Chapter Fifty-Three - Ava

Charlotte stared at the side of my face while I found her something to wear. I couldn't pinpoint her thoughts like I wanted, but after several minutes, I sighed and turned to face her.

“What are you looking at?” I asked bluntly.

She chuckled and fiddled with the hem of her T-shirt. “I’m just sorry that all of this happened between us. I’m sorry I asked you to go to the auction and it led to all of this."

“I’m not sorry,” I said, lifting my chin. "My opinion on the situation hasn't changed..."

She smiled sassily at me. “I don’t mean because of Fletcher. I mean because you’ve fallen in love with him, you’ve married him and you’re stuck in this life. This is a dangerous life. I was naïve to think that I could handle it, and now you have to handle it. You've always been the more emotional of the two of us. More in tune with your emotions. I don't want all of the bad to eat you up, ya know?"

I handed her one of my lounge sets. “I’m fine, Charlotte. I can handle more than you think I can.”

She reached out and put her hand on my shoulder. “I know that, Ava. I’m not looking down on you. I’m surprised by how strong you’ve become. I’m just sorry you’re in the middle of this. I’m afraid for you. They took it easy on me because they realized I wasn’t you. What do you think they would have done to you?

Let you go? No, they wouldn’t have. The Hines family is powerful. They will always have enemies. Is that something you can deal with for the rest of your life? They wouldn't have let you go, Ava. They would have hurt you badly or killed you because you've married their enemy."

I hadn’t thought about it because I loved Fletcher. He loved me. I knew he would do whatever he needed to keep me safe.

“I love Fletcher,” I said to her. "I've never loved a man before."

She blinked a few times and nodded. “He loves you, too. I can see it in his eyes. The way he looks at you…he loves you. But is love enough to keep you safe?

For you to live the life you always dreamed of? To paint? To own a gallery? Is that something he can give you without guards watching your every move?"

I didn’t want to have this conversation with her but I needed to get my feelings out in the open. “If things had gone the way you planned and Fletcher fell in love with you, would you be asking yourself the same questions? Would you give up true love because you were scared?" I didn't need her to put this into perspective for me. I knew what I'd married and it scared me to the core.

Charlotte looked down at the lounge set in her hands. “Probably not.”

I nodded. “Then give me the courtesy of doing the same thing for myself. I am bound to Fletcher. We’re married, and frankly, too far into this to reconsider anything. I can’t leave him, and I know he can’t leave me. It's not a matter of leaving him but readjusting our lives to make sure we're both happy and safe. I don't know what that means right now."

Charlotte nodded. “It’s your life, Ava. I just want you to be safe. I’m going to change quickly.”

She left me in the closet while I looked at myself in the giant floor-length mirror. I wanted to believe she had my best interests at heart, but I couldn’t get over the fact that she wanted to be in my shoes.

I swiped my palm down my face and walked toward our bed. I knew Fletcher was worried that the Capellos were coming after us, and I believed it too, but I was tired. Not all the world's problems had to be solved right then. Sometimes rest would give you a new set of eyes in the morning.

I waited for Charlotte to walk out before standing up and facing her. “I’ll walk you down to the guest bedroom,” I said.

Charlotte nodded.

We walked past Fletcher’s office. I could hear them talking inside but I didn’t stop to eavesdrop. I took her to the only open guest bedroom on the first floor. Levi and Duke occupied the other ones.

Charlotte looked around the room and at the downy comforter of the four-post bed “I need to call the office and tell them I’m safe. I’m sure they are worried.”

“I can only imagine,” I said. "You're not one to go missing or miss work."

Charlotte crawled onto the bed and laid down. “I’m tired. Maybe I’ll send a text and call them in the morning.”

“You should rest,” I said, my gaze shifting toward her wrists that had been tied. “I’m glad you’re safe.”

“Me, too,” she said. “I love you.”

“Love you, too.”

I shut the door behind me. Silence enveloped me as I walked down the hallway. Fletcher’s office door was cracked when I passed by it. He stood in the closet changing clothes when I went to lie down. “I got Charlotte situated in her room.”

Fletcher slipped into some sweats and walked over to join me in bed. He didn’t speak as he pulled me onto his chest and began to rub circles around my back.

“Will life always be like this?” I asked after a few minutes.

He stopped rubbing. “What do you mean?”

I shrugged. “Will there always be a threat over our heads? Will I always be afraid to go outside alone?”

Fletcher moved so that he could look down at my face. “What’s got you talking like this?”

It wasn’t an answer. I wanted reassurance that I wouldn’t always be afraid that my husband wouldn’t come home. One of my speculations growing up was that I would never marry a man in the military.

Because I was greedy, I wanted to live my life with my husband. I couldn't stand the waiting for him to come home...or not to come home.

“I’m afraid,” I said. “I don’t want to live forever with the fear of losing you. Will the Capellos ever back down from this? What if they strike and your dad wants to strike back? It feels like a never-ending cycle to me. Are you okay with that?”

Fletcher’s brows pulled inward and he watched me for several minutes. “This is all I’ve ever known, Ava. This is my life. The idea of quitting has weighed heavily on my mind for a while but I’m not sure how to deal with my father. He’s always wanted me to take over. Levi isn’t mature enough to do it.”

I touched his cheek softly with my fingertips. “Does that mean you’ll never quit? You’ll continue this legacy for the sake of your father? Look at him. Does he look happy to you?”

Fletcher hissed beneath his teeth. “No, he doesn’t, Ava. I know your sister is safe but it’s not the time to make life-changing decisions. Not until we know that the Capellos aren’t coming for us.”

He was right. I nodded and placed my cheek back against his chest. “I’m sorry. I’m overwhelmed. I’m afraid that they won’t stop until I’m dead.”

Fletcher moved to cup my face and lift my chin. “You said you trusted me, Ava. You have to trust that I won’t let that happen to you.”

I nodded as a tear slipped down my face. He wiped it away and kissed me deeply. The desperate feel of the kiss silenced that voice of reason in my head. It made me feel the love inside of me more deeply than I ever had.

When he pulled back, he tucked my hair behind my ear and shook his head. “You’re safe, Ava. Please remember that.”

I wanted to believe that I would always be safe. I knew Fletcher wouldn’t make it easy for anyone to snatch me but it didn’t mean that it was impossible.

“I haven’t forgotten it, Fletcher. Just promise me that you’ll think about a future that doesn’t involve this life. A future where we live normally. If that means moving into a house that isn’t grand or getting normal jobs, I’m fine with that as long as I’m with you.”

Fletcher searched my face for a long time before sleep took over and I closed my eyes. I knew that this wasn’t over with and that scared me. But what scared me more was living a life like this forever without being able to truly enjoy Fletcher Hines.