Page 27 of Beautiful Lies
She scowled at me over her shoulder. “I should be offended by your lack of faith in me.”
“Sorry. I know you wouldn’t do that. You’re not Lana. She made me wear a dress that looked like a hot pink toilet brush. I swear to God, it was the ugliest dress in the history of bridesmaid dresses.”
Eden laughed. “We’ll pick it out together.”
“Will Connor be the best man?” How sad that I even needed to question that.
“I don’t know,” Eden said quietly. “It should be a given, but Killian … well, you know…”
I did know. My heart hurt, just like it did every time I thought about the night those four men came seeking revenge.
Connor’s face … I’d barely recognized him. Those men had beat it to a pulp. Carved letters in his chest with a switchblade. They would have shot him, and maybe Eden too, if Killian and his father hadn’t shown up on a rescue mission. I’d sat by Connor’s bedside in the hospital because Killian couldn’t … or wouldn’t. I’d held his hand and sang to him, because I didn’t know what else to do. I’d sat next to him in the limo on the way to his father’s funeral, hung onto his arm during the service and the burial. I’d shed enough tears to fill an ocean.
All I’d cared about was that Connor was alive. But as the days turned into weeks, and his body began to heal, my anger had taken over. He’d gotten himself into that mess and dragged everyone else into it.
I knew I needed to get him out of my life and eliminate all contact with him. I needed to find a way to forgive him for all the pain and hurt he’d caused. All those years of worrying that he’d end up dead from an overdose, or a drug-fueled accident on his Harley, or any number of crazy things thatcouldhappen to a junkie. His five-month disappearing act when he’d taken off for Miami and we didn’t know if he was dead or alive...
And yet, I’d just hung out with him at the coffee shop.You really need to get your head examined, Ava.
“We still have plenty of time to make it work,” Eden said. “We’re not getting married until June. Tell me how the coffee date went.”
“Connor suggested a do-over. We pretend we just met and we get to know each other all over again. I can’t see how that’s going to work.”
“It sounds like the perfect plan. Why not start fresh and give it a fighting chance?”
Why not, indeed. I could think of a million reasons.
“Hey,” Eden said. “Remember that art exhibit we went to last year?Destruction and Renewal?”
“Yeah.” I remembered it perfectly. It had been the day I’d set up Eden and Killian on that coffee date, and afterward, she’d met me at the gallery. I had told Eden that one of the sculptures, a pile of recycled junk all glued together, looked like my life.
“That’s your relationship. The destruction is behind you, and now you can work on the renewal. Pick up the pieces and put them back together. Sometimes you end up with something that’s a lot better and stronger than what you had before.”
“Sometimes you end up with a twisted scrap heap posing as art,” I muttered.
“You might be surprised. In a good way,” she added. “I have faith in Connor. He’s trying so hard to put his past behind him and he’s doing everything he can to make things right. I know I wasn’t there for all the bad stuff but … I don’t know … just have a little faith in him.”
“Why didn’t you ever blame him for what happened to you that night?”
“Because I’m fine. And because he blames himself. He carries so much guilt. That’s more than enough punishment for anyone. I understand why you needed a break from him, and I think it was good for both of you. He’s really gotten his act together. And you’re so strong, Ava. You stood by him when he needed you most … and now…”
“And now?” I asked, hoping she had the magic words to turn this tragedy into a fairy tale.
“You can build a newer and better version of what you had before.”
I valued her friendship and advice, and I wanted to believe her. She was one of those people who built you up instead of tearing you down. I’d learned the hard way how rare that was in female friendships.
But I couldn’t go down that road. I needed to keep him at a safe distance. That was the smart thing to do.
My mind made up, I jumped to my feet, ready to take on the challenge of keeping Connor out of my life. “Thanks for the chat. I’ll see you at work tomorrow. And your mural looks great.”
I arrived at the bar just as a delivery van pulled up in front. A guy hopped out of the driver’s seat, disappeared into the back of the van, and came out with an enormous bouquet of flowers.
“Can you sign for this delivery?” the guy asked as I unlocked the front door.
“Sure.” I scrawled my name on the little screen with the stylus. It always ended up looking like a kindergartener’s scribble on these machines. “Who are they for?”
“Ava Christensen.”
