Free Never Letting You Go (Being Yours Novella Series Book 1) by Dawn Martens

told Ava our marriage would be in name only, that we’d be best friends, that light, the spark she held for me, seemed to die out.
    I lost my chance with her, and that fucking kills. My cell pings with a message, and I see it’s Kimber. I made a date with her last night. It’s not that I even like her, but using my hand isn’t doing it for me. I swear my right arm is going to be huge, while my left stays somewhat scrawny.
    After grabbing my coat by the front door, I walk back to the kitchen to say bye to Ava and Connie. “Ladies.” I nod at them when they turn to me with smiles on their faces. “I’m heading out for the night, but if you could both please make some of that homemade ice cream you made me last week, that would be the best thing ever,” I say with a pleading grin.
    Ava rolls her eyes at me. “Have fun on your date. But just so you know, if we make that ice cream, it will probably be gone before you get home.” She sends me a smirk. Something about the way she mentioned my date doesn’t sit right with me.
    I wish she never overheard Becky and me talking that day. Things would be different. She’d never know about the marriage terms, and she could be under me, or over me, any time I wanted. But when she heard what we were saying, all of the hopes I had with her died.
    I just wish I could make her see that I really do want her, and not just in name only.
     

 
     
    Chapter 15
    Present
    Ava
    It feels like everyone is against me right now—my parents calling up Cameron, him not giving me a divorce, and then the bastard having me arrested. I don’t understand why this is happening. Does he think he can keep stringing me along while he has Becky, too? Does he get some kind of happiness out of ruining my life?
    While lying in bed, I hear movement around the house and the smell of cookies in the oven. Great. Now, Mom is going to try to bribe me with my favorite cookies. Why does she suck so hard right now! Ugh. She knows I can’t pass up cookies, especially her homemade shortbread cookies.
    My cell rings, and I grab it out of my purse that’s sitting at the end of my bed. Pulling it out, I see it’s Kristi. I groan answering it. “Hey, Kris.”
    “Where are you, chick? You should have been here, like, four hours ago,” she says, sounding confused.
    “Yeah, well, there was a problem.” I tell her how Cameron got me pulled over and had me sitting in a jail cell until he picked me up. She bursts out laughing.
    “Maybe he’s not the dick I thought he was. Love this.”
    My eyes narrow. “Whose side are you on?” I demand.
    She laughs. “At the moment, I don’t know. I need more answers to my questions before I make up my mind,” she says. “Shit. Emma just got home, and she’s screeching at Dad about something. I’ll talk to you later, Lynnie.”
    I toss my phone on my bedside table. What a traitor. I’ve always taken her side through everything, including when her mom left and when her dad made stupid ass rules about dating. I was with Kristi through her major rebellion, when she wanted to pierce and tattoo every blank spot on her body and dye her hair crazy whacky colors. Yet she’s taking Cameron’s stupid side right now.
    Some friend. I grab my phone again and shoot her a text.
    I’m pregnant – A
    She’ll see that and flip out. I know she will.
    I shut my phone off and toss it on my bed. Just as I’m about to lay down for a nap, I smell the cookies again. I get up and go downstairs to the kitchen.
    When I see my mom plating some shortbread cookies, I groan. “Are you going to frost those?” I ask her hopefully.
    She chuckles. “You know it.”
    “I need, like, all of them,” I inform her.
    “I know. I made them just for you,” she says, smiling. “Well, have you and Cameron talked yet?” she asks.
    “Not really. The big jerk got me arrested. Well, not officially, just held in a holding cell until he got me,” I tell her.
    She lets out a snort. “I like him.”
    I