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“Shhh,” Ava says. “I’ll explain everything later.”
Before I can protest anymore, she clasps my hand for the remainder of the ride to the hospital.
I wake up again. This time there’s no oxygen mask covering my face, and I’m in a hospital room.
Ava strolls into the room. Her white blood-soaked gown is gone. Instead, she has on green scrubs and blue plastic coverings over her shoes.
“Finally, Brandon,” she exclaims and joins me on the bed.
“What happened?” I ask, reaching out for her hands with my left hand. “Was James arrested?”
Ava hesitates and tightens her grip in mine. “No, Bran. He’s gone,” she says softly. After what he did to her, she still tries to treat his death with respect.
“Don’t have any sympathy for that man, Ava. He was a monster.”
I don’t feel relieved or sad that he’s gone. Only glad that he can’t hurt anyone else since that’s all he’d ever done with his miserable existence.
Ava’s direct stares bores into me and I almost chicken out, but she needs to hear what I have to say. No matter how hard this vulnerability stuff is for me.
“Ava, I’m sorry—” I stop because those words aren’t enough for how I treated Ava. My callous words a few weeks ago couldn’t be forgiven with a paltry phrase like I’m sorry.
Her small hands reach up to grasp my face. I feel even more guilt when I see her damaged wrist. Looking at her hands makes me think of James. I’m the reason this whole stalker thing started. It was James the whole time, using Ava to get to me.
“A normal person would say sorry right now, but I know you deserve so much more than that. What I said to you was bullshit. Putting on a front like I haven’t been completely obsessed with you since they day you arrived into my life. It was all absolute and utter bullshit, Ava.” I pause, tightening my grip on our clasped hands. “I’ve wasted too much time denying my attraction towards you, which has now grown into love. I can’t live without you. I let Asher’s words get into my head, along with my own insecurity of how we’d be able to go on together.”
“That’s ridiculous, Brandon,” she says. “You shouldn’t have let Asher or anyone else influence our relationship, or at least what I hoped we were forming.”
“You’re right, Ava. I worried about losing my best friend. Worried that even if anything developed between the two of us that one day you’d tire of someone older and leave me for a younger man.”
“That won’t ever happen, Brandon. I’m not going to run off with some other man because he’s closer to my age. I think the reason none of my other relationships worked is because I kept trying to turn those guys into you, hoping that the replacement was better than being alone. But it’s not. None of them were you.”
For the first time in what feels like forever, I can smile at the idea of hope between Ava and me. “So, what is next for us?”
I bring her hand up to my lips and place a kiss on the back of her hand.
“You asked what is next for us…”
“Yes,” I say, holding my breath. Maybe this is the brush off.Thanks for rescuing me Brandon, but you’ve had too many issues, and I can find a better man— one with way less baggage.
“We need to spend time together as Brandon and Ava. Not as Asher’s little sister or someone you have to protect. We start dating like we just met and truly get to know each other outside of… Well, everything that has happened in the last few weeks.”
I’m powerless to the smile Ava’s statement induces. My woman wasn’t giving up on me but proposing a new beginning.
“I can think of something better,” I say. “We continue as we are. History and all and decide we don’t need to forget anything from the past but learn from it and start over.”
Ava taps her chin like she’s pondering. “Hmm, I’d like that Brandon.”
“Oh, and we’ll move in together as soon as possible. Either living here in the city or Edgewater, but that wholenotprotecting your idea? Not going to happen. You’ll have to get used to it.”
She laughs and leans closer to me, resting her soft weight on my good shoulder. “It might take the rest of our lives for me to accept it, but I’m game if you are.”
I lean over and place a kiss on her lips. “Just try and stop me.”
CHAPTER 20
Brandon
TWO MONTHS LATER – SPRING
