Page 44 of Perfectly Imperfect Us
“Yeah, that’s exactly what it turned out to be. In my defense, which is pretty flimsy, I know, but Kyly had come to me months ago asking for a favor. You see, she was involved in her first movie and the director kept hitting on her. She and I had just done a shoot and gotten along well, so she asked if I’d act as her stand-in boyfriend to deflect some of the attention from the director. I did it to help her out and it worked. It’s not fair that women have to deal with sexual harassment in the workplace and if a few pictures of us together on social media could help her out, I didn’t see what the big deal was.”
I took a deep breath, encouraged that while Ava was still frowning, she also hadn’t walked away yet.
“I didn’t think anything else of it, until she showed up last week at my house, insisting that we had to be seen together again. The director had started back up again, cornering her one night after filming. I asked her to go to breakfast with me so I could explain why I couldn’t keep up the charade. But then paparazzi showed up and I froze. I didn’t want to embarrass her publicly and I didn’t want to hurt you either. So, I made the worst choice I’ve ever made. I chose to protect her instead of you. And for that, I am so, so sorry, Ava.”
She glanced away, biting her lip, and I stood there with my heart in my hands.
“I love you. I’m just really bad at knowing how to be a good boyfriend. I didn’t know about her posting that picture, you have to believe me. She must have snooped through my photographs that night back at my house and saw what you meant to me. When Skylar came over to yell at me, that was the first I knew about it. I kicked Kyly out and tried to do damage control, but there wasn’t much I could do by then. I can’t imagine how hurt you must have been from that picture being leaked without your permission. I’m sorry,” I finished lamely. No words could adequately make up for what I’d done. For the hurt I caused.
Ava huffed and spun back around to face me, so beautiful it made my eyes ache to look at her. “Iamhurt, Ryder, but not because of the leaked photo. I mean, yeah, that wasn’t how I wanted my secret to get out, but it was the push I needed. You, on the other hand, hurt me more than I can describe. I don’t want a partner who doesn’t communicate with me, or take my side, or drops me like I’m nothing. How can I believe what you say when your actions say something different?”
Her eyes filled with angry tears and I wanted to run back inside and have Mr. Mendez give me that fist to the face he promised me instead of seeing how much I’d hurt Ava. I stood there and took it like a man, nodding that I understood. My hand reached out to touch her arm, staying there when she didn’t flinch away.
“I agree. You deserve all that and so much more. It’s a huge ask, but I’m asking it anyway. Give me another chance. Let me show you what you mean to me,” I whispered, begging.
Her eyes narrowed and she swallowed hard. A bird chirped above us and I counted the seconds ticking away, waiting for her verdict.
“I promised myself that none of your explanations would sway me.” She looked anywhere but at me, and I couldn’t stop myself. I dropped to my knees right there on the brown grass and took her hands in mine.
“Please, Ava, I’m begging you.”
Her gaze snapped to me, her eyes wide. “You didn’t let me finish. I wasn’t going to bend, but then my phone went crazy yesterday. Some lovesick model posted a bunch of pictures of me, along with a super sappy love letter, and…well, I guess I’m okay breaking my promise to myself. Just this once.”
I didn’t dare move. “Does this—you mean you forgive me?”
The corners of her mouth tilted up and it seemed like the sun shined a little brighter too. “Yeah, Burns, you get a second chance.”
I crushed her to me, my arms around her waist and my face pressed into her stomach. She gasped and nearly fell over. I kept her upright, not willing to let anything harm her ever again, especially me.
Ava tugged on my hair and I looked up at her. “I’m still mad about your hair though. It’s so short I can barely grab it!”
She fell to her knees and I cupped her face, kissing her with all the love and gratitude I could infuse in a simple kiss. She kissed me back and I felt her acceptance of my apology. I pulled away to gasp out a breath, my heart finally mending to see the smile on her face.
“I love you, Ava, and I’ll spend the rest of my life showing you.”
18
Ava
Controlled chaos surrounded me and I found myself in the eye of the storm. When Ginnie invited me to document her fashion show, I never realized I’d also be backstage helping pin sleeves that ripped in the frenzy of changing, calming models who couldn’t find their left shoe, or facing similar minor crises all while trying to record every scene I’d blocked out ahead of time.
Ryder slipped through a line of models waiting to go out onto the runway with the second round of outfits. He looked so good with his tight T-shirt and jeans that should be illegal for a man built like him to wear. Even some of the models turned to gape at him. He could have been out on the runway with his insane good looks, but instead, he was backstage with me, taking the photos he loved so much.
And stealing kisses whenever I’d let him.
The last two days had been amazing. After his apology, I’d let him back into my heart. Love required faith and the very definition of faith meant I had to take a leap. I’d taken huge leaps in being confident in my own skin the last few weeks. It was time I took a leap when it came to love. No more wondering what a guy like Ryder was doing with a girl like me. No more fear of him going back to the fashion world and forgetting about me. Everyone seemed to underestimate Ryder and I refused to be one of them.
“Hey, gorgeous. Holding up okay?” Ryder pulled me in with a hand on my hip, his nose nuzzling into my neck.
“Mmm, doing just fine,” I murmured, my heart rate instantly settling with him near. He still gave me butterflies, but there was a firm sense of foundation now too. He and I were solid, building our way back from the ground up. A relationship that would last the test of time.
“Did you eat something for lunch?” He pulled back to assess my face while I answered.
I winced. “I’ll eat in a minute.”
He gave me a look and released me, moving away and walking directly to the catering table. I smiled and watched him go, enjoying how he took care of me. He was being a dream boyfriend, holding doors, pulling out chairs, making sure I ate even when I got distracted. He even tucked a bag of flaming hot Cheetos in my bag this morning before we left to come to the show.
He came back with a plate of cheese and pretzels. “At least just snack on something, okay?”
