Total pages in book: 20
Estimated words: 17761 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 89(@200wpm)___ 71(@250wpm)___ 59(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 17761 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 89(@200wpm)___ 71(@250wpm)___ 59(@300wpm)
“Shhh,” he muttered against my hair. “Just for a second, Evie. Let’s just be quiet and take comfort in each other.”
I gave in without argument. I didn’t want to fight him. I didn’t want to push him away or tell him I didn’t need this.
I did need it. I realized I needed everything Ash freely gave me.
Because for the first time in longer than I could remember, I felt safe. And I felt that not because I was alone. Not because I had built my walls high enough to keep everyone out.
But because, somehow, against all odds, there was someone willing to stand with me and hold me up when I felt like I was about to fall apart. There was someone willing to go to bat for me—a stranger—and make sure I was never hurt again.
Ash’s voice was low and rough, like he was forcing the words out. “I believe things happen for a reason. I know you showed up at my bar because that’s just what was meant to be.” He kissed the crown of my head, and I shuddered when all my earlier anger faded away. “It’s gonna be okay, Evie.”
I wanted to believe him. God, I wanted to so badly, and he made it so easy to do just that. I let myself feel the weight of Ash’s arms curling around me and holding me like he was going to make everything okay.
Because it really felt like he could.
5
EVIE
“It’s late. Let’s get you set up for the night so you can rest.”
God, he was so attentive and thoughtful. He pulled back and cupped the sides of my face, and when he leaned down and kissed my forehead, I found that I was disappointed. I realized I wanted his lips on mine.
I swallowed and nodded, pretending like I hadn’t just been watching him, pretending like I didn’t suddenly feel too aware of my own body.
“Come on,” he whispered and pulled back.
I instantly felt chilled, but I followed him toward the hallway that led to the stairs to the room I stayed in. The night had been long, and exhaustion clung to my bones, but something else stirred beneath it, something I couldn’t quite put a name to, because it terrified me.
Ash’s footsteps were heavy but measured. When we reached my door, he opened it for me, stepped aside, and said, “Get some rest.”
He turned to leave, but before I could think, before I could talk myself out of it, I reached out and curled my fingers around his wrist. “Ash.”
He stilled. The air around us thickened, energy humming between us. When he turned back to me, his eyes searched mine as if reading something in my expression I wasn’t sure I wanted anyone to see.
“Will you stay?” I whispered.
A muscle in his jaw ticked, and he glanced down, his gaze focused on where I held on to him. Then he slowly lifted his head and looked at my face. “That’s what you want?”
I nodded, not even pausing to question it. “I don’t want to be alone. I want to be with you.”
His hesitation lasted all of two seconds before he exhaled sharply and gave a small nod. “Okay, Evie. If that's what you want.”
I smiled and let out my held-in breath while I stepped inside.
Ash followed me before closing the door behind us. His presence filled the space in a way that should’ve made me uneasy, but it didn’t.
He walked over to the couch and sat down. “Want me to see if I can get a movie to play on this old-ass thing?”
I smiled again and nodded. “I’ll get a snack for us.”
He reached for the remote, and I grabbed a bag of chips from the cupboard. It was something he brought me earlier with all the other groceries he insisted on getting me. The memory of that sweet gesture made my chest tight as I sank onto the couch beside him.
He flipped through the channels, most of them static, before landing on a rerun of some classic TV comedy. It was the kind of old-school show I used to love… before being happy about anything turned into something I could only remember.
We sat in silence, the flickering screen casting soft shadows across the walls.
I stared at my hands, tracing the outline of my fingers as if I could find the words I wanted to say to Ash buried beneath my skin. The room was dim, the TV still murmuring in the background, but the air between us was thick, waiting.
“I didn’t always hate him,” I finally said, my voice quiet, almost too small for the weight of what I was about to say. “That’s the part that still messes with my head. I thought what I felt was affection, maybe even something that could grow into love.”