She looks at me like I’ve lost my mind. “Of course I worry about you. I love you.”
I smile. “I love you too, sweetheart.”
She squeezes my hand. “Please talk to Ash. She loves you, Dad. And I know you love her too. I’ve never seen you as happy as you are when you’re with her.”
Her words take me by surprise. I know she and Ash spent some time together before Molly died, but after what she said at the hospital, I assumed she wouldn’t want us to be together.
“You think Ash and I should be together?” I ask, my voice laced with disbelief.
Her brow furrows. “Yes. Don’t you?”
I sigh, dragging a hand down my face. “I don’t know anymore. I told your mom about Ash, and then… she died.”
My voice breaks, and Laney reaches for my hand.
“Wait,” she says, realization dawning in her eyes. “You think Mom died because you told her about you and Ash? You think this is your fault?”
“She gave up, Laney. She stopped fighting. You said it yourself at the hospital.”
Her eyes widen. “I did?”
I nod.
She shakes her head. “I don’t remember saying that. Everything from that night is a blur. If I said it, I didn’t mean it. Dad, this didn’t happen because of you.”
I smile sadly. “When did you get so wise?”
She studies me for a moment. “Is that why you’re pushing Ash away? Because of what I said at the hospital?”
I hesitate before shaking my head. “No, sweetheart. That’s not the only reason.”
“Then why?”
I don’t know how to answer her without lying. What she said that night planted the doubt in my mind, but now it’s grown into something bigger, something I can’t just push aside no matter how much I want to.
“I don’t know, Laney. I just feel guilty that I get to move on when she never could.”
“She would want you to be happy, Dad.”
I exhale heavily. “That’s what Milo said.”
“He’s right. Please don’t push Ash away.”
She pulls me into a hug, and I hold on tightly, grounding myself in her embrace. Could she and Milo be right?
I want so badly for that to be true.
I’ve wanted to reach out to Ash so many times. It’s been torture not being able to see her, to hold her, or even hear her voice.
I miss her. So damn much.
CHAPTER FORTY
Ashlyn
“I'm not going, Ivy,” I insist. “I told you that on the phone. You didn’t have to come over.”
I know I’m being difficult, but I can’t help it. My heart is breaking, and I’d rather fall apart in the comfort of my own living room than in Franco’s, where Ivy is determined to drag me.
