Page 45 of Yes, Love

I scoffed and tossed my phone onto my passenger seat. Then I shifted my car into drive and headed for downtown Seattle. “A little retail therapy will fix this,” I muttered to myself. If I said the words aloud, maybe my brain would believe the lie, at least for a few hours.

***

I managed to stay out until 10:30 pm, which was really saying something since I was avoiding everyone in my social circle. I’d fielded calls and messages all day from concerned “friends” that wanted to know what was going on with Dom. I kept my voice steady and my laugh fake while I reassured them all that everything was fine. I declined every offer to meet up and managed to avoid dairy, even though I wanted nothing more than to drown my sorrows in a pint of real ice cream.

I never called Sienna, either. She was pregnant and tired and so busy at the bar. She didn’t need my drama. All I ever brought to her was drama.

I pulled up my driveway, left the bags of all the pretty things I’d purchased in my car, and walked through my front door. I desperately hoped that Dominic and Lucy had already gone to sleep. Unfortunately, I found Dominic waiting for me on my couch.

“Hey.” I didn’t have enough energy for my bullshit smile. “Where’s Lucy?”

“She’s gone to bed.”

I nodded and sank onto my couch, as far from Dominic as possible. Falling into his arms sounded amazing, but that wasn’t an option. “How is she? What’s she going to do?”

Dominic let out a long, slow breath and ran his hands over his face like he was exhausted. “Er, she’s broken up with Will over a text, and then we got her a new phone number and changed all of her social media accounts to private.” Dom leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “She’s going to head back to England and wants me to fly there with her. Our flight leaves at 6 am tomorrow. I think I’ll go to help her get settled.”

I expected it to hurt when he chose the love of his life over me, but I was unprepared for how much it hurt. Calling it pain would be a misnomer. It was more like agony. “Of course.” My voice cracked. Shit. I cleared my throat and kept my eyes down. They were welling up with tears, and I couldn’t let him see. “Of course, you need to do that.”

“I’ll be back, Ava.” He slid closer to me and made to take my hand, but I pulled it out of his reach. “She’s been through hell, and she needs a friend that she can trust. I’ll come back, though, as soon as she’s settled. We still have an agreement and—”

“No, we don’t. I fired Jeanie last night. I’m done with the bullshit.” I forced myself to swallow the lump in my throat and lifted my head high. I smiled like Ava Mills Official because that was all I could work up. I turned on my British accent and said, “I release you from your service, good sir.”

Dominic shook his head in confusion. “What? You’ve fired Jeanie?”

“Yep. I don’t want to do this anymore. I’m tired, Dom. I’m so fucking tired.” I slumped against my sofa and closed my eyes. “And this couch sucks. It’s so uncomfortable.”

Dom smiled. “It’s terrible.”

We sat in silence for a moment before he asked, “What are you going to do instead?”

I shrugged. “I’ve always wanted to start my own makeup brand. Maybe I’ll do that next. That would get me out of the spotlight a little.” I sighed and rubbed my temples. “Do you need anything before you fly out in the morning? Does Lucy need any clothes or beauty products? She’s welcome to whatever she needs. I’m sure it’s going to be difficult getting all of her stuff back from Will’s place in LA.”

Dom nodded. “She might need a few things. I’ve sent Noah and his mates to get most of her stuff. They’ll ship it to her in England.”

“Good. That’s great. I’ll set some essentials out on the table for her before I go to bed tonight.”

“Thank you.”

Quiet settled between us. I hated it. It drew my attention to the sharp pain traveling through my heart. Ouch. Ugh. Fuck.

“Do you want me to come back, Ava?” Did his voice sound hopeful? Or did my heart just want it to?

“No,” I said too quickly. I sat up and forced myself to look him in the eye. “The trolls are already having a hay-day with us. It makes zero sense for us to continue our PR stunt.” I bit my lip and tore my gaze from him. His deep, warm eyes were trying to see through my bullshit. “Uh, thank you for trying to make my name all shiny again. It was pointless, but ya know, I appreciate the effort.” I stood, ready to retreat to my bedroom, but Dominic caught my hand.

“What if I don’t want this to be over yet?”

My hand tingled where he touched me, and my heart pounded so loud I was sure he could hear it. “Don’t be stupid, lover boy. The only reason you did this was to get your Lucy back.” I tugged my hand from his grasp. “You’d be the world’s biggest dumbass if you chose me over her. Go. Please.”

I hurried up the stairs before I collapsed into his arms and begged him to stay with me forever. I’d fallen head over heels in love with my fake boyfriend, and in the morning, he’d be gone.

Twenty Three

Dominic

Lucy’d fallen asleep nearly an hour ago on the plane and now rested her head against my shoulder, breathing softly. I glanced down at her and almost laughed at the irony of the situation. In the past year, I’d wanted just this a thousand times. Now, though, it all felt wrong.

I wanted to see Lucy safely home, and then I wanted a cuddle from the sexy little fairy I’d accidentally fallen in love with. She could be the sweet one or the evil one. I didn’t mind.

---