Page 3 of Surrender

I laugh uncontrollably for the first time in days. “Yeah, right! Something tells me we’d still be in jail. Okay, seriously. What are the terms?”

“Okay, follow this. You let me plan a vacation for us. Nothing too big, something you have zero hand in so I can toss your beautiful ass out of your comfort zone. All you get to know is what weather to pack for and how long to tell your boss you’ll be gone.”

“Tell? Shit. You’re lucky it’s not pilot or awards season or the answer would be no.”

“Then there is that silver lining Pappi always insists upon. Vince cheated at the right time, so we can get you out there for that rebound to clear your cobwebs.”

“Oh shit. Is that what you’re calling it? Syl, I don’t think I’m ready for all that.”

“What do you mean? You’ve been telling me for the last five hours how you came to the conclusion you wanted more. I’m handing you more on a silver platter. Walk up to that drive-through, girl, and snatch that shit.”

I sit and process everything she’s said. I have nothing to say to rebut any of it. Not one damn thing.

“All right, Thelma, how long do I have to get my shit together?”

“That answer, my friend, is about twelve hours, another bottle of wine, and a Twilight marathon away. Team Edward, then Team Thelma and Louise will be on course.”

“I repeat, oh shit.”

Chapter two

Ava

Sylvia always manages to come through with magic.

I passed out somewhere in the middle of New Moon. When I woke up in the middle of Eclipse, she had our accommodations booked, the trip loosely planned, and a packing list started for me.

She knew I would likely not want to spend a ton of money or be around a lot of people. Even though the decision started with me, she knows this is hard and I’ll need some serious downtime. I still have to cancel the wedding venue, see if I can stop my dress being shipped, and tell my parents. Oh God, tell my parents.

I had a hard time holding Sylvia back. I can imagine the level of nuclear my mom and dad are going to go to. My mom will be silent for a few minutes, then it will be a sort Ava mission of digging into my true feelings before she lets loose with a few swears she doesn’t often use. My father is easier to peg. He will immediately call him an asshole, ask if he could call to tell him so, to which I will say unequivocally no. In the end, they will give me all the love and support I’ve had all my life.

I’m just not ready for those conversations yet.

I want to have all the answers and a plan for moving forward, so they can see I’m okay. I am. I mean, I am and I’m not, but I’m at peace. I know that’s all they want for me anyway.

Hung over as hell, I go into the office the next day for nearly eight hours straight of meetings. I manage to get fifteen minutes with my boss, Aaron, to tell him what happened yesterday, and to ask for the five-day weekend. He was as cool as he could be. Aaron is a dream to work for and be mentored by. We started this wedding planning together.

He and his now fiancée are planning their wedding for October. Mine would have been in September. To outsiders, Aaron’s reaction could have been misinterpreted. He closed the door to his office and hugged me. That is Aaron though. He is one of the most empathetic and compassionate men I’ve ever come in contact with. It’s like he should have been born in another time.

His fiancée is also a member of our team and a partner in crime. Noelle will have a reaction like Sylvia and then morph to what Aaron is giving me now. She is a lucky woman. What Aaron and Noelle have is what I’ve always wanted. They support each other in all ways. They are their partner’s biggest cheerleader, their biggest critic, but in a good way, and give them the love they need, even if that looks different every day.

The one thing Aaron commented on that’s stuck with me the rest of the day is, I’m not crying.

He’s right. I’m sad, but I haven’t shed a single tear. What does that mean?

I close my laptop after sending my last client email for the day and plop my head back against my headboard. My cell phone dings with a message from its position facedown at my side. After digging it out from under my layer of blankets, I see it’s a text from my mom with two simple words… I know.

Shit.

This is the call I was hoping I could put off. Hell, I wish I could avoid it altogether, but I know I can’t. I roll my neck out as I hit redial from my last call with her. It rings only once before she picks up.

“What did he do?”

I sigh. “Why do you automatically think it’s something he did?”

“Because you work things out. You always do. What happened, Ava?”

“Okay. I want you to listen. Just hear me the whole way through before you start analyzing me. All right?”

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