Maid For You - A Cinderella Love Story (18 page)

J
ax

F
our hours earlier
…

“
I
’m proud of you
, Jaxon. I know I rarely said it over the years, but you’ve grown into a fine man. I couldn’t have wished for a better son.”

My father raises his shot of Macallan and we clink glasses. I take a hit and enjoy the smooth liquid sliding down the back of my throat.

“Thanks. That means a lot.”

He’s never been the type to get down and dirty with heart to hearts, so those words hold a lot of weight for me.

“So, you’re absolutely sure you want to do this?”

I shoot him a grin. “One hundred percent.” A beat passes between us and I glance around his office. Dark oak paneling mixed with chrome and steel furniture - the materials epitomize the man that is Michael Prescott. Hard and cold, but a man of principles. “The press release is scheduled for ten this evening, once the speeches are over. And then a secondary announcement first thing in the morning.”

He dips his head in acknowledgment. “The board is ready to field the questions.”

“Thank you, Dad. For everything you’ve done for me over the years.”

He stands and walks around his desk until he is facing me. I push back my chair and he holds out his arms.

“You’ve done good, my son.”

He gives my back a few hard pats and then holds me at arm’s length. “A favor to request.”

Here it comes
. I knew I wouldn’t be able to get out of here without something holding me back. “What is it?”

“Your mother, Jax.” His eyes soften. “She may not be your number one favorite person…but she’s still your mom. I think she’s suffered enough for the past six years, don’t you?” He doesn’t wait for an answer and my jaw automatically tenses. “It’s time to make your peace.”

“I can’t forgive her for what she did.”

“Find it in yourself. You’re a better person than she is.”

He releases me and I glance at the clock. “I’ll think about it. But for now, I’ve some final things I need to take care off.”

He gestures with his hand. “Go. I’ll see you later tonight.”

Four hours later…

I
stand
at the front of the stage and scan the throng of patrons seated below me. I know she’s here.

I can feel her presence.

Having requested her and Lauren to be seated near the front, it takes me a moment before I’m drawn to her, like the magnets that we are to each other. She looks startled, like a deer caught in headlights, but still her gaze is fixed on me until I’ve no choice but to pull away and continue with the proceedings.

“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your company this evening. I know my presence may seem somewhat of a shock to most, but it is my hope that you will understand my reasoning soon.” I turn to Alicia. “I’d like to give a heartfelt thanks to the board of investors, most of whom you’ve met earlier tonight. I’m humbled in the faith you have placed in me.” The guests clap politely and then when it quiets down, I continue. “As of this evening, I am no longer an employee of Prescott Associates.” As I expected, the news causes surprise among everyone, and the room breaks out into chatter. I give them less than a minute and then hold my hand up for silence. “Thank you. I’d like to say that I’ve had an incredible four years there, which has shaped me into the lawyer I am today, but it’s the right time for me to forge my own path. I won’t bore you with all the details right now as the PR team will be fielding questions, but there will be an official statement later tonight.”

I take a sip of water from the stand and inhale deeply. My eyes find Ava’s and I’m shocked to see that she appears totally mesmerized. Looking at her gives me the strength to continue.

“I’d like to tell you a little story, which is what influenced the reason behind why The Dreams Foundation is here today.” I pause and run my hand through my hair. “The story is about a little boy, aged four years old. Unfortunately, unlike most kids, this little guy didn’t have the comfort of growing up with a caring family. His dad vanished before he was even born and as for his mother – she spiraled out of control with drugs. The little boy soon learned to stay out of her way, especially when he would find her in one of her “rages.” I use air quotes to signify my point. “Things got progressively worse for the kid with the lack of care and socialization, and ultimately he even took to scavenging in trash bins for any traces of food.” I walk a little to my right and proceed once again. “One day, he woke up to find his mother gone. He called and called for her, but she never came. For two days, he sat in the house, crying, soiled and starved, waiting for a mother that never returned.” An audible gasp goes around the guests, and I take a moment to walk to the other side.

“Thankfully one of the neighbors must have heard him and alerted the cops. When he was found, he was dehydrated, almost unconscious, and extremely malnourished, not to mention scared. Child Protection Services took him into their care, where he made a slow recovery. No trace of his mother could be found, so the little boy was put into the foster care system, waiting for the right family to come and adopt him. Thankfully, it so happened that there was a family who were waiting for a son of their own, and the little boy was adopted by these kind people.”

I exhale a trembling breath. “That little boy? He’s here, standing in front of you and telling you his story.”

I walk back to the middle and grip the stand. Alicia’s arm goes around me and when I turn to look at her, both of us have tears in our eyes.

I’ve never told anyone my story, and the room is buzzing with loud voices, shock, and disbelief.

I can’t look at Ava yet, because it’s not her pity I’m looking for.

I have to raise my voice until everyone is quiet once again. “I have been incredibly fortunate to find my family, but there are plenty of kids out there who haven’t gotten so lucky. This is why The Dreams Foundation is so close to my heart – I’ve lived through the hardship myself.” I take another sip of my water. “Right now we’re focusing on education, but I want us to grow even bigger, and the next step will be to provide shelters and educational programs for kids on the street. For disadvantaged kids who just. Need. A. Break. Our fundraising team will make a presentation shortly about what we’re currently doing with regards to securing donations, so I’ll let them tell you all about it. Of course, we will be in need of a media partner to work alongside us, but we’ve taken care of that discussion on our side. We’d like to keep our team small and hands-on and therefore, there’s a newly formed company, who I refer to as the Dynamic Duo, that I’m keen to do business with.” The audience breaks into laughter and it lifts the heavy atmosphere. “I hope to speak to them afterwards and hopefully we can announce our new partnership soon.”

I pull the mic back out of the stand and walk to the edge of the stage – so that Ava is directly in my view.

“I’m almost done, folks, but there is one final thing I need to say.” I look at Ava and her eyes fix on me. Her cheeks are flushed and I can see a little smear of makeup under her eyes.

“I’d like to say a special thank you to someone who impacted me six years ago and who taught me to follow my dreams, no matter what the circumstances. Someone who showed me how to stick up for myself if it meant it would ultimately be for the greater good.” I fix my eyes on her. “Someone who made me
want
to become a better person. That someone I’m referring to has had my heart from the moment I met her six years ago, even though we’ve been separated by the paths our lives have taken us on.” I pause, and I can see her eyes are filling with tears. “I dedicate this evening to you. Miss Ava Cortes, I love you.”

Suddenly I can’t see her as the patrons surge to their feet, cheering and clapping, and I’m enveloped in hugs from people who have come onto the stage from all directions. I try to search for her, but the room is exploding with voices, camera flashes, rapturous applause, and the sea of people buries her.

I feel like a tremendous weight has been lifted off my chest, and it feels cathartic revealing my past.

Now all I need is the woman I’m in love with to be by my side.

Ava

Tears are running down my cheeks and I feel like I can’t breathe. My pulse is racing and I can hear the sound of my heartbeat thrashing in my ears. Taking a few deep breaths, I try to calm myself, but it’s futile and my throat feels like it’s closing up.

“Ava! What’s going on?” Lauren’s eyes widen with fear and I glance around, thankful everyone is up on their feet and focused on Jax.

“Get me out of here. Now.”

Lauren looks at me like I’m crazy, but she doesn’t argue for once. She grabs my hand and we snake our way out of the room without drawing too much attention to ourselves.

Once we’re outside, I bend over and place my hands on my knees, gasping for air. Lauren rushes off and comes back a second later with a tall glass of iced water.

“Drink, Ava.”

I inhale a few deeper breaths and pull myself up with her help. Taking the glass, I gulp down a large sip of water and then another, and it seems to help the tightness in my chest.

I’m relieved that it’s fairly quiet in this part of the hotel.

Lauren pushes my hair back away from my face. “My god, you scared me. I think you’re having a panic attack. Should I call for some assistance?”

I widen my eyes and shake my head “No, no. Please, Lauren, get me out of here.” My voice cracks and tears fill my eyes. “Please, I need to get out of here.”

“Okay, honey, I got you. Come on, let’s get us outside the hotel.” She talks to me in a low and patient voice, as if she’s addressing a child, and it helps to calm my nerves.

I nod and grip her hand, wiping away my tears. Somehow, we make it outside and she finds us a car to take us back to our hotel.

We don’t exchange words on the way back. I just place my head on her shoulder and she squeezes my hand as my tears run down my cheeks.

When we’re back at the hotel, I start to shiver badly so she runs me a warm bath and waits in the suite to make sure I’m okay. I feel numb as I step into the warm water and lower myself into the bubbles, wrapping my arms around my legs. The shaking subsides eventually and soon exhaustion takes over me.

Lauren helps me change into my pajamas and then slips into the bed next to me. I can see she’s worried as hell, but she doesn’t press me right now.

I squeeze my eyes shut and pray for sleep to take over.

Two weeks later

I
t’s
Friday evening and I wander around my empty apartment, room to room, missing Lauren’s presence. I lean against the doorframe to her old room and take a sip from my glass of wine. Funny how the apartment suddenly seems so huge. I look at the color on the walls and think that it may be time to freshen up the paint. Carter had bought the apartment from the company and gifted it to me upon graduation. I was so focused on work that I never stopped to think that it might be nice to put my own touch on it.

Exhaling, I walk back into the living room and take a seat on the sofa. Curling my legs under me, I give a cursory glance at the coffee table, which is covered in various media packs.

The phone rings and it startles me, the sound coming from somewhere on the table. Digging around under the paperwork, I locate it and swipe right when I see it’s Lauren.

“Hey, thought you were out entertaining tonight.”

“Yeah, I’m heading out shortly. Just wanted to check that you’re sure you don’t want to join us?”

I smile. “No, I’m good, thanks.” There is a pause and she’s so quiet, I’m unsure if she’s still on the line.

“Lauren, are you still there?”

I hear her exhaling on the other end. “Yeah, I’m here.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing wrong with me, hon. I’m just worried about you.”

I pick at my yoga trousers. “I’m fine.”

“Ava, all you’ve done since we got back is to work fourteen-hour days. You refuse to talk about what happened with Jax, and you don’t want their business either.”

“I know, I know. I’m sorry you got caught up in this.”

“You can’t hold it all in and stay locked up in your apartment all day. It’s not healthy, Ava. Besides, the press has died down and moved onto another story now…I just can’t bear to see you live like this.” She pauses and her voice softens. “This is supposed to be the happiest time of our life. The business is going well, although I do think you should reconsider the offer to work with The Dreams Foundation, but besides that, you’ve got so much to live for. Come on hon, you can’t bottle this all up…you need to let someone in.”

I nod my head even though I know she can’t see. “I’ll get my shit together, but thank you for having my back these past two weeks. I know you’ve shouldered the brunt of entertaining and I promise I’ll make it up to you.”

“I don’t care about that. I just want you to be happy. And Ava, honestly? I’ve never seen you like this. I want my best friend back. Jax or not.”

“Thank you for caring, Lauren…hadn’t you better go? I’ll join you next time. Promise.”

We say our goodbyes and I toss my phone onto the sofa.

I guess it’s another night of Netflix and ice cream to keep me company.

I
try
to sleep in the following morning, but as of late, my mind is constantly overridden with noise and I end up waking early. Sitting at the table and nibbling on a piece of toast, the buzzer rings. I’m not expecting anyone at this time, and therefore I’m a little hesitant when I pick up the handset.

Barry, the security guard’s voice, comes on the line. “Morning Miss Cortes, there is someone here to see you. Says it urgent. Her name’s Mrs. Prescott.”

My mouth goes slack and my chest begins to thump.
Is it Jax? Is he alright?

“Miss Cortes? Are you still there?”

“It’s Ava.” I say it out of habit - he’s known me for almost six years.

“Sorry. So, Ava, should I let her up?”