Page 23 of Beautiful Lies
“I know. I will. We fell asleep,” I said, leaving out the part that came before it. “Her mom called Seamus. She thinks I still live there.”
Killian let out a weary sigh. “Fuck. And Ava saw him hit you.”
“Yeah.”
“I can’t be here to watch over you. I’m not home enough—”
“I don’t need a babysitter. It’s cool. I’m good.”
“You’re on your own too much,” he said, and I could hear the guilt in his voice. “I’ll try and be home more.”
Killian spent six hours a day training and nights bartending to chase his dreams and keep a roof over our heads, and I was so damned grateful to have him in my corner that I would have walked over hot coals for him. The last thing I wanted was to jeopardize his dreams. “You don’t need to worry about me. You need to go for your dreams. It’s going to happen for you. The UFC…the money… all of it. You’ll get everything you’re working for and it’ll be worth it. You’re going to be a champion of the Octagon. Someday they’ll be chanting your name.”
He opened his mouth as if to say something then he shut it and rubbed the back of his neck, uncomfortable with the praise I was heaping on him. “You’re so full of shit.” He shook his head and chuckled.
“I’m speaking the truth.” I wasn’t bullshitting him. Killian had the discipline, the talent, and the drive to become a champion. Not to mention that MMA was his passion. I had no doubt he’d go all the way. I dumped the ice in the sink and returned to the living room. Killian was sorting through a stack of utility bills on the coffee table. We were strapped for cash and the memory of the money I’d blown today made me wince. Not to mention that I’d bought myself a new sketchbook and pencils a few days ago.
“I’ll ask for some extra hours…help you out with the bills.”
Killian shook his head. “You need to save your money for the future. When you’re a famous artist, you can pay me back.” I laughed at that one. “You need to cool it with Ava.”
“She loves me,” I said, still marveling at those words. I’d never heard them before. Not from anyone.
“Yeah, I heard,” Killian said. I waited for him to say more but he pointed the remote at the TV and flicked through the channels. Most likely, he’d fall asleep on the sofa to the white noise of the TV like he did most nights.
I shut the bedroom door behind me, stripped down to my boxer briefs and lay on my bed, the scent of Ava lingering on my pillow. I buried my nose in it and inhaled deeply. It smelled like flowers and rain and the sea. It smelled like heaven.
6
Ava
Ijogged down the stairs of my fourth-floor walk-up and emerged from my building into a crisp fall morning and a cloudless blue sky. Perfect Brooklyn weather. As I strolled down Bedford Avenue, I pushed all thoughts of Connor out of my head. By the time I’d reached Brickwood Coffee, I’d almost convinced myself that letting him go was the best thing I’d ever done.
The bell above the door chimed as I entered the rustic wood coffee shop and inhaled the nutty aroma of freshly brewed coffee. I loved the smell of coffee but had never acquired a taste for it. I scanned the shop for Eden—since it was small, it only took a few seconds to realize she wasn’t here yet. My gaze settled on the guy at the counter and my heart stuttered as his eyes locked on mine, his steps carrying him closer. Turning to go, I gripped the door handle. His hand wrapped around my upper arm to stop me.
“Wait. Don’t go,” he said in his husky voice. Raspy. Sexy. The kind of voice you wanted to listen to in the dark. My knees still went weak at the sound of it.
He released my arm as I stepped away from the door to let a customer out. “Connor—”
“I ordered you a chai latte.”
“Eden’s not coming, is she?”
“No.”
Even though it wasn’t funny, I laughed. I’d done the same thing to Eden over a year ago, attempting to get her and Killian together. It had worked, but they didn’t have a complicated history.
“Hey, I’m Connor Vincent,” he said.
I turned and lifted my eyes to his, my brow furrowed. “What?”
“Let’s pretend this is the first time we met.”
I shook my head. “Life doesn’t work that way.”
“I know. But we can try. Get to know each other with no past … no bad memories.”
Memories couldn’t be erased, not the bad or the good. Unfortunately, I remembered them all. Did Connor? I doubted it. He was too busy chasing his next high. “How does that work?”
