Ava knows who Jimmy O'Brien is - her first love and soulmate. Forced to spend time apart, Ava and Jim deal with their trust issues and insecurities.
When the lovers finally reunite and resolve to fight for each other, their fragile happiness is put...
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October
A pleasant burn spread through each muscle of mine, and I drew a lungful of crisp autumn air as Jim and I rounded a corner and ran to the marina.
“You okay?” he asked, wiping the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand. His bicep flexed under his black shirt that clung to his torso, and I slowed without realizing it, eyes roaming his arms.
Jim smirked, coming to a halt. “Let's have coffee so you can take your time looking.”
“How cocky of you.”
He slid an arm around my shoulders and jostled me into him, laughing with his lips against my temple. “I'm flattered, cute little thing. Looks like I still got it.”
After planting a kiss on my forehead, Jim strolled to a coffee shop where we usually had breakfast after our morning run. I took a table by the window overlooking the docked yachts, and Jim went to place our order.
A few minutes later, he put a cappuccino and a chocolate muffin in front of me and sat in a chair opposite mine.
“So, what are your plans for today?” Jim asked, bringing his black coffee to his lips.
I washed the bite of my muffin down with the cappuccino and rested the cup on the white ceramic platter. “Work. I'll have to skip class today. Otherwise, I won't meet the deadline for the article. You?”
“No meetings. Just a rehearsal for our next show. Do you think we could drive to Alfie’s in the afternoon?”
I reached across the table and ran my fingertips over Jim’s jaw. “Why? You want us to have some alone time?”
Whenever we felt overwhelmed with our schedules and commitments, we escaped the chaos of the city and spent a day or two at the Victorian. It'd been a while, though, because the renovations reached their final stage, and workers were at the house all the time.
Jim angled his head and trapped my pinkie between his lips, biting it. “Always. But also, everything’s ready. I promised Hudson I'd check what his team did.”
“Okay.” I smiled. “We could cook in the new kitchen. Or buy something on our way there.”
“Sounds great.”
The door opened, and a young couple strolled in.
Jim glanced at them and took my hand in his. “Dec will take you to the office, okay?”
I groaned. “Baby.”
“I'll pick you up after work. You'd have to leave your car there if you drove.”
The reasoning was logical, but there must’ve been more to it. Jim’s protectiveness reached a new high after my trip to New York back in July. I blamed it on the long distance we weren't used to, but the trend continued when he returned home. Dec took me to classes and the office with suspicious frequency, and Jim insisted it was for my comfort’s sake.
