Page 102 of The Billionaire's Bride

"That you don't belong to me, Ava. Not anymore."

"Oh, Ed." I take a step forward and he holds up a hand.

"Don’t feel badly, Ava. I am not going away completely empty-handed."

"You...aren't?"

He shakes his head. "It's thanks to you that I found a new lease on life. The Church was everything I needed at that stage in my life to stay sane, calm, and feel loved. You showed me I am still human, that I could feel that pull toward another person, someone who could calm me and help me feel normal. In a way, I transferred the dependence I had on the Church to you. But really, what you did was give me a starting point. You opened me up to other possibilities in life, to forgiving myself without the crutch of blind faith—not that faith isn't helpful, but blindly following isn't healthy—and that's where I was."

His gaze softens, "You taught me that it’s possible to find that one person I could truly trust, help, and be helped by. You also made me realize that I can’t replace one obsession with another. You've shown me that I need to find myself first."

"I have?"

He nods.

"If I don’t discover who I truly am, how can I give myself up to another?"

"I think, you're giving me too much credit," I murmur.

"Or not enough." He tilts his head, "You were at the right place at the right time...for me. Call it serendipity or call it an act of God," he smiles, "but you showed me I could keep my faith in the Power Above, without having to bind myself to an institution to nurture it. You set me free to explore, to discover who I truly am, and for that, I will always be grateful."

"Oh, Edward," I fold my fingers together, "whenever you decide you are ready for a relationship, whoever it is you decide to be with, she is going to be a very lucky person."

"And you and Baron are lucky to have found each other. You have what so many of us will spend a lifetime looking for."

"Hopefully, you'll find her well before that."

He tilts his head, "If you or Baron, ever need anything…at any time…" He shakes his head as if to clear it, then turns and heads for the door.

When he reaches the exit, I call out, "Edward, stop."

He pauses, his big body almost filling the doorway.

"I… I did love you, Ed."

"I know," he says softly, "but you love him more."

36

"So… everybody says that nobody’s normal and that everyone is different right? The definition of normal is conforming to the standard or the common type; usual; not abnormal; regular; natural. So, if everyone is different, then doesn’t that make being different normal? And if being different is normal then everybody IS normal, but at the same time, they’re different. So, in actual fact, everyone is normal BECAUSE they’re different. Ugh…sooo confusing!"

From Ava's Diary

A month later

Ava

I ring the doorbell to Summer and Sinclair’s townhouse on Primrose Hill. I’d barely managed to complete the practice session after my classes at the studio before I’d changed and raced over, for a get together with the rest of the girls.

I haven’t seen Edward since he left my place a few weeks ago. And while I initially was upset about it, I realize now, he was right. It would have been wrong for both him and me, if we had stayed together—not when my heart is clearly dwelling on another. Since then, I had thrown myself into work and my studio is flourishing. Which, in turn, has given me the confidence to compete.

Yep, I had finally put aside my fears and am now practicing for the next World Belly Dancing Championships. Apparently, I am done hiding my talent from the world. This is my passion, this is what sets my heart on fire, so I am going to embrace it and share my talent with the world. I am going to do it for myself this time, and not because I am trying to prove anything…but because… I enjoy it, thrive on it, and I know I am good at it. Baron was right. I needed to have more faith in myself. Now, I do. I am gonna aim for the first prize. No half measures anymore for me.

The door opens and Summer stands there wearing a pink jumpsuit that declares:Mommy To-Be.

I glance at it, then at her face.

"Too obvious?" She quirks an eyebrow.