Total pages in book: 113
Estimated words: 110113 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 551(@200wpm)___ 440(@250wpm)___ 367(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 110113 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 551(@200wpm)___ 440(@250wpm)___ 367(@300wpm)
Holy.
Shit.
For several beats I can’t speak. I just search Ava’s face, blinking a hundred times a minute to keep my own tears from spilling over. I don’t wanna cry, I just—
Goddamn it, let yourself cry. This is a good moment.
I bring our joined hands to my lips. “He’s got a problem with that, he can come to me.”
“You mean that?”
“Aw, pretty girl, I mean that.” I close my eyes and take a deep, shuddering breath.
“He asked to see my phone.”
“What?” My eyes bulge open.
“I can’t make this shit up. He wanted to see the texts you’d sent me. And then he called me a slut, because that’s his MO—hating on me.”
I am speechless.
Legitimately speechless for several heartbeats while I absorb this news.
“He didn’t actually say the whole word,” Ava continues. “I stopped him before he could. But the implication was there. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t make me feel … not great.”
“Never.” The word comes out as a growl.
Ava’s eyebrows pop up. “Never what?”
“He never talks to you like that. Ever. He ever speaks to you that way again, he’ll deal with me. You got it?”
She looks at me for a long beat, her eyelashes fluttering. “Okay. Thank you. That makes me feel better. A lot better.”
“Good. Did you show him the texts?”
“Hell no. He has no right to see them. Again, I think he was just trying to upset me. He’s been holding on to this grudge against me since we split—he thinks I was the one who ended our marriage. To be fair, I did hire a lawyer first. But that was only when I knew our relationship was over. I’d tried for years to make it work, but I realized Dan was never going to let me out of the cage he’d put me in. He didn’t like that I was untamed, and he tried to change me. For a while, I let him. I believed him when he told me I was too emotional, too wild, too … unlovable. But over time, I realized that I wasn’t the problem. He was. He couldn’t figure out a way to love who I truly was.”
I grit my teeth. I see why Ava wouldn’t want to go down that road again. For her, marriage was a prison. Who in their right mind would seek that out?
“You deserve so much more than to be married to a man who calls you awful names and wants to change who you are,” I say.
Ava nods. “I know. Being with you has shown me what’s possible. What’s good.”
“You cryin’ like this ain’t any good, pretty girl.”
“But being with you?” She takes my hand, twining our fingers. “That’s really good. The best I’ve ever had. Best I’ve ever felt. Because you do love me for who I am.”
A bubbly feeling rises through my chest, settling in the back of my throat. “I do. So fuckin’ much, pretty girl. I love you so fucking much. I love that you’re always down for an adventure. You’re spontaneous. Fun as hell. I love that you like to try new things. I love how you love your baby. Didn’t realize how dead I was inside until I met you, and no matter what happens, I’ll always be grateful that you brought me back to life.”
Her expression contracts. “Thank you,” she breathes.
“For what? Lovin’ you for who you are? You don’t gotta thank me for that. Easiest, best thing I’ve ever done has been falling hard and fast for you.”
“Oh, Sawyer.” She sniffles. “I’m ready, honey. I want you. But I know how important getting married and having more kids is to you, and I’m not sure I’ll ever want those things. If that’s a deal-breaker, I get it. But I’m all in if you’ll have me as I am.” She rolls her lips between her teeth. “I get that this is all so much messier than either of us hoped—”
“Really? Because I’m not sure it’s very messy at all.”
Her eyelashes flutter. “But we want—”
“The same thing, Ava. Each other. And help unloading the dishwasher.”
Her eyes fill. “God.” A pause. “God you’re fucking good.”
Laughing, I cup her face in my hand and pull her in for a kiss. “I love you, Ava. I wasn’t joking when I said I’ve been in love with you since you bumped into me at that honky-tonk.”
“Cowboy, I’ve been in love with you for what feels like forever.”
She kisses me back, a slow, unhurried caress that tastes like tears and feels like freedom.
There’s still so much we have to figure out. The kids, our exes. Will she consider moving in with me? That would make for a bit of a commute for her, though.
I haven’t met her family yet.
I also wanna keep dating her. It’s too soon for that phase of our story to be over.