Ray's POV
It was supposed to be a surprise.
A quick lunch. A three-person outing. Nothing dramatic.
So naturally, with Ava involved, it becomes everything but.
We're in my car, parked just across from the front gates of the school. Ava's legs are curled up on the passenger seat, Chanel sunglasses perched on her head, swiping through some photos of croissants on her phone and mumbling, "I should've gotten him that honey-almond one, it was SO flaky—he'd have loved it."
I lean against the steering wheel, watching her in her element—talking endlessly about Sebastian, her voice soft and sunny and proud. She has no idea how often I watch her like this. She has no idea that this is the exact moment I fall in love with her over and over again: when she's just being Ava. Loud, chaotic, full of love, sunshine in human form.
She gasps suddenly. "There he is!"
And then she stops.
We both freeze as we see Sebastian standing in the middle of the front courtyard. But he's not alone.
There's a girl in front of him. Cute. Really cute. Long hair, polished smile, pink envelope in hand. Her voice is muffled behind the car windows, but her body language says it all: this is a schoolyard confession.
Ava jerks forward like she's about to break the windshield.
"Oh my GOD, is she—RAY, SHE'S PROPOSING TO MY BABY."
"She's not proposing," I say calmly, but I already know I'm too late.
Ava flings open the car door. "She has a LETTER. That's a confession letter. I watched enough dramas to know how this works."
"Ava, stay in the car—"
But she's already halfway across the street in her Valentino heels, clutching her tiny purse like a weapon. I get out and follow quickly, catching up just as the girl finally speaks:
"—I really like you, Sebastian. Will you go out with me?"
There's a heartbeat of silence.
And then Sebastian—my guy—smooth as ever, scratches the back of his neck, avoiding eye contact.
"I'm sorry," he says, polite, kind, firm. "You're sweet, but I'm not interested."
The girl's face crumbles. Ava's mouth drops open. I swear to God I hear thunder even though the sky is blue.
Ava whispers, "She was pretty."
"She wasn't prettier than you," I mutter automatically.
She shoots me a glance, but her focus swings right back to Sebastian.
He hasn't noticed us yet. He's already walking away, leaving the girl standing alone with her pink letter and her crushed heart. And Ava—oh, Ava—is trembling with some combination of pride, relief, and full-blown maternal distress.
"I'm gonna cry," she announces.
I sigh. "Please don't."
"My baby just rejected a girl! Like a whole girl! With nice hair! And a SKIRT!"
"You say that like it's illegal."
"It's not illegal, it's just—he's growing up, Ray! He has feelings now. What if he gets a girlfriend? What if she doesn't like me? What if she wants him to call me 'Ava' instead of 'mommy'? What if she's vegan?!"
"You're spiraling."
"I am spiraling," she admits, clutching my arm like the world is ending. "Oh my god, what if she takes him away and he forgets to drink water and dies?"
"Okay, that's enough."
Sebastian finally sees us and stops in his tracks, blinking in surprise. "Uh. What are you guys doing here?"
Ava's eyes immediately brim with tears.
He looks alarmed. "Why is she crying?"
I answer dryly, "Because you rejected a girl. And wore a nice shirt. And are apparently now emotionally capable of destroying someone. Basically, you grew up in front of her eyes."
Sebastian groans. "She's being dramatic again, isn't she?"
She sniffles loudly and hugs him anyway. "You're my baby, Sebby. Forever."
He sighs like it's the weight of the world. "I just said no to someone. That's all."
Ava gasps. "You broke a heart. And I wasn't there to shield you from it."
"You're literally here now."
I laugh under my breath, slipping my hands into my pockets as I watch them—her clinging to him like it's his first day of preschool, and him pretending he's too cool for it but not actually pulling away. And somewhere between their ridiculous banter, I feel it again—that quiet ache in my chest.
This is my family.
This is my whole world.
And I'll protect it—with everything I have.