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At last, the man and woman he assumed were Ashley’s parents approached. Her father’s expression was perfectly transparent—he didn’t like the look of Nash and would clearly prefer he got the hell away from Ashley and Kevin sooner rather than later.
“You must be Nash. I’m Ethan Sullivan.” Ethan’s grip was bone-crushingly strong. “I understand you’ve been working with my grandson these past few days building out a van.”
“Yes, sir. Kevin’s been great to work with.”
Kevin beamed. “It’s been tons of fun, Grandpa. Nash is awesome, and he even lets me use the power tools.”
Though Ethan patted his grandson’s shoulder approvingly, his eyes narrowed as he turned back to Nash. “Power tools, eh?”
Thankfully, that was when Rory and Zara ambled over. “Nash repeatedly drilled Kevin on safety procedures,” Rory said. “Turns out, Kevin’s got such great hands, he’s been a big help in my studio this week too.”
Though Rory and Zara had been busy this week running their design businesses, from the little time he’d spent with them, Nash liked them both a lot. On the surface, they didn’t look like they’d be a good fit. Zara was the quintessential artist, while Rory looked like an all-American jock. But they were a perfectly matched couple.
It struck Nash that some people might think he and Ashley would be an odd pairing, as well, simply because they’d mistakenly assume a rock star like him wouldn’t have any interest in a sweet single mother from a small town.
How wrong those people would be. With Ashley, Nash felt like he’d finally found the one person he trusted.
“I’m so pleased to meet you, Nash.” Ashley’s mother had a lovely, lilting Irish accent and a welcoming smile. “I’m Beth, and it seems you’ve already met everyone else. Flynn is over the moon that you agreed to sing Cassie’s favorite song. Ethan and I need to head back into the house now to see if Cassie’s ready for her walk down the aisle, but I wanted to make sure you knew how glad we all are that you’re here.”
Nash sensed this was Beth’s way of warning her sons and husband that they’d better play nicer with Nash than they had so far. For some reason, Ashley’s mother seemed to agree with Lola that he wasn’t a bad seed. But why? Had Ashley spoken to her mom about her feelings for him?
No, he didn’t think she had. Not when throughout her family’s introductions, Ashley had remained on the other side of the garden, rearranging baskets of flowers and straightening ribbons on chairs. He hated the distance between them, but he knew if she came any closer, he wouldn’t be able to keep from holding her, kissing her, begging her to let him stay and try to prove himself to her and Kevin.
The officiant took his place beneath the rose arbor, then directed them to take their seats. Nash sat in the back, and when Ashley took a seat in the opposite front corner, he couldn’t stop staring at her and drinking her in.
He wouldn’t forget a single thing about her after he left. The brightness of her smile. The flush that came over her skin whenever he kissed her. The sweet little sounds she made when he made love to her.
Just then, Ashley bent down to whisper something in Kevin’s ear, and his heart turned over as he watched mother and child. He’d never seen a more beautiful sight and knew he never would. Nash snapped a mental picture of Ashley and of Kevin sitting beside her. The two people he’d come to care about most in the world.
A string quartet began to play the “Wedding March” and they all stood as Cassie emerged on the arm of her father.
Everyone gasped at the sight of Cassie in her wedding gown. She looked almost otherworldly, in large part because of the enormous smile on her face.
Flynn, waiting for Cassie under the rose arbor, looked equally as happy.
Ruby stood beside her, holding a basket of flower petals. She looked up at Cassie as she asked, “Can I throw roses now, Mommy?”
Cassie laughed, bending down to hug her little girl. “Yes, honey, you can throw the rose petals now.”
With adorable abandon, Ruby skipped down the aisle, flinging flower petals this way and that. Nash’s gut twisted as a clear vision hit him of the child he and Ashley might have had if things were different. If he were a different man.
His life, his career, his past—those were the reasons they couldn’t be together.
When Flynn broke away from his spot beneath the rose arbor to meet Cassie halfway up the aisle, Nash was brought back to the present moment and away from his impossible longings to erase his past.
There were tears in Ethan’s eyes as he kissed his daughter on the cheek and hugged her tight. Nash felt his chest grow tighter at the display of parental devotion. Something he’d never personally known. Then Ethan put Cassie’s hand in Flynn’s, shook the other man’s hand, and took a seat.
