Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 77490 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77490 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
We walk and talk, her hand still in mine, and eventually, we’re almost back to where we started.
“The granola bars were small. Are you still hungry?” I ask.
“I could eat. Are you hungry?”
“Yeah. There’s a place nearby that I think you’d—”
All at once, Ava lunges behind me, her hand pulling mine. Sensing danger, I tighten my grip on her, but then I realize she’s intentionally trying to break free. “What’s going—”
“Oh no!”
She’s in panic mode, but I have no idea why. I scan the area, but don’t see any threats, not so much as a bug—nothing outside of a peaceful urban park scene.
“I know those people,” she hisses, gesturing toward a cluster of people walking from the parking lot toward the disc golf course.
It appears to be a family of four, presumably a dad and mom, a teen and a preteen. Nothing about them rings any alarm bells for me. The dad’s wearing a backpack; the younger child is holding a small red disc and making practice moves with it as they walk.
“Ava, what’s—”
“Shh!” As she shushes me, she starts walking briskly back in the direction we just came from, and I have to take large strides to keep up with her.
“What’s going on?”
As she glances behind us, her distress eases a notch or two. Her pace slows, and she veers over to the water’s edge, keeping her back to the family of four.
“They go to my church,” she explains in a low voice. “I don’t want them to see me.”
That last part has become obvious, but I’m still lost. “Why not?”
“If they saw me with you—” Her gaze drops down to my arms, and I’m genuinely confused, but then I’m hurt, and a wave of anger flares, but I push it back.
“Is this about my tattoos? How I look?” I didn’t think Ava would be the type to judge me for that or worry about appearances.
“Everyone talks at the church, and I don’t want this to get back to my family.”
I remember Ava telling me that her parents hadn’t allowed her to date when she was living with them, and based on her religious upbringing, I’m not surprised that she assumes they wouldn’t approve of me, but she’s a grown woman, not a girl.
“Ava, we need to talk.”
AVA
When I stop worrying about the Garrisons, when they’re far enough away that I’m sure they won’t recognize me, I finally focus on Brax’s face, and all at once, I see the situation from his eyes.
“Oh, Brax. I’m so sorry! I’m not embarrassed to be with you. Please don’t think that!”
I was so worried about my own concerns that I didn’t think about how this would make him feel, and I could kick myself—hard.
His tone is flat when he says, “They’re gone now, Ava. Do you want to leave?”
I feel like I’ve been punched in the gut. I could punch myself right now.
“It’s just that my family doesn’t know I’m dating you—or that I’m dating at all—and I don’t want it getting back to them.”
“Let’s leave so you can relax. We can talk about it later.” Brax looks around for the Garrisons, whose backs are to us as they walk in the other direction, and then he heads for the parking lot.
He doesn’t speak, he’s no longer holding my hand, and I feel terrible. We were having such a nice time, and I ruined it.
Ever the gentleman, even when he’s clearly irritated, he opens my car door for me. “Still want to get something to eat?”
“Yes, if you do.”
He gives me the name and location of the restaurant in case we get separated, but says he’ll lead me there. I stay on his tail during the short drive, grateful for something to focus on.
I want to cry, but I know that won’t help anything. I wish I could talk to Lexy or Ember and get advice, but there’s too much to explain and not enough time.
I park next to him in the restaurant’s lot, and get out quickly to meet him. “Can we talk before we go in? The way I’m feeling right now, I won’t be able to eat.” My stomach feels like there’s a boulder sitting inside it.
He nods and leads me to his truck, where he helps me into the passenger seat before getting back behind the wheel.
“I’m not mad, Ava.”
I check his face and notice that his features aren’t as hard as they were back at the park. “You have every right to be angry.”
He rubs the center of his forehead and lets out a breath. “I’ll admit that I was for a minute, but on the drive here, I remembered that you don’t have much dating experience, and I know your situation with the church is complicated.”
I’m so touched by his understanding that my eyes start to fill with tears, but I blink and quickly wipe them away. “Thank you, but that doesn’t make what happened okay. I don’t want you to feel like I’m ashamed of you, or hiding you.”