The Dom Identity (Masters & Mercenaries Reloaded 2)

Ava shifted from the chair across from Vanessa to the chair next to hers, opening her arms. “Oh, my darling, we’re all afraid of that in the beginning. Love is a giant leap of faith because it only makes sense to the heart. Do you love him?”

She had to nod.

“Then take your time and decide if he’s worth the risk. You don’t have to say yes now. You don’t even have to stay with him. If you need space, come out to the ranch with me. Or take a place here, but talk to him, try to work this out if you think it could be something good for you.”

“Shouldn’t you tell me to forgive him?”

Ava’s hand came up to cup her cheek, rubbing away her tears. “No. I have to think about you, too. Your mother isn’t here to advise you. I don’t think she ever was. It’s not a good idea for me to listen to all your complaints about my son. And there will be many. There always are in a marriage. You need someone to talk to, someone who will listen so you can get it all out. You can’t keep these things inside. But if you have questions, need advice, I’m here for you. My advice is this—don’t let past heartaches rob you of future joy. Life seems long but it’s not. It goes by so quickly. Build joy where you can.”

“I do love him.” It was good to admit it.

“Then trust that things will be all right if you put in the work,” Ava replied. “Hold on to him and your family even when the storm seems at its worst.”

The storm had already taken her life and ripped it apart. But she could put it back together. She could choose to take this chance with Michael. She didn’t have to make the decision now. Everyone was giving her time, but wasn’t she making the choice by not walking away? Did she need another three weeks or three months to think over whether or not to forgive him? That wasn’t the question. Forgiveness would come, and she knew it deep down. It was the choice to trust him again that was hard.

Because everyone she’d trusted had somehow turned on her.

Could she try one last time? If Michael betrayed her again, she would likely close herself off. She wouldn’t lie down and fade, but she would close her heart off because she’d found her mate and wouldn’t take another.

Wasn’t that worth the risk?

“I’ll talk to him tonight. I promise. I do love him. I want this to work.”

Ava gave her a glorious smile. “And I will support you both.”

Because that was what families were supposed to do.

Sometimes a person was born into her family. Sometimes she had to search the world to find it. Sometimes blood bound people together, and for others it was forged in love and commitment, the bonds chosen freely, the choice made every single day.

She could choose to be part of the Malones. To stand by them and allow them to stand by her. She could have faith that Michael wouldn’t wake up and decide the love he felt for her wasn’t worth the trouble. She could value herself enough to know that it was. That she was worth trouble and pain because she could bring him joy.

It wasn’t sacrifice she’d been offering them. It was the denial of her own worth. She’d fought for it once and lost.

She wouldn’t stop fighting.

“Hey, Vanessa, there’s something you should probably see.” Tessa had a worried look on her face. “I just got a text from the office. According to Charlotte, there’s an interview playing on one of the big daytime talk shows.”

Her phone was likely blowing up. The publicist had warned her. This was the moment when she would usually panic.

She felt nothing but calm. “Is it Ashton?”

Tessa nodded.

It was odd how she’d gone from resenting Ashton to feeling sorry for her. One of the things they’d bonded over was a shared family experience. Ashton’s father had ignored her utterly, and everything she’d done had been in a vain attempt to get his attention. Now she realized Ashton had focused all that negative energy on her. She’d fired Ashton over all the manipulations, and here they were years later with Ashton still trying to get her attention.

“Do you want to watch it?” Tessa asked. “I can ask the servers to turn on the televisions.”

Vanessa looked to her mother-in-law. Well, the woman who would one day be her mother-in-law. “Are you concerned?”

Ava waved her off. “I’m far more concerned about our lunch getting cold. Let the lawyers and publicists handle all of this. We should talk about nicer things.”

“I agree.” She was sure Michael was watching it somewhere. He would tell her what she needed to know, and they would figure out how to handle it together. She glanced up at Tessa. “But I think I’ll be going home early. I finished up everything I needed to do. I want to be ready when Michael comes home.”