Key To My Heart (Love Conquers All) (28 page)

Leaning her petite body over the coffee table, bringing her into her friend’s personal space, Summer squinted at Ava with mischief gleaming in her eyes. “Ooh, you did
it
? Didn’t you? You gave that man a piece of tail, and he done turned your little nasty behind out,” Summer whispered.

Ava’s mouth flew open, ready to refute Summer, but then she just threw her hand over her mouth as she screamed in laughter along with the rest of her friends. Wiping tears from her eyes, she said, “I hate you, Summer. You get on every last one of my nerves.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, Ava. Summer gets on your nerves. What else is new?” Starr jokingly asked. “Answer the question. Did you and Langston do the hokey-pokey or what?”

She didn’t have to answer her friends. The crimson color rising up from her neck and fanning across her face answered for her.

Karen, who was beyond a little tipsy, cried out, “You in love, Ava.” Starr, Ava, and Summer giggled when Karen hiccupped and slurred, “You ain’t no ho. You’s a good girl.” Starr had to catch her sister when she wobbled off her pillow as she continued to slur, “You gave him a piece of tail because you love him.” Nodding her head like a bobble head doll, she said, “Yup, you love him. And he loves you too.”

“Oh my goodness, she’s drunk as two skunks,” Starr mumbled, shaking her head as she laid down Karen on the floor, putting the pillow under her head.

The room was spinning as Karen closed her eyes and fussed, “I’m not drunk as no damn stinking skunks.”

Ava, Summer, and Starr giggled like school girls for fear that if they let out a hardy laugh, Karen would start acting up. Ava hadn’t meant to make the margaritas so potent.

“You know, all jokes aside, I think Karen is right,” Starr said.

Ava wasn’t even going to pretend that what Starr was saying wasn’t true, because it was true. She might lie to herself, but she wasn’t about to lie to her friends.
As if. These two can read me like an open book.
Fingering the locket around her neck, she whispered, “I do love him.” Tough girl Ava’s voice trembled when she admitted, “But I’m so scared.”

“Of what, honey?” Summer asked gently, holding her friend’s gaze.

Hunching her shoulders, Ava said, “I don’t know. Everything, I guess.” Resting her head in her hand, Ava began to stroke her forehead with her fingers. “What if it doesn’t work again like it didn’t the last time? Not only will I have a broken heart to deal with
again
, but what about Zoe? If we get together and breakup what kind of impact will that have on my baby?” Whatever happened between her and Langston, Zoe could not get hurt in the process. Ava would walk away from Langston before she’d allow anything to hurt her child.

Holding her hands up like she was stopping traffic, Starr said, “Whoa, whoa, calm down, boo. You are jumping way ahead of yourself. You seem like you’re closing the door before it can get fully opened.”

Ava turned to Summer as Summer began to speak. “Honey, you’re going to have to let the past stay where it belongs. You and Langston are different people now. Even you yourself said he’s changed. Ava, the poor man made a terrible mistake, and he’s doing everything in his power to make it up to you—”

Ava cut her off. “But what if he and that witch he calls a mother get back on speaking terms? And . . . and what if he catches feelings for that Christina chick? After all, they do work together for hours every day.” Ava knew she was grasping at straws or anything else that would rationalize why she shouldn’t give her and Langston a chance.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Starr flagged Ava. “Girl, stop talking stupid. You can believe Beatrice’s days of running her son’s life are over. I could tell you that from the way he looked at her at Zoe’s recital. He may have tried to hide it, but the hurt and anger was still there. And pullease! He don’t want nobody’s Christina. Trust me, if he wanted her, he would have had her a long time ago. So stop your trippin’.”

Ava looked to Summer again, this time for confirmation of what Starr was saying. Summer nodded her head in the affirmative. “Yup. Now you know we got your back right?”

Ava let out a deep breath. She hoped her friends were right. She loved Langston, and she wanted it all. She wanted to go to bed with him every night and wake up next to him each morning. She wanted them to raise Zoe together under the same roof and take her on fun vacations every year like her parents had done for her and her brother. She even entertained the idea of having another baby or two with him.

“And you know we wouldn’t be telling you to give your love for Langston another chance if we didn’t think he loved you, right?” Starr added.

“So trust your heart, honey, and let that man love you how you deserved to be loved,” Summer said, reaching across the table and giving Ava’s hand a gentle squeeze. “And if Langston by chance acts a fool, which I don’t think he will, but if he does, I got a couple keys I can introduce to that fine ride of his.”

Ava and Starr cracked up. Summer was hunched over with her imaginary key in her hand, scratching the side of an imaginary car. Ava smiled at her friends. “Group hug.”

The warm embrace of her friends gave Ava the courage to trust her heart and love again.

The soft ding of the elevator signaling someone getting off captured Christina’s attention as she gathered documents, putting them into a folder. Looking up from her task, Christina gazed at the woman stepping off the elevator holding Zoe’s hand. She must have said something funny, because Zoe’s hand was over her mouth, hiding a giggle.

She is so beautiful,
Christina thought.
At first glance one would think Ava was Latina, however Christina knew better. Several weeks ago she’d learned from Zoe that Ava was biracial—African American and Italian.

“Hi, Miss Christina,” Zoe said.

“Hey, Miss Zoe, how are you? Did you work hard today?” Christina asked, playing their little greeting game.

Shaking her head and sending her braids swinging in the air, Zoe joyfully announced, “I just came from the beach with Mommy, my aunties, and my cousins.”

That was Christina’s cue to look up at Ava. Both women mentally sized up the other. Reaching her hand across the desk, Christina offered it to Ava. “I’m Christina. How are you?”

Accepting the hand, Ava smiled. “I’m Ava, and I’m doing fine, thank you.”
So this is the Christina that Dragon Lady brought up in here to try to take my man. It ain’t happening.
Just as Ava thought that, she released the other woman’s hand. “Is Langston in?”

“Yes, I’ll intercom him,” Christina offered, picking up the phone.

“No, don’t,” Ava said, stopping Christina. “We want to surprise him.”

Standing, Christina said, “I’ll show you to his office.”

“I know where it is.” Smiling down at her daughter, she gently tugged on her tiny hand. “Come on, my Zoe, let’s go see your daddy.”

Watching them disappear down the hallway, Christina took her seat. From the look Ava gave her, Ava knew what Christina’s original purpose for being at Warrington & Warrington was all about. “Sista looks like she don’t play,” she mumbled to herself as she clicked the mouse on her computer to print another document.

eee

“Come in,” Langston called out to the knock on his door as he stood, rounding his desk. He hoped this wasn’t an appointment he’d forgotten about. It was one thirty in the afternoon, and he hadn’t had a thing to eat all day. He was just about to head to the deli on the corner.

Zoe gently opened the door, peeking her head in. She knew she had to be quiet just in case daddy was on the phone. When she saw he wasn’t on the phone, she burst through the door and ran toward him. “Daddy!”

Stooping down, Langston held his arms open for her to run into. “Love Bug! Where have you been? You’ve been gone a gabillion years!”

Zoe giggled at her daddy’s silly exaggeration. “Daddy,” Zoe huffed, rolling her eyes, “I wasn’t gone a gabillion years. Just two days.”

Langston chuckled.
Getting more like your mother every day.
Squeezing her tightly, Langston kissed her cheek. “It sure felt like it.” Releasing Zoe from his embrace, he whispered in her ear, “I better go say hi to your mommy. I missed her too.”

“OK, Daddy.” Zoe tugged on his shirtsleeve to keep him from standing. “Mommy said she missed you too,” Zoe whispered in a secretive tone.

“Is that so?” he whispered back.

Bobbing her head up and down, she said, “Uh-huh.”

Ava lifted a suspicious arched brow.
What are they over there whispering about?

Langston smiled as he stood and crossed the room to stand in front of Ava. “Hi.”

Looking up at Langston, Ava’s heart skipped a beat or two. His mouth was curved in the sexiest smile. “Hi yourself.” She smiled back.

“A little birdie told me you missed me,” he said, resting his hands comfortably on Ava’s waist as if they belonged there.

“Is that right?” Ava asked, tilting her head to the side, and loving the feel of his hands touching her.

“Mmm-hmm, sure did.” Leaning in close, he whispered against her lips, “She told me to do this too.”

Zoe covered her eyes with her tiny hands when her daddy kissed her mommy. After a few seconds, Zoe spread her fingers and peeped through them. Her mommy and daddy were now hugging. It was safe for her to take her hands down now, because Grandmom and Grandpop always hugged each other. Grandmom told her some people hug because they love each other.
I hope Mommy and Daddy love each other so they can live together all the time like Grandmom and Grandpop.

Breaking the hug, Ava slid her hands up the solid wall of Langston’s chest. “Did you miss me?”

A wolfish grin spread across Langston’s face as he pulled her closer. “Dump the kid and I’ll show you just how much,” he whispered close to her ear before striking his tongue quickly like a cobra, hitting the sensitive spot behind her lobe.

Ava released a startled gasp, nudging Langston away at the feel of his bold manhood pressing
hard
against her. “How about I dump you, you dirty old goat,” Ava hissed. She could not believe Langston was acting like a horny teenager with Zoe in the room! Granted, his back was to Zoe and the child had climbed up in her father’s chair, swirling around and not paying them a bit of attention. Still, that didn’t mean he could get her all hot and bothered and not be able to do anything about it.

Langston chuckled. “You know you want me.”

“Shut up, Lang,” she mumbled under her breath, mad at herself because she did want him.

“Mmm-hmm, you want me. You just called me Lang,” he shamelessly teased her, flexing his muscles like Mr. Universe and looking darn good as his dress shirt pulled taunt over thick muscles.

“What?” Ava shouted as she laughed at Langston striking body-building poses. Charging after him, she said, “I’m…going…to…get…you…Lang…ston…Warrin…ton…the…third!”

Zoe kicked her legs in the too-large chair as she laughed at her mommy running after her daddy around the office, swatting at him like a cat at a mouse.

Ava stopped dead in her tracks when Langston’s gut let out a loud, angry growl. “Was that your stomach?”

Laughing, he said, “Yeah, I was on my way out to lunch. Did you and Love Bug eat?”

Leaning a hip on his desk, she said, “No, Zoe wanted to see you, so we came straight here.”

“Zoe, huh?” he asked, his eyes twinkling with mischief. Why couldn’t she just admit she wanted to see him too?

Sucking her teeth and rolling her eyes, she said, “Don’t start your stuff again,
Langston.
”

Chuckling, Langston reached out, taking Ava’s hand. “Come on, Love Bug, let’s go get some lunch.”

Jumping down out of the chair, Zoe ran around the desk, taking the hand her daddy held out for her as they left his office.

“Aw, they make the cutest little family,” Grace said, smiling as the trio stepped onto the elevator while holding hands.

Christina looked up. “Yeah, they do,” she admitted, watching Langston lean down and kiss Ava on her forehead as the elevator door closed.

After lunch Ava and Zoe went back to the office and waited as Langston made a few calls before ending his day. Later that night they made popcorn and were watching a
Sponge Bob
marathon in the family room when the phone rang.

Langston reached over, picking up the cordless phone off the end table next to the sofa. “Hello?” Recognizing the voice, he smiled. “Hey, how’s it going, Ms. Janet?” Looking down at Ava, whose head was resting in his lap, he said, “I’m good. You want to talk to Ava?” Langston laughed, swatting Ava’s hand as she reached for the phone. “She wants to talk to her granddaughter,” Langston told Ava.

“Whatever,” Ava said, settling her head back in Langston’s lap as he handed the phone to Zoe.

The color drained from Ava’s face when Zoe started jumping up and down and squealing. “Grandmom and Grandpop are taking me to Disney World!”

“When?” Ava asked, knots forming in her stomach as she looked up at Langston. They had briefly talked about taking Zoe to Disney World over the Christmas holiday.

Beaming like a ray of sunshine while skipping back and forth across the floor, she said, “Grandmom said on Monday.”