Page 24 of In the Light of Day

She steps down from the raised platform she’s standing on, surrounded by a circle of mirrors, effortlessly gliding toward me in the 6-inch heels she's wearing. She looks like a supermodel as she moves with elegance and grace. Just more evidence of our differences.

“Can I talk with you about something? I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, but I also ... I just want to see you happy, Nova. I know you need time to heal and I don’t want to push you but I also wanted to see if you would be interested in coming out to dinner with Phillip and me ... and his friend, Callum. Like a relaxed double date kind of thing. An easy way for you to test the waters and see if you might be interested in something with someone?”

I can feel the heat rising, the anxiety in my chest causing a blush to creep up my neck.

“No, I can't.” I gasp, trying to keep a degree of control in my voice. The idea of being in any sort of romantic environment with a stranger is nightmare-inducing. I can barely manage to sleep knowing Phillip is in the same house let alone go on a date with his friend. She has no idea how much I still struggle and I know she means well but there's no way I can even slightly entertain what she's asking.

“Callum is nice, I've met him at a couple of the staff functions at Phillips auditing firm. He's a safe choice, Nova.”

Her voice is calm and soothing, trying to guide me into a place where I can accept the offer she’s presenting. She begins to list all of the reasons I should be doing this, that I should branch out, dip my toes in a no-pressure date. I all but spurt out Ace's name in an attempt to somehow channel him into existence so he can swoop in and save me.

“I can't ... Ace.”

“I know,” she says, waving her hand in acknowledgment. “I'll deny it if you ever tell Phillip I said this, but that man is built like a god. He could burn my house down and I'd thank him for it. I figured if anything was going to happen between you two it would have by now. Seeing as this is the first trip you've made without him ... I think it's time, Nova.”

The words echo around my head,I figured if anything was going to happen between you two it would have by now, the panic threatening to spill over. I can't tell her why going on a date with Callum wouldn't work. I can't tell her all of the things that still haunt me ... I can't tell her what really happened down there. So I tell her the first thing that pops into my head and the idea of it, the fantasy of it, calms me. Like if he was with me, holding me, loving me while I say the words out loud, hoping that one day they might become my reality.

“I can't go on a date because I'm married. Ace and I ... we, um ... we eloped. He told me he loved me and we eloped soon after. I'm sorry I never said anything. I didn't want to spoil your big day. We just kind of confessed everything and ta-da, we’re married. I love him, there is no other man in the world for me ... he’s my everything.”

The tears build in my eyes as I confess my love for Ace to my sister, a small step forward to maybe one day saying them to the man himself. She reaches out and takes my hand, the usual flinch I make from unexpected contact doesn't happen and I wonder if it's because talking about him calms me, he centres me and makes me brave. I’m happy because I don’t have to keep up my performance. For these few moments, I can live in the dream that Ace is my husband and I am his wife. That everything I've ever wanted is real and he's just away saving people. Because that's the kind of man my Ace is.

A hero.

The Present

Four Years Free

(following directly after prologue)

Chapter 20 - Ace

Ain’t She - Adam Doleac ?

“And basically, that's everything that happened. The rest of the week she just giggled a lot saying how exciting it was that she was going to be as happy as us. Living in married bliss.”

The wordsmarried blissecho in my mind and as much as I want to demand more information from her, hell, I'm tempted to run a full intelligence briefing to understand everything that happened. I still need to tread lightly to ensure I get as many of the important details as I can.

“Okay, so we've been married for just over a year then?” I say, scratching my chin thinking as I pace the kitchen. She hasn't moved from her spot on the bench top, both of our coffees left abandoned once she started telling me how we ended up in holy matrimony. She's still wearing the old t-shirt of mine and her hair is messy from where we slept on the couch. Her bare thighs press against the countertop, her skin like silk and I keep having to remind myself not to look at them.

“Nova, you're telling me for the past year we could have created the perfect back story to this. Think of all the posts we could have made for the gram,” I sigh. “Matching pyjamas. Hot chocolates by the fire. We definitely need a photo of you giggling at a joke I made,” I say, looking at her, one eyebrow raised.

“You don’t even have social media and now you want pics for the gram? I've created a monster.”

She takes a dramatic deep breath, rolling her eyes at my suggestion but I can see the hint of a smirk on her lips.I want to kiss it right off her.

“Come on darlin', you’re pretty cute when you giggle,” I say, toeing the line of us being more, even if we're meant to be married.

“Ace, this is serious. My family thinks we’re married! If we go to her wedding, who knows what questions we'll be asked. No doubtMotherwill be looking for information, and she'll have her little minions out fishing for dirt ... and I don’t giggle, I laugh,like a lady,” she sighs, as the weight of her family and everything they've done bears down on her.

This wedding isn't just about saving face but it's about proving them wrong too. Regardless of if they believe what happened to her all those years ago, they hate the fact that she still succeeded. That she grew stronger when she was no longer failing to meet their expectations. The love and affection Martha and Seth gave her made her the strong capable woman she is now, and they loathe that while they stew in the hate of the past, she is thriving in the present.

“Okay, no more pussy footing around. This is important. I'm going to need you to be real exact when you answer this next question. Right down to the letter. This could be a deal breaker. Everything could depend on how you answer it. I hav—”

“Oh my gods, what is it?” She says cutting me off.

I might have come in a little hard with my questioning just then, but oh darlin', this is just the start. I don’t think she understands the gravity of the situation. Nervous, excited energy runs through me as I stand in front of where she sits. Her legs open, welcoming me back into a warm embrace we so seldom share as I lean against the bench.

“I want you to know that there is no wrong answer, that no matter what, we can work through it.”

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