A Rescued Heart (Rescued Heart Romance) (12 page)

Ava had been unsettled the rest of the afternoon while finishing up her classroom. She didn’t want to be at the school but it helped to keep her mind off the thoughts consuming her about the situation Matt was in right now.

She returned home around dinner time, found some leftovers in the fridge that Lucy had brought over, and sat on the couch to eat and catch up on the news. She gasped aloud when the news anchor announced the drug exchange that went bad. At this point all the news could report was that some people were held at gunpoint while the SWAT team surrounded the building. Ava automatically moved closer to the television, as if that would cause her to see the situation better.

Oh Lord. Please be with Matt and keep him safe. Give him the wisdom to handle the situation and protect him from those who want to do harm to him and others.

Throughout the next hour the news continued between the reporter and the anchor who tried to get as many details as they could to the viewers. It wasn’t enough for her and she wanted to run down there herself. A little before seven the anchor announced that the drug dealers had surrendered and that no one had been hurt. Ava could see the SWAT team members returning to the truck and the drug dealers being escorted to the police cars. Ava couldn’t believe how young the boys looked. What had caused their lives to turn away from innocence?

Distracting herself from the tears that threatened, she changed into sweat pants and a T-shirt for bed. Sitting back down on the couch, she tried to watch a baseball game, but her view became blinded by her tears. What was wrong with her? Matt was okay. She needed to grow thicker skin if she was going to survive dating a cop. Frustrated with herself she set off to the kitchen to make some tea.

Leaning back against the counter she glanced around her digs. She loved her apartment. It wasn’t much to brag about, but it was her refuge.

The kitchen sported a pale yellow with dark brown trim. The appliances were white and fairly new, not that she did a lot of cooking to justify the need for newness. A small dining room opened up on the side of the kitchen, but she used it more like a breakfast nook. A beautiful round
oak
table and chairs—a fortuitous garage sale discovery last year—looked just right sitting in the middle of the little room.

The living room was spacious and comfortable, perfect for entertaining. Not that she did a lot of it, but it was nice to have the option.

The walls donned a deep orange and showcased two original paintings by Lucy. A modest entertainment center held a flat screen television, the one splurge she’d made courtesy of this year’s tax refund. In the back corner she had placed a bookshelf and comfy reading chair for her hours of literary comfort.

The bathroom did
n’t have a lot of extra space, but since it was just her, it did its job. The only nuisance was frequently hitting her elbow on the shower when moving around too quickly.

Her mental tour stopped as her phone rang. She hit her knee lunging for it on the counter.

“Matt!” A small cry escaped her throat. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine. Are you okay? You sound like you’ve been crying.”

Was she that obvious? “I’m okay. I was just worried about you.” She tried to hold the tears at bay, but it was so good to hear his voice. She sniffled and hoped he didn’t hear.

“I’m coming over. I’ll be there in a few minutes,” he declared.

“Matt, you don’t need to …”

“Ava, I’m coming. See you soon.”

The kettle on the stove whistled, letting her know the water was ready. She shut off the burner and headed to the bathroom to examine the damage the crying had caused. Her eyes were red around the edges and puffy. She splashed cold water on them and touched her face up with a little foundation and eye shadow. Stepping back, trying to see herself in the mirror, she hit her elbow on the shower
.
I will never lear
n
. Walking back to the kitchen she grabbed two mugs from the cabinet.

While she poured the water, Matt knocked on the door. As soon as he entered the room, she threw her arms around his neck. He enveloped her with his arms, picking her slightly up off the floor.

He finally spoke while setting her down with a gentle ease and putting his hands on both sides of her face. “Ava, sweetheart, I’m fine. I’m sorry you were worried.”

“Please don’t apologize. I knew this would happen someday, I’m just not handling it the way I should.” Embarrassment heated her cheeks. What was the right way to handle his job and the danger he put himself in every day?

“Even though you knew, it doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be hard. I didn’t help the situation by leaving you the way I did.” He brushed away a piece of hair stuck to her eyelash. “I’m flattered that you care so much.”

His words were meant to be supportive, but she stepped back, mortified. “I’m so embarrassed by my reaction.”

She turned and walked toward the kitchen, but stopped and turned back to face him, babbling nervously. “Even though I know this was a part of your job, I have no claim to you and no right to be affected this way. All I could think about was you being hurt and it frightened me to my core. We are just dating and I know you like me, but I really don’t know what you are thinking. I’m acting foolish. I mean you haven’t even kissed me yet and here I spent my evening sobbing over your safety.” She turned back toward the kitchen, making herself quiet. She couldn’t believe she had just blurted out all those things.

She needed a shovel to dig her hole deeper.

Matt didn’t let her get far. He caught her arm and pulled her close to him. He looked at her softly, with tenderness, gradually easing his lips to hers. The kiss started with a gentle touch, as if she was delicate and he didn’t want to break her. Ava ran her hands up his arms and then hooked them around his neck. He brought one arm around her lower back and the other behind her head. The passion burned between them and even though the kiss stayed tender, the delicateness he’d expressed earlier turned more intense.

He released her slowly and she wanted to object. “Ava, you can have all the claim to me you want. I have wanted to kiss you since the first day I met you. I would’ve done that a long time ago, but I didn’t want to scare you off.”

“Oh Matt, I’m sorry that I make you feel like you’re walking on eggshells around me. You deserve someone …”

To silence her he brushed his lips against hers. “Ava, I wan
t
yo
u
. Seeing you worry about me like you have today shows me how much you care and that’s all that matters. I’m not going anywhere and I hope you’re not either.”

Ava shook her head. “No, I’m not going anywhere.” She put her arms around his waist and laid her head on his chest listening to the rhythm of his heartbeat. “This is where I want to be.”

He kissed the top of her head. “You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that.”

She stepped back to examine him. “Are you sure you’re really okay?”

He laughed at her disbelief. “Yes, I’ve never been better. Not a scratch on me.” He put his arms out and turned in a full circle. “Do you need to do a further evaluation?” His crooked smile melted her insides. She wouldn’t bite at his offer.

“That’s okay. I’ll take your word for it.” Ava headed into the kitchen to finish what she had started. “I was just making some tea before you came, would you like some?”

“Sure. Is it okay if I check out the Cubs game?”

“Go ahead. It should be on the right channel. I was watching it before you came. They were up by two in the fourth inning.”

Matt sat at the end of the couch and Ava snuggled in right next to him with her legs bent at the knees and his arm around her shoulder while they watched the rest of the game. He mentioned halfway through that he couldn’t watch a baseball game while drinking tea. He got up and grabbed a Coke.

Ava rolled her eyes. He was such a guy.

The Cubs ended up winning, despite looking like they were trying to lose. Ava yelled multiple times at the television out of frustration. Matt just laughed in amusement at her. After the game she laid back on the couch giving her a better view of his face. Her head sat up on the arm rest with a pillow placed on her chest, wrapping her arms around it. She could be content to just watch him the rest of the night. An idea came to mind and she didn’t give thought to the consequences before asking.

“Do you have plans on Sunday?”

“Nothing besides going to church. What do you have in mind?” he asked curiously, intrigued by her question.

“Well, Sunday is family night at my parents’ house and I was wondering if you’d like to come with me?”

The words were out, the damage was done. There was no turning back.

“I’ll warn you up front my family is crazy protective and will probably drill you with questions, so if you’d prefer not to go, I’ll understand. Please don’t feel like you have to. I mean it might be a little soon to meet my family and …”

“Ava,” he cut her off at midsentence. She had been talking so fast did he even understand a word that came out of her mouth? When she was nervous she talked fast and in large amounts. “I’d love to go. I want to meet your family and I’m not intimidated by a few questions and some interrogation.”

“Okay, but it’s your funeral if you don’t pass.” She tried to provoke him but couldn’t help but snicker.

“Oh, don’t you worry, failure is not an option. I didn’t work this hard to get you to be mine to blow it on meeting the family.”

“So I’m yours now, huh? Don’t I get a say in that?” She expected him to sweat, but of course he stayed calm and smooth as always.

He leaned over and grabbed her hand, pulling her up to meet his face. “Ava, would you please be my girlfriend?” He softly kissed her cheek and her blood pressure spiked.

“Well, when you put it that way, how can I refuse?”

“Good, now that we have that settled, I wanted to talk to you about something.” He sat down his drink. “Seeing that we have stepped into a more physical relationship, I think it would be best if we set a few boundaries. I want to make sure that I respect you at all times and don’t create a window to allow myself to lose control.”

“Wow, you’ve thought of everything.” His thoughtfulness impressed her. Temptation always
stands on the forefront, no matter someone’s age.

“I’ve had some time to think about this and I don’t want to screw anything up.” He rubbed her hand with his thumb.

He gave her the rundown of what he thought would be best. If they were going to be alone in either of their apartments, kissing needed to be minimal while on the couch and absolutely no lying down. Being alone together in each other’s bedroom was never an option. They also set a curfew when alone in each other’s apartment. No staying past midnight.

Ava could hear her mother’s voice, while she was growing up, as she tried her best to push her midnight curfew later. “Ava, nothing good ever happens after midnight.” She couldn’t believe she agreed with her now.

Ava mischievous leaned over and kissed his cheek. “Just to make it clear, that’s okay, right?”

“Hmm, yep.”

She kissed him softly on the lips. “And that’s okay?” she asked, smiling.

“I see you’re going to make this difficult.”

“I do have a playful side.”

“I’d call it menacing.”

“To each his own.”

“I didn’t say I didn’t like it. Anything else you need to okay?

Ava chortled. “Seriously though, I think it’s a good idea to have boundaries and I will do my best not to tempt.” She put her hand up as if she was swearing in at court.

“Good, because what we have is too precious to ruin over stupid hormones.” He kissed her cheek and stood up, pulling her with him. “It’s getting late, I’d better go. I don’t want to break a rule already.”

She walked him to the door and hugged him before he left. “Thanks for coming over. I’m glad that you’re okay. I promise next time I’ll only freak out a little.”

“I like you freaking out … it gives me an excuse to come and see you. Sweet dreams.”

Ava shut the door and sighed. Of course they would be sweet, because he would be in them.

Sunday morning started off dreary and cold. It matched Ava’s mood. She had slept horrible because of a bad headache that woke her up in the night. By early morning she finally started to have some relief after her second batch of pain-killers. When a dim light peeked through her curtains, she quickly opted out of going to church and decided to stay in bed. Early afternoon she rolled out of bed with her stomach growling, warning she had missed lunch.

Ava went to the mirror to assess the damage and groaned. She looked like she had been in a fight. Even though her headache improved, her reflection didn’t help the situation. The mirror revealed dark circles under both eyes that enhanced the red that streaked through the whites of her eyes. Her hair was matted on one side and sticking out in every direction on the other. She also had a bright red mark through her left cheek, announcing the place where her head met the side of the pillow for hours at a time.

Wonderful.

Matt was meeting her family tonight and at this point she looked like she had been run over by a bus. The phone rang. She made her way to the side of the bed, confident who would be on the other end.

“Hello.” Her groggy voice betrayed that it was the first she’d spoken all day.

“Ava, it’s Lucy. Mom is making me call. Are you okay? We missed you at church today.” She had been tricked. Her mom was getting sly in her older age by making Lucy do her dirty work.

“I’m fine. Sorry to worry you. I had a horrible headache last night and it took until a couple hours ago to get some relief.”

“Are you still coming tonight … and bringing Matt?” Lucy asked hopeful. If her family asked one more time if she was still bringing him, she might scream or rebel and not come at all.

“Yes on both. No worries, we’ll see you tonight.”

“Okay. I can’t believe I finally get to meet the infamous Matt. I can’t wait. See you later.”

Later. Why did she dread that?

Ava left to pick up Matt around five o’clock, thankful the swelling around her eyes went down and the red streaks had subsided. Her mood had improved as well and once again she looked forward to tonight.
Her nerves had triggered her frustration toward her family for badgering her about whether Matt was coming. She was nervous about him meeting her family and whether they would like him or not. But in the last few hours as she prayed and gave herself a big pep talk, she realized that they would see all the wonderful things she saw in him.

Ava had never brought anyone home to meet her family except for Tim. Would they be overly protective and drill Matt with questions while her face turned red in the process? Would she be awkward with Matt around her family or uncomfortable about displaying affection with
them watching? Tim usually clammed up around her family and became reserved and hardly even held her hand. Matt was a whole new ball game. Anxiousness surrounded her thoughts about how the night would unfold.

She shook off her fears and looked over her outfit once more while driving. Not the smartest idea in evening traffic. She was such a girl, placing fashion over safety. She took a deep breath while approaching Matt’s apartment building and pulled into the parking lot.

He was sitting outside on his porch steps, talking on his cell phone. He looked up and smiled while nodding his head. Just seeing him calmed her nerves. She had nothing to worry about. He finished his call, jumped up, and walked to the passenger side door. He slid into the seat and leaned over, kissing her on the cheek.

He looked striking in his dark maroon sweater and jeans. “You look great,” was all she could muster. Great? What a pathetic adjective for the sight her eyes were beholding.

“I did until I sat next to you.”

Ava blushed and then impulsively leaned over and kissed him. It didn’t last long, but her pulse quickened as her heart thudded against her chest.

When they pulled apart Matt sighed. “Wow, if that’s how you’re going to react to compliments, I have a few more I could add.”

She put the car in reverse and started backing up. “I think I’ll save the rest for later.” Two could play at this flirting game.

The drive to her parents’ house was full of conversation about their weekend and what they did in each other’s absence. Matt had to work Friday and Saturday so they hadn’t seen much of each other for a couple days. When they turned onto her parents’ street, an unsettling thought popped into her head and she needed to face the inevitable.

“Matt, I can’t cook.”

“What?” His eyes squinted in confusion.

“I know my brothers and they’ll go out of their way to embarrass me. I’ve been meaning to tell you for a while, so before they can tell you my deep dark secret, I thought I’d better reveal it myself.” She barely let up for a breath as she talked fast again. The habit seemed unbreakable.

“First, if that’s your deep dark secret, I’m impressed. Second, you made dinner for us that night when Kyle and Kate came over and it was really good.” He still looked confused as she pulled into her parents’ driveway and parked.

“Matt, I have another confession. Lucy came over that night and helped me make it. I mean
I
ca
n
cook, but only if I’m usin
g
Cooking for Dummie
s
or the recipe has four ingredients or less. I mean, you are looking at a woman that could burn soup.” Heat raised from her neck and gathered in her cheeks. She hoped he didn’t notice.

“You don’t have to be embarrassed, Ava,” he said while brushing his finger along her cheek.  “I don’t care that you don’t like to cook. I’ll be in charge of making meals and we’ll just put you on clean-up duty. I loathe washing dishes.”

Looking up, her smile faded when she noticed her family watching them through the family room window. “It looks like our audience is ready to meet you,” she said, pointing at their gawkers. “We better go in before they come out.”

By the time they entered the house everyone had scattered. Lucy and her mom’s voices trickled in from the kitchen and her brothers sat in the living room watching a basketball play-off game on television. Her dad met them at the door and the introductions started. After shaking Matt’s hand he
invited her to help the ladies in the kitchen while the guys entertained Matt. Ava would’ve rather sat down with them to watch the game but knew she should go help … or stand around helpless until someone told her what to do. She waved at the guys.

“Wow, does that shirt come with batteries, Ava?” Jake teased.

She looked down at her bright green shirt and smiled. “What? You don’t like it?”

“It’s giving me a headache.”

“You have no eye for fashion.”

“And now no sight.”

She ran over and jumped on him, faking a wrestling move. Her family was known for teasing, practical jokes and meddling in each other’s lives … it was best that Matt saw them for what they were.

Tonight, instead of ordering pizza as planned, Lucy offered to make it homemade. She made the dough while Ava and her mom prepared the toppings. While the pizza cooked they watched the game with the boys. The Chicago Bulls were ahead by ten points, which made the mood in the room good. At her mom’s request they ate in the dining room. Lucy served a Mediterranean salad and bread sticks with the pizza.

“Wow, Lucy, this is really good,” Josh complimented.

“Thanks, it’s my own creation,” she said proudly.

“You should write your own cookbook,” their mom added. “You’re always coming up with your own recipes, I’m sure you have quite a few by now. I know some people who could help.” Because their mom was a children’s book author she had connections with some editors and publishing companies.

“I’ve actually been thinking about it. I’ll let you know what I decide. It would be a huge project, but I think I’m ready for something new.” Lucy embraced her role as the free spirit in the family. It didn’t surprise anyone that she was ready for a new challenge in her life.

Ava and Lucy came as opposite as you could get, but their bond held strong. Sharing a room while growing up gave them the chance to grow together instead of apart, despite their differences.

Lucy was always the life of the party and full of energy. She never allowed herself to get bored and poured her talents into cooking and painting. Her short, dark, pixie-styled hair matched her spunky personality. She was carefree and independent, ready to face whatever life threw at her.

Ava’s dad spoke up, changing the focus to Matt. “Ava tells us you’re on the SWAT team. We saw on the news this week that the team was called out. Are you allowed to talk about it?”

Her dad’s question came as a slap in the face. Ava had been so worried about him when he came to her apartment, she didn’t even think about asking him what really happened. If she hadn’t been so preoccupied with looking for bullet holes she might’ve thought to ask him what actually happened in the building.

“Yes. I’m sure you saw that there was a drug exchange that went bad. I’m part of the unit that works inside the building and assesses the situation. If the circumstances are a setting that my unit can handle, we go in and take care of the problem. If it’s beyond what we can do or if it’s too dangerous for our inside unit, we call in backup and penetrate together.”

“Oh my goodness, so what happened?” Her mother asked sweetly. She was a mother above all else, whether it was her child or not. It must be that inner instinct.

Matt reached over and took Ava’s hand under the table. Either he wanted the affection or he thought she needed moral support for what he was going to say.

“Well, we felt the problem was more about hotheaded teenagers riding on power than intending to use their weapons on each other. We burst in and before we got halfway to the group, the guns were on the floor along with themselves.” He looked over at Ava. “It was nothing, really.”

Nothing. His definition of nothing and her definition of nothing were quite different.

Her family packed in a few more questions about his job and Jake quite strategically moved the conversation to personal questions. His skills as an investigative reporter shined as he threaded his questions throughout Matt’s responses to get the answers he was satisfied with. As a whole, their inquiry into Matt’s life came across tasteful and Matt held his own but by the time the questions tapered off she was surprised they hadn’t asked his shoe size and if he could get his dental records.

Her family seemed happy for her and their excitement showed despite all the questions. She continued to be blessed by her family’s supportive streak. They could be overbearing and in her face at times, but they did it out of love. Their encouragement helped settle her nerves about stepping into the dating world again.

Finally they cleared the table and headed for the kitchen.

“Hey Matt, you want to come out with us men and shoot some hoops?” Josh asked as he placed his dirty dishes into the sink.

Matt glanced over at Ava for the okay. “Sure, I’ll do about anything to get out of washing dishes.” He looked down at his dress shoes. “I’ll either use the shoes as an excuse if I lose or a huge asset when I rub it in your face that I won.” The guys all laughed as they headed out back to the court. Without needing words, Ava could tell the votes were in and Matt had passed with flying colors.

After the kitchen had been cleaned up and the boys had finished their macho basketball game they settled in the living room. Lucy walked into the room with spoons in her hands.