I shook my head and refocused on the insane conversation at hand. “You’re… you’re engaged, Ava. Said you were happy.”

“I know.” She sniffed, and what in the holy fuck was happening? “I know. And Mark is a great guy. Wonderful. I love him, I do, it was just… I thought, I guess…”

Oh holy shit. She had to be fucking kidding me. “You thought I’d come back?”

“Mark’s not you,” she admitted with a quiet sob.

My heart squeezed so tightly it took a second to breathe. “I’m sorry.” I was sorry for hurting her. All those years ago. When she heard the news.

“Don’t apologize. Gosh, I shouldn’t have called. I’m sorry. I’m not being fair, and I never gave you a reason to come back for me, but I just kept thinking… we loved each other so much, and…” Her voice drifted off while I stared at my marble counter.

In all the years she’d walked away, there’d never been an inkling that the door was open. Not ever. And hell… she’d moved on. She got engaged. Part of the goddamn reason I agreed to this marriage so quick was because I thought it’d make her happy for me.

What in the fuck had I been thinking? Goes to show exactly how little I understood women.

“Fuck, Ava.” I brushed wet hair off my forehead and shook it out. “I don’t know what you want me to say here. You left me, and you called, yeah, but it’s been years, and you moved on, and…”

I felt like such a fucking failure as the dots clicked. Was this why she always tried to maintain contact? Why she reached out? Why she called to tell me she was getting married?

So I’d wake up, come to my senses and rush back to her?

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have called. I was just so surprised when I saw, and I didn’t know what to do, and I guess, I don’t know, I thought. I just had to know.”

“Know what?”

“Know for sure you’ve moved on. That you were happy. That you love her.”

“Ava… listen… I’m sorry about all of that. But I didn’t get married to hurt you.”

“So you are in love,” she sniffed, and God, I could imagine her pale blue eyes red and swollen, a pile of tissues next to her.

Movement grabbed my attention, and I turned.

Emmersyn was there, standing in my living room, water droplets trailing down her body, arms wrapped across her tits, tits I’d just had my mouth on, and what looked like tears dripping from her eyes.

The fuck?

Emmersyn flinched, and my gaze narrowed. Did she know who I was talking to?

There was no way. I walked to her and handed her the towel. She took it with a trembling hand and quickly wrapped it around her body.

Emmersyn glanced outside, and as she did, she stopped at the rocks next to the hot tub.