Chapter 3

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The day went by extremely slow and for some curious reason, I was looking forward to having lunch with my sister. My sister and I have always been close, but some part of me envied her. She got to live the life she had always wanted for herself. In fact, she was living the life I had once set out for myself. But everything changed after that one night. That one accident turned my life upside down.

I got my phone and keys and put them in my bag before I looked around my office one final time. After that, I sent Ali home for the rest of the afternoon, but she made sure to still be here at 5 to help me get ready for dinner with that Marc guy. I decided to walk to the restaurant where I agreed to meet with Ava instead of taking my car. It was only a five-minute walk and the weather outside was nice enough. A nice spring breeze, not too warm and certainly not too cold.

When I arrived at the restaurant, I saw Ava already sitting inside next to the window. I gave her a little wave before I stepped in, hang my coat and sat with her in the booth. "I'm sorry I'm late. It was a busy and hectic day at the office. But I'm here now. How is med school going for you?" I asked her as I hang my bag on my chair and then my coat over it.

"Seriously Luce, are we not going to talk about the bomb dad dropped on you? I know you're trying to hold yourself together right now because I know this is not how you expected to get married." Ava moved her hand to lay it on top of mine. "I know nothing about your life is what you wanted it to be and I'm sorry. I feel like you gave up your dreams to let me live mine."

I shook my head and gave my sister the most genuine smile I could manage at that point. "Ava, you're my sister, I would do anything to make you happy. I'm the oldest now, and that means it's my job to look out for you. Don't worry about me, I will find my own way out of this. Just enjoy med school for the both of us okay? Besides that, I have a date tonight. It's a set up with one of Brandon's college friends. His name is Marc, and according to Allison he's a catch."

I looked at my sister and studied her features. Between the two of us, it was safe to say she got all the good genes from my mom and dad together. She was the perfect balance to my mom's refined and elegant beauty, and my father's fierce and speaking eyes. Personality-wise neither of us took after my dad, which was something we're both extremely careful for. My dad was a cold man, always has been. We were raised by my mom and several nannies while my dad was constantly working, being able to provide us with everything we wanted, at least that was how he thought about it. In real life, it was sort of lonely for us, and my mom.

Ava looked over at me with that worried expression she clearly inherited from my mom. "Are you sure you can live with this? I know you stepped up to be the heir of Harrington Inc. when the accident had happened, but enough is enough. I love dad, I truly do, but he can't just ask all those things from you. This is the rest of your life we're talking about."

"Ava, I swear to God, someday you will be the perfect mom, but until that happens, can you just be my little sister and let me take care of things?" Luckily for me, the waiter came to take our orders and after he left I took the opportunity to change the subject. "So, have you visited Chris lately?"

My sister averted her gaze from me and looked at the table instead. I knew my sister, and that meant I knew her answer. "It's okay Ava, I'm not mad at you. I know you find it scary and awkward since he's just laying there motionless. We can always go together if that would make you feel better. I was planning to go see him tomorrow night."

"I don't know okay, let me think about it?" was her only response.

After that, we continued to talk about everything and nothing and soon it was half-past four. "Ava, I am sorry to cut our quality time short this time, but I have a date to get ready for. Let me know if you're coming with me tomorrow okay?" And with that, I stood up and kissed Ava on her cheek before I got my stuff and made my way back to the office, where I was supposed to meet Alison to help get me ready.

I was there fifteen minutes early when there was a knock on my office door. "Come in!" I said and soon after a friendly face stepped into my office. "Here's the dress Ali made me drop off, I'm sorry to interrupt Ms Harrington."

With a smile on my face, I looked at the woman in my office, carrying a one-year-old boy on her hip and a plastic bag, containing my dress in her other arm. I rushed to her to take the dress from her and laid it on my desk. "Roxy, how many times do I need to tell you to drop the formalities. And look at this little guy. He certainly grew since I last saw him. Can I offer you anything to drink?"

Roxy shook her head. "No thank you, you can, however, take this guy from me so I can use the restroom for a bit? I forgot how many times a pregnant woman needs to pee." She said with a chuckle.

I took the baby from her and she immediately waddled off to my private bathroom. I rocked him in my arms, earning me a smile. Jaxon must have been the cutest baby ever and I couldn't help to wonder what would have been my life if I didn't work sixty hours a week. Would I have settled down? Would I have had my own family?

"So Marc, huh? He's a good guy. I was actually surprised to find out he's still single. Back in college, he was always taken by one girl or another." Roxy said from behind me. "It suits you, you know. The baby? I think that one day you'll be a great mom."

"Oh come on Rox, look at you. You're doing a fantastic job yourself. You're managing this little man just fine, and I'm sure your little bum in the oven will bring you nothing but joy" I said as I played with the hands of her son in my arms.

The door swung open and Alison barged in. "Sorry I'm late, me and Brandon were Uhm... busy. Anyways, who's read to get mission 'how to find a husband in 100 days' on the road?"

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