Page 104 of The Mistletoe Makeover

“Every time you looked at her,” he says with a chuckle. “You’re not good at hiding your feelings.” Then he rushes out the stage door to look for Mia.

I don’t even know what I’m going to say to her, but I need to do this while I’m still riding this high after the concert. I shoot her a quick text.

Jace:Can we talk? Allan is looking for you. Meet me backstage.

A hand lands on my shoulder.

“That was fast,” I say, spinning around.

I frown. Ava stands before me dressed in leather pants and an off-the-shoulder sweater.

“You were expecting someone else?” she asks, raising an eyebrow.

My smile fades. “I thought you were leaving early.”

She shrugs. “I changed my mind. One of your band members had a ticket. After the way things ended the other night, I wanted one last shot to change yours.”

I thought I’d made things clear with her. But apparently, she didn’t get the hint when I told her to go home.

I open my mouth, but she holds up a hand to stop me. “Can I finish talking first?”

I nod.

“After seeing your show, I realized you were right.” She pauses. “When I saw you singing to her, you looked... different. Through our entire relationship, you never looked at me that way.”

I glance away. “Was it that obvious?”

“Only to me,” she says. “That’s the look I always wanted from you.”

I drag a hand through my hair. “I’m sorry, Ava.”

“For what?” She shakes her head incredulously. “You didn’t cheat on me. And you took the blame when we broke up. But look what it cost you.” She can barely meet my eyes; she’s so torn up by guilt. There’s so much we haven’t talked about, but it doesn’t matter now.

I open my arms to her, and she steps into them. This is the one thing she’s desperately wanted, and I’ve refused to give... until now.

A curtain shifts nearby and I pull away from her. “If things hadn’t been in such terrible shape the past few months, I wouldn’t have come back here or agreed to a concert. Even though it’s been the worst year of my life, I ended up at the exact place I needed to be.”

Ava lets out her breath, relieved. “Thanks for that. I needed to know that you won’t be mad.”

“You know I’m not good at staying angry,” I say. An understanding settles between us. We’ve both moved on.

“So, what’s next?” she asks.

“I need to talk to Mia,” I say, glancing around. Allan should have found her by now.

“Then go get her,” Ava says with a grin. “And don’t let her go.”

“I don’t plan to,” I say, heading toward my dressing room, hoping she’s there.

I glance at my phone on the way. No messages. It seems odd that she hasn’t responded yet.

Suddenly, Allan rounds the corner in the hall.

“Did you find her?” I ask.

He frowns. “I sent her back here a long time ago.”

I check my dressing room as Allan follows. She’s not there, either.

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