The heart-shaped pendant and thin golden chain were the only things Ava was wearing. Despite the shower we took together, her skin was burning under my fingertips as I explored every inch.

I smoothed my thumb over her cheekbone and moved it down to her lips.

Ava trapped the pad between her teeth. The tip of her tongue darted out, and a groan escaped my mouth. "Are we starting things here?"

She tucked her head in the crook of my neck. "I'm just playing with you."

I kissed her hair and buried my fingers in the dark strands, embracing her. "I hope you liked your birthday."

"The best birthday ever," Ava mumbled. Her lips grazed my neck, sending a non-verbal Earth to Jim Junior.

I was fucked beyond repair, both figuratively and literally. 

"I feel like the birthday's mine," I said, my palm gliding over the curves of Ava's body. 

"I'll make yours special, too. Is there anything you'd like?"

I inched away so I could see her face. "Yeah. Spending it with you this year. Just the two of us."

"Did you use to celebrate with your friends?"

"With my family first, and with my bandmates and other friends later," I said, bringing Ava closer. She laid her head on my chest and draped a leg over mine. 

The mention of friends made me think of something I'd noticed. And something Jay told me. It probably wasn't my business, but I'd never seen him so distraught over a girl.

I cleared my throat. "Speaking of friends. Do you happen to know why Ivy turned Jay down?"

He asked Ava's friend to give him a chance, but Ivy said she wasn't into him. I had my doubts, and other things I'd noticed only fueled them. 

Ava kissed my chest. "I do. But I don't know if I should tell you." After a momentary pause, she sighed. "Of course, I want to tell you. I just need you to promise you won't tell Jay because I don't want to betray Ivy's trust."

"Not my place to tell. She's pregnant, isn't she?"

In one swift motion, Ava climbed on top of me and stared at my face.

I tilted my hips up. "Are you comfy, beautiful?"

"Very." She smirked, but worry flooded her features, replacing the playful expression she was sporting. "How did you know?"

"She gave Isla her drinks," I said, sliding an extra pillow under my head to have a better view of my gorgeous naked girlfriend. "And got pale when the yacht started to move. So, that thing with her boyfriend is really serious, then."

Ava chewed on her lip. "There's no boyfriend. She's doing it alone because the guy told her to get rid of the baby. They broke up."

"He asked her to get rid of someone he helped her make. Cause it takes two."

"A baby wasn't in his plans." Ava put her folded hands under her chin. Her beautiful eyes roamed my face, and something akin to a silent question or maybe even concern flickered in them.

I traced the shape of her eyebrow. "I need you to know something. If you told me you were pregnant, I'd be happy."

Her plump lips parted as if she didn't expect to hear those words. I wasn't planning to have that talk just yet, but I meant every word.

"I'm not kidding," I said when Ava kept quiet. "I'm in no rush cause yeah, we're young, and my career takes up most of my time, but I want to have a family. And if it happens before we plan to become parents, I'll be okay with it."

Pink tinted Ava's cheeks. "I didn't expect you to say that."

"I made love to you without a condom, and you were the first girl I'd done it with. And I'm fully aware the risk is always there. No protection is a hundred percent reliable. I was a surprise too, after all. My mom was still a student."

"So were my parents," Ava said. "I just… I admire Ivy, you know? I can't imagine having this responsibility being so young."

"We'd figure it out one day at a time. And you wouldn't be alone. I'd be right there for anything you might need. Ivy's ex is an asshole. Having a kid is expensive, and I guess she's gonna pay for everything on her own."

"Yeah. She didn't tell him she didn't get an abortion. It was kind of logical since he made it clear he didn't want anything to do with her. Does Jay suspect she's pregnant too?"

I chuckled. "No. He thought she got her period and ran to the bathroom because of it."

"Thank God guys are clueless."

I pinched Ava's cheek. "Not all. I know when yours is, cute little thing."

The way Ava's eyes flared was almost comical. "You do?"

"Jim Junior keeps track. Plus, you get extra…"

"If you say grouchy, I'll take my words about the best birthday ever back." Ava mock-glared at me, making me want to kiss her.

"I was going to say extra cuddly. And cute. And fuck, I'm getting hard again."

"You've been for the last ten minutes. Nothing new."

"Oh, you did not." Circling an arm around Ava's back, I flipped us over, settling on top of her. "I know you love him. He knows you love him. You might've said you loved him after orgasm number three."

"Four." Ava pinched my butt. "There was a mini one before."

"Mini."

"That's what she said."

"You deserve to be punished, cute little thing."

"Punished by Jim Junior? Bring it on."

"I will after I give you something else. Hopefully better than a mini orgasm."

She covered her face with her palms, and her beautiful body shook. The sound of her infectious laughter filled the cabin.

My chest swelled. I loved seeing her happy. That was my intention when I organized the party, after all. She'd been through too much and deserved a break from all the shit that had been thrown at her. We both deserved it. Too bad parties couldn't last forever. 

I grabbed Ava's hands and removed them from her face. "I really need to give you something, baby. Wait for me here."

I slid on a pair of shorts and padded to the main salon of the yacht. What I needed was in a folder I put on the table after making sure Ava wouldn't look. Allister not only emailed her manuscript with corrections to me but also sent me a physical copy by mail. His timing couldn't have been better. I hoped it'd make Ava happy, but doubts accosted me. The guy did his job well, meaning he offered a full-blown critique. Red marks marred the pages, and he didn't hold back in his comments. I probably shouldn't have, but I read some to make sure they were constructive. And they were. His tone was friendly but professional, and he offered ways to improve things, not just pointed out what didn't work.

"Jimmy."

Ava's voice carried through the yacht. I scooped up the folder and rushed back to her.

She sat up, eyeing me. "You got dressed."

"It's a serious matter, baby."

Ava grabbed my white button-down from the floor and wrapped it around herself. "Serious as in something about us?"

I lowered myself onto the bed beside her and pressed my lips to her forehead. "Of course not. Remember the signed book I gave you?"

"How could I forget?" She cupped my cheek. "You made me so happy. I love that book. Read it in less than a day."

"Right." I rubbed the back of my neck. "So, I asked the guy to read your stuff."

Ava froze. Her hand lingered on my jaw, and I took it to press a kiss to her palm. "Listen to me, okay?"

"You… Okay."

"I took lessons in songwriting. My early stuff was decent, but I didn't make much progress until some experts gave me input. I asked Allister to read your work and offer critique, and I received your manuscript with his suggestions today. I just need to make sure you want to see what he wrote."

"If I want to see? Oh my god, it's like a dream come true. I can't believe you asked him to read it. Did he hate it? Tell me the truth."

Anxiety slipped into Ava's voice. I laced our fingers and pulled her onto my lap. "Come here."

She straddled my legs. "He did."

"He didn't. I'll forward his email to you. There's something else."

Ava pushed her hair back, tucking it behind her ears. "More? I'm not sure I can handle more."

"He wants to have a video chat with you to talk about his suggestions. The guy is offering to be your mentor. I think you should say yes."

"Of course. God, of course, I will. Show me everything."

I took my phone and pulled up my email. After handing the cell to Ava, I leaned back on my forearms, watching her read.

"He says he's in love with the plot of my story. And that it has potential."

"And he's right."

"And the day after tomorrow works for him if I'm free."

"I guess you'll be free."

"I can't believe you...he…"

Ava's voice shook. I pulled the phone from her grip and tossed it aside so I could wrap her in my arms. "No crying, okay? I wanted to make you happy, not sad."

"I'm happy. I'm so, so happy. I'm just overwhelmed. I can't believe you did something like that for me. Did he charge you a lot?"

"I played at his kid's birthday. I also offered him money, but he didn't take it."

Ava rested her cheek on my shoulder. "I love you. Not just for this, but for this too. I'm so lucky to have you."

"Feeding your man's ego, beautiful?"

"It's not big, so it can use some food."

"I'm not gonna say, 'That's what she said.'"

"Cause she didn't say that." Ava laughed. "Thank you, Jimmy. I'm dying to read his notes, but if I do, I'll start overthinking and drive myself crazy. I'd rather you drove me crazy instead tonight."

That sounded like the best plan. Fully approved by Jim Junior and his CEO, a.k.a. me. 

I pushed the shirt off Ava's slim shoulders. She closed her eyes when my fingertips danced across her chest in a featherlike caress.

I was dying to have her again. To feel her naked skin. To make love to her. Calm never lasted, but I'd soak in every moment of it while it did.

Isn't he perfect? Ava is lucky. The next one will be here hopefully soon. I hope the chapter is okay. Lately I never know, haha. The self-doubt is real, guys. Hope everyone is doing great❤