Page 54 of Moonshot

“But, Els- Ava, please. I’ve been miserable without you.” Sincerity shines through his dark, pleading eyes.

“I have been too, Mick. But I was the one left questioning what the hell went wrong. Wondering what I possibly could’ve done to deserve being ghosted like that. I’m not willing to chance enduring that again. So, if this is going to work between us, I need you to take some time and think about this. About us. Consider whether you’re able to commit. We need this space.”

He looks like a player who scored a big hit just to have it ruled a foul. Unable to stand so far away when he’s hurting, I come closer and grab his hand in mine. “It’s different choosing to be apart because you’re trying to work on giving the very best part of you to the person you care about.” Giving him a loving glance, I trace the pad of my finger along his strong jaw, hoping he can see how much he truly means to me. “It’s much different than being apart because the other person quit on you.”

His shoulders slump in defeat. “Ava, I’m sorry. You’re right. You deserve so much better than me.”

“No, I deserve better behavior from you. But it’s you I want, Mick. Fix it.”

“Shit. This is going to fucking kill me. Giving you space after all of this when all I want is to be with you. But I’ll do it if it’s what you want.”

“No, it’s what we need. Mick. This isn’t some game to me. I’m twenty-seven. I want to settle down one day. If you aren’t ready for romantic entanglements, then acknowledge that and walk away. I need to know when these thirty days are over, we want the same things. More than that, I need to know you’ll fight for us.” Self-consciously, I pull back and wring my hands together. Worried this might be too much, and he’ll just say see ya. We hadn’t dated that long to be giving him such an ultimatum. “One day, I’m going to make a mistake… do or say something I shouldn’t. I need to know you won’t abandon me but try to work it out.”

“I wish you could just believe me. How committed I am. I swear. I’m never letting you go again, princess.”

“I believe you feel that way. And I’m over the moon about it.” I beam up at him, so thankful this has gone as well as I could’ve hoped. “Listen, I’m not looking for a ring. It’s not a sentence you have to serve to prove something to me. I just deserve better from you. I understand why you left. You’ve been hurt before. Accept it and put it behind you. Not everyone who cares about you will betray you. Look at Emmaleigh. And me.”

Michael swipes his hand through his unruly dark hair and appears to massage the back of his neck. I can see the seriousness of the conversation causing him to stop and think. Moments later, his expression changes. “What if I see you out?” he asks with a mischievous smirk.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, can I see you at the office when I drop by? If we’re both at Luigi’s, can I see you?”

“I’m not going to go out of my way to avoid you, but I don’t think this is going to be a problem. I haven’t seen you in weeks. I just want to feel comforted you’ve given this serious consideration.”

“When do these thirty days start?”

“Today.”

“Couldn’t they start tomorrow?”

“Why?”

Mick scoops me into his arms, twirling me around. Looking about the field, I realize we’re completely alone. He bends to drop me onto my feet, placing a chaste kiss on my lips. “Come home with me, Elsa.”

I shake my head in response, for fear my mouth will deceive me with a big, fat yes.

“Well, can I at least kiss you before the thirty days begin?”

This could be dangerous. There’s nothing I want more than to be back in his arms, enjoying the best kisses, caresses, dirty talking, and all the hot loving I can get. But I need to make sure he knows I’m serious.Be strong, Ava! Be strong and kiss the hell out of this delicious man, so he remembers what he’s missing.

“One, then I’m heading out.”

Mick looks back at me with sadness. His sorrow is almost enough to crumble my determination. But I can’t. He needs to see who he’s dealing with and know there won’t be a next time.

Coming closer, that melancholy expression making me weak, he forcefully grabs my face with his strong fingers and devours me. There’s a fierceness that’s different than the lust-filled kisses at the larger ballfield. These are pleading. His tongue dances with mine, making me want more. His hands grip my hair, tilting my head to open deeper for him as if he’ll swallow me whole. Little does he know, he’s already done just that.

* * *

The next few days are torture. Trusting I’m doing the right thing. What if he returned home, had a stiff drink, and thought,hell no. It’s the chance I have to take.

I have to admit, seeing how he reacted after I laid all of my cards out was pretty reassuring. The crushing ache of rejection is gone. I merely miss him. Now I just have to keep my self-doubt at bay.

“Ava, Michael’s here,” Joanie’s voice lilts from the hallway.

What? It’s only been a few days. Looking at my calendar, I realize it’s Thursday. His day. I hadn’t contemplated his being here this soon after seeing him at the ballfield and giving him my thirty-day request.

“Um, okay, Joanie,” I reply, feeling a little flustered.

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