Sean pats my cheek. “Don’t look so fucking shocked, Harry. We’ll check it out and then head over to Sérénité. I texted Graham to give him a heads-up that we’d be late.”
Of course, he did that. What he failed to do is give me a warning that I’m about to see his sister again.
The elevator slows to a stop on the eighth floor.
Sean turns to look at me. “It’s hard to believe Ava is old enough to rent her own place, isn’t it? To me, she’s still a kid.”
She’s far from that to me, but I can’t show that.
I button my suit jacket, take a breath, and step off the elevator after him.
I can instantly tell she had no fucking idea I’d be here.
Welcome to the club, Ava.
My gaze wanders over her as she glances at me and then at her brother.
I have to will myself not to stare at the way her legs look and the shape of her waist. She’s wearing black yoga shorts and a red T-shirt that clings to her body.
“Hey,” Sean says as he gathers her into his arms. “Thanks for letting me stop by.”
“You brought Harry,” she mutters as she glances at me.
“We’re on our way to dinner.” Sean barges past her. “Declan told me this place is a winner. I’d say he’s right.”
I stand in place just outside the doorway, staring at her.
Something passes between us, but I can’t put words to it. It’s not just the look, but a feeling – a spark of something – that I’ve never felt before.
It might have everything to do with the fact that my dick is stirring in my pants, but it feels like more than that.
I’m happy to see her. I like seeing her.
I shake that thought away and walk into the apartment, softly shutting the door behind me.
A white sofa anchors the open space. There’s a small kitchen to the right, along with a glass dining table and four high backed chairs. Near a bank of windows, I spot a piano.
I glance to my left to a hallway that must lead to a bedroom and the bathroom.
“You did good, Ava,” Sean says with a grin. “The neighborhood is great, and the apartment seems big enough for you.”
“There’s plenty of room here.” She glances at me before she sets her attention back on her brother. “The kitchen has everything I need so I can cook for myself. Play your cards right, and I might invite you and Callie over for dinner one night.”
“Harry too,” Sean blurts out before he looks over his shoulder at me. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you, Harry?”
A hell of a lot more than he can imagine.
“Sure,” I say, trying not to sound eager. “If it helps, Ava, I can set you up with a meal kit plan. On the house, of course. I’ll have them deliver every few days for the next couple of months.”
Her blonde brows perk. “You’d do that for me?”
“We’re all family,” Sean interrupts. “Harry always looks out for family.”
Ava’s gaze drops to the floor. “Thank you. I appreciate that.”
I watch the way her ponytail bobs as she moves her head slightly. When she looks up again, our eyes lock.
There are a million things I want to say to her, but the appropriate thing pops out. “You’re welcome, Ava.”
“We’re headed to meet up with Graham and Kavan.” Sean moves to kiss her forehead. “I’d invite you, but you’re not a Buck Boy.”
She lets out a laugh. “You still call yourselves that? Can’t you just say Buchanan alumni?”
His arms cross his chest. “What fun is that?”
Her gaze trails over the front of my suit jacket, up my chest, and to my face. “I didn’t expect to see you tonight, Harry.”
She expected me to be in bed with Chelsie.
I know she read the message on my phone last night. I can’t tell if she’s relieved that I’m not fucking another woman or if she doesn’t give a shit.
“Harry set up the dinner with the guys tonight,” Sean explains, even though no one asked him to, but that’s who he is. “I’m providing transportation, so he had no choice but to come here with me.”
“I don’t mind,” I say before thinking it through. “It’s been good to see you again, Ava.”
“You too,” she whispers.
Sean’s gaze drops to his watch. “Our reservation is for eight, so we’re late. I’ll come by again in a few days to bring that framed print Callie ordered for you.”
Ava smiles at him. “That sounds great.”
“I love you.” He pinches her chin. “Lock the door behind us. Stay safe, and call me if you need anything.”
She keeps her eyes pinned on his face. “I will, Sean. I love you too.”
I follow my best friend out the door, but before Ava can shut it behind me, I turn for a final look.
She offers me the slightest smile. It does something to me. It warms me from the inside out, so I smile back, knowing that I’ll make the first delivery of Food Harmony’s meal kits to her.
I am the owner of the business, after all. It’s the least I can do.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Harrison
“You’re late,” Kavan Bane points out as soon as Sean and I step into the private dining room at Sérénité.
The man is imposing with stark black hair and piercing blue eyes. Until he met his wife, Juliet, he had a reputation for being a murderous asshole.
She’s smoothed that out by featuring their love story in her column in the magazine she works for. Kavan still attempts to play the part of a menacing brute with us, but we know better.
We’ve all been friends for years. Our bond was sealed at school and only strengthened when we ventured out into the world.
“We stopped by Ava’s apartment,” Sean explains as he embraces Graham. “She’s staying in New York for a couple of months.”
Kavan is next in line for a hug. There was a time when he’d push Sean off of him, but he’s grown accustomed to Sean’s incessant need to show affection to everyone he cares about.
It’s one of the reasons I admire him so much. He puts it all out there, never holding back anything.
Graham rakes a hand through his brown hair. “You must be happy about that.”
“Thrilled,” Sean responds succinctly. “I didn’t realize how much I missed her until she showed up the other day.”
Kavan shoves a glass of scotch in my hand before he does the same to Sean. “Let’s toast to little Ava Wells being back in the city.”
We all raise our glasses, clinking them against each other.
Sean mutters something about her being all grown-up. Graham chuckles, and I swallow because I need alcohol to wash away all the thoughts that keep churning through my mind about what I wish I could do with Ava.
“I have more news.” Sean’s voice cracks.
I know exactly what this is about. On the ride over from Ava’s apartment, Sean clued me into what happened when he asked Callie about the pregnancy test he found the other day.
He smiled his way through the story about how they cried together when she told him she was waiting to surprise him after confirming the results with her doctor.