“I want to try,” I whisper, my voice barely audible. “But I’m scared of falling and him not being there to catch me. Laney will always come first, and I wouldn’t want it any other way. She’s his daughter. But his wife? What if she wakes up and she doesn’t remember they decided to separate? Or worse, Ben decides he still loves her.”
Taylor lets out a sigh. “I think you might be jumping ahead a bit, Ash. And I get it, I really do. But take a breath. Give yourself a little time to think it all through, then talk to him. Let him know where you’re at.”
I’m scared, Tay,” I confess.
“I know,” she says softly, her eyes meeting mine. “But sometimes, the only thing we can do is be brave and hope it all works out.”
I offer her a small smile. “You were brave,” I say, thinking about how she risked everything by telling Seb how she felt. I don’t know if I can be that brave.
She must see the uncertainty on my face. “You don’t have to figure it all out tonight.”
“Maybe not, but I have to see him tomorrow at work.” I push myself up from the sofa. “I should head downstairs. Ivy’s probably wondering where I am.”
Taylor stands with me. “If you ever need to talk, I’m here.”
I pull her into a hug. “Thanks, Tay. And thanks for listening.”
“Of course. Say hi to Ivy for me.”
“You should come with me. I promise I won’t talk about Ben the whole night.”
She smiles. “Thanks, but Seb’s coming up soon.”
Her cheeks flush, and I nudge her playfully. “Have fun.”
“Thanks, Ash.”
Leaving Taylor in her apartment, I head downstairs into Eden. I barely make it to the bar before Seb steps in front of me, his expression tense.
“What’s going on, Ash? Is something going on with you and your boss?” I roll my eyes and try to move past him, but he blocks my way. “Ashlyn,” he says, his voice sharp.
“Drop it, Seb,” I snap, not bothering to hide my irritation.
He drags a hand through his hair, exhaling sharply. “I’ll take that as a yes! What the hell, Ash? He’s way older than you.”
“Look, it’s complicated, okay.” My voice rises, and I don’t care that people are starting to stare.
He frowns. “Complicated how?”
“I can’t do this right now.” My voice cracks, and his expression softens immediately.
“Shit,” he mutters before pulling me into a hug. “I’m sorry, Ash.”
“Yeah, me too,” I murmur against his chest, holding onto him tightly.
He sighs. “Do you need me to tell him to back off?”
I tilt my head up to meet his gaze. “No. I’m fine, I promise. Just… please don’t do anything.”
He exhales heavily but nods. “Okay.” He presses a quick kiss to the top of my head before stepping back. “Ivy’s here,” he says, gesturing behind me.
“Sorry I’m late,” Ivy says, glancing between me and Seb. “Everything okay?”
Seb steps back. “I’ll let you two talk. Taylor’s waiting for me,” he says. “See you later.”
I watch as he disappears into the crowd before turning back to Ivy, who’s still frowning. “What’s going on?” she asks.
“Let’s grab a drink and I’ll fill you in.”
