“I’ll be there,” I tell him with a pat on his back. “Text me the time and place.”
“Good.” He grins. “I’m taking you out for a drink and some wings.”
“I don’t eat wings, and I need to slow down on the alcohol.”
“You’ll keep me company then.” He points to the corner. “There’s a pub I like two blocks away.”
I don’t argue because time spent with Sean is always welcome. I’d prefer to be with his sister right now, but if luck is on my side, I’ll be back in her bed on Friday night after the movie credits roll.
I race up the sidewalk toward the theater. I’m not late, but my plan was to arrive early because I wanted a few moments alone with Ava.
I have a gift for her to commemorate tonight, but if I can’t steal her away before the film starts, I’ll drop by her place later.
Roxy is at home with our mother. Jos is in the food lab feverishly working on another dessert idea, and Ryden is god knows where so I should be on my own until at least the morning.
I spot Ava almost immediately. She’s dressed in red again. This time it’s a dress that fits snugly. The hemline of the skirt is a modest knee-length, but the garment showcases her curves to perfection.
She looks like heaven on earth to me.
Sean is the first to spot me. He waves me toward the group of six with his hand.
I button my suit jacket, wanting to look my best for Ava even though everyone else in attendance is dressed casually, including Declan.
“Look who it is,” Sharon Wells steps toward me. “It’s been a long time, Harrison.”
I take Ava’s mother into my arms. She hugs me tightly.
“It’s good to see you, Sharon.” I turn to glance at Ava’s dad. “You too, Phil.”
He pats my shoulder as I step back from his wife. “It’s great to see you, Harry. How have you been? How’s the family?”
“Good and good.” I look to where Ava is standing next to Callie.
“Harry is the only one who got the memo to dress up for this.” Sean tugs on the front of the sweatshirt he’s wearing. “Why the suit?”
“I came here straight from work,” I lie.
I’ve spent the last hour at Wiley’s trying to calm the hell down. Sitting through a movie is not a big deal, but doing that with the family of the woman I love is, especially since they all view me as Sean’s best friend, not Ava’s lover.
“We should head in,” Declan says, pointing to the doors of the theater. “I bought our tickets in advance, so we’re good to go.”
Ava’s smile beams. “Thanks, Decky.”
He laughs. “Declan.”
Phil musses Declan’s hair. “It’s Decky to me too.”
Everyone laughs in unison except Ava. Her gaze is pinned on my face. I offer her a small smile of reassurance even though all I want is to march to where she’s standing so I can kiss her.
“I invited Richard to join us,” Sean directs that to his sister. “He’s visiting his mom in Connecticut this weekend, so he couldn’t make it, but there’s still time for you to have dinner with him before you go back to London.”
“Richard?” Sharon looks at Sean. “That nice young man from your office? He’s a catch. Ava, you should make time to meet him.”
Ava shakes her head. “No. I’m not interested in him.”
“Because you’re interested in someone else?” Her dad pinches her chin. “Is that why?”
Her gaze trails over all of us, stopping on my face for a beat longer than it should. She looks at her dad again. “It’s something like that.”
“Let’s grab our seats.” Sharon starts toward the theater’s doors. “When Ava is ready to tell us about her special someone, she will.”
Everyone files into the doors of the theater, but I hang back so I can brush my hand against Ava’s as she trails her father. Her gaze darts up to meet mine, and she smiles.
“Save me the seat next to you,” I whisper.
A small burst of laughter escapes her. “Done.”
CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
Ava
Tears flow down my cheeks as I hear the first note of the piece I composed. The mesmerizing melody resonates through the theater. The music is uplifting, all-encompassing and punctuates one of the defining moments in the film.
I reach to my left to brush my hand against Harry’s to signal that this is it.
Knowing that we’re enveloped in darkness, he takes my hand briefly to squeeze it before he drops it to allow me to turn to the man seated next to me on the right.
I lean toward Declan and tap his shoulder. He doesn’t pull his gaze from the large screen. “What?”
With a trembling voice, I say what I’ve waited months to say. “I composed the piece that’s playing right now.”
His gaze darts to my face immediately. “Are you fucking serious right now?”
A few people around us, including Sean and my dad, try to shush him, but Declan darts to his feet.
“My sister composed this.” His hand flings in the air toward the screen. “My little sister composed this. That music you hear is all her brilliance.”
The rest of my family leaps to their feet, all of them shouting over each other. It’s not loud enough to drown out the evocative sounds of the piano streaming out of the speakers.
My mom starts crying too. Callie claps her hands together, but my brothers’ reactions hit me the hardest.
Both of them are staring at me in disbelief.
“You wrote this?” Sean wipes his cheek to chase away a tear. “Goddammit, Ava. I would have worn a tux for this. This is a huge fucking deal.”
As the music winds down, we all take our seats, including Harrison, and as my family talks amongst themselves about how shocked they are, I feel Harrison’s pinkie finger wrap around mine.
I glance at him. His gaze is fixed on my face. I don’t need him to say a word. I can feel what’s in his heart.
He’s proud of me and grateful that he’s by my side.
“We’re celebrating after this,” Declan whispers. “Then I’m coming back tomorrow to hear that again.”
I laugh. “I’ll come with you.”
“I love you, Ava, and I’m so fucking proud of you right now.”
Harrison’s finger slides away from mine. I don’t look at him because I know that tonight after my family has celebrated the greatest accomplishment of my life, I’ll be in Harry’s arms right where I belong.
I stare at the big screen even after my name has scrolled by in the credits.
I had my phone ready to snap a picture, as did almost everyone sitting in my row.
“What a glorious night!” My dad bounces to his feet. “First, we find out about Sean and Callie’s baby, and now our baby is famous.”
I push to stand too. “I’m not famous, Dad.”
“You will be,” he reassures me with a wink from where he’s standing.
I glance to my left when I sense that Harry is standing too. Suddenly, he stumbles forward, his hands reaching out to grip the back of the chair in front of him.