Shannon stared at the massive space with multiple seating areas, two-story high windows and a fireplace large enough to host its own cocktail party. The draperies were probably silk, the furniture was no doubt custom, and the rugs they so casually walked on were most likely pricey antiques.
Yes, of course she was used to elegant homes and upscale interiors. Since going to work for her mom at the real estate office, she’d been in dozens of amazing rooms and met people with twelve- and thirteen-figure bank accounts. But they were clients, not... Not... She mentally paused realizing she didn’t know what Ava was to her. No one, really, she supposed. And yet being here felt incredibly significant.
She inched closer to Aaron, who grabbed her hand and shot her a look as if to ask if he really belonged here.
“Me, too,” she whispered in his ear.
Once they were seated, Ava glanced to the side of the roomand nodded. Seconds later two servers walked toward them. One had a tray of filled champagne glasses while the other offered a selection of canapés. Shannon took a glass and waved off the food. Holding the champagne gave her something to do with her hands. She wasn’t planning on sipping the drink, and she sure wasn’t ready to try to eat anything—not with nerves dancing in her belly.
Everything about this was so surreal, she thought, staring at the two servers and realizing that Ava either had staff to manage the house or she’d hired them for the evening. Either way, it was so not charcuterie-boards-and-beer with Javiar and Aaron.
While her mom chatted with Ava, and Javiar talked with Victoria, Shannon continued to study the room. If the adoption had gone through, this could have been her home, she thought in amazement. Her gaze slid to Milton. And he would have been her father. She’d never had one in her life and had no idea how that would feel to her.
He looked up then and smiled at her. She ducked her head and looked away, feeling awkward and out of place. Why had her mom agreed to this dinner? None of them belonged here. The past was done, and there was no going back. Only she knew that whatever she was feeling was nothing when compared to what Ava and her mom were going through. Because for them, a single decision had changed everything, altering their lives forever. And while the past couldn’t be undone, it had to be respected and, apparently for this one night, dealt with.
As there were only eight of them for dinner, Ava had used the smaller, more intimate dining room. The table seated ten, so there was plenty of room for everyone. She’d wanted to use place cards so she could control who was where, but Milton had talked her out of it, pointing out they wanted a more casual atmosphere for the evening. He’d taken the seat at the head ofthe table and she’d settled opposite him, leaving everyone else to find a place.
She’d put far too much thought into the menu, but now that the first course was being served, she found she couldn’t eat. Her normally quiet stomach was a writhing mess, and she had a low-grade headache—both the consequence of how stressed she’d been.
But she ignored the sensations in her body and focused on her guests—or rather she focused on Shannon and Cindy. No matter how many times she told herself not to stare, she couldn’t help gazing at each of them in turn. Longing gripped her so intensely, she could barely breathe. Longing for what could have been... under other circumstances. She had loved Shannon with her whole heart. Had imagined their future together as a family, had made plans, had allowed herself to dream. In her head, she understood Cindy had been feeling the same, and in the end, she’d been unable to walk away from her baby. But Ava had been the one to pay the price.
She told herself to turn away. To ask Cindy’s handsome fiancé a question, or inquire if Javiar was enjoying the meal, but she couldn’t distract herself. Cindy and Shannon looked like what they were—mother and daughter. They had the same blond hair, the same blue eyes, the same smile. Ava knew there had to be characteristics from Shannon’s father in her face and body, but they were hard to spot.
As for Cindy, well, she was an older version of the teen she’d been twenty-four years ago, meaning she still looked like Ava’s younger sister. The three of them could have passed for family anywhere.
Just as painful was the silent communication between Cindy and Shannon. Ava caught their shared looks as the soup was served, the faint nod or shake of the head that was all that was required to convey an answer to an unasked question. There was an ease between them, a bond that most mothers and daughters shared.She shifted her gaze to Victoria and held in a sigh. The two of them had never had anything like that between them, she admitted. And their connection had never been anyone’s definition ofeasy. Now she wondered how much of that was simply a difference in personalities and how much of it was her fault.
“This is nice,” Milton said from his end of the table. “Thank you for joining us tonight.” He offered a kind smile. “I’m sure by the time we’re eating the entrée, we’ll all feel less awkward.”
Several people chuckled.
Ava leaned toward Cindy. “Please, tell me about your life these days. You’re working?”
Cindy’s eyes widened in obvious surprise. “Of course I have a job. I work in real estate. Not selling, I’m the office manager.”
Luis, a tall, dark-haired man, smiled at Ava. “She keeps the business going. Without her, everything would fall apart.”
Cindy leaned briefly against him. “He’s being kind, but I do manage the details. I started working there about, what? Fifteen years ago? I was support staff and worked my way up.”
“Gina and I knew you were special from the very first day,” Luis said.
“Gina is your...” Ava’s voice trailed off as Luis glanced first at Cindy, then at her.
“My late wife. She died of cancer five years ago.”
“She was wonderful,” Cindy added. “We met when I, well, I was having the most horrible day, and she was so kind. We got to talking. The next thing I knew I was coming in for an interview. And that was it. We all became very close. Gina and Luis have two sons, including Javiar. He and Shannon are like brother and sister.”
“Now we’re roommates,” Javiar added, winking at Shannon.
“She was your friend and now you’re engaged to...” Ava pressed her lips together, not sure how to ask the question without sounding judgmental.
Victoria shot her a warning look. “Mom.”
“It’s an interesting situation,” Ava said faintly.
Luis smiled at her. “It is. Cindy and my wife were close. When Gina died, Cindy held us all together while we grieved. There was nothing between us but friendship. Then about a year ago, she walked into my office and everything changed.”
“I know it’s not conventional,” Cindy said, flushing slightly. “But we weren’t involved before.”
