Page 386 of Now and Forever

“I think I’ve found the one,” she whispered, like it was top secret. “I’ve never felt this sort of connection with a man. Ava, it’s disrupting my concentration quite a bit, and I couldn’t help but to keep going. I’m majorly frightened, and yet, I couldn’t grasp the thought of not ever seeing where this would end.”

Blinking, I frowned at her. “Is he—” I started, but she interjected.

“No, not him.” She meant the lover she had introduced to me last. “I just had no idea,” she wondered out loud, batting her long, sooty lashes for full effect. “I mean, I’m not one to spend the rest of my days absorbing every bit of news in the media—that’s just not like me … so, when I met him, I didn’t immediately recognize him until later on … when everything clicked.”

Bloody Hell, she better not say it was Craig Chambers, or I’d chop his balls off and feed them to the pigeons.

While Allie took forever to disclose the name, I became a little agitated. However, even though I was dying to ask her who it was again, there was something about her … maybe it was the way she had this whimsical look on her that made me decide to let her process things as she went along.

“Swear you won’t judge me, Ava?” she asked, pleading.

My frown deepened even further. Who was the bloody man, for fuck’s sake?

“Of course. As long as the man isn’t a convicted felon, then I promise to support you, even though I might be dying from holding my opinions to myself.”

Releasing a strained breath, she said, “It’s Sebastian Black.”

“Oh.” I paused, stilling. “Fuck.”

“My point precisely.”

Sebastian Black. Billionaire extraordinaire. The man was a living, breathing sex pistol with legs, but his mother had been involved in an illicit, scandalous affair with William Davenport, Allie’s father. Not only that, but Sebastian Black was also famous for marrying one of England’s top super models, though the couple were legally separated. Some said their tumultuous relationship had begun when Mr. Black allegedly cheated on her.

“Okay, I’m beyond shocked—not appalled—that it’s him, but what I find more disconcerting is the fact that, a little over five minutes ago, you said, ‘he’s the one?’ Holy insanity, Allie, you cannot be serious about him! Shagging him ‘cause you fancied the bloke is one thing. It’s clearly another when you’re spouting words like ‘he’s the one!’ The man is still unmistakably married, and as beautiful and lovely as you are, he might be looking for something fleeting and temporary. Seducing yourself into believing that he might actually take it seriously will only put you in such a heartbreaking position.”

Allie wasn’t the type to blurt out such nonsense like “he’s the one,” or anything remotely close to that. I had to clearly steer her away from where she wanted to navigate—into dangerous waters, waters she hadn’t been in before. Falling in love with this man would cripple her, and I didn’t want her to be in the same position I was. She deserved a man who could give her everything, not the other way around.

“I apologize if I sound harsh, but I don’t want your first experience of falling in love to be like this. I’m a lost cause, but you,” I said as I reached out to give her hand a squeeze, “you’re heart is without malice. Don’t give it to a man who might not treasure it. It’s too precious to be taken for granted.”

She made a sad look, causing my heart to ache just a tad. “He’s not the man the media has painted him to be. Yes, he’s complex and brilliant, but he’s more than that. Underneath, he’s actually a passionate man I could connect with on so many levels. But, of course, we’ve never discussed the affair our parents had nor did he want to talk about his estranged wife. And I guess, if I’m honest with myself, I’m not too ready to open those particular subjects just yet.” She regretfully sighed before giving me a brave face. “But you’re right; I shouldn’t take this seriously. He never did give me promises of the future or anything. I’m probably one of many. I best keep that in mind.”

Poor love. She looked shattered. I would be too if I was in her position.

“I’m sorry, my love. Maybe Mr. Right will introduce himself soon to keep your mind away from Mr. Right Now.”

“Hell, Ava, your attempts at jokes haven’t quite improved, even after all these years.” She gurgled a laugh, her face breaking into a smile.

“You complain, and yet they never fail to make you smile.” My jokes might be mediocre, but they were still effective. Frankly, I thought that, as long as the outcome was achieved, how it had begun and what had gone on in the middle was irrelevant.

“I can’t help it. Anyhow, how’s that ever-loving husband of yours? Please tell me you’re not leaving just yet; we haven’t had our usual fill of fun.” She pouted as she curiously sipped her champagne whilst looking over the menu.

“About that…” I cleared my throat, preparing to do my hefty speech. “I’m actually staying indefinitely.”

Let me just say that my bombshell of an announcement reached such loud, differentiated levels of “fuck” it was guaranteed she would be apoplectic with the news of my divorce. However, when I told her why it had come to that point, she immediately thawed and empathized with my situation. She was also delighted to find out about the baby and fiercely promised to castrate both Ashton and Reiss once she got her hands on them.

The rest of the day went by pretty quickly, and it wasn’t before long until I was inside the cab, heading back to the hotel, oblivious to the scenes around me as I got lost in my own thoughts. Then, out of the blue, my phone snatched my attention, ringing as it flashed my cousin’s name.

“Hello, cousin. I have a feeling this isn’t a social, is it?” I inquired, smiling.

“I’m afraid your hunch is spot on. I’m guilty as charged,” Toby Watson cheerily admitted. “News got to me about you planning to divorce Ashton. I hope you’re safe and well?” He sounded concerned, most likely assuming, like the rest, that I’d gone off the deep end because Ashton and I had been together since the beginning of time. This was the main reason that, when breaking the news to my family, it had obviously come as a surprise.

But this was the typical Toby—always incredibly kind and caring. It was one of the things that made me confide in him since both of my parents were kind of hard to relate to. He was like the big brother I’d never had.

During the call, I found out that my mother had been hysterical, telling mostly anyone with an ear about my plan of divorce. Though I was a little shocked to know that, apart from that, she hadn’t divulged anything else that was much bigger news, like my impending pregnancy and who’d fathered it. Looking at it prospectively, I supposed she still hoped for reconciliation, and that I would pass this on as Ashton’s baby as they all, Ashton included, hoped. Well, they were in for a real shocker because I wasn’t going to change my mind.

Exhausted from everything that happened today, I decided to take a light soak in the bathtub the moment I got back into my hotel room. The stress from dealing with all the drama was taking a toll on my energy levels, and I seriously needed some immediate relief.

Before I went into the bath, I stood naked in front of the mirror, studying my body and noting whatever changes it was going through. Though my abdomen remained flat, my breasts were a different matter. They appeared to be swollen, rounder, and heavier compared to a week ago. It was amazing how one’s body had to go through such transformation to accommodate the baby growing inside. This was nature working its beautiful spell on me. It was beyond fascinating to see the minor changes already, even though I was in the early stages of pregnancy.

---