“That’s good then.”
“Yeah…I guess.” I hope so. Oh, how I hope so. “But I need to go back and get ready. Do you mind if we cut our shopping short?”
“Of course not.” She loops an arm through mine. “Let’s go. You’ve got a man to win over!”
* * *
Ava
The penthouse Lucas’s driver takes me to is not the one Lucas and I saw together. Is this the place he’s planning to get? I have no idea what the location means.
I vaguely register that it’s far more opulent than the place we decided on. The place is like a palace, designed to awe. It’s so ostentatious, it’s almost embarrassing.
An elevator with one glass wall takes me to the top level. I see L.A., twilit, at my feet, but it only makes my palms clammier. The people below seem to judge me…speculating about my chances of success.
I place a hand over my fluttering belly. Surely I can make this work. I’m in my favorite cornflower dress and matching heels. I didn’t do anything special with my hair, just brushed it out, but my face sports fresh makeup. I’m not here to elicit pity or anything like that. I just want a chance to say how sorry I am and explain why I felt I had to do what I did. It isn’t easy—I’m not generally an open person.
When the elevator arrives, I take a deep breath. My phone pings with a text from Darcy. You can do this. Have faith. And I’ll do as you asked, and hopefully it’ll all be good.
I swallow, then straighten my shoulders and walk past the foyer into a three-level penthouse. The lofts above are open and tiered, soaring like a cathedral. I feel like a woefully unprepared child about to sing a Christmas carol in front of everyone.
“Ava.”
I try a smile. “Lucas.”
I drink him in. Standing by the fireplace, he’s absolutely gorgeous in a sweater the color of the Pacific and black slacks. He isn’t smiling, his expression somber, but he also doesn’t seem frigid or angry.
That’s something, right?
“Have a seat.” He gestures at some couches.
I sit at the edge of a loveseat and fold my hands in my lap, my heart hammering.
Silence stretches, and my gut twists until I don’t think it’ll ever go back to normal. I lick my dry lips and finally say, “I’m sorry.”
“I didn’t ask you to come so you can apologize.”
My palms are so sweaty now, I’m surprised my skirt isn’t soaked.
“Talk to me,” he says, his voice almost too soft to hear. “I have the right to know, don’t I?”
He doesn’t have to specify. I understand exactly what he wants, and I start from the beginning because that’s the simplest way.
Stick to the facts, Ava. Don’t get overly emotional. It’s not that kind of moment here.
I draw in a breath. Then I begin.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Lucas
I stand by the fireplace because that’s all I can do. Ava looks stunning in that blue dress, but she sits on the edge of the loveseat like a prisoner waiting for judgment.
I should go to her, hold her and comfort her as she talks, but I can’t. I’m bracing myself for the worst.
Licking her lips, she begins. “The day before your accident, I found out I was pregnant. I’d missed my period and…didn’t feel well for a few days. I used two tests, just to be sure. And when they were both positive, I stayed up all night thinking about how I was going to tell you.”
“We were so careful,” I murmur. Contraceptives aren’t a hundred percent effective, I know that…but it’s still a shock when one fails.