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“Same—I’ve never been to Canada, and this is a sport that I can beat Daw at.”
Daw smirks. “Don’t count on it.”
“He’s so competitive. Ateverything,” Kate grumbles while rolling her eyes. “Already he’s trying to get Liv to catch one of those big fluffy balls, determined she’s going to be an elite athlete.”
“You’ve got to start them young,” Daw attests. “Get their eye in early."
“She’s only one,” Kate stresses.
“What’s in Canada?” Laurence asks, joining us on the terrace to enjoy the warm night. Above us, the sky is dark, the stars competing with the twinkling fairy lights. “Is this the prize you won for Ava?”
I’d buy my wife anything she wanted, and Laurence knows it because he’s built the exact same way as me. “Whistler,” I confirm. “You coming?”
“Would love to. Thanks.”
I clamp a hand on his shoulder, giving him a friendly squeeze. This guy is going through it, and I know what that feels like.
Through the many glass doors of the reception room I spot my parents speaking with Tilly, Nate, Ben and Sabine. It has me looking to Ava, who studies me curiously before walking into my open arm that’s beckoning her.
“What’s up?”
The others continue talking about fails and wipe-outs on the slopes, when I ask, “Do you still hear the voice?”
Ava goes quiet, as if willing it into existence. “No. I haven’t heard her since the day you flew over here and reentered my life like a beautiful storm.”
I smile, picking up her left hand and casting a critical eye over the simple, thin, platinum wedding band. It sits well next to her engagement ring and the new eternity ring, one of four wedding gifts. On her right hand, as always, she wears her canary yellow diamond.
It’s easy to feel safe amongst friends and family, celebrating a special occasion. But work takes me to Europe every month, sometimes for several days at a time. On those days, Ava stays with her sister, needing the security of family around her. And I want that too; I hate the thought of her being alone in the apartment, perpetually worried that she’ll be taken from me again.
And while Jeremy shares his time between New York and London as he continues to work for me, he can’t work all hours of the day. He did enough of that while searching for Sabine.
Ava and Sabine’s traffickers and owners might be in prison on the back of overwhelming evidence, but I’ll never trust another man outside my closest circle, a circle that currently stands within earshot or my direct line of sight. Keeping my wife safe is my priority—it also keeps me sane—but I’ll raise security measures another time.
Today of all days, we’ve promised to forget what happened to her exactly a year ago. But that corrupt cop is yet to be brought to justice. And I want Janssen imprisoned. Jeremy’s been gathering evidence over the past few months and we’re getting close.
Thankfully, the police located Irina and Charlotte, but there’s no sign of Lenka. I have to hope she’s found soon.
Gesturing to a waiter, I ask for more champagne. And when I catch Ben’s eye, nodding him over, he brings the rest of the family with him.
“Jen! Tabi! Josie!” Ava calls, waving her friends over. “I’m going to throw the bouquet soon. Get ready, you two,” she tells her single friends.
“I don’t want it,” Tabi decides. “No offence, but marriage is not my bag, baby.”
Ava pouts. “Can’t you pretend? For like, three seconds?”
“Fine, but I’m crap at this anyway.”
“What? Catching?” Jenny asks adjusting her dark blonde hair. I liked it bright red but she wanted something classy for the wedding.
“Daw will teach you,” Mal tells Tabi, a shit-eating grin on his face. “He’s good with balls.”
Tabi’s laugh is filthy. “I want to see that, believe me, especially with your bodyguard,” she says looking at me. “Jeremy. Hmm, where is he anyway? Get him over here so I can look at him some more,” she announces. “But to clarify, I’m only crap at catching because of all the tall people around me.”
“Is that why basketball practice didn’t go so well?” Ava teases. “Too many tall guys and gals to compete with?”
“I caught something much more interesting than balls.”
“A venereal disease?” Josie offers with deadpan flair.
