Page 125 of Damaged Boys Don't Fall For Bubbly Girls
Oh, wow. I haven’t seen these photos in years. I giggle as I point. “Oh my gosh. That’s Aidan.”
“I know, right? Such a cutie pie. Look at the serious look on his face.” She points to another photo. “He’s telling everyone not to mess with him. I know that look far too well.” She chuckles. “He gave me that look the day we met.”
I burst into laughter. “Where he basically called you a rich spoiled snob and accused you of thinking the world worships you.”
“But I told him off, didn’t I?” She chuckles again as she bumps her shoulder into mine. “I think the dude needed a slice of humble pie. I thought he and I would be enemies forever.”
“And yet, you married him.”
“And yet, I married him,” she agrees.
That makes us both laugh.
“Oh wow, look at this one.” Ava points to a photo where Dad is holding little old me at the hospital. “Look at that huge smile on his face. Your dad looked so unbelievably happy.”
“Because I was awesome the second I was born,” I joke.
“No seriously, you were,” she tells me. “I bet the whole room was full of sunshine the day you were born.”
I gently touch my dad’s face on the screen. “My dad has been mentioned a lot these past two days. I wonder if he’s trying to send me a message.”
“Hmm?” Ava asks.
I blink and shake my head. “My mom and I talked about my dad last night, and now you’re looking at photos of him, too. I guess it’s a little…I don’t know.”
“You must miss him so much,” Ava says softly as she rubs my shoulder.
“Yeah. And I miss him even more when I’m sad or confused about stuff.”
“Do you remember him well? You were seven when he passed away, right?”
I nod. “Sometimes I worry I’ll forget him, but then something happens in my life that triggers a memory, or a smell reminds me of him. Then I’m assured that I won’t ever forget him. And we have lots of videos of him, too. I’m glad Mom was into capturing memories.”
“Me, too. I haven’t looked through all the videos yet, but I’m excited to do so. Oh my gosh, look at this.” She points out a photo where the five of us are at an aquarium. I must have been like three or four. “Check out this humongous smile.” Ava taps my face on the screen. “You look like you’re in heaven.”
I grin as I study myself. “You think this was it? Did this spark my love for ocean life? Ooh, what am I holding there? Oh my gosh, that’s my first whale plushie.”
“Your mom has told me stories about that orca. You took it with you wherever you went. You almost lost it, too. That would have been a nightmare for your parents.”
“Hehe, yeah. I would have cried until I lost my voice. My dad was ready to rush to the aquarium to buy me another one, but my mom found it in time.” My eyes tear up. “He was such a good dad.”
“He was,” Ava agrees. She wraps her arm around me again. “I’m so glad my dad was able to get him the justice he deserves. I hope the guy who caused his death rots in prison.”
My dad died due to an accident at the factory where he worked. The owner was aware that the machinery wasn’t safe, but he didn’t give a darn. Ava’s dad vowed to hire private investigators and lawyers to compensate my family for the loss. Thankfully, we won the case, and Mom set aside the money for our futures.
“You and your family were so kind for helping us out,” I tell Ava. “I knew from the start that you were good people, even though Aidan made you sound like the devil.”
She chuckles. “That darn boy.”
“But you married him.”
“I married him.”
After spending some more time looking through the photos and some videos, Ava leads me to the kitchen, where their pastry chef, Chef Silas, has baked yummy goodies for all of us. Since my favorite pastries are cupcakes, he baked these delicious-looking velvet cupcakes that have my mouth watering. He prepared macarons for Ava and brownies for Aidan.
“Oh my gosh, thanks so much, Chef Silas,” I say as I dig in. “These are so freakin’ good.”
“And thanks for the macarons,” Ava tells him.
