Ava looked around, her eyebrows crinkling. “What?”
“Silence.” A grin tugged at my mouth. “No music, no chatter, no camera flashes. Isn’t it beautiful?”
Her laughter carried on the wind as it whipped around us. She swept back her hair. “It’s wonderful. I’m so glad that party is over and everyone has left. Not that I’m antisocial, but interacting with so many people at once was exhausting.”
I nodded in agreement. “I’ll never throw another birthday party like this, no matter how much my friends beg me to. It’s too much.”
She turned to me. “Lincoln, I don’t know how to thank you. Using your special day like that to support something I’m not even certain about yet…” She shook her head. “I feel like the wordsthank youaren’t enough.”
I gazed at her for a moment. “How long have you known me?”
She smiled. “Alongtime.”
“When have I ever given you the impression that I wouldn’t do absolutely anything for you?”
Her smile slowly faded as she pulled in a deep breath. Her eyes widened a fraction as I held her captive with mine. I refusedto look away, willing her to see it in my eyes, and hear it in my words, that I still loved her. I’d been trying to tell her without telling her because I understood that she was still skeptical about me.
To my chagrin, she looked away. “So are we leaving together? Us and your friends, I mean.”
My chest tightened with disappointment. I understood her deflection. Every time we got anywhere near the topic of our deeper feelings, she dodged and practically sprinted in the opposite direction. Though I got why she did it, it still stung.
I looked back out at the waves. “I’m not sure what the guys and their wives are up to. I’ll find out at breakfast.”
She nodded. “They’re great, you know. Hanging out with all of them wasn’t as terrifying as I thought it would be. They all made me feel like part of the gang. Especially the ladies. Mia and I are even planning a girls’ night before I leave LA.”
I smiled. “That’s great.” However, the mention of her going home didn’t sit well with me. There would be thousands of miles between us.
“Olivia is awesome, and Charlotte is too,” she went on with a smile. “Sometimes Charlotte looks at me funny, though. Not in a bad way. It’s more like a smug smile. I swear she looks gleeful every time she sees us together.” Ava chuckled. “I don’t get it, and I’m afraid to ask her.”
I rubbed my nape. “Oh… well… there’s something I didn’t tell you.” Charlotte was ecstatic about my supposed second chance with the love of my life. I’d confided in her some time back about my breakup before I met and started dating her. It was too bad the second chance wasn’t for real. “Charlotte and I dated.”
Ava blinked. Her smile faltered. “YoudatedCharlotte?” she repeated.
I nodded slowly, watching her reaction. “Yeah. It was years after you and I broke up. I was in a weird place. She was… great.Fun. We had a lot in common. It didn’t work out. We make better friends.”
“I see. So it isn’t weird, considering she’s married to Jamie?” Her eyebrows furrowed. “Although I haven’t detected any weirdness…”
I made a hum of amusement. “No weirdness. I was the best man at their wedding.”
Her eyebrows elevated. “No shit.”
“Yup. I told Charlotte about you once. So she gets that smug look because she thinks you and I are getting it right this time.”
“Because they think we’re really together. I hate lying to your friends, Lincoln.”
Taking in her troubled expression, I said, “Me too.” But I didn’t verbalize my next thought. I wish we’d stop pretending to be together and do it for real.
Her expression softened. “Thanks for telling me about Charlotte when it really isn’t my business.”
I felt like she wanted to addbecause there’s nothing serious between us. I watched her profile as she turned her attention to the spectacular view. A part of me had hoped she’d share something about her ex-fiancé after I told her about Charlotte.
Ava and I avoided the heavier topics for the rest of the morning. Later, we joined the others for breakfast. This morning, we sat on the beach under a massive umbrella. The staff had arranged everything—fresh fruit, warm pastries, eggs made to order, and pitchers of juice. Plus, the scenery was to die for. Being here made me realize that I hadn’t taken advantage of my island nearly enough. I started picturing plenty of mini-vacations with Ava right beside me. But I was getting ahead of myself.
I zoned back into the conversation to hear Spencer suggest, “We should stay here a few more days. Might as well. We’re overdue for our group vacation.”
Ava popped a grape into her mouth. “You guys have group vacations?”
“It’s been our thing since we graduated college,” Jamie said. “Every year, we go somewhere we all agree on. Now, we have a few additions to the group.” He smiled at Charlotte.
