Thirteen

I held Ava until she stops crying, silently brewing about everything she confessed. I can't come to terms over the fact that I could've had the life I've always wanted, a whole year ago, I could've been with Ava and Emily, and at least received one more year to watch Emily grow. But my mother decided to rip that chance away from me, for what?

I already know. She didn't want me to leave, to stop funding her shopping sprees and country club memberships. If I found out Ava was in New York, and she has my child, I would've left my mother the moment she told me, without a seconds thought.

But I at least would've seen to it that she was taken care of. My mother is strong, but she is getting older, and I still care that she is my mother, and although she did a pretty crappy job being a parent, I didn't grow up on the streets and I received an excellent education. That is much more than most children can ask for, and my mother gave me it at the very least.

With what she has done, all that is out the fucking window. I don't care if she ends up on the street. I have done everything for her, and in turn she has stolen true happiness from me, knowing how miserable I was, and how happy it would make me. She knew making me happy, meant losing her trust fund.

She is dead to me.

I look back down at Ava for comfort, to see she is completely passed out, dry tear streaks the only evidence of her pain. I shift her slowly in my arms, careful not to wake her, and bring her inside. I smile when I see Emily is also passed out on the couch, an empty chocolate bar wrapper in her hand, and a bit of chocolate still left on her cheeks and fingers.

I walk Ava to her bedroom first, then retrieve Emily from the couch and tuck her in. I return to Ava's bed, and help undress her quietly and as motionlessly as possible, to strip her down to her underwear, and dress her in one of my over-size shirts to cover most of her and keep her warm. I strip down to my boxers and pull her into my chest, feeling her squirm lightly and let out a gentle sigh, making my heart flutter with bliss happiness.

I don't ever want to leave this spot, thanking the gods that tomorrow is the weekend.

That also just means a couple days longer, for me to fester over the growing hatred for my mother.

***

Ava and Emily are still sound asleep when I awake at almost 10 o'clock. I decide it's almost late enough for brunch, and quietly move to the kitchen to try and think of something I can make.

After pacing the kitchen and checking all the cupboards for a half-hour, I give up and grab the ingredients to make pancakes, using the rest of the chocolate chips to make them extra chocolatey for Emily. I look in the fridge and see there are eggs, and a bit of blueberries as well. I take both and decide to make a few eggs, and another batch of blueberry pancakes with what is left-over.

By the time I'm done setting the table, neither of them has made a sound. I decide to wake Ava first, letting Emily get her sleep for as long as possible. I creep into the room, smiling at her peaceful, sleeping face, and crawl back under the covers. I trail my hands slowly along her shoulders, moving down to her legs, then her stomach.

She squirms and makes small sounds, scrunching her face up, but doesn't wake. I go further, placing small kissing on her neck and biting her skin lightly. I hear her gasp, followed by a small moan.

"Ashton? What are you doing?" she whispers, still barely awake.

"It's time to get up, love."

"What time is it?" she asks, and tries to get up from the bed. I pull her back down and trap her against my chest, nuzzling my face in her neck. "A-Ashton, we need to get up," she says, giggling.

"Let's stay like this just a little longer," I mumble, smiling against her skin. She lets out a soft breath and relaxes in my arms, cuddling closer to my chest, causing my heart to beat erratically and my chest to feel tight. A large grin breaks out on my face, almost splitting my cheeks. We stay like this for a few minutes, before I remember the food is still sitting on the table, getting colder by the second. We grudgingly get up and I make sure the food is warm and wake Emily while Ava takes a shower.

Emily squeals with delight when she sees the breakfast on the table, and rushes over to her high-chair. She waits impatiently for me to make her a plate full of chocolate and blueberry pancakes, drowning them in syrup like her mother.

Ava comes out and gasps lightly. "Did you make all of this? Where did you find the time?" she asks.

"I woke up a little earlier and you both were sound asleep; I didn't want to wake you unless breakfast was ready." I kiss the top of her head and pull a chair out for her. She smiles gently at me before she digs into the pancakes and eggs, trying to convince Emily to have some eggs as well, so she has something a little healthy in her breakfast. She tries to fight her, saying blueberries are fruit, so it's still healthy.

But she has more chocolate chip pancakes than blue berries, which causes Ava to turn and glare at me slightly, knowing Emily didn't make her plate on her own. I hold my hands up in surrender and occupy my mouth with food. She just rolls her eyes, but I see a ghost of a smile on her face.

After breakfast, Ava and I clear the table while Emily runs to the living room, full of sugar and adrenaline. I'm helping Ava with the dishes, trying to think of something for us to do together, when my phone goes off. I look down and sneer when I see my mother's name. I ignore the call for now and excuse myself from the kitchen. Ava nods, but gives me a concerned look. I hope she didn't see who was calling.

I walk out onto the balcony and call my mother back. She answers on the first ring.

"Where are you? I went to your house last night, but your doorman said he hadn't seen you for two days. Where the hell have you been, Ashton? Are you with Amber? That better be your answer, or I'm going to greatly regret no longer having you followed."

I roll my eyes. "First off, having me followed is a huge violation of my rights, and I can have you arrested just for admitting you will have me stalked. Where I have been is none of your business, though we do have much to speak about. I want to see you, Monday morning at my office. Get there as soon as you can, until then I have nothing to say to you."

"I have a lot to say to you, there is a reason I have been trying to find you," she abruptly cries out.

"What could you possibly want? More money?" I growl.

"I think you know exactly what I want, where is she?"

My heart stops. She could be talking about Ava or Emily, either is a terrible thought. I have to play this cool.

"Who are you talking about?" I ask.

"Don't play games with me, Ashton! I can tell when you're lying, where is she? Where is Amber?"

What the hell is she talking about?

"What do you mean where is she? She's missing?" I ask, genuinely confused.

"Don't do this, Ashton. Her family is worried sick, and I know you did something to get out of this arranged marriage, so what did you do? Did you pay her off? Send her away somewhere? Kidnap her?"

Her last accusation stung a little. She already knew everything of my past now, yet she mocks me about it, constantly throwing it in my face every chance she got.

"Why the hell would I do anything like that? I signed the damn contract, what more do you want? We had just met to make announcement arrangements, did we not? I'm doing exactly as you asked, mother." I try not to yell at her, knowing if I do, Ava and the whole neighborhood below will hear me.

"Well then, where is she? She can't just up and disappear–" she gasps suddenly. "What if she was kidnapped?"

"Did she not have bodyguards? I'm sure her father assigned someone to watch her," I say, trying to reason with her, so I can end this conversation.

I have a feeling I know exactly where Amber is, but she hasn't called or messaged me to say she was leaving.

"Yes, she does have bodyguards, but she disappeared from home. One minute she is in her room, the next the maid calls her for dinner, and she's gone! Explain that," she cries.

She has a point. If she did just pack her things and leave, how did no one see her? And why did she not contact me and tell me that everything is set, and she was breaking the contract? Things aren't adding up, and I am beginning to seriously consider that she has been kidnapped, but that adds more questions. Does her house have video surveillance? Is it guarded outside and in?

"I'll try and contact her, we'll talk about this on Monday. Only call me if anything urgent has come up, or you have found her." I end the call before she has the chance to say anything more, and take a moment to let everything sink in. I walk over to the banister, ditching my phone on one of the chairs, and look out over the view, breathing in a calm breath of air.

I barely hear the sliding door, until two arms wrap around my waist, and I instantly feel comforting warmth spread through my back as she presses her chest against me, cuddling her head against my shoulder. I place a hand over hers, entwining our fingers together, letting her presence and warmth calm and comfort me.

"What was the phone call about?" she asks after a few minutes of silence.

I let out a frustrated breath and turn to her, deciding whether or not I should tell her the truth.

I shake my head, remembering I promised myself there would be no secrets between us, that I wouldn't do anything to jeopardize this final chance with her.

"That was my mother," I say calmly. She sucks in a sharp breath and pulls back slightly. I know I'm going to regret telling her, but I know I'll regret it much more later, when she finds out and it all possibly blows up in my face.

"Amber has gone missing, she assumed I had something to do with it," I finally say.

Ava lets out a small breath and the concern drains from her face.

"Well, did you have anything to do with it?" she asks cautiously. I look inside the window, and see that Emily is occupied with her dollhouse, and doesn't seem to notice we've left the room. I bring Ava over to the chairs and sit down.

"We had spoken about her moving away when she came up with enough money to move to Paris, she wants to start a name for herself in the model and fashion industry, but needs the funds she gets from her father. She was supposed to tell me, let me know that she was ready to break the contract, and finally let both of us get on with our lives. But she hasn't said anything, and my mother said she disappeared from home, so for the time being, the option that she has been kidnapped is the highest concern."

I pause and gauge her reaction. She seems shocked, but not upset, which is a great sign.

"What do you think happened to her?"

Her question takes me by surprise. "Well, I don't know, I haven't even really thought about it. I'm going to try and contact her, maybe she will reach out when she sees it's me, and I can at least make sure she is safe, and the authorities don't need to be alerted."

Ava purses her lips and nods her head slowly. I badly want to know what she is thinking, but her eyes aren't giving anything away.

Finally, she takes a deep breath. "I think that's the right decision," she says.

I stare at her, blinking rapidly, waiting for myself to snap out of this dream. I expected her to be a least a little upset, but she shows no sign of any irritation or jealousy.

"You don't have to look so shocked, I do have common sense. If she is missing, then you need to find out where she is, and you might be right about you being the only person she will speak to, if she really has run off." She pauses and bites her lip.

"Ashton, as much as I hate and don't completely understand the situation you're in, I support you and I'm willing to wait until you figure everything out, so we can move past it all and figure us out. If this girl is missing and could possibly be kidnapped, even I don't want anything to happen to her. I have been in that situation, but not all are like mine, and she could be in serious danger."

I give her a hard look, admiring everything about her, down to the last detail; her courage, strength, kindness, beauty, mindfulness. She is honest to god, the closest thing to perfect on this Earth.

I'm so damn lucky she's mine.

With that thought, I press my lips to hers softly, savoring her taste.

"We should check on Emily," she says, pulling away smiling. I stroke her cheek with my knuckles, studying her green eyes for a moment, noticing all the small details I never took the chance to see before. Like how there are small specks of grey in her forest green eyes, and how when they shift towards the light, the grey specks grow larger, and almost cover the inside circle of her eye.

She smiles and kisses me again, breaking me out of my trance. I grab her hand and we walk back inside, where we see Emily has given up on her toys, and snuck over to the couch to watch cartoons. She tries to rush off when we walk in, but she's too late. Ava just laughs and says she can watch cartoons for a little bit. Emily jumps back on the couch and Ava and I walk over to join her, throwing on a show called Paw Patrol, which thankfully only lasted about 15 minutes.

I glance outside the window, and can feel the heat from the sun through the glass, seeing what a beautiful day it is outside. Though I looked out at the view earlier, my mind was too clouded to notice the ray of sun beating down.

That suddenly gives me an idea for an activity for the day. I turn to Ava and smile.

"Do you and Emily having bathing suits?" I ask.

Ava gives me a weird look but nods. "Yeah, we do," she says slowly.

"Great, pack those and a few towels, and meet me at the door," I say, giving her a quick kiss and hopping up from the couch. I walk back over to the sliding glass door and step onto the balcony, pulling my phone out to call the house. My doorman, Richard, answers the phone.

"We've been waiting urgently for you to come home, sir. Is everything alright?" he asks.

"Yes, everything is fine Richard, I'm sorry to have worried you and made you deal with my mother, I hope she was kind."

He huffs out a breath. "Of course, not. What can I do for you, Mr. Bradford?"

I chuckle at his dry and honest humor. "Can you please ask the yard workers if the pool and lounge area are clean and ready for use? I will be over in an hour with a few guests, and I would like it to be ready for us."

"Right away sir, I will call you when I have an answer." I thank him and quickly hang up, rushing back inside. Ava has a packed bag and a few towels in her hands, and is standing by the front door, still looking confused.

"This building doesn't have a pool, Ashton, and there isn't a pool around here that I'm aware of," she says, a deep frown on her face. I just smile and pick her bag up. As we're walking to the elevators, Richard calls me back and says that the pool will be ready for us when we arrive. I thank him again and give Ava another smile, confusing her more.

She continues to ask me where we're going when we get in the car, but I claim it is a secret. She already knows we're going swimming, Emily doesn't however, but she is curious as to where. I'm surprised she hasn't figured it out at this point. She pesters me more the further we drive out of Manhattan. I look back at Emily, looking out the window at all the different things around her. Her eyes wide and curious, causing me to smile with admiration, before turning my attention back to a now fuming Ava.

"Why are you being so stubborn about this?" she huffs.

"Because some things never change, love," I say and wink at her quickly, turning my eyes back to the road.

We pull into my area soon, and both Ava and Emily become distracted by the large, fancy and overly decorated mansions. I try to rush through quickly, not wanting Ava to think I was trying to show off to her in anyway. She still turns and peers at me.

"Of course, you live somewhere like here," she says, but smiles slightly at me. I shake my head and laugh lightly, knowing she would make some sort of comment like that, but also thankful she isn't fazed by any of it.

Emily, however, has her head turning all over the place, her eyes wider than before. She is blown away by the house around her, and wide, adorable smile stretched across her face as she looks and giggles at some of the cute decorations people have on their lawns and front doors. Ava looks back and smiles at her, painting a beautiful picture in front of me. I reach over and grasp her hand, squeezing her fingers lightly.

She turns her gorgeous smile towards me, stopping my heart.

I look back towards the road to distract my now light head. We pull into my driveway soon, Richard already waiting for me at the front door. Ava gives him a curious look, but he just smiles and tips his hat to her.

"Pleasure to finally meet you, Ms. White, my name is Richard." He holds his hand out to her and she shakes it, still looking a little taken back. "If you're wondering, I have heard many stories of you, I could never forget your name."

I quickly rush over and make a cut throat motion, telling him to stop. He just simply winks at me and holds the door open, ignoring my glare as I pass through. Ava sets Emily down, but takes hold of her hand, seeing how excited she is and how much she wants to run around. I take them through to the upstairs, where there are several guest bedrooms and a few bathroom where they can change and shower before going to the pool.

Ava goes into the bathroom and helps Emily into her bathing suit, while I call Richard and ask him to take her down to the pool when she is ready, and keep a solid eye on her until we get down there. He gives me his word he won't look away from her, and cheerfully runs off with Emily, playing a game of catch like he has raised children his whole life, becoming a completely different man than the person I have seen for the last three years.

I creep over to the bathroom door and push it open lightly, catching Ava just as she takes off her last piece of underwear and lets it drop to the floor. She is facing away from me, with the mirror to the side of her, giving me the perfect opportunity to sneak up behind her. I tip-toe inside and wrap my arms around her waist, earning a light gasp from her.

"Hey, what are you doing in here?" she says and tries to cover herself. I turn her around and hold her arms out, trapping her wrists together and bringing them up over her head. I watch as her face instantly turns a deep shade of red, and she turns her face away from me. I let one hand go of her wrists, and grasp her chin lightly, titling her head to look back at me.

"Don't be embarrassed love, you're beautiful. I don't want you to hide, I want to see every inch of you," I whisper in her ear. I move her away a little further away from me, still holding her hands, and let my eyes roam her silky smooth skin, taking mental images of every curve and dip of her body, before I pull her back towards me and hungrily cover her lips. She gasps against my mouth, granting my tongue full access to roam. She gives in instantly, and I let go of her hands so she can wrap them around my neck, her hands pulling on my hair roughly.

"We have to get to Emily," she says, pulling away breathlessly.

"Richard is watching her, we can have a quickie right here, and they won't even notice we're gone." I try and distract her by kissing her neck, biting and sucking her skin teasingly. She lets out a soft moan and caves in my arms, grabbing the back of my head and crashing her lips on mine. I respond with just as much eagerness, fighting with the belt on my pants.

"You're terrible," she mutters when I pull away to undo my pants.

I wink at her, and rip my pants down.

"You love it."

She bites her lips and tugs my hand.

"Hell yes, I do."

***

We finally get down to the pool, where as I expected, Emily hasn't noticed we weren't there this entire time. She's too busy splashing around in the pool, with Richard sitting just a few feet away, his pant legs rolled up and his feet in the water. She screams for us to come join her when she finally sees us, and Ava tells her to hold on.

"Do you think we should get something to eat?" she asks.

I kiss her head softly. "Anything you want, love. I'll have Richard ask the kitchen staff to make some healthy snacks for us, to make up for breakfast this morning." She turns and glares at me, hitting my shoulder playfully.

Aca strips off her t-shirt and shorts to jump in the pool with Emily. I call Richard over and ask him to whip some snacks up. Just as he rushes off and I prepare to run after Ava, my phone on the table goes off. I rush to open it when I see a message from Amber, saying a prayer silently that she has contacted me.

My heart stops when I read the message, and I think I prayed too early.

We need to talk, there is something you need to know about your mother's backup plans.

What the hell does she mean, backup plan?