Page 43 of Aussie
Mustering up all the mental strength she had, she took a deep breath.
“Last night, I ran into Aussie,” she said slowly, choosing her words. “And he was with someone else.”
“What do you mean he was with someone else? Like one of his teammates?”
Her heart broke more, having to explain this. “No. He was there with another woman. He was on a date.”
Christian’s face fell, confusion and hurt flickering across his expression. “Wait, what? I don’t get it. He said he was busy with work.”
“That’s what he told me.” Ava tried to keep her voice steady.
Christian’s fists clenched slightly, his jaw tight. “No way, Ava. There’s got to be another reason. Aussie’s not like that. He wouldn’t do that to you.”
Her heart softened at his loyalty, but she knew too well how people could deceive. “I understand why you want to think that, but sometimes people aren’t who we think they are.”
Christian looked at her, pain etched across his face. “So, what are you going to do?”
She took a deep breath. “I’m going to keep doing what I’ve always done, Christian. I just keep moving forward. It’s all I can do.”
Christian was quiet, mulling it over. Finally, he looked back at her, a determined glint in his eye. “I think you should hear him out. I know I’m young, but maybe there’s an explanation. Then you can decide.”
Ava let his words sink in, touched by his wisdom beyond his years. She realized that maybe, just maybe, he was right. “You might have a point,” she admitted, a soft smile tugging at her lips. “I’ll think about it.”
The waitress returned with their drinks, and Christian grinned as he launched into a new topic, eager to chat about Christmas and school. Ava let the tension ease, feeling a new kind of peace settle in. For tonight, she’d let herself just enjoy their time together. And later, when she was ready, she’d decide what to do about Aussie.
Ava wanted to moan as she took a hearty bite of her French dip sandwich, savoring the warmth of the juicy beef with the melted cheese and tangy au jus. Across from her, Christian grinned as he bit into his massive cheeseburger, trying to hold everything together as the layers of tomato, lettuce, and melted cheddar nearly slipped out.
Everything she had heard about this place was spot on. The food was absolutely delicious. Not to mention the staff was very friendly. She also noticed that there were a lot of military personnel coming in to either grab a bite to eat or hang out.
“Christian,” Ava began, smiling, “I’m so proud of you for wanting to pick those two kids off the Angel Tree. You didn’t even hesitate. Not a lot of people your age think about others like that.”
Christian shrugged, cheeks pinking a bit. “I don’t know. I guess I know what it feels like to feel forgotten. And those kids probably have it worse than me. I wanted to help.”
Ava’s chest ached, touched by his sincerity but saddened by the reminder of what he’d been through. “You’re a good person,Christian. Really. And whatever happens in the future, you deserve to know that.”
He nodded but kept his gaze on his food. “We never really did holidays in my foster homes,” he admitted, his tone light but distant. “They were mostly focused on the younger kids. And, you know, I was okay with it. I got used to it.”
Ava’s heart squeezed, and she reached across the table, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze. “This year’s going to be different,” she said firmly. “We’re going to do it right. I mean, we already got the tree. Now, we need to think about baking and decorating cookies, and we will need some wrapping paper to wrap all those wonderful gifts that you picked out for Jackson and Julie. I was also thinking that when Christmas gets a little closer and most people have their decorations up, we could drive around and look at all the lights.”
Christian brightened, a hopeful smile breaking through as he took another bite of his burger. Just as they were talking about all the Christmas things they could do together, Ava heard a voice behind her.
“Ava! Christian! Funny seeing you two here.”
Ava turned to see Clover, Jocelyn, and Gabby approaching their table. All three of them looked thrilled to see her and Christian. Clover had that usual sparkle in her eyes, Jocelyn wore a warm smile, and Gabby’s hand was already on her hip, playfully inquisitive.
“Hi!” Ava said, surprised to see them.
“What have you guys been up to today?” Clover asked, eyes darting between Ava and Christian with an excited energy. Ava felt a twinge in her stomach. She was pretty sure that none of them knew about what had happened last night with Aussie.
“Ava and I spent the day together!” Christian said, looking excited. “We went and played mini-golf and did an escape room.Then we went shopping. Ava, let me pick out some gifts for some kids from an Angel Tree. They were twins.”
“That sounds wonderful!” Jocelyn said.
“It was,” Ava replied, forcing a cheerful tone. “So, what brings you three in here?”
“Oh, we come here all the time. This is like the hang for the guys. Well, for a lot of military and first responders.”
“Really?” Ava asked.
