Chapter 31

Chapter Thirty-One

Ava

" T his place is beautiful," I tell Max.

"I love coming out here when I want to get away. It's a great place for me to turn off the white noise and find peace."

I stare out of a beautiful bay window overseeing a lake.

"Do you come here often?" I ask him.

"Not as often as I used to. My work has me traveling a lot."

"We can't all be famous photographers," I tease.

"I love capturing beauty. My work allows me to discover beautiful things. I can't complain. Come, let me give you the grand tour."

He tells me a little more about the cabin. It's a one-bedroom cabin on top of a mountain. It has a rustic look. and is the kind of place you go to unplug. The kind of place you hide out at, which is what I'm doing. I'm hiding from Viktor. When Max finishes my tour, he takes me outside, where there are two chairs. We sit in silence. I stare out at the lake, trying to sort myself out. Seeing Viktor today has me rattled.

"Are you hungry?" Max interrupts my thoughts.

"A little."

"We can go into town to get food and groceries."

"Max, I don't feel right about taking your bedroom," I tell him, thinking of our earlier conversation.

"The couch is super comfortable. Most times, it's where I sleep. You take the bedroom. You're my guest. You and the hippo need the rest."

"But—" I try to object.

"No buts. This is time for you to think of yourself and the hippo. No one else. You've been through enough."

"I don't know what to say."

"Nothing. You will let me take care of you as you deserve."

The way he says it comforts me. It's nice not to feel alone.

"Thank you for being an amazing friend. I don't know where I would be without you and Lisa."

"Everything will be fine. It'll work out. You'll see."

I hope he is right.

I need him to be right.

"Hey." I feel a soft touch.

"Max," I answer sleepily, trying to open my eyes. Somehow, I fell asleep on the couch.

"Dinner is ready."

"I'm sorry. I was going to help. I guess I was more tired than I realized. Why didn't you wake me?"

He holds out his hand, which I take.

"You looked so peaceful. I couldn't wake you." He leads us to the table.

"Everything looks and smells delicious. But you shouldn't have." I say as I sit.

"Are you kidding? It was my pleasure. I don't get to use my cooking skills enough." He pours a glass of sparkling water.

"Thank you." I take the first bite. "Wow, this is delicious."

"I'm sure you're exaggerating. Your cooking is better." He winks, and I smile.

"I don't know about that."

We eat in silence for a few minutes before he speaks.

"Ava, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, anything."

"I know you haven't told me much about Viktor. But what did you talk about when you asked me to leave?"

I put my fork down and looked out of the window before answering. "It's complicated."

"Why didn't you let him believe it was my child? I wouldn't have cared, and it probably would have been better."

"Because Oliver is his brother."

"The guy from the hospital?"

"Yes."

"And he kept it from him?"

"It's complicated," I say again.

"You deserve better than Viktor. He's married." I don't like his implication.

"He wasn't married when we were together," I say, annoyed and offended.

"I didn't mean anything." There's a pause. Like he's looking for what he wants to say. "I couldn't help but notice his wife is pregnant too," he finally says.

"Can we change the conversation? I don't want to talk about them anymore."

"Of course, I'm sorry."

"It's okay." I stand with my plate in hand and walk toward the kitchen.

"I'll take that. Why don't you relax?" he says, standing.

"I got it."

He stops me and takes my plate.

"You're my guest. The sun is setting, why don't you enjoy the view."

"That sounds nice, thank you." I walk to the bay window. I hadn't noticed the seating area there before. I sit and look down at my belly.

"Before I know it, you will be here, my sweet boy," I say, smiling, caressing my belly, then gazing wistfully out the window. "I wonder what type of man you will become. God, please help me be a good mother. Give me strength and courage in these difficult moments. I pray for my son to be born strong and that he's a happy boy filled with love." I look down at my belly. "Here I am talking to you, my beautiful boy, telling you how much I love you. I'm going to give you all the love that I wasn't given by my mother. I'll always be here for you."

I watch the sunset over the lake where the water is still. It's so peaceful. I'm not sure how much time passes.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Max comments.

"Very."

He sits beside me. "Ava."

I turn to look at him. "What?"

He takes my hands and gazes into my eyes. "I'm in love with you."

I take my hands back but not before seeing the flash of hurt in his eyes.

"I see you as my friend. My heart belongs to Viktor," I tell him before he can continue whatever he has in mind to tell me. But my confession doesn't stop him.

"He isn't good for you. He's a married man. If you give me a chance, I can make you happy."

I know Max believes that but only one person can truly make me happy, and he isn't here.

"Max—"

"I see how much you suffer because of him. Marry me? I'll raise your son as my own. I already love him like he's ours."

I close my eyes. It certainly would make my life easier if I married someone like Max. But it isn't right. I don't love Max.

"I know you mean well. But Viktor is the father of my son. Now that he knows, I can't keep him away. I won't. Besides, I can't do this to you. I care too much about you to hurt you."

"I can love you enough for the both of us. You'll see. With time you can grow to love me. He's married, and you deserve to be loved." Everything he's saying makes sense. Maybe if I were someone else.

"I'm going to take a shower," I say, getting up, not wanting to continue with this conversation.

It doesn't matter if Viktor lives the rest of his life with Fiona—I'll never love another man. I'll love him until my last breath. Viktor might be many things, and our lives might take many turns, but my love for him is unwavering. Our son is growing inside of me. There is no walking away, not anymore. This is the truth I need to accept.

I would never replace Viktor as a father. Maybe if I were a colder woman, I could walk away, marry Max, and disappear. But I love Viktor too much. We've been through too much. Our time together might have expired, but what we share will be for the rest of our lives. We will always be connected by our son.