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We stayed silent for a few moments before Ava broke it.
“I don't like lying to him.” Her eyes were hidden from me as she looked down at her lap. “I've always told him everything. He's been all I've had my whole life. I feel lousy keeping this from him.”
“Ava, look at me.”
Her head came up and the torn look in her eyes razored through me.
“It's not real until Dad knows.” Her lips trembled. “I don't want to disappoint him.” A pause, then her brows shot up. “Wait, no. That didn't come out right. I'm not saying sleeping with you at all is a cause for someone to feel disappointed. Or having a baby with you is wrong, it's just—”
She was red in the face. I could let this go on. The beginnings of a smile were already pulling at my lips. I bit on my inner cheek to hide it.
“I get it.”
“Oh, um, thanks.” She offered me a small smile. “What are we going to do, Liam?”
I exhaled, looking out at the fading sun. Thomas had been my friend forever. The last thing I wanted was for him to feel betrayed.
Or think I took advantage of our closeness to get to Ava. Or worse, that I preyed on her.
I knew Thomas too well. That's exactly where his mind would go. There was no helping it.
I feared the fallout. Especially for Ava's sake. He loved and doted on her. I didn't want to ruin their relationship.
Or our friendship.
My shoulders hunched at the thought.
“Liam?” Ava's soft voice brought me back to the present.
I turned to her wide-eyed brown gaze. I swallowed the lump in my throat. She trusted me to be here, to help.
Not spiral into worst-case-scenario thoughts.
But I couldn't lie, either.
“Thomas probably won't take it well.”
She sighed like I confirmed what she thought.
“He may feel betrayed, angry…”
“Disappointed.”
“But we can't control how he feels, Ava. We can't control how anyone feels.”
Her eyes fell shut and she muttered, “I know. I'm just—I don't want anything to go wrong. Can't he just be happy for us?”
I scoffed. “I doubt that.”
“So, what do we do?”
Our gazes held and I knew she was thinking what I was thinking. But neither of us was inclined to say it first. When it was finally out in the open, there would be no taking it back and we'd have to follow through.
“Tell him,” Ava stated firmly.
“Tell him,” I echoed at the same time.
“Aw, shit.” Ava slumped in her seat. “I was hoping you'd say ‘run away.’”
