Family Bonds- Ava and Seth (Amore Island Book 5), Natalie Ann [world of reading TXT] 📗

by six minutes doesn’t mean anything. You aren’t the boss of me.”

“Now children,” her father said. “Your mother and I heard enough of that when you were growing up.”

“I heard it a lot more than you, Michael,” her mother said. It wasn’t said negatively at all. More like lovingly.

“That’s because you’ve got more patience than I do. I use mine all up at work,” her father said.

“Regardless,” Ava said. “I can do what I want when I want.”

“So you like this guy?” Hudson asked.

“I think it’s pretty obvious. You guys have all said you like him. So, what is the big deal?”

“No big deal,” her mother said. “But he has other obligations. Are you okay with that?”

“Why wouldn’t I be? Adele is a sweetheart. I know what happened to his wife, Ellen. I told you that. I also know his daughter comes first and I understand that and would expect no differently.”

“It’s just in the past you’ve gotten...shall we say crapped on...for putting other things first in your life than those you were in a relationship with. Now it might happen to you and I’m curious what you think of it,” Carson said.

“Not much to think about. That was different than this. That was my career. It’s not like I’m putting that first or he is either. This is a child we are talking about. One that lost a parent and needs the other one. She has Seth’s mother who lives on the island.”

“Who is that?” her mother asked.

“Mary Young. She moved here permanently years ago when she retired. It was a second home she’d had with her husband and she got it in the divorce.”

“So a nasty split?” her father said.

“I didn’t ask those details and they don’t concern me. Seth’s father lives in California where he’s remarried and has been since he left them when Seth was in high school. He doesn’t have a close relationship with the man and that is his father’s loss.”

“She’s defending him,” Carson said, looking at Hudson.

“So I can hear. Well, I guess if you are happy that is all that matters,” Hudson said.

“Exactly,” she said and prayed that they would drop it now. So much for the girl talk she was hoping for.

The minute Ava pulled away, Seth told Adele, “Bath time. You’ve been wound all afternoon and need to settle in.”

“But I had so much fun with Ava.”

“I know you did. And you thanked her a few times for spending the day and playing with you. It was very nice of you to do that.”

“I know she’s your friend, but she seems like mine too,” his daughter said.

For a split second he debated on if she should say Ava was more than a friend and then reminded himself that Adele was six. This would lead into a conversation he wasn’t prepared for, and didn’t know the right words.

It was best that Adele thought he and Ava were friends for now. At least until they spent some more time together.

All that phone and text talk for a month and not seeing each other could have been sexual frustration on both their parts.

They didn’t necessarily do “sex” talk, but there’d been plenty of flirting and underlying sexual tension between them. Maybe last night was combustion once they were together and it would slow down the need.

No, he didn’t see that happening. They had too much in common. Had too much fun together. And his daughter loved Ava.

The sad and somewhat scary part was that he might be falling in love with Ava too and wasn’t sure if he should try to stop it or not.

21

Not Completely Unexpected

Over a week later, Seth was in his office working when his phone rang. He looked briefly and saw it was his secretary calling. “Yes.”

“Dr. Hudson Mills is in the lobby asking to see you.”

Hmm, interesting and not completely unexpected.

Last weekend, even though Ava was still on call, they did indeed have their celebration day with Adele for her last week of school. Once Adele heard the plan, there was no getting her to wait. She logically said it had to be last weekend because school had ended that week.

Ava had driven her own car and they’d gone bowling and then had some lunch. A beach day was out of the question as it would be too hard to get Adele there and then leave at a set time if Ava had to go.

And yes, Ava had gotten a few calls that day, but nothing major until they were finishing lunch when someone was going into labor. They’d just started so she’d told the hospital to call when the patient was closer. A few hours later, Ava had said her goodbyes and gone to do her job.

They’d talked on Sunday but hadn’t seen each other again and here it was Wednesday and her brother was wanting to see him.

He’d never had an older brother seek him out when he was dating someone and wasn’t particularly looking forward to this now, but he had met the guy before. The same with his twin and their father since they all did their banking here and he’d sought them out to introduce himself long before he knew Ava.

“Send him up,” he said. His office was on the second floor so it wasn’t as if people could come up when they wanted.

He waited a few minutes and there was a knock at his door. He stood up and made his way forward, his hand out. “Hudson, good to see you again. What can I do for you?”

No reason to refer to him as doctor when Hudson had told him before to call him by his first name. Most of the Bond family members that he’d met in his three years here had been that way. No one was formal. They were all friendly and laid back everyday people. Just with a lot of money behind most of their names.

“Thought I’d stop up for a little chat,” Hudson