Page 42 of Call You Mine
“What?” Jack’s gruff voice cuts through my thoughts.
I shake my head, coming back to the moment. “Did you tell Rumi about what we talked about on Saturday?”
“Are you seriously asking me if I spent my two days offwith my girlfriend and my daughter talking about you and your shit?”
“No, I—” but I can’t finish my apology.
“One of those days being Valentine’s Day?”
I exhale. “So you didn’t tell her about me wanting to tell Ava how I feel about her?”
Jack grunts in response, and I take it as my answer.
Clearing my throat, I ask carefully, “Is Rumi still with you?”
“She went to put Evee down for her nap. Why?”
Here goes nothing. “Turns out, Ava does have feelings for me.”
A moment of silence, and my weight shifts from one foot to the other, the hardwood of my kitchen floor creaking under me.
“Really?” Jack asks,
I nod, and then remember he can’t see me. “Yeah, so we’ve decided to make things official.”
He hums, and I think it’s his version of approval. “Congrats, Sonny.” Even through his bored tone, I can hear the slight twinge of happiness.
We all pretend not to know the guy is a big softie behind his grumpy exterior.
“But please don’t tell Rumi,” I say, quickly adding, “Not yet.” Before he can ask why, I explain that Ava and I have news that we wanted to share with everyone the next time we’re all together.
He doesn’t sound too pleased to be hiding something from his girlfriend, but when I remind him that we’re all meeting for dinner to talk about our upcoming Vegas trip in just five days, he reluctantly agrees.
Just as I hang up the phone, there’s a knock on my door.
Covering the simmering pasta, I’m about to set my wooden spoon down to answer it when I hear the familiarbeeping of the digital keypad, the lock slowly clicking before the front door opens.
“Hello?” Ava calls out, and I can hear the slight nervousness in her voice.
And that’s when I realize I’m nervous too, despite the warmth in my stomach at how natural it felt to hear her let herself in, finding me in the kitchen waiting for her after a long day, ready to hear all about it.
“We’re here.” The door closes just as the two sisters come into view.
Ava has a bottle of wine while Georgie is holding a paper bag with the familiar Hey Honey’s logo on it. The tips of their noses are red from the cold, and there are snowflakes sprinkled throughout their hair.
I immediately close the distance between us all, grabbing everything in their hands and setting it all on the counter before taking their coats they’re pulling off.
“Good to see you, love,” I say, my pet name for Ava slipping out seamlessly, and I like the excuse of our fake relationship to use it rather than stopping myself from how instinctual it feels to do.
Ava gives me a smirk followed by a slight shake of her head as if she can see right through me. She runs her hands through her long, auburn hair, the usual ringlets blown out into bigger curls, the red strands shiny and smooth as she flips it over her shoulder. Her gaze falls to her sister standing next to her, and that’s when I realize I’ve been staring at her like a lovestruck moron. “And good to see you, Georgie.”
She gives me a polite smile as she tugs the sleeves of her long-sleeved shirt over her hands. Her dark blonde hair is twisted back in a clip, and I can tell she feels a little out of her comfort zone with the way her eyes dart around the room.
“Something smells good,” Ava says, breaking the silence that fell over the three of us.
“Pasta is ready, and the garlic bread just needs to cool.” Igesture for them to each have a seat at my kitchen counter, pulling out two wine glasses for Ava and me and a soda out of my fridge for Georgie.
I can’t help but notice the way Ava looks around my kitchen, the counters cluttered and the sink filled with dirty dishes. “Can I help you clean up?” she asks, and I have to hide my confusion with her question.
