“And what if it’s love?”
“C’mon, Ava,” I argue back, shaking my head. “He’s a player, right? You’ve heard Mom and Aunt Nikki. I’m young, and men like young women.”
“Yeah, I have, Millie. But I also just saw the way he turned into some jealous beast when he saw you walk in the door with Austin. If he were a player, why would he care?”
“Ego… that’s it.”
Ava closes the lid on the toilet, taking a seat before releasing a long-winded sigh. “Do you love him?”
“Love?” I question, raising my brows. “We sleep together, that’s it. How can I love someone I’ve known for like two seconds?”
“But you haven’t known him for two seconds,” Ava points out. “You’ve known him your entire life. There’s a photo on the wall by the staircase of him holding you the day you were born.”
I hear what she’s saying but refuse to entertain being in love with him. What do I know about love, anyway? I thought I loved Austin and look how that turned out. Infatuation, lust, and desire are three very accurate words to use when asked how I feel about Will.
Mom’s voice echoes outside the bathroom, calling my name.
“Listen,” I tell Ava softly. “I need you to help me, you know, talk to Will at the table, so it doesn’t look so awkward.”
“Of course, Millie,” she assures me with a nod. “I’ve got you covered.”
I unlock the door as Mom stands behind it, surprised to see the two of us inside. Her expression quickly shifts to curiosity. “There you are. Austin is looking for you, and I hope you don’t mind that I asked him to stay for dinner.”
Unsure of what to say, I try to keep my opinion to myself but fail miserably.
“I guess so.”
“Is there a problem?”
“Well, Mom, he’s her ex,” Ava concedes. “How would you like it if you had dinner with your ex in front of your whole family?”
Mom’s wide-eyed expression looks somewhat amused by Ava’s question, yet she keeps her thoughts private. I wonder again if it has something to do with the Uncle Julian rumor.
“I understand it can be rather uncomfortable, but I gathered that everything between you guys is great because you brought him back here. I’m sorry if I misinterpreted that.”
Not wanting to make Mom feel bad, I quickly jump in.
“No, Mom, it’s fine,” I offer with a smile. “And things between Austin and me are great. We’re just friends, and whatever happened in the past is in the past. I swear I don’t have any romantic feelings toward him. In fact, Ava and I were just discussing it.”
“I figured you were having a conversation you didn’t want your father overhearing.” She smirks.
We both grin on cue, guilty as charged.
“Well, dinner will be ready soon, so why don’t you go down and keep him entertained,” Mom suggests, stopping just shy of the door before glancing my way. “Your father is in his office with Will. Something urgent came up. I’ll be surprised if they make it to dinner.”
If only luck is on my side.
I follow Mom out of the room, stopping momentarily to motion for Ava to follow us.
Downstairs, Austin is sitting in the kitchen with his phone in hand, looking just as handsome as I remember him. There’s a small smile playing on his lips, and I’m wondering if he’s texting his new girlfriend. It only dawns on me now that I should’ve mentioned that to Will, but what difference would it make? He made up his mind the moment he saw us together.
“Hey, sorry about that. Ava needed something, and I didn’t want to interrupt you and Dad.”
He places his phone down, turning to face me. “It’s fine. Your father was very helpful until Will came in.”
“To his office?”
“Yes, your father made it very clear that Will is destined to be the next billionaire.”