The Ultimate Chance-Chapter 55

She waited for him to set the food on the table before she went over to sit silently.

"This is spicy." He tasted a wing and looked at her. "What’s wrong?"

"Nothing. It does look spicy." She tried to forget about the kiss that nearly happened and picked up her cutlery.

He was confused by her change of mood. Wasn’t everything fine a moment ago? Or rather, he knew exactly what had happened. He just didn’t want to believe how different it made everything.

Just as he dreaded, she intended to go to her room as soon as she was done eating.

"Are you going to speak to Angel?" He asked to stall her.

"Of course." She sat back down and waited for him to give Mabella a video call. "I still can’t believe you covered all the bases. How much time did you have to plan this trip?"

"A day." He lied and made the call, not letting her have the time to catch on.

She smiled when Angel’s face came on the screen. "Hi baby. She glanced at Damon to wordlessly ask about the unicorn painted on the boy’s cheek.

"Mabella brought skin paint to play with him." He explained.

"Oh," it was surprising that he would let anyone get close enough to him to paint his face. Mabella must know her way with kids. Angel excitedly held up some of the chaotic paintings he had made with her, most of them mere smudges of color.

"Are you having fun?" She asked the obvious. "I’ll be back tomorrow, okay? If your dad doesn’t find it funny to imprison me here, that is. He’s quite the trickster."

"I’ll tell you a secret, Angel." Damon used the chance to turn the tide on her. "Your mommy’s mood is less predictable than the weather here."

"My mood is not unpredictable!" She countered.

"Yes it is."

"He’s...lying." She returned her attention to the video call, just in time to catch sight of Angel disappearing from the frame to hug his aunt. All he had cared about was showing off his paintings.

"Why was I even worried about him? He’s having a blast." She was relieved.

"I told you he’d be fine." He reminded her.

"My mood is not unpredictable." She insisted.

"Of course it’s not. Picking up food is enough time to predict that the woman you were about to kiss will be avoiding your gaze once you return. Totally predictable."

"Don’t make this hard for me, Damon." She stood up, only to bump into his chest.

"It’s hard enough for me." He held her.

"I really don’t want to fight tonight." She stopped him from making a mean remark.

"I don’t want to fight any night. I’d rather put that effort to good use."

Her eyes widened at his ambiguous words.

"The point is, we are going to spend a lot of time working together on this project and co-parenting. If we can’t stop launching attacks at each other, what’s our son going to think of adults? Cannon balls that can’t wait to fight at every turn?"

She shrugged and stepped away. "I’ll be in my room if you need anything."

He watched her disappearing back with a grin. No way in hell did she mean that.

....

"You were going to meet Blake White over lunch tomorrow. Should I cancel?" Mina asked when Avery video called to update her on the changed with her schedule.

"Indefinitely." She said when she thought about her meeting with the store’s owner which was yet to happen. "Actually, come to think of it. If I’m going to meet any man and it has nothing to do with work, something comes in the way. Have you noticed a pattern?"

"That’s probably a coincidence. How many men—including your blind dates—have you met in the last year? Three?"

Mina was right but she was convinced. "A coincidence that involves Damon in any way is not a coincidence. That man finds out my schedule mysteriously and it makes me wonder whether someone in Vaillant Telecommunications is helping him."

She was only glaring daggers at Mina through the screen but the latter caved.

"I promise, Avery, it has nothing to do with me wanting you back together. Although I really hope you could reconcile, he swore that he only wanted to make it easier for you and him to co-parent. He needed to know when you would be busy as hell so he’d take Angel off your arms, and when you had free days that you’d like to spend time with him even if they were not your days, days it would be possible to have a family dinner, family holiday..."

"He didn’t really say that, did he?" She was doubtful.

"Word for word." Mina crossed her heart. "I know he hurt your feelings but I don’t think he’s this monster you make him out to be. Maybe he was and he’s changed...or he wasn’t the man you thought you was and there was a misunderstanding."

"I know what I heard, Mina." She got defensive. "I was not hallucinating."

"What if he was just trying to protect you?" Mina challenged. "I know you’ve thought of that too. He said that to his father who hated you enough to want you dead. He could have said it to make his father think he no longer cared about you, so he’d stay away from you."

"Mina, it doesn’t matter. I hate him nonetheless."

"You don’t spend the night with men you hate, Avery."

"It’s not a choice." She argued.

"You know it wouldn’t be impossible if you were hell set on finding another solution. You chose to spend the night in what looks like a shared apartment, and you don’t kiss men you hate."

"I didn’t..." she shut her eyes.

"You were going to." Mina insisted dramatically.

"He was going to, and I wouldn’t have allowed it." She gave up explaining when it got obvious that Mina wasn’t believing a word. "Note to self, never tell your friends things they could use against you."

Mina laughed. "I simply care about you. And I think you should cut yourself some slack."

"Are you done? This work isn’t going to do itself."

"Have fun! Damon’s only a door away and you know that." She winked.

"Crazy Mina." Avery sighed as she ended the call.

....

After a night full of nightmares thanks to Mina’s suggestive words, her head was on fire by the time she woke up and her entire body felt sore.

She got out of bed with difficulty and checked on the order she had placed. Her clothes were yet to be sent out for delivery, much to her chagrin.

"Just great." She muttered. Would she have to spend the morning walking around in Damon’s shirt? She couldn’t help thinking he must have deliberately brought his clothes without telling her to do the same so she would have nothing to wear but his clothes and her birthday suit.

"Who cares?" She shrugged and made her way to his room. He opened the door as soon as she knocked.

"Avery, I was going to find you. Are you okay? Your eyes look dull." He reached out to touch her forehead in concern.

"I would be okay if I wasn’t stuck here with you. Can I borrow a shirt?"

He looked amused for seconds but then he nodded. "Sure."

He brought her a shirt and a pair of socks, as well as a tie. Seeing her puzzled eyes, he explained, "You may want to make a dress out of it. It’s quite large."

"Of course." She grabbed the clothes and took a shower.

She returned to a table of breakfast and a shirtless Damon waiting for her.

"I can’t wear a shirt since you have mine." He made an excuse when they both knew he simply wanted to walk around half naked.

"What’s for breakfast?" She asked as she tried not to stare at his biceps. As a result, she stubbed her toe on the foot of her chair. "Ow!"

She was on his lap before she could register what was happening, with him checking on her toe as if it was a big deal. "Are you okay? Does it hurt?"

She laughed. "Damon, people stub their toes every other day. It’s nothing."

"You’re burning." He observed.

"I just had a steam shower. Of course I’d be burning." She felt his forehead. "What’s happening with you today? Did you forget who your child is and mistake me for him?"

"No." He felt her skin. "It’s not the shower. You have a fever."

She slid off his lap, awkwardly feeling his hands through the thin fabric of the shirt. "I don’t. Can I have my breakfast now?"

"Sure, go ahead."

He looked convinced but that was until he brought a thermometer to put in her mouth soon after she had her breakfast.

"I’m not putting that thing in my mouth." She pushed his hand away.

"Yes you are. Come on, say ’aah’."

She glared up at him. Did he knock his head on something?

"I just had a cappuccino. It’s going to be hot no matter what my actual temperature is." She argued.

"You may be right." He left with his thermometer, only to return moments later when, according to him, her temperature must have returned to normal.

"I’m trying to order something to wear apart from this make-do dress. If you’ll excuse me, I need to get ready for the meeting." She shooed him.

"Not happening before this." He stuck the thermometer close to her lips.

He wouldn’t give up so she did it to humor him, and neither of them would ever have expected how high her temperature had gotten.

"You need a doctor, right now." He grabbed his phone.