Fortitude (Heart of Stone) (23 page)

“Want me to make it better?” he asked with a smirk.

A wide grin grew on my face as my heart started to
gallop. “You got the job?”

“I did,” he said excitedly. “I so fucking did. Meet the
new rehab nurse at Faro hospital in none other than your lovely little
Portugal.”

I squealed and looked over at Grace. She beamed widely at
me and jumped up and down enthusiastically, nodding her head like a loony.

“Oh my God,” I choked out as a tear slipped free. Mason
caught my eye from across the room and winked. He so knew!

“So,” Kade smirked as he twirled me round then dipped me
back until the crown of my head nearly touched the floor. “What to do!”

“Hmm,” I murmured as I gave him a slow nod of my head.
“What will we do?”

He grinned wickedly and brought his mouth to my ear. “We
will fuck like Portuguese rabbits.”

I laughed loudly as I slapped him in the chest. “Suits
me,” I winked. “And why the hell not!”

***

“Oh dear god,” I murmured as I watched Mason tap the
microphone on the stage.

“Hi,” he smiled at everyone then scanned the room until
he found me, his eyes twinkling wildly as a mischievous grin erupted on his
face. “I just have one thing to say before I do this shit.” He sighed happily
and smiled at me, the love and idolisation in his eyes swallowing me. “I love
you Ava Fox. No one comes close, no one even touches the surface apart from
you. You know why?” He swallowed and winced as he bit his lip. “Because you
love me. Me. The idiot that didn’t expect anything from life other than shit
and dreams. The fool that took everything for granted because I could, the
arsehole that, not twenty years ago, didn’t give two flying fucks about anyone
other than himself.”

He pulled in a breath as he tried to control his
emotions. “And then came you.”

I lifted my hand to my mouth as I tried to hold back my
own emotions, the ultimate love showing on his face was choking me. “You burst
in and demanded more. You didn’t take no, you shoved all the no’s up my arse
and made me want more. And now, twenty years later, you still shove plenty up
my arse.”

The room erupted in laughter as I shook my head at him.
He grinned at me, blew me a kiss then nodded to the DJ, “Hit it!”

 I rolled my eyes but laughed when he started to sing
Jackie
Wilson’s, Your love
keeps
lifting me higher
– awfully.

“Your love, lifting me higher,
than I've ever been lifted before,
So keep it up,
quench my desire,
and I'll be at your side, forever more,
You know your love,

Keep on lifting me, Higher,
Higher and higher,
I said your love,
Keep on,
Lifting me,
Higher and higher.”

George jumped on the stage and slowly walked to his dad. My
heart exploded as Mason held out his hand and George filled it with his own. I
had never witnessed anything more beautiful and fulfilling than at long last
watching my son and my husband come together, finally, after so long.

I gasped when I was lifted high in the air. Courtney,
Nate, Kade, Liv, Layla, Marcy, Katie, Grace, they all held me tight. I spared a
silent moment for Rebecca, and hoped she was now happy. I finally realised that
shit through the years meant nothing if you couldn’t forgive. She deserved forgiveness.
She gave her life to my husband and she should be respected for that if nothing
else.

Mason continued to watch me as he sung, his heart on his
sleeve and his love in his eyes as he idolised me.

“I'm so glad, I've finally found you,
yes, that one, in a million girl,
And now with my loving arms around you,
Honey, I can stand up and face the world.
You know your love,
Keep on lifting,
Higher,
Higher and higher,
I said your love,
Keep on,
Lifting me,
Higher and higher.”

“Jesus Christ!” I laughed when he finished his song and
jumped off the stage.

“How good was I, baby?” He scooped me up and carried me
towards the doors.

“You were awesome, Mason!” He grinned and nodded as he
nudged the double doors open with his backside. “Uhh, where are we going?”

He smirked at me as he took the foyer steps two at a time
up to the first floor. “Why Mrs Fox, you are going to show me your new tattoo.”

I bit the edge of my tongue and smirked at him. “Ahh, is
that all. I thought for a moment you were rushing me to the bedroom to make mad
passionate love to me.”

He tutted and shook his head in disappointment. “Ava,
Ava, Ava,” he sighed as he inserted the key card and kicked open our door.
“Since when have we ever made love?”

He dropped me on the bed, rolled me onto my stomach and
started to peel me out of my dress. He growled when he found my tattoo.

His monster of fortitude

“We fuck, baby. We fuck each other, we fuck with other’s
but most of all we fuck like there’s no tomorrow.” He nibbled at my arse and I
yelped when he slapped it. “And now…”

“Now?” I asked when he paused and ran the tip of his
finger up my arse cheeks.

“And now we fuck like the infamous Ava and Mason Fox.”

I gasped when I looked over my shoulder and found Kade
and Grace grinning at me. “I love you,” Mason whispered in my right ear.

“Fuck, I love you,” Kade breathed in my left ear.

Grace smirked, straddled my back and then shrugged, “Ahh
fuck it, I love you too.”

And holy shit, did we fuck. Just like Mason had said.
Just like his little warrior and my glorious bastard always did – with each
other, with others and until there was no tomorrow, because at the end of the
day, who knew what tomorrow would bring. And today? Well, today was a new day
and I was hell bent on living it to the full.

And yes, there was innuendo in that sentence. I was very
full, every – single – which – way.

But hey, I was his little warrior. And I kicked ass! I
kicked fucking ass, and I grew old with my husband and my lovers right beside
me, right beside the sea, right where George had wanted me to be and right
where I continued to live life to the full.

I am Ava Fox, and I am his monster of fortitude.

The End

Please continue for an
after note from Mason, Ava and DH

Ava:
*waves*
Hi all…. Say Hi Mason.

Mason:
Hi.

Ava:
*Rolls eyes*
Well I’ll start shall I?

Mason:
You usually do, baby.
*Bites on a
chocolate digestive*

Ava:
*glowers at Mason*
Okay, well... well
I’m here – at the end. Lots of you didn’t think I would be did you? Be honest!

Mason:
I know, they’re ecstatic Ava. Can you hear
them all cheering?

Ava:
Fuck off you surly bastard.
*Clears
throat*
Sorry, where was I? Oh yes, the end. Well I’m here, I kicked
cancers ass.

Mason:
You kick ass fucking brilliantly my little
warrior.
*Kisses Ava’s forehead*

Ava:
*Beams and nods*
I do don’t I!
*Sighs
happily*

Mason:
Get on with it, baby.

Ava:
Yes, sorry. Right umm... oh yes – cancer.
Well I got through it but I’m gonna be honest here, if it wasn’t for you lot
out there, I wouldn’t have made it.
*Turns to DH*
Someone was going to
kill me. Weren’t they DH?

DH:
*Shakes head slowly* Nooo.

Mason:
She was baby, I saw the plot line in that
little pink book of hers
. *DH kicks
Mason’s shin*
Ow Fuck! That
hurt!

Ava:
*huffs*
BUT… as I was saying… what the
fuck was I saying? …….. Oh! Yes, I made it and thank you everyone that shouted
at DH and told her not to kill me. You have no idea how much I appreciate that.

Mason:
Mmmm

Ava:
And, well that’s it really. It’s time to go
now. Time to say goodbye but hell, it’s been fun. Some of the stuff we’ve got
up to
*Chuckles*
Oooh Mason, do you remember that time in the Panther’s
stockroom.

Mason:
AVA!
*glares*
Shush… William will be
reading this after.

Ava:
Ooh, shit yeah. Remember that time we DIDN’T
smash those expensive whisky bottles he got from that Scottish fella he
entertains all the time when you slammed me against the shelving unit?

Mason:
*Groans and shakes head*
FML!

Ava:
Eh? What does FML mean?

Mason:
It means…. … Forever my love.

Ava:
*grins happily*
Aww, baby.
*Kisses
Mason hard*
That deserves something special tonight.

Mason:
*smirks*

Ava:
Anyway, I want to thank you all for taking my
hand and coming along for the ride. There’s been some ups and downs, actually
there’s been a lot of ups and downs. But I wouldn’t change it for the world. We
made some good friends, amazing friends actually…. What’s that noise?

Mason:
(Whispering under his breath)
You
know your love, your love keeps lifting me, keep on lifting, love keeps lifting
me.

Ava:
Will you stop singing that damn song!

Mason:
Sorry
*smiles apologetically*

Ava:
…And you all made them with me. But one thing
is for certain, through it all, I got stronger, I got wiser and I got….

Mason:
(Singing louder)
I'm so glad, I've
finally found you. Yes, that one, in a million girl
*Rolls lips, smiles at
Ava*
You got what baby?

Ava:
*stares at Mason*
Fuck knows!
*laughs*
What did I actually get out of it all?

Mason:
You got me.
*Grins widely and nods
enthusiastically*

Ava:
I got blonde hair!

Mason:
Perfect.

Ava:
(climbs onto Mason’s lap)
I got you!
*SHUT YOUR EYES EVERYONE!*

DH:
Anyway
*Kicks Ava and Mason*
I want a
quick word to say, thank you, each and every one of you for taking the Fox’s
into your hearts alongside me. They have been a joy to work with but broke me
bitterly, yet through it all, as my writing progresses and new characters are
created, there will only ever -
ever
be one Mr & Mrs Fox. And I will
miss them so much.

And as the wonderful Warner Brothers always said… That’s
all folks!