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Harper, leaning forward with curiosity, asked Ava, “So you’re not looking for love?”
As she shook her head, Ava’s hair glinted in the sun. “It’s worked out so well for you all. I mean, look at your guys.” She waved a hand at the male tableau zealously manning the barbecue as more meat sputtered and spat. “They’re a dazzling bunch.” Then she smiled gently with either sadness or relief. “But love has never worked out for me. I didn’t make good choices in men.” She shuddered dramatically. “So I’m done. And I’m totally okay with that.”
Though Cammie had known Ava Harrington for twelve years, they’d never shared confidences about relationships. And Cammie had only a couple of past relationships that were serious enough to even talk about. She had no clue about Ava’s bad choices. But she did wonder if Ava was protesting a little too much, as though she wasn’t as okay with it as she said.
But the ladies really got into the discussion. “Yeah,” Charlie agreed. “Men can totally suck.” She looked at Sebastian, though he obviously didn’t suck at all.
Ari laughed. “And we certainly don’t want you to think that everything was a bed of roses with this lot.” She hooked a thumb over her shoulder at the barbecue crowd.
Cammie longed to hear their stories. She wanted so much to know them better.
“I mean it,” Ari insisted. “Matt was so overprotective of Noah that he watched me like a hawk in case I did anything wrong.”
Tasha rolled her eyes. “And they’re all so bossy.”
“You should have been there when Daniel tried to knock Cal’s block off after he found out we were dating.” Lyssa heaved a huge sigh in Daniel’s direction.
Rosie added dryly, “I believe there was something about Daniel also finding out you were going to have Cal’s baby…?”
Lyssa flapped her hand casually in the air. “Okay, there was that.”
“I had to whack some sense into Daniel for that one,” Tasha revealed with a disgusted shake of her head. “He couldn’t accept you were a grown woman and not just his little sister anymore.”
“I’ve got you all beat,” Paige said, her smile almost smug. “Because Evan was married to my sister. I think you’ll all agree it was a total disaster for both of them.”
“I hate to speak ill of anyone,” Harper said, spreading her fingers. “But your sister…” She left it hanging, and all the women seemed to know exactly what she hadn’t said.
There must be a heck of a story there, but Cammie wasn’t comfortable enough to ask.
“But look at you two now.” Rosie’s dark eyes twinkled. “Two adorable babies. And everything worked out beautifully.”
Paige looked at her husband with the other Mavericks. “Yeah,” she said with a tender smile. “It’s all worked out so perfectly.”
Even after hearing their stories, Ava crossed her legs on the lounge chair, her arms folded over her chest, a smile that could have been a grimace on her face. “But you all picked men with potential. While my decision-making has been extraordinarily bad.”
Cammie hoped she’d go on. Ava had been so good to her. Maybe Cammie could help her by being a good listener. Except that she might be required to reveal her own secrets… and her mistakes took the cake. She could only imagine the look on Ava’s face—on all the women’s faces—if she were to say, My biggest mistake was a one-night stand with your brother right before my job interview with him. It wouldn’t matter to them that she hadn’t known who he was when she’d slept with him. In fact, that might be worse.
Closing her eyes for the briefest moment, she could almost feel his touch on her skin, the softness of his hair beneath her fingers, the caress of his lips on her throat, her breasts, her belly. Everywhere.
Lord, that night had been the absolute best. Even if it was a total screwup.
But Dane wasn’t her only screwup. She’d made two other extremely bad choices, far worse than what she’d done with Dane, and like Ava, she was never letting that happen again. Though Dane was the only worthwhile one in the bunch, she’d had to let him go for Uncle Lochlan’s sake. The job with Dane was her and Uncle Lochlan’s lifeline. As glorious as that night with Dane had been, as incredible as the memories still were, she would never have sacrificed Uncle Lochlan’s well-being.
Besides, both she and Dane had dated other people. Clearly, if they were meant to be, they’d never have dated anyone at all. And since she’d fallen for another guy as hard as she had, even after Dane, he couldn’t be the one. No, she simply sucked at picking men, as badly as Ava claimed she did. Sometimes you just aren’t enough for the man you yearn for, and it never turns out the way you hope it will.
