Ava

Sara and I stayed up talking into the early morning hours. I listened and held her as she poured her soul to me, her past, every ache and pain and soul-shattering moment that molded the person she currently was. By the time she'd finished telling her story, it was three in the morning, and I was overwhelmed with emotion that I could barely breathe, let alone think. I wanted to protect this girl. I wanted to shield her from all the bad shit in the world and instead watch her grow up healthy, happy and loved.
"If my parents find me, they'll send me back to Gary," Sara said softly, her eyes on the empty mug of cocoa still cradled between her hands. "They think he's the only one who can set me straight."
"Do they—do they know what he did to you?" I asked. "Have you ever told them?"
Sara swallowed, refusing to look up, and when she finally did, she was crying.
"My mom knows," she said softly. "But she thinks I'm lying. She has no idea that he caused all of this. The last thing she wants in our family is the drama that I caused."
"Protecting yourself isn't drama," I reminded her. "Your mother should always believe you. Always."
Sara finally looked up at me. She looked like a little girl again with her clean, tear-streaked face. No more than ten or twelve; a frightened child on the brink of insanity, screaming to the world the truth that no one was willing to hear.
"Okay." I stood from the couch, taking our empty mugs to rinse them in the sink. Sara stayed curled up on the sofa, a comfort zone, and watched me from across the room.
"Now what?" she asked as I turned around to look at her. "Are you going to call Katie? Or the police? Please, please don't call my parents. I'd rather stay in jail."
"Sara, now, we get some sleep," I said gently. "Elijah's guest room is ready for you. I have some things to take care of tomorrow, okay? But just rest tonight. You're safe here."
"Ava," she said as I turned to our bedroom. I stopped and looked over my shoulder at her with a smile I hoped to put her at ease.
"Yeah?"
"Thank you."
***
Somehow, I managed to sleep until almost ten the following day, and when I finally woke, I found Sara in the kitchen making breakfast. She had Elijah's Kiss the Chef apron on as bacon sizzled in a pan and something sweet baked in the oven.
"Good morning, sweetheart," I said with a grin. "What smells so good?"
"Bacon, eggs, and chocolate chip muffins," Sara said. A dot of flour streaked her nose and cheek, but she didn't notice. "Elijah said it was your favorite."
"It still is, right?" Elijah said, wrapping his arms around me from behind in a loving embrace. I turned and kissed him, allowing our lips to linger for a moment.
"You're damn right it is."
"We have plans today," Elijah said, releasing me so I could sit at the table as Sara brought the food over. "Sara, are you okay here by yourself for a little while?"
Sara nodded, beaming, and I didn't even have the energy to stress whether she would rob the place and take off again. She'd done well last time, so I could only hope it stuck.
"We are we going?" I asked, taking a bite of the warm muffin. Chocolate coated my tongue, and I had the overwhelming desire to lick it off him. Naked. But with Sara here, all I could do was pretend I wasn't ready to jump his bones and let him fuck me silly.
"Just for a drive," he said. "Dress warm and grab your coat."
I did as he said, my heart swelling when he stopped to help Sara clean up breakfast, chatting easily with her as though hanging out with a sixteen-year-old kid was easy as all hell. I loved this man, this Elijah. He had a gift that he'd opened up so much in the time I'd known him, and it was wonderful. I could have spent the rest of my life waking up every morning to his face.
I dressed in jeans and a zip-up hoodie, then slipped my boots on if we winded up somewhere sandals were too cold. When I found them again in the kitchen, it was sparkling clean, and the dishes were running.
"Thank you for breakfast, Sara," I said, giving the girl a hug. "It means a lot to me, and it was very good."
"It was okay," she said with that sassy teenage shrug. "It could have been better."
"Practice makes perfect, remember?" Elijah reminded her, and Sara grinned and smiled. "Have fun, you two."
"Do you know where we're going?" I asked as Elijah draped a thicker coat around my shoulders near the door. She continued to grin mischievously. "Elijah told me a little about it this morning. I think you'll like it."
The suspense was killing me as Elijah took my hand and led me down to the parking garage, where an enormous olive-green jeep waited.
"Okay, I didn't even know you had this," I said with a chuckle, shaking my head as Elijah opened the door for me. "I thought you were always chauffeured around in a limo or private helicopter."
"Or a jet," he teased with a wink, securing the seatbelt across my body until it clicked. He hesitated for a moment as his body leaned over mine. As he pulled back, he brushed my breasts, and a burst of wanting pleasure hit me. I bent to kiss him, and he reciprocated, catching my bottom lip between his teeth after a moment. "Patience," he said. "We haven't even arrived."
With a dramatic groan, I let him get in on the driver's side so we could start our journey. His driving skills were excellent as if he did this every day instead of riding in the back of his limo. I kind of loved it. This was a new side to Elijah, doing these things himself. I was proud of him.
After a few minutes of handholding and singing along to the radio (mostly me), he turned up a windy mountain road. It was a cool day, overcast but not rainy. Just the right weather for a weekend nature drive.
"Are we going to hike?" I asked, turning to look at him. "Because I love hiking."
"Noted," Elijah said with a chuckle. He shook his head. "But no, no hiking today."
"Then where are we going?"
"I told you to have patience, didn't I?"
With another groan, I let my head drop back against the seat, and soon I was fully absorbed in the dense forest around us, the one getting deeper and darker the further up the mountain we went. And just as I thought that we couldn't possibly go any further, Elijah parked the Jeep and ran to my side to open the door, offering his hand as I stepped down and into the damp ground beneath our feet.
"It's beautiful," I breathed. "It looks—is this where your property is?"
"Just through the trees," Elijah said with a nod. "A paved driveway is coming soon, but I wanted to show it to you."
I caressed Elijah’s hand with my thumb as we hiked down the path towards his property, drawing the air from the cool, crisp night deep into my soul. The air was clean up here. Pure, peaceful, magical. I envied the home he would someday build on the side of this mountain; whether I’d be a part of it, too, was unknown, but regardless, the space would be magical. Soul-changing.
We emerged minutes from the thickened brush of trees towards the newer construction site, temporarily emptied of people. Only machines remained. But none of that was the first thing I noticed. The first thing I noticed was the neon sign hanging from the structure of the building. It glowed, even in the morning rays. Safe Haven, it read, and below that was another small script. A Safe Home for Teens.
My jaw dropped as I stood and stared for a moment, completely consumed with trying to get my thoughts in order. As I turned around to speak to Elijah, he was on the ground, kneeling in front of me on one knee. In his hand was a small box, and in my heart, I knew it wasn't a necklace.
"Ava Newman," he started as my hands fluttered to my mouth in shock. "I know we haven't known each other for long, but I sincerely believe that even forever would not be long enough with you." He paused for effect. My hands were shaking. "I believe it was our Costa Rican trip that sealed the deal. And once we were home and you went back to work, issues arose, and I realized something." He paused again. I wasn't sure whether to laugh or scream. "I realized that I would do anything in the world to make you happy, Ava. I would cross mountains, swim oceans, and build whatever your heart desired, wherever you desired it. So, regardless of your answer to this question, Ava, please know that this building is yours. Whatever happens between us from here on out won't hinder that. Safe Haven belongs to you."
Tears slipped down my face, and I wiped them away. Every emotion possible slammed me in the gut at once. Fear. Hesitance. Happiness. Joy. And finally—everything at once. Certainty. Devotion. And that was how I knew. That was how I knew that forever would never be long enough with Elijah, either.
"I love you," I whispered, noticing how the soft, warm breeze caressed my skin as if encouraging me. "I love you, Elijah Trevino, and it would give me the greatest honor to become your wife."