22. TATE

22

TATE

Now that Ava and I had worked things out, there were several things I didn't want to do. The first of those was possibly screwing this up with her. No matter what happened, no matter what hardships I was to face in my life, I needed her by my side.

Beyond that, I didn't want to live my life constantly worrying about when or if she might take off and run. The problem was that Ava wasn't exactly making that task easy for me just yet.

Because she'd just spent her first night ever in my bed, and when my eyes popped open mere moments ago, she wasn't sleeping peacefully beside me, nor was she awake somewhere in my bedroom.

Immediately, something twisted in my gut, and my mind went right back to the morning after Wyatt's wedding. Had she done exactly what she'd considered doing then, which was to leave without saying goodbye? Why would she run?

Just as I was about to reach for my phone to call her, I heard a noise coming from somewhere downstairs. I sat up in the bed, looked around the room, and noted that some of Ava's clothes were still here, as well as her purse. I could only assume that it was her who'd made the noise downstairs.

Relief swept through me as I tossed back the blanket and got out of bed. After pulling on a pair of sweats, I descended the stairs to go in search of Ava.

And once I'd made it to the kitchen, I learned that there was just one more thing I wasn't interested in doing. I didn't want to live with regret. With all that we'd been through, all that we'd endured to get to where we were now, it seemed foolish to waste any of the time we did have together worrying about the things that we couldn't go back and fix.

Unfortunately, no matter how badly I wanted to forget my mistakes, it was difficult not to when they were staring me in the face.

Ava was in my kitchen, wearing one of my dress shirts—only a handful of the buttons in the middle fastened—and she had a pair of ear buds in while she danced around and made breakfast.

Damn.

In all the years I'd fantasized about Ava, this was not a fantasy that had ever filtered through my mind. But that didn't mean I wasn't completely captivated. This woman, this gorgeous woman, was oblivious to the fact I was standing there watching her, and she was having the time of her life. She was happy, carefree.

And now, she was mine.

All these years I'd thought I'd been making the right decision by holding myself back from pursuing something more meaningful with her than we had, but now that I was seeing her wearing my shirt while she danced in my kitchen and made breakfast, I thought I had a reason to feel regret.

Not because I had her now, but because I could have had her then.

I could have had this for years now, if I hadn't been so foolish.

I could have had her in my kitchen, making it look like it had never looked before—I wasn't quite sure where the countertops had disappeared to for all that she had covering them. It was a beautiful sight to behold, and in that moment, I knew I wanted it every day for the rest of my life.

It was at that moment, Ava spun around and happened to notice I was watching her. One of her hands flew up to her chest, and she screamed. "Oh, Tate. You scared me." Her opposite hand reached up to take the ear buds out of her ears.

Since she had taken several steps backward after being startled, and she was putting far too much distance between us, my feet gravitated toward her. Ava stopped moving, realized I was making my approach, and changed course.

Her body collided with mine, her arms coming to rest on my shoulders. "You weren't in bed when I woke this morning," I told her.

"I'm sorry. I woke up feeling excited, and I wanted to come down to make breakfast for us. I'm not a good cook, and I'm even worse at baking, but I really wanted this morning to be special, so I thought I'd try." She pulled out of my arms, moved toward the counter, and picked up her phone before returning to my hold. "I found this recipe for these glazed doughnut muffins. You happened to have everything here for them, and they should have only taken forty minutes between prep and baking time, but I've been down here for an hour and just got them in the oven about five minutes ago. So, there're still fifteen minutes left for them to bake. But I thought it would be okay, because I figured you'd need more than just muffins for breakfast, and I could use the time to make us some eggs and bacon, too. I got everything out for that and realized I didn't start any coffee, and I wanted you to have that. So, I took care of the coffee, which thankfully, is something I do know how to make, and now I'm trying to figure out where I put the bacon. I could have sworn?—"

Ava stopped talking, because I made it so. I couldn't help myself. She was too adorable, too sweet, and I desperately needed to kiss her. I was getting all the parts of her back, and this was one that I'd missed the most—her just getting lost in whatever she was doing and freely sharing whatever was on her mind.

This moment meant everything to me. Every part of it.

If someone had told me that I'd ever walk into my kitchen seeing it look the way it did now and not break out in some kind of rash at the sight of the mess, I never would have believed them.

But now?

With her?

I almost didn't care if it never got cleaned up. Because seeing this mess meant Ava was here, in my life in the way I'd always wanted. And loving her meant loving all of her, even the messy parts which brightened my day the most.

Framing her face with my hands, I continued to kiss her. Ava let out a whimper and melted into me.

When I hadn't quite gotten my fill of her, but realized I probably never would, I tore my mouth from hers, looked in her eyes, and smiled. "Good morning, wild one."

She beamed back at me. "Good morning."

I dropped my hands from her face and wrapped my arms around her waist to tug her close. "Do you know how happy you've just made me?"

Ava's features softened. "Really? How did I do that?"

"By allowing me to walk into my kitchen and see you dancing around it while you make breakfast wearing one of my shirts," I shared.

"I only had the clothes I wore here last night, and I didn't want to fuss with them. Your shirt seemed like a much better choice. I've had a few close calls with it, but I looked in your closet this morning, and I'm pretty sure the number of dress shirts you have is criminal."

Laughter spilled out of me, and all I could do was bury my face in her neck while I held on to her.

Ava wasn't finished. "But aside from all that, I will say that I had another motive for wearing your shirt."

Pulling back from her neck, I asked, "You had another motive?"

Making a face that indicated she was thinking, she said, "Maybe more than one motive?"

My brows shot up. "Which are?"

One half of her mouth quirked. "Well, I thought about you possibly wearing it to work today, knowing I was naked underneath it all morning long."

Instinctively, my hands dropped to the hem of the shirt, slipped beneath it, and drifted to her ass. It was bare, forcing the look on my face to match the mischievous one on hers.

Pressing her hips forward, leaning in close, she whispered in my ear, "That's the other reason I wore the shirt."

"What is?"

"That it'd give you easy access to my body when I did too much to drive you wild."

Threading my fingers through her hair, one hand still palming her ass, I tugged her head back and noted the fire blazing in her eyes. "You make it sound like I've got no self-control."

She cocked a brow. "Quite the opposite. I'm just making sure I don't ever have to return to the time when you can easily turn me down. Do you know how difficult it has been to get you to the point where you look at me like this?"

"Like what?"

Her mouth curved into a knowing smile. "Like you're reconsidering the idea of breakfast altogether, because you think eating me might satisfy every hunger craving."

God, I loved her.

There was so much potential to regret the way I'd handled just about everything when it came to Ava. And if I took the time to think about it, I'd certainly want to start kicking myself for making decisions that led to losing this playful side of her. The relief I felt knowing we hadn't lost this, that I hadn't done too much damage to make her stop and reconsider flirting. Even if we were now on this side of it where we were both a sure thing, I loved that she wanted to keep things spicy and would continue to say things that would throw me off balance.

"Thank you, Ava, for giving me this—both the breakfast and the sight of you dancing in my shirt in the kitchen."

"I didn't know for sure if you'd have this kind of reaction to this, but I'm glad you did," she said, her fingers threading into my hair at the back of my head. "I still hope you're feeling this good about what I've done after you've had breakfast this morning. I can't promise how much of it will be edible, and you really might have to settle for eating me."

Like that could be considered settling. I touched my lips to hers in a chaste kiss. "Regardless of the outcome, don't doubt that I'll always be up for having my mouth between your legs." Her body shivered, a soft moan escaping. "I'm sure breakfast will be fine. The kitchen itself, on the other hand…"

"Yeah, I guess it is a bit chaotic in here, isn't it?"

"It's fine. I just… Can you work like this?" It seemed impossible. I mean, she'd lost the bacon, for crying out loud.

She shrugged. "It doesn't bother me. But I know it bothers you, so I can work on cleaning up before we sit down to eat."

"It doesn't bother me at all."

Ava's head jerked back, and she eyed me suspiciously. "Are you telling me the truth?"

I grinned. "If I'm honest, I think I actually love it. You've brought a bit of life into the space. It's great. "

She smiled back at me. "Well, now that I've got your permission to make a mess everywhere, just wait until you see what I have planned for the shower this morning. In the meantime, will you help me find the bacon?"

I chuckled. This was never going to get old. "Sure."

After digging through every surface in the kitchen and being unable to locate the bacon, I checked in the refrigerator. Ava never brought it out. I offered to make it, but she insisted she wanted to make our breakfast this morning. So, I went around picking up and putting away the things she no longer needed.

"Please don't think I'm complaining, but I'm curious if this is a normal thing for you?" I asked. "Do you typically dance around the kitchen when you're cooking?"

Ava took her eyes off the contents of the frying pan and looked up at me. "Nothing that would normally be tedious ever feels like work if I'm dancing and listening to music while doing it."

"I'll take that as a yes."

"Do you want to know what my dream has always been?"

I stopped cleaning and focused everything on her. Whatever she told me her dream had always been, I was going to do everything in my power to make it come true for her. "No. What has always been your dream?"

She bit her lip and hesitated to respond. And just as she parted her lips to answer me, the timer for the muffins went off. Ava dropped the tongs she'd been using to turn the bacon, spun around, and moved to open the oven door.

"Ah, they look like they might be okay. I didn't burn them. Wait. Where are the oven mitts?"

I wasn't sure I'd ever stop smiling if this was what I'd experience every day with Ava. I pulled open the drawer with the oven mitts, put them on my hands, and took the muffins out. "They do look good."

"Okay. Let me finish the eggs and bacon, and maybe those will be cooled enough by then to eat," she said.

Not wanting to distract her from that, I went about pulling out plates, napkins, and utensils. I also grabbed two coffee mugs.

A few minutes later, even though the kitchen itself was trashed, Ava had successfully made us breakfast. "Okay, I need to know. What do you think? Is it terrible?"

I'd sampled a bite of everything. The eggs were great, the bacon had been cooked a little bit more than I would have liked, and the muffins were a little dry. "I love it," I told her. "Everything is perfect."

She smiled, her eyes widening in surprise. "Really?"

It didn't matter to me that everything hadn't been cooked to perfection. Ava had made it. She'd spent the night here in my bed, woke up, and made us breakfast. It could have tasted worse than dog food, and I was convinced I would have gobbled up every bite just to see her smile like that.

"Yes, Ava. Really."

"I think the muffins might be a little dry," she worried.

"You think so? I think they're delicious."

"Maybe I'll ask Jules to try one. She'd probably have some tips for me."

If my sister tried these, I was sure she'd know exactly what the problem was. I just hoped she didn't paint me to be a liar. "Yeah, that's a good idea. So, are you going to tell me?"

"Tell you what?" she asked, lifting her coffee mug to her lips.

"About your dream."

She set the mug down and shifted her focus to her plate. Her fingers toyed with a piece of bacon, and when she brought her attention to my face again, I could see that hesitancy was back. It was such a stark contrast to how she'd been all morning, and I thought that was strange, considering this was about something that should have made her happy.

When she inhaled a deep breath, I braced myself for her response. A moment later, she shared, "I used to imagine us being married and it being just like your parents."

For a moment, it was almost as though I'd forgotten where I was and what I was doing. Breakfast wasn't even a thought in my mind as goosebumps slid along my spine and the hair stood up on the back of my neck. "What?"

"Your dad dances with your mom, especially at Christmas. It's like that holiday is their most special one. Anyway, I've spent years dreaming about us being like that, married with me dancing around the house and you walking up to join me."

Jesus.

I felt a tightness in my chest.

Even if I'd spent the morning thinking about Ava being in my life forever, I hadn't really had the thought of marriage. She'd been turned down repeatedly by me for years, and this was still her dream. All she ever wanted was me. To dance with me.

Was my racing heart and sudden lightheadedness the result of feeling immense happiness, or was it all the regret I felt for having not given this to Ava already?

When I took too long thinking about how her words made me feel, Ava must have gotten the wrong idea. "Tate, it's a silly thing. It's not serious or?—"

"Don't," I ordered, reaching for her hand.

"Don't what?"

My fingers tightened around hers. "It's not silly. It's what you want. And I'm going to see what I can do about making that dream come true for you."

Tears filled her eyes as she rasped, "I love you, Tate."

"I love you, too. Now, don't cry, and just finish your breakfast. Because after you're done, I want to show you what finding you in this shirt, dancing in my kitchen, this morning did to me."

Her body shivered, and her gaze darkened.

Then she swiped at her cheeks and finished her breakfast.

The moment we were both done, I put one shoulder into her belly and wrapped my arm around the backs of her thighs as she giggled. Then I carried her back to my bed, where I got to make my own dream a reality.

And unsurprisingly, Ava followed through just a little while later and showed me precisely what her plans had been for the shower.

Ava

Three weeks later

Music had filled the room, my shouts of encouragement like ad-libs to the song that was playing.

This was the best feeling in the whole world.

I was teaching my first pop-up class at my new studio, and I was blown away by the turnout. I'd put out some details on social media, told a few of my dancer friends who'd spread the word—sadly, none of them lived in Landing—and people showed up.

Twenty of them, to be precise.

I had the space for more, and I hoped it would eventually get there. But for now, I was thrilled about how this had gone today.

I was doing it.

I was finding my way, my little space on this Earth I'd been fortunate enough to travel over the years. No matter how many bright lights in big cities I had seen, nothing compared to Landing.

And the last three weeks had proven to be the best of my life.

I'd signed a lease agreement for this space, I was back to living in my own apartment, I had my family and friends around me again, and Tate and I were together.

Officially.

We'd spread the news and told the family. Everyone was ecstatic. I was inclined to think they were more excited about it than we were.

Nothing could top what the last three weeks had meant to me.

Standing here in my new studio, watching my students dance their hearts out, I could have cried.

But I didn't.

Instead, I continued to cheer them on, noting the way they each took my choreography and put their unique style on it.

The choreography ended, but the music hadn't stopped. So, I was even more ecstatic to watch as the twenty other people in the room began freestyling, each of them taking their turn in the spotlight while the rest cheered them on.

That was what dance was all about. This was what I loved so much about it. Taking a moment, living in it, and not thinking about what happens when the music was over.

No matter that it was that mindset which led to me making some of the biggest mistakes of my life, I wouldn't have changed it for anything. Because it was the reason I was where I was now.

When the song ended, I spoke to the entire class. "This was an awesome first class. You guys are all so incredibly talented." I took in the smiles and sweaty faces around me. "Thank you for coming tonight and making this first class a success. I'm going to be hosting more classes in the coming weeks, so if you enjoyed this, I'd love to see you back here. And tell your friends. Anyone is welcome to come."

"Thanks for a great class, Ava," one student said.

"Yeah, I had such a great time," another added.

I beamed at them.

"We'll definitely be back for the next class," one of a pair of friends had declared.

"Aw, thank you. I can't wait to see you all again."

As the class dispersed, I watched them go and felt something swell in my chest. There was such a sense of accomplishment and pride for what I'd done, and I couldn't stop grinning.

The smile on my face grew larger when, after all the dancers had left, Tate walked in. He was carrying a bouquet.

"Hey, what are you doing here?"

"I wanted to surprise you after your first class. I know how hard you've been working, and I wanted to show you some support. It seems like you had a lot of people here."

I moved toward him, and Tate didn't hesitate to kiss me before handing me the flowers. I held them up to my nose and inhaled the gorgeous fragrance. "Thank you for these. This is really sweet of you. It was a great class today."

"Did everyone like it?"

Nodding, I said, "I think so. They all seem eager for the next one."

Tate smile, pressing another kiss to my lips. "I'm so proud of you."

"And I'm just glad that you're here to celebrate this with me. It means everything to me."

With his arm wrapped firmly around my back, Tate gave me a squeeze. "I'm never not going to be here for you. No matter what, you're always going to have me."

"I think that's finally sinking in."

And it was.

Admittedly, I had been a little concerned at first. But Tate quickly proved to me that he was all in, that us being together and happy was all that mattered.

"My place or yours tonight?" he asked.

"You choose."

"Let's go to yours."

"Oooh. Tate Westwood, naked in my bed tonight. What will I do with myself? Or, better yet, what will I do with you?"

Tate laughed. "I don't think there's a single thing I won't allow you to do to me."

I grinned at him, a bunch of ideas running through my head. "Can we pick up dinner on the way home?"

"I already planned on that."

"You did?"

He shrugged. "I didn't want you to have to worry about it after your first night. I figured we'd have a little celebration."

"Mmm. Too bad The Sweet Landing is already closed. I really could have gone for some of Rhea's ice cream. Just imagine how fun that would have been."

Tate's brows pulled together. "Fun?"

I bit my lip and batted my eyelashes innocently. "I mean, who needs a cone when I can lick the ice cream from your body?"

He was momentarily stunned. "Jesus, Ava. Where do you come up with this stuff?"

There was no way he didn't like it, but I'd play along. "Is it bad?"

Curling me fully into his body, Tate dropped his mouth to mine and kissed me. With his lips lingering there, he insisted, "It's one of my favorite things about you."

Warmth spread through me at his praise. Wanting confirmation of just how much he liked it, I slid my free hand into his hair at the back of his head. "I can tone it down, if you'd like."

"Don't even think about it." Laughter spilled out of me, and Tate's arms tightened around my body. "I'm sorry we can't get ice cream from Rhea's tonight. We'll definitely plan that for another time, because I'm not missing out on that. Will something from Jules's bakery suffice for tonight? I grabbed some treats from her before I left work."

I planted another kiss on his lips. "Oh, you're the best for thinking ahead. I'm really going to have my work cut out for me in that bed tonight, aren't I? In fact, I think you still deserve me licking something, even if there's no ice cream."

His fingers pressed in at my side, a groan crawling up his throat. "How long do you need to shut things down here?"

For as long as I lived, I intended to drive this man wild. For so long, I'd done it and not gotten the response I always hoped for. But now, I not only got to tease him like this and have fun doing it, but I also got the greatest reward of his reactions and the promise of him. I was never going to stop. "Just a minute or two."

"Good. Let's go."

I didn't hesitate.

Tate waited with me while I locked up my studio. Then we stopped to grab dinner on the way back to my place.

And by the time we ate, I showed him how much I appreciated him—he didn't hesitate to return the favor—and when I was curled up in his arms in my bed, I was convinced I was, finally, exactly where I was always meant to be.