Ava had never been this happy. After a month long bliss, she couldn't really complain. They were different and that was just fine with either of them. Alex helped her complete her research by giving her room and going into the living room, leaving her to work on her research in the bedroom. At first she thought he would be bored on his own and she found that in times that they were apart, he checked into his own.

It was a expected that a man as busy as him checked in every once in a while. But when she was free he was completely with her.

Ava was nearly done with her research and called her father to book an appointment. The impending deadline made her anxious and she found herself working harder.

There was a slight knock at the door and then Alex popped his head into the room. Ava rolled her eyes, knowing full well that he was moments away from taking her laptop from her. As supportive as he could be, Alex was annoying in that he annoying in that he got in her head far more than any other person.

Alex moved gathered some of her papers and made room for himself. He laid down on the bed, arms folded in front of him and then rested his chin on them.

"You have to eat."

Ava rolled her eyes. It was always the same. "Go away, I have work to do."

"Twenty minutes, come on."

"Five," Ava bargain.

"That's not eating but shoving food in your mouth," Alex told her. "You know the deal, you eat and I leave you alone."

"Bastard!"

"Fair assessment," Alex said with an easy shrug.

"Let me just...."

Alex moved her laptop off her lap, hit the save button and then closed it. "I know what you are like. I'll let you obsess over your project but you still need to eat."

Ava rolled her eyes getting out of bed. "You are annoying, you know that?"

He waited for her as she came around the bed. Alex grabbed her by the waist and brought her close. "Hi stranger."

Ava smirked. "I saw you a few hours ago."

He brought his close against her forehead.

She smiled. "Now it's sixteen minutes."

" You act like you're eating for me."

"You're the one who is bothered about it when I don't eat," Ava said with a shrug. "I am well aware that I have a one track mind."

"You bother me," he said, taking her hand and dragging her into the other room. Alex pulled out a chair for Ava and pushed her down into it.

He sat back and watched her eat the salmon salad. Alex merely watched as she ate, not talking to her or asking questions. This project was important to her. She had never voiced her thoughts in the past when it came to her dreams and now that he knew, he was not going to step into the way of that.

Ava looked up at him. "I have to go back home in a few days."

"I know." Alex said. "For your presentation."

"Will you come?"

"Obviously," he said just as easily. "I will stay out of the way."

"Who said I want that?"

"You anxious about your presentation, I only have to look at you to know that."

"That's because my father is a prick when it comes to business."

"You're his daughter."

"There's no family when it comes to business. As much as he loves me, if I'm not ready, he will cut me down." Ava said with a shrug. She liked that about her father. He was difficult to deal with but he didn't hide his true opinions about things. She preferred that over being lied to. "And maybe I would love to hear him give you the third degree about dating his daughter."

Alex chuckled. "Are you hoping for your father to threaten me?"

Ava stood up. She shrugged. "You're pretty much a dead man."

****

Ava sat across her father and uncle waiting for them to find faults with her research and what she planned to do. Her father looked at her uncle, Taylor, and they exchanged a look. They did that sometimes, speaking with their eyes and never truly saying a word.

"Well, I like the future of our image in your hands," Taylor said. "I am very proud of you, baby girl."

Ava looked to her father.

Rick shrugged. "I did say your position was yours. You're brilliant. After all, whose daughter are you?"

"Just don't yell at everyone like your father used to," Taylor said. "I really don't need the lawsuits to start piling up again."

"I might be my father's daughter."

"I know," Taylor exclaimed. "That's why I'm concerned. Just remember that you're also my niece."

"Fine, I'll do my best to remember that," Ava said trying to appease them both. Her father and uncle were competitive over her attention like children. "Will you come over for dinner this evening?"

"Your aunt isn't working late, so I think it should okay. Your cousins will be happy to see you."

"I'm bringing someone."

Rick crossed his arms. "Who? You just broke up with your fiancé a month ago."

"That was a month ago."

Rick opened his mouth and closed it as he looked at his brother. "You're just confused and still figuring things out."

"You said the same thing about Christian."

"And then you dumped him the day of your engagement," Rick uttered. "Proves my point!"

Ava rolled her eyes. "I wasn't asking for permission, daddy, I was just saying that I'm bringing someone."

Ava stood up.

Her father stood along with her. "Where do you think you're going?"

Taylor sniggered in his seat, watching the two of them glad that he only had boys. Girls, with a mother like his wife, would have been too much trouble. His brother was hopeless in front of his daughter, and Ava ran circles around him.

Ava smiled. "To my boyfriend. I'll see you at dinner. We might be late."

"Ava Grace, by god, I'll have that boy murdered if you're late even for a single moment."

"Why, daddy?" Ava asked innocently. "Are you imagining all the things we will be doing if we are late?"

Rick took a step forward and Taylor swore that he was going to kill his daughter. He grabbed his brother and pulled him back.

Ava laughed, walking away.

"Why don't you realise that she's baiting you?"

Rick was fuming. "What have you heard in the rumour mill?"

Taylor laughed. "I might have my hand in celebrity gossip but you do realise that I don't actually care what they publish."

"It's your niece, start caring!"

Taylor rolled his eyes. "Didn't you say she has been staying with Alex for the past month? Start there."

"You better know what I want by the time you come to dinner."

"You do realise that I don't work for you."

"I'm your elder brother, I'm pulling rank."

Taylor grabbed the file Ava had brought for each of them and walked away, laughing, much like Ava had, knowing that his brother hated every second of it.

***

As Ava opened the hotel room, she was faced with a bouquet of flowers. She jumped into Alex's arms without the worries of her presentation.

He twirled her around, happily. "I take it that it went well then."

"For me but not for you."

Alex laughed. "What's that supposed to mean."

"You're looking at Grant&Co's head of Communications and Public Relations." Ava stated. "It's pretty much a made up title so I'll be working hard and proving my worth for a very long time."

His brow raised. "Still don't see how this is bad for me."

"I might have also pissed of my dad with regards to meeting my boyfriend tonight."

"You did that on purpose."

"Sorry not sorry."

"Since I'm working on the clock and all, death is nigh as you have told me,"Alex chuckled, setting her on the floor. Alex went down on his knees in front of her and for the first time noticed that the room was filled with a bunch of flowers. "Marry me, Ava. I am running out of time to have my eleven children."

"Fuck off."

"Nah," Alex shook his head. "I'm never doing that. Think of another answer. The letter Y would be a good start."

"You know Alex, you can't propose to me using an argument that I was using to toy with you."

"Who says I can't?"

"I do!"

Alex shrugged. "You know Ava, you don't know everything. Just say yes already!"

"The audacity to think I'll say yes."

Alex rolled his eyes and brought her down to him. Once they were at face level, he held her face in his hands and looked into her eyes. "Say yes," he said encouragingly and part pleading.

"Yes," Ava whispered.

Alex smiled and slipped a gorgeous diamond ring on her finger. "Me and our future eleven children thank you."

"Dick head!" she said wrapping her arms around his neck.

"I think I just solved my problem with your father. He is expecting to kill your boyfriend and I have just changed my status."

"Semantics," Ava said feeling sorry for him. "A slow death or a painful death is ultimately the same thing."

"You missed the part where your father loved me."

"Let me explain something to you, Alex. Me chasing you around and saying you'll be my husband pretty much since I was a kid is very different than you being after his daughter,  even if the chase is very welcome."

"It's not my problem until I'm sat across the man," Alex said, picking her up. Ava shrieked. "What do you say about using our time wisely before dinner?"

"I don't mind. I did say we wouldn't be on time."

"You are trying to come between me and your father and you will not succeed."

"We shall see."

And they had. Three times in the bed, once in the shower, and a little play on the drive to the Hamptons. Alas, they were on time much to Ava's dismay.

Ava looked at the man beside her, so put together, calm as could be, with some of the flowers that were meant for her and he was giving to her mother. It was her fault that they hadn't found time to pass by the florist and she had no regrets.

"Are you nervous?"

"Why should I be?" Alex asked.

Ava shrugged. "We have never done this part before."

"I would only be scared if I thought I would back out or have regrets," Alex said to her. "In which case, your father and brothers have every right to kill me."

"They can be idiots."

"You are acting like I don't know them."

"Not like this," she said. "I don't want them to drive you away."

"This is an irrational fear," he said squeezing her arm. They stepped towards the door, before they could ring the bell, the door opened.

The first person Ava saw was her mother, whom Alex kissed her cheek and handed her the flowers. Behind her was an entire queue of people— her brothers, Athena, her uncle, Phoebe, her cousins and father. All silent. It would have made more sense if they spoke.

In the foyer, it was only the sound of her mother's voice asking Alex questions about how he was and how long he was staying. The rest of her family just stared at her.

"Is anyone going to say anything?" Ava huffed frustrated. She ran her hand through her hair and then her aunt started to laugh.

"You do not waste time little brother," Phoebe uttered.

Her father came forward and took her hand where the diamond ring was. "Is this real?"

"Do you want to go into the diamond business, daddy?" Ava asked innocently. "I don't know, I haven't taken it for an evaluation."

"You know what I am asking you."

"Yes, it's real." Alex said standing at her side. "I asked her to marry me and she said yes."

Rick looked back at Alex and the entire family followed him, waiting for his next words. "You finally wised up."

"I guess I have."

"You knew?" Ava scowled.

Her father gave her an unimpressed glance. "Since you were ten years old, you kept calling him your husband. Is there a person who doesn't know?"

"Four years old, darling." Caroline corrected.

"You said you'd kill him," Ava said. "Carry on!"

"Come in, Alex," her father said ignoring her. "Would you like anything to drink?"

"Why aren't you freaking out?"

"The poor guy has to endure you, I believe that's punishment enough."

Alex only looked at Ava with a huge grin, mouthing the words I told you so.

The end

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