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I release a sinister laugh. “Right, you never need your son.”
My fingers move to the screen, slamming the red button to end the call as I tighten my grip on the phone—the nerve of him to question me and use our son as an excuse. The anger continues to fester inside of me while Bentley continues to play. I need to vent, and now, so I press dial on Ava’s number.
“Hey!” she cheers over the phone. “Is this my long-lost English cousin?”
I smile, barely. “Yeah, hope it’s okay to call you?”
“It’s always okay to call me, except maybe when my husband is on night shift, and I’m mauling him like a feral animal during the day when he’s supposed to be asleep.”
“How is Austin?” I chuckle.
“Tired,” she tells me, then lets out a sigh. “He just came home from night shift and is trying to get Emmy to eat, but, of course, she wants to run around. Poor guy, he looks beat.”
I can imagine it now, Austin still giving his undivided attention to his daughter. When Austin and Ava got married, a particular moment stuck with me—their vows.
The exact words, while lost on me at this very moment, were powerful. They evoked so much emotion, remembering how both Millie and I were in tears. Austin promised to love and protect their family, their marriage, but more importantly, he promised to be the best man for their daughter and future children.
“You’ve got yourself a good man. Please tell him I said hello.”
“I know. He’s a keeper. And of course, I’ll pass the message on.” Ava pauses momentarily, then lowers her voice. “Is everything okay?”
My gaze shifts toward Bentley, wishing things were different. Just hearing Ava’s voice on the phone makes me realize how much I miss her and everyone back home. Bentley would have so much fun with his cousins.
“I’m sorry I’ve been MIA,” I say quietly.
“Oh, Jessa, we’ve all gone through this. Remember when Millie was sneaking around with Will? She barely spoke to us, and when she did, she always lied about her whereabouts.”
“I remember.”
“And what about me? I didn’t speak to anyone when I was trying to hide my pregnancy. I kept telling you guys I was busy with work.”
“We believed it.” I sigh.
“So… it’s fine, okay? Just life.”
“I saw Andy,” I blurt out, desperate to get this off my chest and to someone who’ll understand. “Correction, I saw him, and we’re talking again. In fact, we hung out for a bit today with Bentley.”
There’s an absence of sound on Ava’s end, prompting me to check to see if the call is still connected.
“Ava, are you still there?”
“Yes, I’m trying to process,” she informs me. “God, it explains why he never responds to me, like ever.”
“This only happened a few nights ago.”
I explained to her about the ball, and typical Ava wants every detail, not a single thing left out. She needs context, so she can understand exactly what happened, then give her brutal opinion.
“Okay, so this is a lot for me to take in.”
“Really? I think Will and Millie screwing behind your dad’s back was a lot to take in.”
“Yes, that was a lot to take in. But, so, you and Andy…”
“There’s nothing going on.”
Ava falls quiet again.
“Ava!” I almost yell. “Don’t go all quiet on me. Say what you need to say. I need a reality check here. Benedict is acting all weird, and his behavior doesn’t make sense. One minute he’s inviting Andy over for lunch, and the next he wants me to report my every move.”
