“That’s what I was just going to ask. Yep, I can make that happen. Thank you, Donovan. Shoot me your address and I will be there with bells on at four.”
Continuing our afternoon, we pulled up to Arvaci, and the two of us were the last to arrive. Walking in felt like a page from my past. It smelled the same, looked the same, hell, the guys were even in our favorite booth. The three of them stood up to hug me, but it wasn’t a pat on the back and move-along obligatory hug. Each embrace took a little longer than normal, each of us expressing our own apologies for how things had unraveled. I couldn’t believe it. I thought they’d be resentful of me pulling away, but no, it turns out that every one of us felt the weight of our missteps.
After Audra was introduced, we sat down, and it was like no time had passed. Social media told me they were fine, but from across the table, I could feel their happiness and peace. The one I had only recently found.
My girl sat and mostly took in the tales of our youth. There were so many laughs we shared, so much mischief, and so much adventure. We really did take advantage of the opportunities we had. Reminiscing with those men was a balm for my soul that I didn’t know I needed. I squeezed her leg under the table because it meant the world that she was there next to me. Every situation that passed in New York gave me the opportunity to appreciate her deeper. Did she care about the silly thing we did a decade ago? No. But you wouldn’t know that based on the way she was invested in the conversation. When it wastime to leave, each of them commented on how wonderful she was, and how happy they were for me. I was on cloud fucking nine.
We didn’t have time for anymore sightseeing because we stayed at the coffee shop longer than anticipated. Audra assured me it was okay because we could always return.
Back at the apartment, we barely enough time to pack before Jules arrived. I had a very different plan in mind for our return journey, but it ended up being a short flight where we kept our clothes on, but laughed our asses off. It had been a whirlwind couple of days, but when we landed, it wasn’t even a question of where Audra would be going for the evening. It was just assumed she’d be with me, and I loved that. I took that as the most telling takeaway from the weekend. We collapsed on the bed and cuddled briefly before falling into a deep, cozy, comfortable sleep.
The apology,or what they were calling Reveal 2.0, could not have gone better, and I teared up at Maverick’s declaration of love for Cora. So much of what he said paralleled what I felt for Audra, who was full-on crying. How crazy was that? The intensity of their relationship mirrored ours, so maybe the depth of my feelings for her weren’t completely insane. Granted, they had a history when they were kids, which Audra and I didn’t, but still, I felt his words deep in my soul. I wondered if the woman next to me was thinking the same thing, too.
I put my arm around her shoulder and pulled her next to my body. When it was apparent that they were going to be just fine, the mood changed from suspenseful to joyful. The twinspulled out drinks, cake, and music, and the night became a celebration. I looked around, and my heart was overflowing. This was exactly where I was meant to be in this life.
At one point, Audra and I were dancing, and I saw Theo looking in the window. Audra’s back was to him, so she had no idea he was there. I bent down and gave her a deep, sensual kiss. It was the equivalent of me marking my territory. When she pulled away, she was laughing and smiling, still none the wiser that he was there. I glared at him and hoped that he could hear me loud and clear. She was mine now, fucker. With the whirlwind of everything that had happened over those past few days, I hadn’t given him much thought, but I was going to have to figure out what to do. This shit was simply not going to continue. He walked away, flipping me off, but that night was not the night for worrying about him. She was coming back to my place anyway.
As we were wrapping everything up, Audra jumped up into my arms. “Take me home,” she whispered into my ear.
At that exact moment, I wished we had our mystery driver from the night before, but I got us home just fine. By the time I got out of the bathroom to seduce my girlfriend, she was fast asleep in the cloud bed. She looked like a literal angel, and I sent a thank you to the heavens for what it had given me.
I never believed peace was something I’d get to claim—it always felt out of reach. But seeing her there, tangled in my sheets, I understood what it meant to belong somewhere, and I belonged with her.
49
AUDRA
Iwoke up to Donovan’s face between my legs, and it was freaking incredible. The night before, I passed out as soon as my head hit the pillow, but now had a new favorite way to wake up. After a handful of orgasms for me and a huge one for him, we were both ready to take on the day.
I wanted to see the new windows that had been installed at my house while we were in New York, so I asked Donovan to drive me back. Walking up, I loved how amazing they looked, and I was beyond grateful that my thoughtful, giving man had arranged for that to be taken care of. My man. That had a great sound to it.
When I opened the screen, a manila envelope fell out from between the doors. I looked at Donovan before I picked it up. When I saw my name on the front, my stomach dropped, and my hands started shaking immediately. It was Theo’s handwriting.
“Audra, what’s wrong?” Donovan asked as he noticed the change in my demeanor. Reaching out, he gently took it from my hands.
“Is this from him?”
I nodded my head.
“Listen to me. New York was a wonderful reprieve from this, but he will not win. He will not do this to you anymore.”
We shuffled inside the house. “Part of me hoped that he’d just drop it, ya know?”
“We were only gone three days, Audra. He’s been keeping tabs on you for years. But I assure you, he will stop posing a problem for us soon.”
I didn’t even want him to expand on what that could be. Taking the envelope back from Donovan, I started to open it.
“You sure you want to do that, Audra?” he questioned, as he put his hand over my shaking ones, looking at me with concerned eyes.
“I don’t know,” I answered.
“How about I open it for you?” Donovan asked, wrapped his fingers around the envelope again. I could see him holding back from just snatching it from my hands.
“No, it’s fine,” I said as I opened the flap and pulled out a series of photos. Each one had words scrawled out in capital letters in thick red marker; STUPID WHORE, YOU’RE MINE, GOLD DIGGER, BITCH. The photos included one of Donovan and me from the gossip column in New York, one of us dancing last night at Grá, a photo of me at my car when the plugs had been intentionally disconnected, a photo of me leaving the hospital alone weeks ago, and a photo of Van and I getting into his car after my windows were broken. He was there. He was always there. It wasn’t just my imagination; apparently, he had been everywhere. My mouth dropped open. It was all so far across the line, so far removed from reality, that angry tears sprang in my eyes.
“How dare he?” I said through gritted teeth.
Donovan looked like he was hanging by a thread as rage came off of him in waves.
