Page 56

Five weeks later

Ava

“Dad, really? You’re going to make me hold a sign?” The placard shows her name and grade. Patricia, his assistant, created it.

“He’s not going to post it anywhere. But it’s what all the cool dads do. Don’t deny him.”

Jack glances back at me and does a full-on eye roll. He has a teenage daughter, therefore he’s familiar with the eye roll, but I’ve never seen him attempt one. And he screws it up epically. I laugh, but Sophia doesn’t seem to notice, as she’s fussing with her hair in her handheld mirror.

The doorbell rings. It’s the first day of her junior year of high school.

She doesn’t yet have her license, but several of her friends do, and she’s hitching a ride with Lauren.

She begged her dad to please keep the security on the down low, so while they are present, they remain unseen.

Fisher parked farther up the street, ready to discreetly follow her to school.

Once she’s on school grounds, Jack grudgingly agreed she’d be safe, but only because her ridiculously expensive private school is secure.

The investigation into Senator Talbot is still underway. The current team isn’t optimistic they will find prosecutable evidence, although no one seems to doubt his involvement. At least, no one in law enforcement. Public opinion is divided along party lines.

Mark Sullivan has been charged, but he’s hired a legal dream team, and it could easily be a year before his trial. Even if convicted, Jack’s positive he’ll convince the judge he should serve time under house arrest, given his current battle with cancer.

They found plenty of evidence against three Sullivan Arms’ employees, and those employees are currently held without bail awaiting trial. There’s a list of additional participants, and the federal government is leading the charge on prosecution.

Jack, for his part, has moved out of day-to-day operations and will continue in an advisory capacity on the company’s board of directors. He plans to get more involved with Arrow Tactical Security and says he’d like to spend his time exploring technology that he knows will help the good guys.

As I open the front door, a bright beam of sunlight blinds me. I squint, and a wave of nausea rolls through me.

“Ava, are you okay?” Lauren asks.

“I’m fine.” Lightheadedness blends with the nausea, and I grip the knob for stability. “Why’d you come to the front?”

Lauren always enters from the side of the house. She’s been a staple here over the last month, along with one other girl and a guy who comes around every so often. Both are classmates, neighbors, and apparently good friends of Sophia’s.

Lauren leans forward, speaking in a hushed tone. “It’s easier. Don’t tell Mr. Sullivan. If I drive up the side of the house, I have to reverse.”

“Yeah, let’s not mention that to him.” He’s nervous enough about her driving off with a new driver.

I’m sort of shocked Sophia pulled it off, but he’s so relieved and thankful she’s moving forward with her life, he’s liable to give her anything she asks for.

Anything other than laying off on security.

Another wave of nausea hits me, and this time bile rises.

“They’re in the kitchen.” I point, even though she totally knows where it is, and rush for the nearby guest bath.

“Are you okay?”

“Something’s not sitting right in my stomach.” I reach the toilet just in time, and my morning coffee floods the bowl. The coffee didn’t smell right this morning. The milk must have been bad.

There’s a quick hard rap on the door. “Ava? Are you okay?”

My fingers tremble. The nausea bubbles up, and I lean forward as another round of bile surfaces. I breathe hard, and tears sting my eyes as I struggle to gain equilibrium.

“Yeah… just not feeling good.”

“Sophia’s about to go.”

“Okay. Take photos.”

Sophia’s voice mingles with Jack’s and Lauren’s through the door as they all discuss my retreat for the bathroom. My forehead is damp. It might be a stomach bug.

I’ve been living here with Jack and Sophia since returning to San Diego from Houston. But things have changed. I drive to Nueva Vida three days a week. The Arrow security team keeps trackers on my car, in my purse, and in my jewelry.

I keep telling Jack that it’s unnecessary.

Sure, there were a handful of photographs of the two of us in circulation, but he’s not a movie star.

People simply don’t care that much, and I keep telling him that no one is going to associate me with him.

He doesn’t need to worry someone will snatch me up for ransom.

His argument is that if anyone wants to target him, they’ll watch the house and him, and it won’t take an observer long at all before they recognize I am important to him.

It’s hard to argue against his points, because he thrust himself into the public eye when he offered that obscenely high reward for information leading to Sophia’s kidnapping.

The two of them will have to live with the repercussions of that decision for a long time.

I could probably push back more than I have.

I haven’t done so, because truthfully, I feel loved when he makes a big fuss.

No one’s ever made a big fuss about my safety before.

In high school, I rebelled, and my parents did nothing.

I can’t exactly blame my parents for all of my choices, but now that someone is constantly showing how much he cares, I love it.

There’s a peace I haven’t felt before. It’s as if all the pieces of my life have fallen into place.

I’m now in a mutually loving and supportive relationship, and it's more empowering than I could have ever imagined.

Of course, none of that helps with how sick I’m feeling. I sit on my butt with my head against the wall, near the toilet but not so close I’m looking down into it. The cool marble floor soothes my hot skin. My body hates me.

Rap. Rap .

“You okay?”

“Yeah. I’m starting to feel better.”

“Can I come in?”

“Yeah.”

Jack peeks in. I’m sure I’m quite the sight, sprawled on the floor, resting against the wall. I must look like a drunk binger.

“It’s getting better. I just… I’m gonna sit here for a little bit, just in case.”

He nods and pulls the door closed. I envision the climb upstairs and wonder if I can make it without another surge of nausea. Or I could take the elevator, but the thought of rising in the glass case stirs my stomach. No. The elevator holds no appeal.

There’s a soft rap, the knob twists, and the door opens. Jack kneels by my feet, and I hold out my hand.

“Don’t come near me. If this is contagious, you don’t want it.”

He cocks his head at me and smirks. He’s wearing a t-shirt and shorts instead of his usual suit, off his usual workday schedule on account of it being the first day of school. Casual is a good look on him, and he wears it more regularly.

“After what we did last night, if you’re contagious, do you think there’s any way I’m not getting it?”

Well, that is true. Last night, Sophia went to bed early, on account of the first day of school, and Jack and I…

well, we went into the locked room in the basement, and we explored new toys.

We don’t use that room frequently, as more often than not we retire to Jack’s bedroom, but when we do, I really enjoy it.

In his palm, he holds a blue velvet ring box.

Jack is the most generous man I’ve ever met.

He’s always buying me things, or rather, having the house manager buy me things.

He bought a ton of bright, colorful clothes but then realized I just don’t like clothes that scream look at me and filled my side of the closet with tons of black and monotone shades of white and gray.

And the jewelry… he likes to give jewelry.

But right now, as subtle waves of nausea roll, it’s not a great time to give me yet another set of earrings or a silver stacking ring.

I breathe deeply to further quell the nausea.

I should tell him now’s not a good time, but that feels rude.

His gifts are sweet. The last thing I want is to make him feel unappreciated.

Sometimes I think he’s overcompensating, trying to make up for how he treated me at the beginning.

One day he’ll understand he doesn’t need to do that.

When I told him I don’t judge and don’t harbor grievances, I meant it.

I’ve just done too much shit in my time to hold much against anyone else. And I love him.

“Ava… it’s early, but you need to know how I feel about you and where I want this to go.” I open my mouth as he flips the lid, exposing a classic diamond solitaire. “This is my mother’s ring. It’s probably not your style, but it can be a placeholder until we go shopping.”

“Your mother’s?” Confusion overwhelms the nausea. “What?”

“Ava, I love you. I was drawn to you from the moment I laid eyes on you. You are the strongest woman I’ve ever known.

You climbed out of a hellhole and built a new life not only for yourself, but for others.

I’ve never known anyone so selfless, so logical and rational.

When I watch you with Sophia, when I listen to the two of you talk, my heart swells with so much love.

It’s more than I knew I could feel. I can’t imagine a life without you, and more than that, I don’t want to.

Please say you will spend the rest of your life with me, as my wife. ”

Little black spots dot my peripheral vision. My heart bursts, but my brain struggles. He’s proposing when I am kneeling by a toilet. And it all crystalizes.

“You think I’m pregnant. That’s not what this is.”

One of his hands clasps my ankle, and he edges toward me as his other hand lifts the sparkly ring closer.

“No.”

“Don’t lie to me, Jack.” I soften my words with a smile. The man can really be too sweet.

“Yes.” He taps the top of my nose with his finger, amusement playing across his face. “But here’s the thing. I want to marry you whether or not you’re pregnant. If you are, I’ll be thrilled.”

“You have an almost sixteen-year-old daughter.”

“And I missed so much of her childhood. This will be my chance to do it over. The right way. To be a better father. If you’re pregnant and want to keep the baby.

And if you’re not and want a baby, we can try.

And if you don’t want kids…” He lifts his shoulders, and his gaze drops as if he’s having an entire conversation with himself in his head.

“If you don’t want kids, that’s okay. We have Sophia. I want you. You are what I want.”

“But you’re proposing because you think I’m pregnant.” That’s not what I want. That’s not what any woman wants.

“Yes, I think you might be pregnant. But…” he squeezes my ankle until I lift my gaze and look him in the eye, “I always felt like Cassie questioned if I would have asked her if she didn’t get pregnant.

Maybe she did, maybe she didn’t. My parents definitely didn’t help.

Now that I look back on it, neither did my uncle.

All of that combined put a lot of pressure on Cassie and me…

Look, I don’t want to risk any of that hanging over us.

I want you in my life. End of story. New baby or not.

” My throat tightens, and the room blurs. “Do you hear me?”

I nod as an errant tear escapes. He reaches out and gently wipes it away with his thumb.

“I hear you. I want to spend my life with you. But… I’m probably not pregnant. That’s probably not what this is. Given my age and…I’ve been on the pill for years.”

Years ago, I had a hormonal IUD, but then my insurance policy changed and I had to switch to the pill, which isn’t as effective, but it wasn’t a huge concern. For years I pretty much only took them to help with cramping.

He lifts my ring finger.

“Is that a yes? Will you marry me?”

“Yes.” More tears fall, and cool gold slides across my finger, sticking at my knuckle, but with a wiggle, continues down to the base. I hold my hand up, and it’s truly the most elegant and beautiful piece of jewelry I’ve ever seen. It’s nothing like me. But I don’t want to ever take it off. Ever.

“I love you, Ava.”

“Love you, too.” He pulls me onto his lap, and I tuck my head below his chin. “I need to go brush my teeth.”

“Oh, Ava. God, I love you.”

He somehow rises with me in his arms. His knees creak, and I can’t stifle the giggle.

“You should not be lifting me.”

“Just watch me.”