Read When Love Comes Around (Love Conquers All) for Free Online Page A

wasn’t their place to do so.
    Clearing her throat, Ava whispered, “Starr, I’m sorry about the other night.”
    Starr just looked at Ava. She loved her dearly; however, Ava needed to work on being a bit more tactful. “Av, you really hurt me.”
    Dropping her head in shame, she mumbled, “I know I did and I really, really feel bad about it. Do you…think you can forgive me?”
    “Of course I can, you’re my friend. But what you said still hurts.”
    Ava pulled her friend into a tight embrace. “I really am sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
    She returned the embrace. “Don’t worry about it, Av. I’ll be okay.”
    “Are you sure?” Ava was no dummy. Although Starr was saying one thing with her lips, her eyes told a different story. She was not okay and Ava didn’t know what she could do to make it better.
    Feeling like she needed some space, Starr broke the close contact. “I’ll be right back; I have to go to the bathroom.”
    With curious gazes, the other women in the room watched the two friends. Everyone noticed how uncharacteristically quiet Starr had been all evening. Usually she was a social butterfly at events such as this. Seeing her talk with Ava was the most anyone had seen her do all night.
    Summer let out a sigh of relief. Hopefully with Ava apologizing things would get back on track. She didn’t like it when there was friction between them. All week she listened as Ava went on and on about how she didn’t mean any harm. Summer point blank told her, “Then you need to think about what you’re gonna say, before you say it.” Miserably Ava responded, “I know, I know.”
    With her back to the bathroom stall door, Starr massaged her temples. “What a night. I’m so ready to go home…so I can be alone.”
    It wasn’t that she wasn’t happy for Joan, really she was. However, it was so hard to put up a front for everyone. She knew they all were wondering why she wasn’t her usual wild and crazy self like she always was at parties. She could see it all in their faces as they asked, “Is everything alright?” Though she tried to get into the spirit of things, especially when the stripper was making Joan blush, her laughter was faked; it was forced. How could she be happy when she felt no hope? Why did it seem everywhere she went she saw pregnant women, or women pushing babies in strollers? A thousand times she wanted to know, “Why can’t that be me?”
    All night as she looked at Karen and Summer, a twinge of guilt nipped at her. All week she avoided talking to them. How could she tell them that it was too painful overhearing the pitter-patter and angelic chattering of toddlers and school aged children in the background? Would they think she was over reacting? Or worse, just being jealous of their lives? Most likely they wouldn’t. After all, both women had had their own heartaches to deal with.
    Karen one morning woke up the wife of her high school sweetheart, Gregory Johnston, only to be widowed forty-five minutes after he’d left for work. Not wanting to be bothered with driving downtown, Gregory had taken the Regional Rail Line. Karen nearly came undone when a newsflash interrupted Good Morning America announcing a grave commuter accident. The news announcer reported that the signals had somehow crossed resulting in a head on collision of north and southbound trains. It took everything out of her to hold it together as she completed the task of dressing her two small children, Alicia and Kyle, who were at the time one and three years old.
    And though Summer had two beautiful children, she was devastated when she start having cramping and spotting during the first trimester of her third pregnancy. An ultrasound confirmed the absence of a fetal heartbeat. Starr remembered how frantic Nick had been when he called her and Ava to give them the news. She also would never forget how they had to help Nick take care of NJ and Autumn because Summer had temporarily shut down for days.