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“That’s not the fuckin’ same,” he fumes.

“No.” I shake my head. “It’s not.”

“Damn straight it’s not,” Ty says, a smirk growing on his face, thinking he’s just won. He hasn’t and he never fuckin’ will.

“The difference is,” I ground out, looking to Ty and then Charlie. “She is my little sister.” I tilt my head to Kay and then say. “Ava? You may look out for her but she isn’t-”

“Don’t you dare say it,” Charlie growls from the corner and steps forward. “You’ve been gone for nearly two years and you come back thinking that you can have a say in Ava’s life now?”

“No, I don’t. Only Ava has a say in what happens in her life.” I raise my brows at him but send him a warning through my eyes. “Something you should all take note on because she isn’t who she was two years ago. She’s strong, so much stronger than you can imagine.”

“Yeah, I know.” Charlie points to his chest taking another step forward. “It’s me who’s been here, going to visit her, calling her once a week,” he growls. “Where the hell were you, huh? When she needed someone? When she was calling me in the middle of the night because she couldn’t sleep? Or how about when she wouldn’t get out of bed? When I had to coax her out of her room and stand in the bathroom with her while she peed because she was scared of her own shadow?”

My heart starts to beat wildly in my chest at everything he’s saying. What is he talking about? That isn’t the same Ava that I’ve been getting to know again. My Ava isn’t scared of anything.

“You underestimate her,” I tell him and look over at Kay. She looks away, telling me all I need to know with that action, that I only knew half of the story and yeah, I want to know it all but I don’t think it’s necessary. She’s changed and there’s no point in dwelling on what she was, we need to move forward. All of us. “When was the last time you had to do that?” I ask in challenge, causing him to stop short and frown.

“I don’t know.” He shrugs, looking over to Ty. “Not for a while, ever since she stopped seeing that shrink.” He shakes his head. “I said that a shrink wouldn’t help but trying to tell Ma that was fuckin’ useless.”

We all stay s

ilent for the next few minutes, each of us caught in our own thoughts. None of us make eye contact and although I’m exuding calm inside, I can feel my heart tearing into pieces.

I wasn’t there, I wasn’t there when she needed me most and I’ll regret that for the rest of my life.

When Eli comes bounding in, wanting to start his party, Luke takes him up to the clearing, leaving just me, Kay, Ty and Charlie.

“I know you all love her,” I say. “But that doesn’t mean you can control her. Let her be her.”

“But-”

“Ty,” Kay says, crossing the kitchen to him. “Corey never said anything about us being together. He let us get on with it. Let them do the same.” She looks up to him, her hand on his chest and they have silent conversation with their eyes.

“Fine,” he huffs, looking back over to me. “But if you hurt her, I’ll come for you.”

Holding my hands up in the national peace sign, I back away with a smirk on my face, remembering when I said those same words to him after I found out about him and Kay. “I’d never hurt her.”

“Good.” He nods in satisfaction and grabs Kay’s hand, pulling her out of the kitchen.

I pack the rest of my stuff up, fully aware of Charlie’s eyes on me.

“Ty may have been easy, but me?” Charlie points to his chest. “I’m the closest to Ava and you’ll have to fuckin’ prove yourself to me.”

His eyes swirl with anger and I open my mouth to say something but he turns around, following Ty and Kay out the door, not giving me the chance to answer him.

Great, I thought Charlie would be the easier one.

All throughout the party I can feel eyes on me. I know that they must all know about me and Corey by now and a part of me feels bad because the whole reason that I didn’t want to tell them yet is because it’s Eli’s party.

Nothing is said to me until the sky starts to darken and Eli has fallen asleep.

Once Luke takes him back to his for a sleepover, it leaves all of us sat in the clearing and the tension starts to boil over.

I can feel Charlie’s eyes on me and I’m sick and tired of them burning a hole through me.

Huffing, I turn to face him. “Come on then,” I say, raising my brows. “Say it.”

He looks shocked for a second and then covers it up, clearing his throat and stepping towards me. “I don’t think it’s a good idea,” he says in a low voice.