Chapter 20

It was now less than an hour until the pier party. Everyone in Ava's house was nearly ready and excited about the night's events. However, the two genders had decided to get ready on opposite sides of the house, wanting to surprise their dates.

Audri couldn't stop thinking about her baby. 'I'm having a girl!' she thought, making it sink into her mind. Everything with her was currently how it was suppose to be. She was safe and very happy. Ava and the others had always been nothing but kind to her, a sort of kind that she believed only existed in certain people, like Bruce for example. Sighing, she wondered how he was doing back in Arizona. Audri hoped he was well and not having too many problems with the police.

Then her mind shifted to Bradin. He hadn't judged her, ridiculed her or anything. He had been patient, understanding and even loving to her. That was something she hadn't experienced with someone in a long time, and before would never have believed that she could again. He was her best friend and…and what? What was he really to her? A friend? A brother? Or could he possibly be something more to her?

"Audri?" she heard Ava say.

She turned around and saw Ava, guised in a pink and purple dress. It had Hawaiian flowers on it, and looked simply beautiful on her.

"How do I look?" Ava asked, spinning around.

"Beautiful," Audri replied, leaning in to give her a hug.

"Funny, I was going to say the same thing about you."

They both laughed, and Audri thanked her. She had chosen to wear a red halter top also donned with tropical flowers, and a skirt two inches above her knee. It was simple, but practical.

Just then, Johnny came in, and to Audri he looked a bit nervous. Then she remembered what he had asked her on the way home from lunch. 'Hey Audri, do you think I should ask Ava to the party tonight?' She had smiled, knowing even in the short time she had stayed with them, that he had feelings for Ava. 'Like I always say Uncle Johnny, you'll never know if you never take a chance.' Now, she knew he had decided to ask her.

"I'm going to go see how Nikki's doing," Audri said, giving herself a reason to give them some alone time. "Good luck!" she whispered to Johnny on her way out.

"She's really happy," Ava commented, putting earrings on, "I'm so glad we were able to have her stay here even with all the space issues."

"Yeah, I know. And I really appreciate you guys taking her in like this. I'm just glad she knew where to go to find me."

"It was no problem. I'm glad to, I wouldn't want her anywhere else."

"Umm…Ava, I wanted to ask you something," he said, wanting to get it over with.

"Sure."

"Since we both don't have dates for the party, I was wondering if-"

"Oh, I already have a date Johnny."

"Oh," he replied, looking like someone had just punched him in the gut.

Then she smiled and said, "It's you right?"

Immediately his face lit up and he nodded, laughing, "Good, uh…good. I'm going to go see how the other guys are doing, and I'll see you in a couple minutes."

"Okay," she said, still laughing herself as he left the room.

Another fifteen minutes passed, and finally they were all ready. Cameron had arrived just on time and his jaw had nearly dropped when he had seen Nikki. The same thing happened to Bradin when he saw Audri. Erika arrived, greeted by a beaming Jay who told her how beautiful she looked. Susannah's date was a guy named Alex she had met down at the beach about five days prior. They had both agreed to go giving them a chance to get to know each other better. Derrick had wanted Martha to go with him, and to his delight, she had gladly accepted.

When they arrived at the boardwalk, everything around them was decorated with masses of red, white and blue. Couples walked hand in hand, laughing and enjoying themselves. The group decided to split up, each going two by two their separate ways; except for Derrick and Martha, who went with Ava and Johnny.

Bradin and Audri walked around, making their way down to the beach. It was past sunset, and the colors that had been cast in the sky were amazing; perfect for a day like today. Bradin took Audri's hand in his, and they walked along the shore, watching the waves crash.

"So, have you thought of any names yet?" Bradin asked.

"Not yet, I'm still getting over the excitement of day," Audri replied.

"Congratulations by the way."

"Thanks," Audri smiled. She stopped walking then, and decided to ask something she'd been thinking about. "Bradin, when I first came here, you befriended me right away. I've been thinking about it these last couple of days, and I wanted you to know that I'm very grateful. Most of the guys your age probably would have had nothing to do with me, but yet you didn't care about anything, not even the fact that I was pregnant. I'm never met someone like you and your family. I'm just another face in the everyday crowd, and all of you took me in like you had known me for years. I've never had that."

Bradin smiled, took both of her hands and replied, "I didn't care about it because I wanted to see what was inside," he pointed to his heart. "That's something I've had to learn quickly. When my parent's died, at first I didn't want to have anything to do with anyone. But Aunt Ava turned that around pretty quick. Her and her friends are some of the best people I know."

Audri nodded, "I definitely agree."

"And Audri, you're not just anyone. You're someone special. I knew it from the moment I saw you. I want to be there for you, and be the one you can always come to whenever you need me. I'm here for you…forever."

Suddenly, both were temporarily distracted by the sight and sounds of fireworks exploding into the sky. Colors of all kinds lit up in the darkness, catching everyone's attention. Ava watched them sitting on a bench with Johnny, her head laid on his shoulder, watching Derrick and Martha hypnotized in amazement at the array of color. Susannah and Alex enjoyed a nice dinner while the fireworks went into the air. Jay and Erika had made it down to Spanish Cove, watching the lights from the rocks. Nikki and Cameron shared a seat on the Ferris wheel, getting a front row seat to the show. As more and more of them lit up the sky, Cameron and Nikki shared a kiss, feeling like fireworks were exploding inside them.

Audri's eyes went back to Bradin, who looked back at her. Caught up in the moment, he brushed her cheek lightly, letting his hand fall down under her chin. He leaned down, touching his lips to hers for the first time. It was quick and sweet, and for her, over to soon. As they drew apart, she stared down into his green eyes, and without any more hesitation, kissed him again. Audri wrapped her arms around his neck, while his went around to the small of her back.

When they finally broke apart again, they stood there watching the fireworks. Bradin pulled Audri in close to him, and she rested against his chest, feeling the soft beat of his heart. There was nothing more perfect to her at that moment. She finally felt something stirring deep inside of her, something she never thought she would go through. Love.

Back at Ava's house, the telephone rang once, twice, three times, four times until the answering machine picked it up. Ava's voice floated out of it and echoed inside the empty house.

"Hello, you have reached Ava, Susannah, Johnny and Jay. We cannot come to the phone right now, so if you leave your name, number and a brief message, one of us will get back to you as soon as possible. Thanks."

The machine beeped, and a deep voice replaced the momentary silence. If either Audri or Johnny had been around, they would have recognized it. The voice cam from the cop that had stopped by last week with his partner.

"Hello, this message is for Mr. Durant. This is Officer Sheldon from the P.L.P.D. I spoke with you and your niece last week at your home. We have been investigating her situation for the past two weeks and uh…due to recent evidence that has been brought to my attention, we have reason to believe that Audri could possibly have come from a different bloodline. There's more, but I'd rather not say on the phone. Please give me a call back as soon as you can. You know where to reach me."

The phone clicked, making a red light start to blink as the house settled back into silence……

The End