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“No. Why would I do that?”
“I want you to see that you love me the way you say you don’t.”
“I can’t do that, and you will just have to trust me when I say I don’t.”
He reached over and pulled her head to his, pressing his lips hard against hers. She struggled to break the kiss and managed to just as Xander came into the room.
“Everything alright in here?”
“Yes, fine,” David said as he got up quickly to leave the room.
“Was it something I said?” Xander asked. “Is everything resolved?”
“No, not like I wanted it to be. I will tell you later. Let’s go back to dinner; I’m hungry.” She wasn’t, because any appetite that she had before she talked to David was gone. But she knew it would take Xander’s focus off David and onto her eating.
As they sat down, she looked for David but didn’t see him in the room. He must be off wandering around the restaurant. She didn’t want him to be angry with her, but it seemed they were at an impasse. She tried to eat under the watchful eye of Xander.
She got up to go to the bathroom leaving Xander to eat by himself. He felt someone tap him on the shoulder and was surprised to see it was Brooke. She had kept her distance since she was in New York and that was just how he liked it.
“Can I sit down?” She said gesturing to Ava’s vacant chair.
“If you must.”
“Xander, don’t be nasty. You will soon be my brother-in-law, and I don’t want there to be animosity between us.”
His face softened, “I’m sorry. I know you aren’t the same person you were years ago. What can I do for you?”
“I just want to tell you to treat Ava well. She was so broken up when you were apart. She knows she made mistakes, but you are the one and only man she loves.”
“Brooke, I have no intention of repeating the past. I will always treat her well and take care of her. You have no idea how much I love her.”
“I think I do because it’s much the way I love Walter. Just promise me you won’t break her heart.”
“I said I would never do that again,” he snapped.
Ava walked into the room to see her sister talking to Xander. She watched as her sister gesticulated with her hands. She waited to see the outcome of the conversation before she intervened. She was relieved to see them hug before Brooke got up to go back to her table. At least she had someone on her side not being so sure about Michael or her father.
She sat back down at the table and asked him about his conversation with Brooke. He told her what had transpired and she breathed a sigh of relief. She was going to need Brooke’s help if she was to convince her father that Xander was the man she wanted to be her husband. Ava knew he was still upset about what had happened four years ago.
The appetizers were cleared, and a buffet was laid out of all kinds of food. The conversation she had with David had put a pall over her mood. She was melancholy, and she tried to hide it from Xander. He grasped her hand, and they went up to the buffet to get some dinner. She put little on her plate and Xander scowled at her.
“What?”
“You aren’t eating enough. You barely touched your appetizer.”
“I’m just nervous about tomorrow.”
“Why? You’re not the one getting married, not yet anyway. Look at Sam and Robert; they seem to be very relaxed.” He gestured over to them as they buzzed around the room talking to their families and friends.
“I know, but I’ll be in front of a lot of people in the church.”
“But I will be right across from you. Don’t be nervous, sweetheart.”
He could always make her comfortable. She put a little more food on her plate, and he smiled at her. They sat down at a large table next to Rachel and Rigo.
“Are you nervous about tomorrow?” Rachel asked.
“A little. I think I will be alright once the ceremony is over.”
