Page 52 of Faking It with my Bestie's Billionaire Brother

"Looks like a rousing success, my boy," Ralph said, clapping me on the back as we peeked through the curtains leading out to the dance floor.

The place was packed. Over the last several days, a series of clickbait articles and profiles had been run on me and Ava. Some of them were thanks to the help of Ralph, of course, ever efficiently pushing a good story. The general public now thought the billionaire CEO of Ashbury Corporation, long thought to be a lifetime bachelor, had found his "forever love."

They were closer to the truth than they knew. Too bad there was no way I was going to get to keep her, and that made me feel like I was walking around with a hole in my chest.

But the PR stunt was shifting public persona, and there was little to no talk of the disgruntled ex-employees now.

The plan had been to go out there and reveal our supposed engagement, but I had much more planned for tonight than just that.

The last couple of days had been agony, and the cherry on top was the fact that Connie would not quit calling. She wanted to meet and talk about a more permanent allowance to see her through the rest of her days. She warned me that I needed to meet with her face-to-face "or else."

After my discussion with Ralph and then Ava overhearing everything, my perspective started shifting. I was so very tired of trying to hide Connie. I was tired of trying to outrun her, and I was tired of not living my life.

I'd been thinking a lot in the last couple of days about what it would mean to tell Penny the truth, not just about Connie, but about how I felt about her friend.

I couldn't stop thinking about Ava. I couldn't stop reaching for her in the middle of the night, and it was more than just her body I missed. I missed that loud laugh. I missed her putting me in my place. I missed the way she dreamily talked about all the places she wanted to go to, some of which included the places I'd been to in my pictures.

My whole world had changed, but for the better. It was time I started being honest with everyone, most of all with myself. It was why I planned to tell Ava everything as soon as I could get her alone. It was also why I made a very impulsive purchase.

I reached into my suit pocket, making sure it was still there, comforted by its presence, even though I knew I probably wouldn't be getting it out anytime soon. Chances were that Ava wouldn't want anything to do with me once she heard the whole truth.

"I know these last few weeks have been rough," Ralph was saying from behind me, "but we have to remain positive and put on a good face."

Positive, that would be a new mindset for me.

But I was distracted by a flash of auburn and emerald. I looked up sharply and saw my sister in a bright blue dress, beaming at me. "May I present to you, your fiancée," she said, bowing dramatically, and I would've laughed if not for the fact that my breath had been taken away by the sight of Ava. She stood behind my sister, nervously fidgeting with the emerald-colored clutch in her hands.

"Well, what do you think?" Penny looked back and forth between me and Ava.

"Absolutely beautiful," I breathed, taking her in. That emerald dress hugged her in all the perfect spots. Spots I'd kissed and tasted time and time again. Her hair was down, save for a few strands that had been braided around the top of her head like a russet crown.

Her makeup had been done simply, allowing those beautiful features of hers to take center stage. She gave me a small, timid smile, and I had to bite back a laugh, because there was typically nothing timid about Ava, but I was relieved that she wasn't glaring daggers at me anymore as she had been back at home.

Penny shot us a strange, questioning stare when I said, still slightly out of breath, "Penny, would you mind if I steal Ava for a few moments? I need to talk to her privately before the chaos starts."

Penny seemed a little uncertain, but she nodded and took Ralph's arm as he led her away.

Once I knew they were out of earshot, I faced Ava, stepping closer. "You’re the most beautiful sight I've ever seen," I told her honestly.

She bit her lip and blushed but cocked her hip and said, "Ain't bad, right?"

I smiled at her. “Ava, there’s some things that I need to tell you. They’re not easy, but they need to be said.”

But she put up her hands to silence me before I could finish. "Look, Spencer, I have a feeling that I already know what you're going to say, but before you get to that, I really need to apologize."

I snorted. "Apologize for what? I'm the one who made a total ass out of myself."

She nodded in agreement. "Yeah, well, I can't disagree with you there, but some things have come to light over the last couple of days, and I think I have a better idea of why you've done what you've done."

"What I've done?" I said, and then, it started clicking together. "You looked into me, didn't you?"

She had the grace to look embarrassed but nodded. "It's not something I'm proud of, but I felt like I was doing what was necessary to protect Penny at the time, but now that I have an idea of what you've been up against, I'm ashamed that I did it."

I closed the distance between us. "You don't need to be ashamed for anything. Honestly, I can't blame you. I probably would've done the same thing," I admitted.

She let out a long sigh of relief. "Well, that's good to know because I'd also like to say something else."

"What's that?" I asked quietly, waiting with bated breath.

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