Protecting You (A McCord Family Novel Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

know how close you were with him. He saved your life. I, for one, will be forever grateful."
    Ava shook her head again. "No, no. Don't say that. He's not dead. He can't be. I didn't ask for him to save me. I don't want him to do that. You're wrong. Where is he? I want to talk to him."
    Peter frowned as she started to cry. He stood up from his chair, sat on the bed, and pulled her into his arms. "It's going to be okay, honey. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He rubbed her back lightly as he did when she was a child.
    Ava cried in her father's arms as she tried to lessen the pain in her heart, but it wouldn't come. She couldn’t believe she would never see Jimmy's beautiful face again, or hear him crack a silly joke. She just couldn’t fathom him not coming to her office and shyly asking about Tiffany.
    Trying to handle the overwhelming grief was a struggle. She wanted to drown in her tears from the weight of guilt and shame. He should've never died for her.
    "When is his funeral?"
    Peter leaned away from her to look her in the eye. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. He was buried two days ago. They held a remarkable service for a great man. You've been out a week. Your injuries were significant. We almost lost you, too."
    Speechless. No words came to her.
    She had missed her chance to say good-bye, to be there when he was laid to rest. "Where was he buried?"
    "Here. In New York. His brothers felt it was a proper place for him as he loved the city like he did," Peter said, pulling her back closer to him and continued to rub her back lightly.
    "Both brothers thought so?" she asked tentatively. Zane hated New York. She found it hard to believe he would want Jimmy buried here.
    "I don't know that for sure. I would like to think so. I never actually spoke to his brother Zane. Tried to at least. He took Jimmy's death hard, sweetheart. Austin asked about you, though, and is concerned—"
    "Dad, stop. I don't want to hear anymore. I'm tired. I want to close my eyes for a while," Ava said, pulling away and turned her back to him.
    Peter pulled the covers up closer to her chin and went to find the doctor.
    Ava curled up under the covers and started to cry the minute her dad walked out. She didn't want to hear about Austin—or Zane. She ruined their lives. How would she live with herself? How would they live knowing she was the reason their brother wasn't here anymore? The reason, according to Zane, why he never went back home to Minnesota.
    ***
    "No, no, move more to the left, Ava," Jimmy said, as he almost dropped his end of the couch.
    "Ugh. Jimmy, I can't move any further to the left. This damn thing will never fit through the doorway. Why did you have to buy a new couch?" Ava asked, annoyed, as she tried maneuvering the couch like he told her.
    "Because Austin is coming to visit for the first time, hopefully Zane will, too. I want everything to look nice. Like I'm doing well here. That other couch was disgusting and you know it," Jimmy said as he shifted his hands trying not to drop the heavy couch.
    "It was disgusting. But if I knew this couch would be such a hassle, I would've never talked you into this one. You're doing well, whether you have a nice couch or not. It's not like they will make you move back home over a disgusting couch." She scrunched her lips up as she tried thinking of how they could get the couch in without destroying the doorframe.
    Jimmy sighed. "You don't know my brother Zane like I do. He almost didn’t let me walk out of the house." Jimmy suddenly grinned. "Okay. Let's set it down while we ponder how to get this damn thing inside."
    Ava smiled in agreement, walking carefully as they moved a few steps and gently set the couch down in the hallway. Ava plopped down on the couch as Jimmy sat down next to her.
    "So, what do you think?" Jimmy asked as he looked at his front door.
    "I think you should've asked someone else to help you get this couch home. It's heavy."
    "Hey, you're the toughest one I know around here."
    "Yeah,