Page 52 of Savage Ends

“I was too,” Ava said.“And no, I didn’t do anything I regretted.”

“You were with Pat?”

“Yes,” Ava said.

“He’s a good guy.”

“Are you in love with him?”Ava asked.

“Hell, no, he and I are friends.I think of him as more of a brother.To be honest, I don’t even think he likes me as a friend,” Lidia said.

“I’m sure that is not true.”

“The guy didn’t have much choice.He was always on his own, and I don’t know, at times he seemed sad and lonely, so I made it my mission to be friends with him, try to pull him out of that darkness, you know?He’s not like a lot of guys.I was never attracted to him, though, so you don’t have to worry.”

Ava smiled.She couldn’t believe she was having this conversation.It was so surreal.

Lidia groaned.“This is so bad.”

“It couldn’t be that bad?”Ava asked.

“No?The guy I slept with, the guy I just lost my virginity to, yeah, I am not even going to say his name, okay.That is how embarrassing this is.My only hope is that he has forgotten it all and was too drunk to remember.”

Ava pulled up outside of Lidia’s house.The other woman looked at her place and sighed.

“Thanks for the ride, and please don’t say anything.Not even to Aria.”

“I rarely see Aria.”

Lidia looked happy about that.“For what it is worth, I think you and Pat would make an amazing couple, and I bet you would have the cutest babies on the planet.”

Ava didn’t say anything.There was a chance she might even be pregnant, but that was insane.She knew biology, and that it only needed one sperm to meet one egg.If she was in the right time of her cycle, it would all work out.

Damn it.She was not going to think of her cycle, or babies, or anything like that.

Arriving at her mother’s house, she noticed her mom’s car was not in the driveway.It was a little before seven now, and she parked, climbed out, and made her way to the main door.Violet was already there.

“You dirty little night owl,” Violet said, but her sister had this big smile on her face.

“That is not funny,” Ava said.

“Oh, yeah, it is.You are doing the walk of shame, and I might like to mention that seeing you do it is cute.”

“Me?What about Mom?”Ava asked.

“Mom did not do any walk of shame.She was home by eleven, sound asleep by ten past eleven, and then she had an early delivery today, which is why she is not here.”

Ava groaned.She forgot about the early delivery.“I’m sorry.Does she know I stayed out all night?”

“Yes,” Violet said.

“Is she pissed?”

“No.”

“She’s not?”Ava asked.Bernice came running up to her, and Ava went to the floor and snuggled with her dog.She had missed her so much.

“Ava, you’re a grown woman.Mom can be worried about you, and I’m sure she is, but she can’t stop you from living your life.”