Page 52 of Whatever You Want

I wasn’t sure if I wanted to laugh or cry. Instead, I smiled. “You’ve got plenty of time before you get to high school. While I wasn’t a good baseball player like your dad, I played when I was younger. I bet Marco and Quinn would be happy to practice with you too.”

She chewed on her bottom lip. “Will you help me with my pitching? My dad used to practice with me and coach all my games.”

“I would be happy to throw a few balls with you. I might need a new glove though. Maybe you and I could go pick one out together.”

I had a glove that would have worked just fine, but I thought she would enjoy helping me choose a new one. It would be a great way for us to spend time together.

“Can we go tomorrow?” she asked hopefully. I smiled at how fast her mind worked, how it could go from sad to happy within a few seconds. I wish it were that simple for me.

“Let’s check with your mom first, okay?” I squeezed her arm gently. “Sweet dreams.” I switched the light off next to her door and closed it softly behind me. Resting my back against the wall, I took a few minutes to let that conversation sink in.

Ava was in her bedroom putting clothes away when she spotted me in the doorway. “Hey, I was just going to go give her a kiss good night.”

“She’s already asleep.” I walked over and wrapped my arms around her from behind. “You know that I adore her, right?”

She touched my hands that were resting on her stomach. “She thinks pretty highly of you too.”

“She was asking questions.”

“What kind of questions?”

I took her hand and entwined our fingers. “She saw us kissing. She asked if I was your boyfriend.”

She turned around in my arms. “What did you say?”

“I evaded the question, but I also put a few feelers out.” I cleared my throat and braced myself for her reaction. “I want to tell Madison and Brina about us?”

While I desperately wanted to bond with Madison, I had my own daughter’s feelings to consider. I wasn’t anticipating any problems, but I still needed to reassure her that she would always come first, that her feelings mattered. I would never do anything that would jeopardize her trust in me. Telling Madison before Brina felt wrong. Talking to both of them together seemed like the right thing to do.

“What exactly do you want to tell them?”

I could sense the panic in her voice. If I knew Ava, she would put this off for as long as possible. It might have only been a couple of weeks, but I was already sick of sneaking around. I wanted us to be official. Our girls would always be our priority, but if we were going to move forward, we needed to have this conversation with the people closest to us.

“We tell them that we are together and not just as friends.”

Ava worried her bottom lip between her teeth. “Logan, it’s too soon. They’re not ready for that.”

I tugged her arm, pulling her against my chest. “I don’t want to keep sneaking around. We don’t have to tell them tomorrow but I want to tell them soon.” My fingers slid into her hair. “I’m crazy about you, Ava Donavon, and I’m sick of worrying about what people will think. I want the world to know that you are mine,” I whispered over her lips as she folded her hands along the back of my neck. “Because make no mistake, I’m yours.”

“Is that your way of saying we’re official?” Her smile was so damn beautiful. Sometimes it felt like I didn’t deserve her.

“You can use whatever label you’re comfortable with, as long as I get what I want.”

“And what exactly is it that you want?”

I moved my hands down her back and brought my lips to hers. “I want everything, Ava. I want your kisses.” I touched my lips to hers and stroked her tongue softly. “I want your smile.” I ran the pads of my thumb along her mouth. “I want this body.” I gripped her curves, letting her know how much I wanted it all. “I want your heart.” Our eyes met, and I knew, at that moment, that I was so far gone for this woman that I was done. “I’m not looking to replace him, I’m just asking for you to make room for me too.”

She shook her head and looked away. I grabbed her chin, forcing her gaze to mine. “Do not hide from me.”

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

“There is nothing about the way you make me feel that hurts.”

“But I can’t emotionally give you what you want.”

And there it was. The truth that I tried to deny. Drew might have been buried six feet in the ground, but he still stood between us. Would she ever give me a chance? Would I always be second best? As a man, that was a hard pill to swallow.

I knew going into this that it wouldn’t be easy. I was a competitive person by nature, but I was realistic too. Drew would always be the gold medal winner in this race, and the most I would ever get was the silver, the second place.

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