my finger. “I swear to you, Jo. I would never do anything to make you uncomfortable.”
It’s silent a long moment, Ava, Trevor and I waiting to see what she says or does next. I can hear Ava breathing heavily next to me, and so I take a risk and grasp her hand in mine, relief washing through me when she lets me.
Jo stands. “Okay.”
“Okay?” Ava practically squeals.
Jo nods. “Okay, Connor, six-five, weak jump shot. Tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow,” I agree.
Her gaze shifts to Ava. “Don’t yell at Connor, baby. He’s a good boy.” She stops in front of me, pats my cheek. “Handsome, too.”
Ava lets out a single disbelieving laugh. “Okay, Mama.”
“I’m going to bed,” Jo says, kissing her daughter on the cheek.
As soon as she’s in her room, I turn to Ava. “I’m sorry,” I rush out. “I shouldn’t have ambushed you all like that, it just came out, and I couldn’t stop, but I should have run it by you first. And you’re right. I can’t just show up and expect to make a difference. It was stupid to think I could.”
“Well, technically…” Trevor says, “you kind of have. I mean, Mama Jo even thinking about leaving the house is a big deal.”
“Trevor’s right,” Ava says quietly, pouting up at me with those lips I’m dying to kiss. “I’m sorry I yelled at you. I’m just so invested, and I take everything personally.”
“I know, and I get it.”
She sighs. “Mom’s right; you are a good boy.”
I smile from ear-to-ear. “And handsome, too. Don’t forget that part.”
Chapter 16
Ava
“Ava, stop!” Connor says, grabbing me by my shoulders to stop me from pacing. We’re at the bleachers during lunch, and my anxiety over tonight has me on edge. “You need to trust me, okay?” He’s trying to bite back a smile, and it makes me want to punch him in the face.
Or kiss him.
I can’t fucking decide.
I inhale a huge breath and hold it a moment before releasing it slowly. Looking up at him, I order, “Tell me the plan.”
He groans, his entire body deflating. “We wait until it’s dark. I’ll text you when I’m minutes away. You open the door. We go on a covert mission to get your mom into my truck, which has the darkest legal tint, by the way, and then… we go…”
“Go where, Connor?”
He shrugs, all nonchalant like, and it has me leaning toward punching him in the face. “I want it to be a surprise.”
“For who? Me or my mom?”
“Both of you,” he says, but it comes out a question.
I jerk out of his hold and start pacing again.
Connor laughs. “Relax, would you?”
I turn to him, lift my chin. “Three years, remember?” I say, pointing to me. “I have three years of reasons not to relax, and you—”
“Okay,” he cuts in, stepping closer to me. “I get it. I’m sorry.”
“It just feels like you’re not taking this as seriously as you should be.”
Sighing, he drops his head, pinches the bridge of his nose. Then he sits down, taking my hand and forcing me to do the same. With his thigh against mine, he says, looking down at his hands, “I’ve thought of everything possible, okay? And if at any time she changes her mind, then we don’t go. It’s that simple. But I need you to have a little faith in me. It may seem like it’s not as important to me as it is to you, but… your mom is important to me, and not because she’s your mom, but because… she…” he trails off, another heavy breath leaving him. “I don’t know, Ava. Your mom—she makes me want to be a better person, and there aren’t a lot of people in this world who can do that. And I hate the way the world has treated her. I do.” He rubs the back of his neck, his frustration showing. “The thing is, I can’t control the world, but I can control me. And if I can do this one little thing to show her, and you even, that not everybody is made equal, then I will…” He faces me, his eyebrows dipped. “Through love and basketball.”
Connor: Dark enough yet?
Ava: Yeah, I think so.
Connor: Money. I’ll be there in five.
Ava: Okay. Hey, what’s the attire for tonight?
Connor: Attire?
Ava: Like, what should we wear?
Connor: Just make sure your mom is warm and wearing sneakers. As for you, I vote nude, but that would be awkward in front of your family, so…
Ava: Got it. And just for you, I’ll