Ethan and Ava (Redwood Falls 4)

The overheard conversation broke Ava's already shattered heart. She not only needed Ethan desperately, but she felt that with Ty gone now, if she left home, too, and relieved them of the true source of their stress, then maybe her mom and dad would make up and eventually heal their marriage.

That thought eased her mind somewhat about what she was planning. It wouldn't take her long. Maybe another twenty-four hours and she'd have all her ducks in a row and be ready to leave.

Hannah offered to drive her to the nearest bus station, which was in Layton, but when Hannah had told Josh of the plan, he'd flipped a switch. As both she and Hannah wanted to keep Hannah's parents out of the loop, Josh was of the opinion that Ava was 'encouraging' Hannah to lie to her parents by default. The prospect of incurring Jeff McIntyre's protective displeasure held no appeal for Josh.

Maybe that was part of his upset, but truly, Ava figured Josh didn't think it was safe for Hannah to drive the distance home on her own.

Sheesh. The dude was ridiculous about Hannah that way. If there was one thing Ava knew about Josh Turner, it was that he was insanely in love with Hannah. Beyond protective. Sometimes she wondered how her friend put up with it, but then she'd see how the guy looked at Hannah and Ava would have her answer.

There was absolutely no question: Josh was crazy in love with her best friend. He was ridiculously protective, over-the-top possessive, and as territorial as a junkyard dog—and those 'attributes' were probably extremely tempting to her friend.

At one point, she'd taken her concerns about Josh's attitude to Hannah, but Hannah had only stared at her for about a beat too long and then broken into laughter as she asked, "And how exactly is Josh any different than Ethan?"

Ava had been floored when she'd thought about it. The two guys were different—and yet they were the same. In fact, she had to admit, her relationship with Ethan was way more volatile than Hannah and Josh's. Maybe it was because she tended to act first and think about consequences later, or that Ethan loved her with a single-minded devotion that brooked no resistance. With a combination like that, their life together would never be boring.

Ava knew that Josh loved Hannah and would never, ever hurt her. Yeah, the dude could be aggressive in getting his way, but then he'd screw up and blow his machismo all to hell by showing his vulnerability when it came to Hannah. And when Ava had witnessed that softer side of Josh for the first time, her concern for Hannah had practically disappeared into thin air.

It was damn obvious Josh would do anything to keep Hannah and it was also obvious that he was faithful—heart, body, mind, and soul. The entire freaking town knew that Hannah McIntyre had Josh Turner wrapped around her little finger, even if he was too much of a badass for anyone to risk life and limb by taunting him with the knowledge.

So, in the end, Josh had gotten his way again. He drove Ava to Layton himself to catch the bus.

Hannah had been okay with that, so Ava had been okay with that—as long as he'd promised not to give Ethan a heads-up. The last thing she needed was for Ethan to talk her out of coming and Josh seemed to understand that. He cared deeply about Ethan, and that care extended to Ava, whether because of her love for Ethan or Hannah, she didn't know. It was probably both.

It was killing Ava to have to leave Hannah behind, and Josh seemed to understand that as well. Yeah, Josh Turner was truly one of the good guys.

As the miles rolled by, she leaned back in the padded bus seat and gazed out the window with a hand on her growing belly. It was good to know she could rest easy when it came to Hannah. It might be tough for a while, but Hannah would be okay without her. Josh would see to that.

****

After she'd been on the bus for two hours, Ava's cell phone rang with a call from her father. Forcing down her anxiety, she answered. "Hi, Dad."

"Where are you?" he asked, worry in his tone.

Ava was momentarily surprised that he even knew she wasn't at home. He'd left the day before on a business trip. "Did Mom tell you I left?"

"She just called me," he said.

"Please don't be angry. I just couldn't take her anymore."

As she began to cry, her father tried to soothe her. "It's okay, baby. Where are you?"

"I'm on a bus. I've made up my mind. I'm going to Ethan and nothing's going to stop me. Please don't send the police after me."

"I won't, sweetheart. Ava—I'm sorry for not supporting you more. I'm sorry for the things I said—and the things I didn't say."

Ava began crying in earnest. "It's okay."

"I love you. You're precious to me and so is that grandbaby."

Her heart constricted. "I love you, too."

"Honey, I've got to tell you something and I want you to know it's not your fault. Please don't feel any guilt over what I'm about to tell you."

"Okay," she agreed hesitantly, waiting for the worst.

"It's about your mother and me. I can't deal with her like this either. She's destroying everything good between us. We need some time apart." He took a deep breath. "I've left her."

Ava felt a sharp, piercing pain as fresh tears rushed to her eyes. "Daddy."

"I'm sorry." He cleared his throat roughly. "So your mother knows this isn't a business trip. She knows I'm not coming back for now. I just told her—just now, when she called to tell me you were gone." At her silence, he took a deep breath and continued, "Look, I'm not filing for divorce or anything, at least not yet. But I had to leave, at least for now."

"Where are you going?" she asked, almost in a daze as she struggled to take in what he had told her.

"Ty is settled and wants me to join him, so I'm headed up there." As she gasped and fought back a sob, he jumped in again. "Please know I didn't abandon you. My plan was to get settled up there before you or your mom found out I wasn't coming back. And then I was going to send for you. But you left before I could get things straightened out. I didn't abandon you, Ava."

"I know that, Daddy."

"Thank God. It would kill me if you thought that. Angel, Ty and I both want you to think about joining us. We can figure this out, the three of us."

"I can't leave Ethan. I just can't."

"No, I don't figure you can. I understand. But I can't stay with your mother like she is now. I'm seriously losing my sanity."

"What's wrong with her? Why is she being so hateful?"

"Baby, I don't know," her father said on a sigh. "I don't know if you know this, but your grandma was always hard on your mother, about morality and integrity. She had rigid rules about all that. It couldn't have been pleasant for your mom growing up in that atmosphere. I guess when you got pregnant, your grandmother's judgmental approach had an impact on your mom's response. I don't know. But it's no excuse for her behavior. My wife is driving our children away and ruining any chance we might have to be grandparents—and I won't have it. You've got Ethan and soon y'all will be married and have the baby, so I know in my heart that you'll be okay. But Ty's alone and at the moment, it feels like he's all I have left."

"He's not all you have, Daddy. I'll always be here. I'll always love you."

"I know that, Ava," he said, his voice softening. "And I'll always love you. And your baby, and Ethan, too. Don't you worry. You still have a family, but for now, we'll be in North Dakota."

"Okay," she mumbled, at a loss for words.

"Listen, when you get settled, let me know where you are. I'll send you some money, okay?"

"You don't have to do that."

"Of course I have to do that. I want to do it. I'm your father and always will be, okay?"

"Okay," Ava mumbled, forlorn.

"I'm gonna cut this short, honey. I'm only a few hours from Ty, but I'm beat. I've got to get some sleep before I can continue driving." He yawned, then continued. "Gonna stop at a hotel, I think. Let me know whatever you need. I'll always be here for you, okay?"

"Okay. I love you."

"I love you, too. And we'll get through this. No worries, okay? I'll let yo

u know when I get to Ty's. Bye for now, my precious angel. And you take good care of my grandson. I've got big plans to spoil him rotten."

"I will." Ava's reply was a bittersweet sob. "Bye, Daddy." She slowly put her cell down and leaned her forehead against the window, her eyes unfocused as she stared off at nothing as the miles rolled by.

It had been years since she'd called him 'Daddy'. But as their family came apart at the seams, and he'd come through for her as a much-needed source of unconditional love, it was the only word that felt right.

Why couldn't she and Ethan have been more careful? Why did her pregnancy have to break up her entire family?

And as angry as she was with her mother, a bolt of sorrow pierced her heart. Her mother was all alone now. What would she do without them? How would she go on all by herself? What would happen to her?