Broken Love (Broken #4)(50)

“I called him and left a message! He never got back with me! And again, why didn’t you let me talk to her? Plus if she called you have her number on your phone *!”

“Huh. That sucks for you and she didn’t want to talk to you. She only wanted to make sure you were okay and her number came up private * or I would have given it to you.”

“Fucking hell. Why do I keep messing up with Ava?”

Nate walked out and took in a deep breath. “Feel that? That is beautiful Texas seventy-degree weather in December. Hell yes.”

“Just get a damn taxi.”

Nate chuckled as he held up his hand and a taxi came pulling up. “How do you know she’s at her apartment?”

“I know Ava.”

“So you think you do. Clearly you don’t know how not to keep pissing her off.”

“Fuck you, Nate. Let’s hurry up so we can stop at the bank and I can get to Ava. The sooner I see her, the better.”

When the taxi pulled up to Ava’s apartment building, I jumped out. “Shall we wait?”

I glared at Nate. “I hope when you hook up with whoever you’re hooking up with tonight, your dick goes limp and stays that way!”

Nate’s eyes widened in horror. “Why would you say something so terrible like that?”

Rolling my eyes, I slammed the car door.

“Hey, Harry!” I said as I walked up to the doorman.

He lifted his brow. “Do I know you, sir?”

“I’m Ava Moore’s fiancé. Ryder. Ryder Montgomery.”

Harry looked me over. “Mr. Montgomery, I do remember you.”

Smiling, I asked, “Is Ava home?”

“She is. She returned from her trip and was feeling rather happy with getting her cast off.”

“Her cast off? She got her cast off?”

A woman walked up carrying a large amount of bags. “Harry! Please, will you help me with my shopping bags?”

I quickly reached for the door and held it open. Harry was so occupied with helping the woman that he forgot about me. I made my way over to the elevator and headed up to Ava’s apartment.

My heart was racing in my chest. I knew Ava was going to be pissed at me and think I had been ignoring her. I only hope what I picked up at Nate’s place would show her how sorry I was.

Taking in a deep breath, I reached my hand up and knocked on the door. It took a few seconds before the door opened and I saw her beautiful face.

Her mouth dropped open and her eyes lit up. “Ryder. I thought … what are you doing here?”

“I missed you.”

She shook her head and narrowed her eyes. “But … you haven’t been answering your phone.”

Puffing my cheeks, I blew out a breath. “Yeah, about that. I didn’t mean all the shit I said, Ava. I was so angry with myself for all of that I threw my phone and it broke into pieces. Then when I realized your number was in my phone and I couldn’t remember it, I kind of freaked out.”

Her eyebrows rose.

“I didn’t want to call your family, then your father would ask why I hadn’t taken the time to memorize his little girl’s number if I asked her to marry me. He would know we argued and I didn’t want that.”

Her teeth sunk in her lip. “No, we don’t want that.”

“Baby, I’m so sorry. I don’t care what you do or if you want to live in that little stone house for the rest of your life. All I care about is that you’re by my side each night I close my eyes and every morning I wake up. You are my life. All that matters to me.”

I dropped onto my knee and that’s when I noticed.

“Oh my God,” we both said at once.

Glancing up, her hands were covering her mouth. “Your cast is off and your leg … looks … so good. When did you get it off?”

She dropped her hands and looked at me. “Really, Ryder? Can that wait?”

“Oh … shit. Yeah.” I reached into my pocket and pulled out the jewelry box.

With a huge smile and my heart pounding in my chest, I opened the box. I knew the moment I bumped into Ava that day on the street that she was going to be my forever. “Ava Grace Moore, will you marry me?”

Tears rolled down her face as she nodded her head. Jumping up, I slipped the round antique diamond onto her finger.

“Ohmygawd,” she mumbled while staring at the ring. “It’s beautiful. It looks … so elegant!”

Knowing I was about to make her very happy, I replied. “It’s old. It was my great-great-I think one more great grandmother’s.”

Her head popped up. “Lizzy’s?”

“Yep. It’s been passed down to each first-born son.”

Pinching her eyebrows together, she shook her head. “I thought Nate was older.”

“He wanted you to have it and thought it would mean much more for you to wear it. He’s had it in a safety deposit box here in Austin, so it was perfect timing.”

Wiping her tears away, she stared at the ring. “It’s … I don’t know what to say. It’s perfect.” Lifting her eyes to mine, she whispered, “You’re perfect.”

“I’ve missed you, Ava.”

She pulled me into her apartment and we quickly got lost in a kiss. “Ryder, please make love to me.”