Page 142 of Can't Get Over You
J
“Really? That was sweet. So when are you going to put him out of his misery?”
That was the thing. How did she dislodge the doubt? Would it ever go away?
She didn’t want to be Ava in thirty years, loving a man she couldn’t have. And wouldn’t it be worse if Jude actually married her and only realized ten years down the line that he’d needed a nanny/mom for Cody and didn’t love her the way a husband should love his wife?
Not that it felt that way when they were together, but still. Her mind was fuzzy and overloaded. “Wills, my judgment was so wrong. Like,sowrong. How can I trust myself after almost marrying Matt?”
“Well, you thought planning out your life would keep you safe, and it didn’t. What choice do you have but to go with your gut this time?”
A knock on the door had her lowering the phone. “Yes?”
“Your dad’s here,” her mom called through the closed door.
My dad? Why?“I have to go. My dad stopped by on his way to a New Year’s Eve party. Have a great time tonight, and we’ll talk tomorrow.”
“Love you.”
“Love you harder.” She disconnected and headed out of her room. Only when she saw her parents all dressed up did she realize she was wearing the same pajamas she’d slept in. “Hey.”
“You got another package.” Her mom handed her a thick manila envelope.
“Oh, thanks. Wait, does anyone deliver on a holiday?”
“I brought it.” Her dad lifted a big box toward her.
But she didn’t take it. “You saw him?”
“His family’s having a little shindig, so I stopped by for a bit.” Her dad set the box on the table. “Open it.”
“How is he? How’s Cody?”
“Ah, well. He’s kind of a mess, if I’m honest. But Cody’s great. Living his best life.”
“Do you think he’ll lose custody?” She couldn’t say she regretted the lie—not if it enabled Cody to have the McKennas for the holidays. But she didn’t want the boy to suffer for her mistake.
“It’s hard to say,” her mom said. “But we’ll all show up at the courthouse. We’ll do what we can to support him.”
She opened the thick envelope and pulled out architectural designs.What are these?
Her parents went into the kitchen to grab the champagne. While they were busy pouring, Finlay opened the card.
Now that you’re free of the past, let’s invent a future together.
Happy New Year,
J
Happiness detonated in her chest, and her spirits soared. She wanted that so badly.
And maybe that was the answer right there. She didn’t have to stay away from the man she loved. They just had to build a life of their own invention.
“Happy New Year!” Her parents came back wearing party hats and blowing noisemakers, and her mom handed her a plastic flute of champagne.
“Thank you.” It was only then that she noticed the decorations. The floor was littered with silver, purple, and gold balloons, and a sparkly banner stretched across the living room wall. “I must really be a mess if you’re throwing me a party.”
“No, it’s not that,” her mom said. “We wanted to talk to you. What you said the other day, about making yourself small for us?”
