AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 32
The next morningshe dragged herself out of bed at ten. She needed to talk to someone. David was at work, and the last thing she needed was to add fuel to his fire. Sam would also be at work, and she would yell at her for being so stupid. She needed to talk to her sister. Their relationship was stronger now. Brooke wanted to see her happy. She would have to start from the beginning where she met Xander that past summer.
She slowly dressed hoping that Brooke was free to talk. When she arrived, Brooke was just placing Savannah in her crib for a nap. William was asleep on the carpet with his head on a pillow in the baby’s room. He often played there. Brooke chose not to disturb him, set the first baby monitor and took the second one with her.
They went down to the living room, and before Brooke could sit down, Ava hugged her tightly not wanting to let go. Her sister sensed that something was wrong, very wrong. She asked, and the floodgates opened. This was the hardest she had seen Ava cry since their mother passed away years earlier. Even harder than when Xander had first left.
It alarmed Brooke because Ava had become strong and independent over the past few years. She no longer needed the protection of her family and often stated such.
“Ava, come on, sweetie, sit down.”
Ava sat on the couch wiping at her tears with her hand until Brooke handed her a box of tissues. She sat down next to Ava and put her arm around her.
“Tell me what has you so upset.”
Ava launched into the entire story about her relationship with Xander that had started again when she met him in Saratoga in July. When she told her about what had occurred the night before, she started to cry again. Brooke pulled her against her waiting for the tears to stop.
“What am I going to do? He said I was morally bankrupt.”
“Why would he say such a thing?”
“I’m not sure I should tell you. It’s bad, and I’m ashamed of myself.”
“Ava after some of the things I have done, I’m not someone who can pass judgment.”
Brooke had done some awful things, but she had changed over the last five years. She had turned out to be an exceptional mother, wife, and sister.
Ava sighed deeply and told Brooke all the horrible details. She knew nothing about her relationships with Tim and Luca. She told her about what had happened with Jimmy at Ember. She left out the part about sleeping with David and his being in love with her. It would only create a bad situation for him. When she finished, she waited for her sister to say something.
Brooke looked at her with pursed lips.
“I am certainly surprised,” she sounded angry. “I would never expect behavior like that from you, especially the overindulgence in alcohol. My question is why?”
“Brooke, seriously I don’t know. I just went a little crazy for awhile. Losing Xander a second time hurt me more than the first. I was numb and just wanted the pain to go away. At the time, it was the best way I knew how.”
“There were other outlets you could have used. You could have told me back then. I’m always here for you,” her tone softened.
“I know. Now it’s all fucked up again. Xander said he wasn’t sure that I was the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. He is the only one I want to spend my life with.”
“You need to let him have some space. He’s upset with you now, and if you push him, he might break. Are you staying the rest of the week or going home?”
“I can’t stay here. I need to go home and try to get my life back together. Everything has been so fucked up the past few months.”
“I love seeing you and the rest of the family, but I think that is for the best.”
“I’m sure Daddy will miss you, but he is busy. Just tell him you have to get back to take care of something, anything. He’ll understand.”
Ava rose from the couch and hugged Brooke. They went to Savannah’s room so she could kiss the children goodbye. It was early afternoon, and her niece and nephew were home from school. She would stop by Michael’s house to say goodbye to everyone and reschedule her flight as soon as possible.
Back at the pool house, she packed her clothing. She had an 8:00 PM flight back to New York that arrived just after 11:00. Earlier she had called her father at work to let him know she had to leave to take care of something at home. She wanted to leave for the airport by five, and he didn’t get home until six. She sat down at the kitchen table to write David a note.
David,
I needto go back to New York. I have something there that needs my immediate attention. I’m sorry I can’t give you what you want or need, but I love Xander. I’m not angry with you, but you need to find someone that makes you happy. I’ll talk to you soon.
Ava
She foldedthe note and put it on his pillow. She lugged her bag to her rental car and placed it in the trunk. The traffic was heavy, but she made it to the airport shortly before six. She slept most of the flight due to exhaustion. Her stomach was in knots as she got closer to New York. She knew that the next few weeks would make or break her.
