Page 53 of Exile and Embrace

“I could use a drink.” I yawn and scratch my jaw. “I have some beer at home. You could come over and watch the game.”

“Not a big football fan, but I am interested in meeting this woman of yours. You don’t strike me as the type of man to be engaged. Honestly, you’re more like the kind of man I’ve seen alone for life.”

I chuckle and lead the way out of the room and up the stairs.

Machines whir on the factory floor as we step out of the hidden stairway.

Dawson stretches and taps his hands on the doorframe while I hide the door to the factory’s basement again.

“Ava is going to be happy to meet you. She thinks that I need to get out and make more friends.” I give a one-shouldered shrug, as if Ava doesn’t have a clue about what I’m doing. “She thinks that I spend most of my day at work and then go to the gym for a couple hours.”

A line appears between Dawson’s eyebrows. “What does she think when you have to take off in the middle of the night? I know that’s always been hard to hide from girlfriends who aren’t in the loop.”

“She doesn’t ask. I tell her that there’s a work emergency, and then I head out.”

“Man.” Dawson shakes his head as we weave through the factory and out to the parking lot. “What I wouldn’t give to have a woman with that much trust in me. The woman I was last with thought that I should allow her to check my phone every few days. She wanted to make sure that I wasn’t cheating on her. My girlfriend now is a lot better, but she still gets pissed off about my work. She hates it.”

I walk over to my motorcycle and pull the helmet out of the saddlebag. “Ava isn’t like that. She’s an incredible woman. I have no clue how I got lucky enough to have her in my life, but I did. Hell, I don’t know what I would do without her at this point.” The truth of my words hits me again, but I push it back. Now is not the time to think about this.

Dawson laughs. “Well, you sound like you’re a lovesick fool.”

“For Ava? Always.” I pull the helmet on, leaving the visor up. “I’ll meet you back at the house.”

A lump in my throat threatens to choke me, but I swallow it down. I may not be a lovesick fool for her, but that’s the game of pretend we’re playing. Even if those lines get blurrier by the day.

And she is an amazing woman. Better than anyone I’ve ever met.

Far too good for the likes of me.

He nods and gets into his car, the engine revving as I sling my leg over the bike.

We take off toward my house, the sun shining down.

When we get to the house, Ava’s car is in the driveway, and Brooklyn’s bicycle is near the front porch.

I sigh and pull the motorcycle in beside her car before killing the engine.

Dawson pulls in behind me as I’m sliding off my helmet.

The car door slams, and he lets out a low whistle. “I didn’t know that people were still riding bicycles.”

“Ava’s friend is over.” I climb the steps and push open the front door. “They’ve been working on tracing a family history on her father’s side.”

Dawson looks around the entryway as we step inside.

Soft voices filter to us from the living room where the women are bent over yet another journal.

I kick off my boots before padding across the house to Ava.

She looks up with a bright smile as I dip my head to kiss her. Ava nips at my bottom lip as I pull away, amusement bright in her eyes.

“Aves, this is Dawson. Dawson, this is my fiancée, Ava, and her friend, Brooklyn.”

Ava gets up and makes her way over to Dawson, pulling him into a tight hug. “It’s nice to meet Finn’s only friend.”

I laugh as she steps away from him. “See, Dawson? What did I tell you?”

Dawson chuckles and looks around the house. “You two still unpacking?”

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