“I know. I wouldn’t be doing this otherwise.” She flashed me a huge grin. “I’ll call her.”
I opened the wine while I listened to Ava talking to Payton on the phone, her voice hysterical as she gave her some story about being at the shop and knocking over the huge display of books at the front of the store. “Please, Payton,” I heard her say. “I haven’t got a clue what to do and I know you’re only at Claire’s. Please come and help.” There was a pause. “Thank you. I know it’s your birthday. Thank you. I don’t want Owen to be angry.”
She put her phone away in her jeans pocket and gave me a beaming smile. “She’s on her way. It over to you now, hot shot.”
“Thanks for helping out.”
She nodded. “It’s no problem and you never know when I’ll need the favour returning. I’ll see you tomorrow about six to get everything set up for the party.”
“Are you off anywhere nice now?” She wasn’t dressed up but her face looked more made up than for a night in.
Ava tossed her hair back. “Yup. Not out, just in. With the secret boyfriend.”
“Who you’re living with?”
“Temporarily, yes. And no, I’m not telling you who it is. I don’t think you keeping secrets from my sister is a good idea,” she said. “Now, try and relax and I’ll see you tomorrow.” She took off at speed, unlocking the door to get out and almost running down the street.
Her brothers had mentioned she was seeing someone yesterday at training, but none of them had any idea who it was. There were a few comments about having to probably pick up the pieces when it went wrong, but that wasn’t the Ava I’d seen. The girl managed construction teams and builders whilst taking absolutely no shit whatsoever. She also knew exactly how to manipulate her four older brothers. I kept my mouth shut, not needing to draw any attention to my own relationship with the other younger sister.
I checked everything one more time, straightening books, making sure the wine was good, smoothing down my shirt. It would take about half an hour for her to get here and I had to kill that time by not thinking about Payton and what I was going to say to her and how I hoped the night would end.
My mum had offered to come in early on Saturday with Dave and tidy up. I suspected she was hoping I’d be needing a lie in. She’d told me about her dinner with Payton, but hadn’t given me any details which I expected. All she’d said was that she hoped we worked it out and that Payton wasn’t opposed to the idea of a relationship with me.
Marriages weren’t black and white. You didn’t necessarily marry someone because you were madly in love with them. I hadn’t been madly in love with Amber and by that point, I hadn’t been madly in lust with her either. She was a baggy sweater that I was comfortable wearing and found easy to put on, but she didn’t make my dick go hard and my pulse strum a beat like for a HIIT workout as Payton did. Getting married was us trying to persuade ourselves that the past three years hadn’t been wasted, but they had. They’d also taught me what I didn’t need from a relationship.
Half a glass of wine had somehow slipped down my neck—although I’d managed to avoid the whisky—when the door pushed open and I saw blonde hair in the shadows.
“Ava?” she shouted. She wore tight fitted jeans and a tank top, her hair tied back. “Ava! Where the fuck are you? The display’s fine…”
“She didn’t knock it over,” I said, standing in the back of the store that was lit with a range of antique brass lamps that Ava had managed to discover from somewhere. They cast a warm shine over the room, creating shadows. “She just wanted to get you here.”
Payton wandered through towards the back, to the section we cleared for events. It was now decorated for her. Her expression was that of Alice in Wonderland, eyes everywhere and looking at everything curiously. Bunches of flowers: hydrangeas, peonies and sunflowers, were in tall vases. A trail of petals ran from the door to the table where two glasses of wine sat, waiting. Hopefully waiting.
“This is for me?”
“For you,” I said. “It’s an apology.”
“I don’t need an apology.”
“I want to give one anyway. I’m sorry I upset you.”
She put her hands in her back pockets. “I know you didn’t mean to. I’m sorry I’ve avoided speaking to you.”
“I’ve missed you,” I said, my voice gruff. I wanted to touch her, to claim her as mine once and for all, because that was what she was meant to be. As well as amazing and successful and a sister and everything else she wanted to be, she was mine.
She nodded. “I missed you too.”
We stood, metres apart, watching each other.
“Do you want some wine?” I said, gesturing to the glasses.
“No,” she said, stepping towards me. “I just want you. Let me have you.”
I caught her in my arms. “You can have me. As long as I get you in return.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Payton
