Page 52 of Unexpected Love

“What do you need me to do?”

“Can you just talk to me?” Her voice is soft again as if she’s afraid I’ll deny her.

I don’t think I could deny her anything. “Anything in particular you want me to talk about?”

“No. I just don’t want to be alone with my thoughts right now.”

“I found out about my parents getting back together because my mom wanted to give me a hard time about you.” I don’t know why, but it’s the first thing that comes to mind, so I roll with it.

“What?” she gasps.

“Yeah. She found out we had dinner with my dad and decided it meant something much more than it did. She was jealous that he met you and she hadn’t.” I force a laugh, even though I don’t feel it.

“How did that lead to your parents dating?”

“I told her we were just friends and she didn’t believe me since we’re seen having dinner at Murphy’s once a week.” I sink to the floor at the foot of the bed, my back resting against it and my knees pulled up. “I pointed out that she and my dad have dinner regularly, and that’s when they both got fidgety.”

She hums. “The telltale sign that someone is hiding something.”

“Exactly. Turns out they’ve been seeing each other off and on since their divorce. Though, this is the longest stretch, coming in at six months. My sister’s known for three.”

“How does she feel about it?”

“She’s actually quite happy about it. So are my brothers. I’m apparently the only one who didn’t react well.”

“No one would react well if they stumbled upon the information instead of being told directly about it. How are you supposed to react to finding out something before the person is ready to tell you? There was a reason they were keeping it a secret.”

“Exactly!” I love that Ava gets it. “Granted, I didn’t really let them explain anything, but in conjunction with Asher not telling me about his relationship, I just felt shitty and wasn’t totally open to hearing what they had to say,” I admit.

“Asher has a secret relationship, too?”

I hear movement on her side, and it sounds like she’s turned the call on speakerphone.

“Yeah. I’ve apparently been very open about my views on relationships and love, leading my brother to believe I would think poorly of him if he told me he fell in love with someone.”

“How do you feel about love and relationships?” Her voice is muffled as if she’s moved away from the phone.

“I’m not sure I believe in love,” I tell her honestly. “I don’t have any examples of lasting love, and I struggle to believe you can just walk away from someone you claim to have loved. And that’s all I’ve ever really seen—people saying they love each other but still walking away. That doesn’t sound like love to me. That sounds like lust or infatuation.”

There’s more movement and rustling through the phone, but I hear her clearly. “And relationships?”

“My dad has been in a lot of them, like almost always in a relationship and never by himself. Or at least that’s what it looked like to me. Turns out he wasn’t in as many relationships as it seemed, but that’s a conversation for another day.” I release a heavy sigh. “I guess I talked about how I thought Dad needed to stop being in a relationship and just spend time with himself often enough that my brothers assumed I felt everyone should be alone.”

“But you don’t think everyone should be alone?”

“Of course not. Look, at the end of the day, I don’t care what anyone does with their own life. As long as they aren’t hurting anyone, you do you. When it comes to the people I love and care about? I’m going to support them in whatever makes them happy.”

“I don’t doubt that for a second.” There’s such conviction in her tone, and it startles me slightly that she can feel so strongly about anything regarding me.

We’re both quiet for a moment, but I don’t let it last long, remembering that she needs distraction from her thoughts. “I guess it just felt like everyone around me was keeping a secret, and it put me in a weird headspace.”

“Who wouldn’t be in a weird place?”

The rustling is back, and my curiosity wins out. “What are you doing?”

“I’m packing up my apartment in Harborview. Well, at least the things I care about. I can’t stay here any longer than I need to. So I’m just going to throw what I care about in a bag, pack my car, and start driving. I don’t know why I booked a flight for Friday. I should have always planned on driving. I know I can get around town without a car, but it’s winter—a car will make my life so much easier.”

I don’t think I’ve ever heard Ava ramble. She’s usually much more organized with her words. If I were anyone else, I mighthave been able to forget the reason I was on the phone with her in the first place, but the rambling would have reminded me instantly.

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