“How could you even get pregnant, anyway? I mean, aren’t you on the pill?”
“I guess I got so caught up in everything happening here that I forgot it enough times.”
Hailey whistled. “Some people have all the luck, you know? Virgin into your mid-twenties, and when you finally, uh, break the seal, you get knocked up.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of it all.
“That’s one way to look at it.”
“And here’s another… you’re going to befine. Take deep breaths and remember that you don’t have to make any decisions right now about anything. And no matter what, I’m here for you. Princess or not, pregnant or not, I’m in your corner.”
Warmth ran through me, a feeling reminding me that I was loved.
Still, the pregnancy was one thing too many. I made a split-second decision.
“I want to come home.”
Chapter 26
Luc
As I stood in front of Ava’s bedroom door, I couldn’t shake the notion that I was about to make ahugemistake.
Screw it. I’d wanted some time to talk to her since the incident in the garden. More than that, I missed her like mad.
I took a deep breath and knocked. Footsteps sounded inside, thunder rumbling off in the distance. The door opened and there she was, dressed in flannel pajama pants and a big college sweater, her purple hair tied into a short ponytail.
“Hey.” She didn’t sound good, and I was immediately on high alert.
“Hey. Have a second?”
She nodded, stepping aside and letting me in. Right away, my eyes went to a big suitcase on the bed that was half-full of her things.
“What’s going on here, Ava?”
She turned toward the suitcase, her expression falling. I got the distinct impression that she hadn’t intended for me to see it.
“Shit. God, I’m so braindead right now that I didn’t even think to hide the suitcase.”
“Why would you need to hide it?” I asked. “Why do you even have it out? Are you going on a trip that I don’t know about?”
“Something like that. I’m going back to Seattle.”
For a moment, I wasn’t sure that I’d heard her right. “You’re… what? Does anyone else know about this?”
“Hailey does. And I was going to tell you when I was all packed and ready to go.”
I shut the door behind me, propriety be damned.
“Ava, what’s on your mind? Why do you look so upset?”
“Because Iamupset. I don’t know if I can do this anymore.”
Before saying a word, I stepped over to the pitcher of water in her room and poured her a glass. The rain, which had been falling since morning, continued to patter upon the window. I handed her the glass, placing my hand on her shoulder and guiding her to sit down. Even that little bit of contact was electric, enough to give me pause for a second.
“Sip this,” I said. “And tell me what’s on your mind.”
I sat down in the chair next to her bed, watching as she slowly brought the glass to her lips and drank. As she swallowed, she held the glass between her knees, giving herself a moment to speak.