Love on Beach Avenue(90)

Avery gulped and smiled, patting her tiny head. “Thank you, girl. I needed that.”

“Sorry, I’m all set. Ready, Luce?” He picked up the carrier and placed her in the passenger seat. Then turned.

“I love you,” she said.

He ran a knuckle over her cheek, his eyes whispering what he couldn’t yet say. Then he kissed her long and deep, bending her backward and devouring her mouth, giving his body entirely in a final, blistering embrace.

He pulled back. Raked his gaze one last time over her face. Then got in the car and drove away.

Avery wondered why she was already grieving the end.



Three weeks later, her sisters stormed into her house in a forceful invasion. Avery had been on the couch, watching TV, and devouring an entire chocolate-explosion Peace Pie. “What’s the matter?” she demanded. “Did you even knock?”

Taylor snorted and dropped into the oversize chair. “No need. Carter isn’t here this weekend, and you’ve been like a hermit these past few weeks. Something’s up, you’re not talking, and we’re here to get the dirt. Spill.”

She blinked. “Are you nuts? I’m fine. There’s nothing to tell.”

Bella shook her head and gracefully took a seat next to her. “We’ve never seen you like this before. You’re like a wedding demon come to life, buzzing from event to event and working all hours. If you’re not working, you’re sitting at home, watching TV and eating. It’s not like you.”

“You said I should take more downtime,” she pointed out. She popped the last piece of ice-cream sandwich into her mouth. “I’m doing what you said.”

“We meant to go to the beach and play with Zoe and travel. To have fun. Not to be miserable. You’re going against your normally cheerful nature. It’s painful,” Taylor accused. “For all of us.”

She stiffened. “Sorry to inconvenience you by not being Mary Poppins every damn day. Maybe if you’d pick up more of the slack and get me a new assistant, I’d do better.”

Bella sighed. “Oh, it’s worse than I thought. She’s getting mean like you, T.”

“Dammit, we’re your sisters! Ever since Carter left, you’ve been spiraling, and it’s our right to know why!”

“I’m sad, okay?” Avery battled the raw emotions and tried to keep herself calm. “This isn’t working out like I wanted it to.”

Immediately, her sisters moved to flank her. “What happened?” Bella asked.

Avery squeezed her eyes tight, willing the tears back. “I fell in love with him. I know it was a short time, but I know the difference between lust and love—between an affair and a man I want forever with. He’s it.”

“Babe, that’s wonderful. I’m so proud you went for it even though you were scared. How does he feel about you?” Taylor asked.

“I think he loves me, too, but he’s too afraid to say it. He’s got these ideas that are still lodged in his mind. He’s scared, and I’m not sure if time is going to make a difference. Things have been . . . different since he left.”

Bella frowned. “Like what? You looked happy to see each other last weekend.”

Avery thought back over their time together. She’d gorged on his presence, intent on hibernating in bed and spending endless hours in his company. But there was something between them she hadn’t felt this past summer. He’d begun to pull back, as if rebuilding the wall that had crashed down a month ago. Oh, they talked, and made love, and planned for their next visit, but Avery knew he wasn’t fully present and open. He’d blocked off an important piece of himself. The breakthrough after he’d confessed the truth about his father seemed to have faded. She’d prayed the distance would benefit their relationship, but last weekend had proved her fears.

They were already growing apart.

“He’s not able to give me what I need,” she said softly. “Is it wrong to want to share your intimate self with someone you love? To hope for a future? To want a partner?”

“No,” Bella said. “You deserve that, Avery.”

“How long do I need to fight for him? How can I give up so soon? I have this awful fear that we don’t have a chance unless we’re together.”

“You need to talk to him,” Taylor said. “He deserves to know exactly how you feel and the doubts you have. And if he’s not ready to fight for you, too, then you have your answer.”

“Love hurts,” she whispered, bowing her head.

Her sisters hugged her tight, and Avery leaned into their support, taking comfort in the strength and bonds of family.

Taylor was right. She needed to be honest with Carter. She needed more, and pretending things were fine the way they were wasn’t fair to either of them. She only hoped she could explain it in the right way and show him what he meant to her. God knew she didn’t want him to feel trapped or bullied into a relationship. But she deserved his whole heart and not pieces of it.

She just hoped she was strong enough not only to fight for him—but to walk away if it was the only choice left.



Carter was working on important code when his phone rang. He glanced down, saw Avery’s name, and experienced an odd mixture of eagerness and reluctance, joy and fear. It was a cocktail he despised because it only clouded his mind and gave him no clear-cut answers.