Ava knows who Jimmy O'Brien is - her first love and soulmate. Forced to spend time apart, Ava and Jim deal with their trust issues and insecurities.
When the lovers finally reunite and resolve to fight for each other, their fragile happiness is put...
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The wait was almost over, and it'd been one of the longest months in my life.
Jim's friend got married today. It was evening in France, and I hoped everything went well. From the little Jim told me, I gathered Aiden was a great guy who'd been through a lot. He deserved his happily ever after. In a twisted way, Jim and I met thanks to him.
My fingers itched to text Jim. Each time I picked up the phone, I put it down with a sigh. There wasn't much I could say. I could tell him about the things I did, but the only conversation we needed to have was the one about us, and it had to happen in person.
I knew what my answer would be. And, completely unlike me, I did another daring thing, texting the person whose house I was driving to now.
I parked my car in a quiet residential area and strolled to the modern lodge surrounded by a beautiful garden. The front door opened before I pressed the doorbell.
"Welcome." Riley beamed and kissed my cheek. "Hope it wasn't hard to find our place."
"Thank you, and no. I know the city well."
"Awesome. Come on in; I'll show you around first."
I stepped over the threshold and followed Riley into her house. Being here felt like a dream. I didn't expect she'd agree to see me, let alone invite me over.
After days of stressing out over the best way to go public with Jim, I realized I was out of my depth. Not just because of my shyness, but because of not knowing what to expect or how to behave. Other than Jim, Riley was the only famous person I knew. And she was a girl.
"I love your home," I said after she'd shown me the open plan kitchen and living room.
"I love decorating. If I didn't become an actress, I would've studied interior design."
"That's my friend's dream," I said. Ivy had been talking about her own design business since we were in high school. I only hoped she could still have that once she became a mom.
Riley smiled. "Tea? If you prefer coffee, I have some, too."
"Tea's great." I perched on the cream-colored couch Riley pointed to and watched her fix the drinks. She looked at ease, pretty in a simple white sundress without makeup on and her long hair in a loose ponytail.
Riley handed me a mug with a steaming drink and sat next to me. "I was happy you texted," she said. "We wanted to invite you and Jim to dinner, but he said he was in France when Noah texted him."
"He'll be back tomorrow." I took a small sip of my tea.
Riley pointed to the box of chocolate sweets on the coffee table. "Try these. So worth an extra workout."
"I will, thank you. And thank you for agreeing to meet me."
"You said you needed help."
I nodded. "Other than Jim, you're the only person I can talk about it with. Jim and I were dating in secret, as you know. But I think it's time to change that."
