Page 103 of Ties That Bind Us

I couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m not concussed. I just . . . I’ve come to terms with the kind of man my father was. I wanted him to be so much more, but he couldn’t be. I got to talk to your dad for a little bit this afternoon and he made me realize that there was nothing I could do to change that. I love you, and I accepted a long time ago that choosing you probably meant having to go against my family.”

“You’re incredibly brave, you know that?” Nick smiled and gave me a soft kiss.

“That’s because you taught me how to be.” I wiped away a tear. “Can you ever forgive me for the way I’ve been acting?”

“Ava, I don’t ever want you to apologize for feeling the way you do. All I want is for us to be able to talk about it and work through it together,” Nick said. “No matter what it is.”

“I don’t blame you for what happened. Not in the slightest. I was just . . . I had no idea what I was feeling, and I was so worried that you were going to think I failed you.” More tears pooled in my eyes. I was an emotional mess.

“Let me be clear about this. There is nothing you’re ever feeling that’s too much for me. That will ever make me run, or leave you, or be mad at you as long as you’re honest with me. Even if those feelings are anger and resentment toward me.” He stroked my leg gently. “You’re my entire world, you know that? I would do anything for you. Of course I’d love to have kids, but if all I have is you for the rest of my life, that’s everything I’ll ever need.”

I sighed heavily, laying my head on his shoulder. “You are everything to me too. And I promise to never forget how fortunate I am to have found you.”

“How fortunate we are to have found each other,” Nick corrected. “Now let’s stop all of this mushy stuff, I just want to hold you in my arms.” Nick leaned back until we were both resting against the bed and I nestled into his body as if I couldn’t get close enough. There was still so much left to settle between us, but right now, I couldn’t imagine anything better than this. Nick was okay, we were going to be okay, and whatever came tomorrow, we’d deal with it then.

Epilogue

Ava

“Babe, did you grab the—”

“Already in the car.” Nick flashed me his million-dollar smile as he slid into the driver’s seat.

I returned it, reaching over and grabbing his hand. He brought my hand to his lips, pressing a soft kiss to it and setting it down on his thigh. “Are you ready for this?”

“Absolutely.” I was unable to contain my own happiness just seeing how giddy he was. It took a lot to get Nick worked up, out of his calm and cool nature, but today he was the bucket of nerves and I was the steady hand. Sometimes I liked to remember the first night we met, in his restaurant, and think about how far we’d come. I have to laugh at the way I had snuck out of the hotel room that morning; if I had only known what the next year would bring.

I glanced in the backseat of Nick’s newly bought SUV at the empty car seat, realizing this was the last time I would see it like this—empty. Today would be the first day of the rest of our lives, in the best way possible, and it was both exhilarating and terrifying.

If I could sum up the last year with Nick in any way, that was how I would describe it. Exhilarating and terrifying. So much had changed, and I barely recognized the person I was in the beginning, but I was happier than I had ever been, and that was all to Nick’s credit.

That wasn’t to say these last few months hadn’t been trying. It was nearly six months to the day that I had been taken. That Nick had killed my father. That he took three bullets trying to save my life. That we were given a second chance.

Things were off between us at first because we both still had a lot to work through. Everything about our relationship had been in fast forward from the very beginning, so we decided to take a few steps back. We wanted to date and get to know each other, and experience all that came with that, like a normal couple, not one who was forced to go from strangers to husband and wife virtually overnight.

I moved out temporarily to give us that opportunity, but it took us all of two days to realize we couldn’t be apart. We agreed we needed to get out of the penthouse. It always felt more like a museum than a home to me, and was definitely not a good place to raise a family. We found a place we both loved pretty quickly, and were moved in within three weeks. It was right between his family and mine, with plenty of space for us to grow into.

I struggled a lot at first with my dad’s death. I felt guilty because I wasn’t more upset and knowing that I was with the person responsible for it. It was different than with Andrew. Nick had killed my father out of vengeance and as punishment for all the pain he caused us. I would like to say that if I had been in Nick’s shoes, I wouldn’t have done the same thing, but deep down I felt like I would have. I loved my father but I was just a pawn in his game for more power. When Nick told me what happened, all I felt was numb. Some days it was still hard for me to grasp all the horrible things my dad had done. I think it was for everyone. At first, it was hard with my mom, but things are getting easier. She didn’t want to accept what he had done or the person he had become. In her eyes, he was still the man she married. Once the truth of everything that he had done came out, she understood. Money and power had ruined him. He wasn’t the person any of us remembered.

Tomorrow, Nick and I were hosting both families at our house for a big announcement. We were all adjusting to a new normal, but so far the future looked pretty great.

Tears pooled in my eyes as Nick pulled up to the agency. I was used to things not working out in our favor, so I hadn’t really let myself get excited or emotional until this moment. Nick reached over, a big goofy grin on his face, and wiped the tears off my cheek. He immediately morphed into protector mode when I was upset. This was different, though—this was a culmination of so many things over the last year, and me finally feeling like I was exactly where I was supposed to be. They were happy tears.

“Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?” Nick smirked.

I couldn’t help but laugh. “You tell me every day.”

“That’s because you get more beautiful as time goes on. I think I find something new I love about you every day.”

“What did you find today?”

“Watching you cry with happiness as we’re about to go meet our child, that’s a picture that will be burned in my mind forever.”

I loved hearing him say those words. Our child. When I first started thinking about this, I wasn’t sure how Nick was going to react. I had been out shopping with Bella one day when this agency caught my eye. I had never really considered adoption before, but this family walked out seconds after we passed. The couple was sobbing, overcome with happiness, cradling this perfect little baby, who looked nothing like them, in their arms. My heart ached at the thought of someone not wanting their child. When I lost our baby, it nearly killed me. I couldn’t fathom how someone could willingly give their baby up. It was on my mind for days after, and it took a talk with Nick’s mother to make me realize how beautiful it was. She was adopted. Her mother had given her up realizing that she couldn’t provide the kind of life that a baby deserved. She didn’t do it because she wanted to but because she loved that child enough to recognize that she couldn’t take care of her. It changed my whole viewpoint, and suddenly I had an overwhelming urge to adopt a child.

I think Nick thought I was insane at first, going through some kind of crazy grief phase. But when the feeling persisted for a while, Nick opened up to the idea and one day he came home ready to make it happen. Having our own kids was important to both of us, and one day we would, but right now, we were about to pick up a one-year-old who had been through a lot. We didn’t know much more than that, but nothing else really mattered. He needed us, and we needed him. What Nick didn’t know, though, was that I had another surprise up my sleeve.

Nick and I walked hand in hand into the agency.

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