When they pulled out of the driveway, Ella started sobbing. “I’m so sorry. I can’t believe I said that. I don’t know what came over me. I was just so angry.”
“It’s fine,” Ava assured her, throwing a look at Suzy in the rearview mirror.
Patting Ella’s shoulder, Suzy said, “Uh-huh, no problem, Els. A little scary there for a moment, but it’s all good.”
When they reached Ella’s house, Ava ran inside first, opening the door while Suzy helped Ella. They quickly found her some dry clothes and located the suitcase for the hospital. Ava tried to talk a very panicked Declan off the ledge. Finally, Jason took the phone and assured her that they were leaving Charleston now. Ava knew it would take them roughly two hours to make the trip home.
Ella appeared to have one more contraction in the car and they were all digging their fingernails into the leather upholstery before it was over. Ava was extremely grateful to be in the hospital surrounded by professionals who handled stuff like this every day. While she and Suzy struggled to fill out paperwork, Ella was settled into a room to impatiently await the arrival of her husband.
For some reason, Ella was determined to hold off an epidural until things were further advanced. That meant with every contraction that hit, she turned into someone with a full-blown multiple personality disorder. One moment she was her usual sweet, soft-spoken self and the next moment she was slinging insults like a pro. Suzy and Ava had been in the room with her for over an hour, and they were exhausted. When the bedside monitor showed another contraction building, they braced for the onslaught they knew was coming.
“Where in the hell is Declan?” Ella yelled through gritted teeth. “Did either of you even bother to call him?”
“Here we go again,” Suzy said under her breath as she looked at a profusely sweating Ella. “Yes, dear, he’s on his way, remember?”
“Don’t talk to me like I’m stupid, you . . . whore bag!”
Ava couldn’t help it; the look on Suzy’s face was so comical that she burst into laughter. When Ella’s face turned red, Ava knew she was next in line of attack and braced herself.
“What’re you laughing at?” Ella snapped. “You think it’s funny that your dickhead brother did this to me and then didn’t have the balls to show up? I hate your whole family, you . . .”
“Wait for it . . .” Suzy muttered.
“Skinny, skanky skank!”
“Oh my God,” Ava wheezed, turning away before Ella could see her laughing even harder.
“Hey,” Suzy protested, “why didn’t you get called a whore this time? A skank is nowhere near as bad and she even called you skinny. I hate you.”
Ella, looking like a clone of Linda Blair, rose on her elbows and spat at them, “Well, you’re both dirty whores! There, are you happy now!”
Suzy, finally getting wise, turned her back as well, leaving both of them staring at the wall. “Holy crap,” she muttered, “exorcism stat!”
Ava bit off a laugh, saying, “Please stop before she kills us both.”
“No kidding,” Suzy replied. “I had no idea that she would turn into the spawn from hell during childbirth. I mean Beth had a few moments, but nothing like Sybil back there. We should be taping this. Can you imagine how many hits this would get on YouTube?”
“If you’re brave enough to break out your phone, more power to you, girl, but I’ll tell you right now, I’m scared of her.” Ava had just finished her sentence when a Kleenex box bounced off her shoulder and hit the floor.
Suzy eyed it before taking a deep breath. “Time to get back in the trenches. Surely to God this contraction is almost over and the good Ella will return for a few minutes.”
Almost as if on cue, Ella started sobbing. “I’m so sorry, you guys. I don’t know what keeps happening to me. It’s like these things just start pouring out of my mouth and I have no control over them. I can’t believe I . . . I called you—whores.”
“Ah, that’s okay, honey; you’re in a lot of pain,” Ava said diplomatically. In truth, she was torn between laughing and running.
“Yeah, what the forgiving one said,” Suzy answered, looking vastly amused. “Speaking of pain, though, I think we need to get some drugs in your system. That would mellow you right out. Just let Aunt Suzy hit that little call button on the side of your bed and you’ll be flying through la-la land in no time.”
As Suzy was trying to convince Ella to say yes to drugs, the door flew open and Declan ran into the room. Both Ava and Suzy sagged in relief. He gave them both a questioning look as he took in their disheveled appearance. Just then, the machine of doom, as Suzy had started calling it, began registering another contraction and they both looked at Declan in anticipation. Ella was clinging to his hand and he was looking at the machine, asking, “What does that mean?”
Ava walked up to him, patting his shoulder. “Oh, you’ll find out soon enough,” she said before walking toward the door.
Suzy followed closely on her heels, pausing beside Declan as well. “Welcome to the party, pal.” She smirked as she walked over to join Ava.
They both shuddered with laughter when they heard sweet little Ella shout, “Where in the fuck have you been?” When he stuttered out something about being with the guys, things got worse . . . a lot worse. “Oh, really? Well, how nice for you, scumbag. I’m lying here in bed being torn in two and you’re off with the guys whoring around!”
“Ba-baby. Wh-what . . . ?”
Ava and Suzy leaned against the door as it closed behind them, with tears rolling down their cheeks as they shook with laughter. “What is it with her and the whore word?” Ava mused as she tried to process all the insults that had been hurled at her in the last few hours. She might have been offended if the whole thing wasn’t so funny. Having someone usually so sweet and shy yo-yo between begging for forgiveness and calling her some form of slut was actually damn hysterical. Looking at the woman she had bonded with enough today to consider a friend, she added, “Will it sound completely pathetic if I say that this is the most fun I’ve had in years?”
Suzy grinned. “Yeah, maybe so, but I’m right there with you. I hate to admit it, but I kinda hated to leave. Wouldn’t it have been funny to listen to her rip Declan a new one? I mean, the man is probably in there on his knees sobbing. If we’re her whores, what do you think she’s calling him? I’ve got fifty bucks on bastard, whaddaya think?”
Ava considered her answer for a moment before saying, “I’m going with son of a bitch, but I’m not confident enough to bet on it. Man-whore is a possibility if she keeps with her theme of the day.”
They made their way to the waiting room, stopping in surprise when they noticed it was bursting at the seams. Everyone seemed to stand at once when they walked in. Jason, Claire, Beth, Nick, Brant, Emma, and Gray stood looking at them in question. Suzy walked straight into her husband’s arms. “Hey, baby,” he murmured as he kissed her on the lips lightly.
Suzy reached back to hook her arm through Ava’s, pulling her to stand next to them. Ava fought the urge to gawk at the handsome man rubbing his hand absently up and down his wife’s back. Suzy gave Ava what could only be termed an impish grin before looking back at her husband. “So, baby, it looks like you hit the jackpot when you married me.”
Gray gave her an indulgent smile while simply saying, “Indeed I did. Any particular reason why you’re pointing that out right now?”
“Well,” Suzy began dramatically, “it appears that you’re now married to royalty. I’ve been named Queen of the Whores.” Multiple gasps were heard, before a chain reaction of laughter rippled through the room.
Ava had to give Gray credit for looking completely unruffled by Suzy’s statement. Instead he simply lifted an eyebrow and said, “That’s awesome, baby. Who bestowed that title on you?”
Suzy began telling Gray about Ella’s volley of insults. Ava cut in at times, sharing things that Suzy had missed.
“Oh my God.” Claire gulped. “Why was she so hung up on th
at word? I’ve never even heard her use it.”
Before anyone could answer, an older couple stepped into the room, and Beth whispered, “That’s probably where she got it. I think that was her mother’s favorite name for me not long ago.” Beth turned back toward the couple, putting on a bright but strained look of welcome. “Mr. and Mrs. Webber, how great to see you again.”
As everyone sat awkwardly, waiting for someone else to continue the conversation, Suzy stepped forward and threw an arm around each of Ella’s parents’ shoulders. “Ella is right down the hall in room 301. You should go right in and see her while you can. You’d better hurry!” Her parents turned back through the door and walked off in the direction that Suzy had indicated.
Beth howled with laughter. “You, dear sister, are bad, but I love it. I only hope Ella’s got a few more choice whore words left in her. Can you imagine her mother’s face if she says something like that to them? Priceless!” Ava remembered Declan telling her how Ella’s parents had hated him in the beginning along with all of Ella’s other friends. They had wanted their daughter to stay at home with them until they found someone for her who they felt was suitable husband material. Declan was the last man they wanted for their sweet Ella. In the end, though, Ella had shown them that she was strong enough to make her own decisions and they’d grudgingly backed off. No doubt, though, they would blame Declan if Ella said anything even close to what she had thrown at her and Suzy. Oh well, her brother was a big boy and more than capable of taking care of himself and his wife if need be.
Chapter Fourteen
Ava had no idea what she hoped to accomplish here, but she found herself rooted to Mac’s doorstep at three a.m. What if he wasn’t alone? For all she knew, he and Gwen had worked things out. She shuffled from one foot to the other, indecision almost choking her as she debated returning to her car and leaving. She had taken a few steps backward when the porch light suddenly lit the area and the door opened. She blinked, trying to adjust to the sudden glare. “Ava?” Mac sounded surprised, clearly not expecting to see her standing there.
“Oh . . . yeah—hi,” she said lamely. She sounded like someone trying to sell Tupperware. Squeezing her eyes shut, she scrambled for something to say. Why was she here again? Oh yeah, that was right, she was now a glutton for punishment and couldn’t help herself.
When she opened her eyes, Mac seemed to be looking behind her as if seeking an answer to what was going on. Her eyes dropped from his face to the naked width of his chest. Oh, holy mother, all those muscles and that smooth skin, just inches away from her . . . When she was able to continue her downward review, she saw that he was wearing only a pair of low-slung boxers that left very little to the imagination. He had the V and the happy trail of hair that every romance novel in the world paid homage to. Ava licked her suddenly dry lips when she noticed the impressive bulge beyond the waistband of his shorts. “Ava . . . Ava!”
Ava’s head jerked up and embarrassment flooded her at being caught ogling his assets. From the smirk on his face, he knew exactly what had been on her mind. “Mmm-hmm?”
“Why are you here? Is something wrong?” His surprise had now turned to concern as he studied her intently. He might be mad at her, but he still cared. She felt a little burst of hope. It wasn’t much, but she’d take any crumbs he threw out at this point.
“Ella had her baby,” she blurted out, finally remembering the reason behind her visit. Not having Mac at the hospital to share the moment had left a void inside her. Mac always came to family functions. He’d been an unofficial member of the family for so long. Brant had assured her that he’d let Mac know that Ella was in labor, but he had something come up and couldn’t make it.
Mac gave her a soft smile. “Yeah, I heard. A little girl.”
“Sofia Grace,” Ava added. Since Ella’s parents argued over which parent or grandparent the baby would be named after, Ella and Declan finally picked two completely neutral names. Her parents weren’t happy about it, but the decision was now officially inked and drying on the birth certificate.
Almost as if in reflex, Mac reached out to squeeze her shoulder. “That’s great. I’ll have to get by to see her tomorrow.”
Mac dropped his arm and they both stood staring at each other. “Mac, I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I miss you . . . so much.”
“Ava—don’t,” he said in a pained voice.
Hearing him sound so tormented was more than she could bear. Without thinking, she covered the short distance between them and wrapped her arms around his big, warm body. He stiffened against her hold, and she just knew he was going to pull away, so she clung tighter, trying to fuse her body with his. “Please, Mac, hold me. We need to get past this. I don’t know how to exist without you in my life.”
Just when she thought he would reject her, she felt a hand against her lower back, then another one curl around her neck. “Oh, Avie,” he whispered against the top of her head as he pulled her into him. “I don’t know what to do with you anymore,” he admitted in a shaky voice.
Her hands moved up and down his muscular back, awed at the sheer strength under her fingertips. She trailed kisses along his chest, loving the feel of him under her tongue. “Let me stay . . . Please, Mac . . . I need you.”
A growl rumbled against the back of his throat as his arms flexed around her. “Ava . . . God, don’t ask me that if you don’t mean it.”
She moved her arms up higher, locking them around his neck. She did a quick, internal check, noting that there were no signs of panic at being this close to a man. Was it always meant to be Mac who finally helped her bury the horrors of her past? She stood on her tiptoes until she could rest her lips against his. She swiped her tongue across his full lower lip, causing him to moan in reaction. Still, he remained immobile, as if waiting to see what she would do next. His lips were parted slightly, allowing her to suck his bottom lip between her lips, nipping it lightly. “Ah . . . fucking hell,” he rasped as his hands dropped to her bottom and he pulled her up against him. Going completely on instinct, she used her hands around his neck as leverage to pull her body upward, wrapping her legs around his lean waist. His hands on her ass added support as he gripped her tightly. “Avie—oh, baby . . .”
In a whirlwind of movement, she founded herself on the other side of the door and holding on tightly as Mac nearly ran through the darkened hallways of his house until he reached the door of what she knew to be his bedroom. “If you’ve changed your mind, you need to say it, baby. I’ll stop at any time, but I’d prefer it to happen now . . . before I have you under me.”
In answer, she ground her lower body against the hard length pressing against her bottom. Locking her eyes with his, she said, “I don’t want to stop.” Then knowing it was okay to be vulnerable with Mac, she admitted, “Just tell me if I do something wrong.”
Mac dropped his forehead against hers, seeming to struggle for words. “Baby . . . there is no right or wrong. Just having your hands on me—finally—is enough to send me to heaven. We’ll take it slow and if anything doesn’t feel right, then we stop, okay?”
Nodding her head against his, she allowed herself the freedom to sprinkle kisses over his handsome face. Being this close to Mac was like discovering a lost Christmas present. She was both giddy with excitement and trembling with the anticipation of the unknown. “I . . . I want to touch you. Can I?”
With a grin, Mac set her gently onto her feet. “Of course, sweetheart. You never need to ask me that.” He pulled her into his bedroom, stopping at the bottom of his king-size bed. Spending as much time as they had together the last few years, they’d both been in each other’s home countless times. She’d been in his bedroom when he gave her the tour of his home and a few other times—well, a lot of times that he wasn’t aware of. Each time she used the restroom across the hall, she crept in here and imagined what it would be like to be in a relationship with him. To sleep in Mac’s arms each night without fear or hesitation. To be normal.
Now she was here, and it was finally happening. He stood still in front of her, with a hand on each side of her waist. In typical Mac style, he was waiting for her . . . always waiting for her, she thought as she reached a tentative hand to his chest, tracing the line of muscles there lightly. Only his increased breathing let her know how her touch affected him. When her exploring fingers reached the nub of his nipple, she tugged on it without thought, knowing how much pleasure she derived from doing the same thing to her own breasts. Mac moaned and his big body shifted from one foot to the other, but still he let her continue. Her hand seemed to have a mind of its own as instead of journeying upward, toward his handsome face, it skirted slowly downward, tickling through the thin trail of hair on his lower stomach. At this point, she felt that they were both holding their breaths to see what she would do next. This was uncharted territory for her, and she was fascinated. Where was her usual fear of men? She had only gotten this close with Mark, and even then, she had been a mass of nerves before he even removed his shirt. Here she was going down Mac’s happy trail and getting pretty damn close to the impressive package that was tenting the front of his boxers. Did she dare go there?
Her fingernail scrapped his belly button, causing Mac to issue a muffled curse before she had the answer to her question. She was at the waistband of his boxers and this felt like some kind of sexually defining moment. As if sensing her conflict, Mac applied pressure to her hips, trying to ease her back. No, damn it, she wasn’t stepping away this time. Boldly, she dropped her hand suddenly and cupped him through his boxers. He froze and she quickly loosened her grip slightly on his hard length. She had been on the verge of trying to hoist his cock in the air while yelling, “I did it, I did it!” Yeah, dismembering Mac on their first time together might ruin things a bit. She was horrified when her crazy thoughts got the best of her and she started giggling. Maybe a large part of it was just stress relief from the nerves of finally being in this moment, but the timing was certainly less than perfect. “Oh God, I’m sorry,” she gasped out as her body continued to shake in laughter.