Ava's POV Fernando poured me a glass of wine and gently passed it to me. “Thanks.” I picked up the glass and took a long sip before digging into breakfast, “Wow! It's delicious,” I mumbled, stuffing myself while he watched me.We finished our food a while later, and Fernando took out two rolled pieces of paper, “Pick one,” he said.“What's in it?” I asked, raising a brow.“You’ll see. Just pick one,” he urged, resting his head on his hands as he watched me closely.“Okay,” I reached a hand to the pieces, moving my hand from left to right.“Just pick one,” he urged, laughing after waiting for a few minutes.I took a deep breath and finally settled for the paper on the left. Fernando took the other and tucked it in his pocket while I unwrapped the paper, and read it.“What does it say?” Fernando asked.“A picnic date,” I answered, nibbling my lips, “That sounds fun.”“Should I take that as a yes?” he questioned and I nodded.“Yes. Let's do it!” I exclaimed.“Great. Let me get things r
Ava's POVA thousand thoughts were running through my mind as Fernando leaned closer, slowly killing the distance between our lips. The warmth from his breath, grew even closer, yet my head paused time.The panic in my heart became erratic in my chest, but not out of excitement. I didn't really feel excited. Instead, I was uneasy. I felt sick.Things between Fernando and I felt good and natural. We felt like great friends. It didn't feel like more which I knew was what he wanted and I wanted to give him that. I wanted it to but it didn't feel right.The last few days with Fernando have been great. He had treated me with so much care, compassion, and love. He had been so sweet to me and my unborn child, acting like the baby was his own.I appreciated it, and I truly wanted to return the same amount of love he had been giving me. I wanted to give things between us another chance no matter how unsettled I felt deep down.I wanted to treat him kindly, take care of him, and love him agai
Ava's POVMiguel? Short, and not exactly blessed with looks? Was Penelope joking? I couldn't believe my ears. I glanced at her, and she appeared dead serious but I was sure she was only teasing me. It had to be a joke.It sounded like one —and obviously, it was a terrible joke so I laughed it off. If anyone knew how handsome Miguel was it had to be her after all she was his mother.“You tell a really terrible joke, Penelope,” I laughed it off, filling my mouth with more almonds.“Terrible joke?” She repeated, acting clueless, and honestly, she sounded believable like she meant every word she had said to me. Her poker face game was solid, and the only reason I wasn't the least convinced was because she was his mother.She knew what Miguel looked like and knowing that, there was no way she could say he was unattractive but hammering on the fact that he was short and unattractive didn't just make any sense to me.“Yeah, terrible joke,” I repeated, “You surely cannot mean that about Mi
Ava's POVI jolted awake, covered in cold sweat, and filled with longings. My heart was pounding aggressively in my chest and my heavy breath sliced through the silence in my room. I leaned back on the headboard and suddenly felt the wetness pooling between my legs.Oh shit! This couldn't be happening right now. My panties were cold and the sudden realization of how drenched I was down there made my skin crawl. It had been just a dream but apparently, it had also felt more than that.Gross. I couldn't believe that I had a sex dream about Miguel, and worse I was wet because of it. The thought of that alone was enough to weird me out. I was beyond irked.Why Miguel? Why was I still thinking about him —dreaming about him? After everything that I had learned about him, everything that he had done to me and my family? Why was my heart still hesitant to let go of him? It was sickening.I groaned, getting out of bed and hurrying to the bathroom to clean myself up. My emotions were everyw
Ava's POVTime passed by like the wind, and before I knew it seven months had gone by already, and my day of delivery was quickly approaching. The doctor had informed us that any moment from now the baby would come. I was excited, and with each day that went by I was growing more and more excited to meet my baby. The excitement was contagious, even Penelope was hasty and sometimes it felt like Fernando was even more excited than both of us which was also easing.He had been a big help to me in the last few months, and I couldn't deny how much I adored him for it. I didn't know what I would have done without him.As promised, the last few months with him were peaceful and calm. He didn't put any pressure on me just as he said and we were doing pretty well.We were like best friends but I knew deep down that he was still waiting for me but somehow he didn't let it get in the way of us.Our friendship had grown to be my biggest support throughout the months that passed.There had been a
Miguel's POVDays had turned into weeks, weeks into months, and still, Ava was nowhere to be found. I looked everywhere for her but there was no trace of her. It was like she just vanished off the surface of the earth.I had utilized every source in my reach and explored every option to find her, but none had yielded any news in the past months. I still couldn't find her, and it was most devastating. I felt suffocated. It was like I was underwater, and I was dying slowly. I swirled the glass in my hand, took a long sip from the glass, and gazed out the window at the beautiful city of Chicago. I had been here for longer than I planned to, and from the looks of things I'd probably still be here for a lot longer. I had made a promise to myself that I wouldn't leave until she was found.The lack of progress was breaking my heart, and after searching the entire city without any sign of her. I didn't even know where else to look for her. The relentless search for Ava had drained me of
Miguel's POVA scoff left my lips at his words. I knew Ava. She was stubborn. A couple of staged interviews wouldn't make her run back to me."Come on, you need to have an idea. Once we set the plan rolling, she will come," Mason insisted but I shrugged it off.“I doubt that, but thanks for trying,” I emptied my glass and poured another glass of wine, taking a long sip from my cup.I spent the rest of the evening, emoting the bottle of bourbon and after Mason left, my mind drifted back to the words he said about me doing something for Ava, and how maybe she might eventually return to me. That hope sprang into my mind and thinking about it again I figured it was worth a try. "What she wants," I pondered about it for a while, thinking back on all our conversations and the moments we have had together. The moments flashed through my mind and it suddenly hit me. There was one thing that has always made Ava happy. Something she loved and wanted —to help the children at the orphanage. A
Ava's POVDr. Kennedy shuffled his way into the ward and headed in the direction of my bed where I had been lying for almost thirty minutes. Fernando was sitting next to me, clutching my hand.Turned out the contraction was nothing but a false alarm, the baby was not coming yet. It wasn't much of a relief. If anything I was a little disappointed that I wouldn't get to meet my baby today. The contraction had eased a while ago when we first got here, and now it had completely stopped. She wasn't coming anymore.Fernando got to his feet as the doctor reached us with my charts in hand. “Afternoon, doctor,” Fernando greeted.“Afternoon, Mr. Ramos,” his eyes went from Fernando to me quickly, “How do you feel?” He asked, closing the chart, and examining me with his eyes.I nodded, placing my hand on my stomach and straightening up in bed, “I'm okay.”“That’s good,” his face morphed into a frown, “I thought I told you to slow down on the food and take a lot of fluid now that you're so clos