel transported to a simpler time when we’d sit in this window drinking our hot chocolate and emotionally stunted men were the least of my worries.
Mom took her seat across from me at the nook and leaned back. “How much longer do you plan to stare outside this window like some Victorian heroine?”
“I am not,” I say, affronted. “I’m enjoying the snow.”
“You can’t stay in this house forever, Ava. You have to return to your life at some point.”
“I have the TV appearance the publisher wants me to do in a few days,” I say.
My mother sighs. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it.”
That night when Maxwell escorted me here, my mother was on her way out to go see Asher in the hospital. Taking one look at my face, she postponed a trip into the city to hold me as I cried. I was unable to even form a coherent sentence. The stress of the stalker and Brandon dumping me for no real reason except for his fear poured out of me.
My mother wasn’t happy once I explained, after sleeping off my miserable night, what had happened between Brandon and me. She was angry that I’d entertain someone so much older than me and went behind Asher’s back.
“So, what are you saying exactly?” I ask, taking a sip of the warm cocoa.
“Brandon is certainly not my first pick for you,” she begins. “He’s been like a son to me most of his life, and now he’s with my baby girl. The whole idea is weird, Ava.”
I give her a look. “I’m hardly a child. Something everyone seems to forget.”
“When you have a child of your own, you’ll understand it’s hard to let that go,” she says. “If Brandon is the man for you, hiding out here is not going to make that happen.”
I sighed again. Something I couldn’t seem to stop doing these days. I’m so tired and fed up with my life right now. “You’re right, Mom. I can’t keep hiding.”
“Of course, I’m right,” she says, and neither of us successfully hold in our laughter. It felt good to laugh instead of crying for once.
My morning television appearance was in a two days’ time, and I was due back into the city. The publisher would be livid if I missed it or had to reschedule. How could I safely return to the city? Whoever attacked Asher and killed Reid, assuming it was the same person, was still out there.
That meant I had to rely on one of Brandon’s team to get me back safely. I couldn’t be too careful trusting a rideshare or car service.
Once mom leaves to return our empty mugs to the kitchen, I pull out my phone to text Maxwell and realize I don’t have his number saved because, of course, I trusted I’d be under Brandon’s protection. Brandon was the one who always called or texted Max.
During my time here, I’d see Maxwell, Westin, or Bree parked outside the estate, keeping tabs on the property. None of them acknowledge me, but they’re all sent by Brandon to watch over me. I appreciated that he didn’t throw me to the wolves after dumping me, but having a twenty-four-hour watch over me without my asking did not mean I had to forgive Brandon.
Since I didn’t have anyone else from TSS’s number saved, that meant I was left with only one choice.
Ava:I need an escort back to Manhattan.
Three dots appear so quickly, it seems like Brandon was staring at his phone, waiting for the message to pop up.
Brandon:Look outside.
Look outside? I sit up on my knees and peer out the bay window. There’s Brandon’s tall, dark figure standing in front of his Escalade and looking down at his phone. He’s waiting for my response. I’m struck dumb at the sight of him after days since I was last in his office.
I remember the crumpled look on his face as the elevator doors closed between us.
Why did he have to look so good in his dark plaid overcoat? I can see the snowflakes landing on his smooth hair. I want to run to him, but I can’t.
Just because he’s still watching over me, this changes nothing between us. We still haven’t resolved anything.
Brandon:I can see you in the window.
I instantly move away so I’m partially obscured by the curtains. I wanted to run out into those freezing temperatures and jump into Brandon’s arms, but I couldn’t.
