Page 27 of Unstoppable Love

My reflection stared back. Blank. Yeah. She was going to hate me. But it was time.

Time to tell Ava Decker everything I felt for her.

By the time I got back to my table, Lydia was gone.

“Ava and Lydia leave?” I asked Gavin.

“I haven’t seen Ava. Lydia got a text and said she had to jet. I told her you’d cover their tab.”

I’d do it. Of course, I would. “Ava didn’t get Lydia before she left?”

“No.” My brother took a drink from his beer. “Why?”

I scanned the bar. Jimmy was gone, as I knew he would be. He came from trash, but because he worked at the bank, he thought he was better than everyone and he liked to Lord that shit everywhere in his wake. He thought he was top dog, but he was still scum.

“No reason. I’m tired. Wanna take off?”

We’d had two drinks, but now I had a mission.

One, make sure Jimmy wasn’t anywhere near Ava’s house, and two, make sure she got home safe.

Isaiah would understand if he showed up and I wasn’t here.

“What’s going on?” Gavin asked. He’d drained his beer and was climbing off his stool.

Not like he cared to be out here anyway, I’d practically had to beg him to come out for a drink. But hell, the man worked hard and was a single dad, he deserved a night out too.

“Nothing. I’m beat.”

The problem with having brothers, and they didn’t even have to be my twin, was that we knew shit. He could see it all over my face, probably the tense stance.

“Keep your secrets. Let’s go.”

I dropped Gavin off at the small home he and Josie shared in town, within walking distance to the bar, but I’d picked him up and driven here. I drove around town, found Jimmy’s truck parked out behind the Whiskey Mixer, another bar past the town’s square, and since there was no way Ava would go there, I went back home.

After I’d crawled into my bed in my parents’ house, the house quiet and dark because they were early risers and Bryce was out with some friends, I texted Ava.

Me

You okay? Get back to your parents’ house safe?

I waited a minute. Then five. It felt like a lifetime.

I texted again.

Ava. Please. I’m so sorry for all of it tonight. But at least let me know you’re okay? That you got home safe?

Ten minutes later, and still no response from her, so I texted Isaiah.

You know if your sister got back to your parents’ place tonight?

That response came almost immediately.

Isaiah

Yeah. I caught her as I pulled in. Crying. WTF happened?

Since there was no way I was telling him shit about me accosting his sister in a fucking bar where anyone could have seen right after Jimmy had his grubby paws all over her, I sent him a bunch of bullshit.

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