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When he pulls back, his blazing gray gaze meets mine. “Really? Sex rehab?”
I grin from ear to ear. “I had to get you back for the mental rehab sign when I came to see you.”
He snorts. “Oh yeah, that was a good one.”
“I thought so.”
He beams. “I missed you, Ally T.”
My heart soars. “I missed you, Ash B.”
His laughter thrills me as he pulls me in close, and I hug his neck tightly. I nuzzle my face in his neck, getting overwhelmed by his cologne. Suddenly, I remember why it is so easy for me when he is gone.
I’m not reminded of how completely and utterly in love with him I am.
Chapter Two
Asher
I didn’t realize how much I missed Ally until I have her in my arms.
I’ve missed her, of course; she’s been my best friend for years. But it was hard to go from seeing each other daily to only on FaceTime. The great thing about us, though, is that we talk every single day. Sometimes every hour. Even with us living apart, our lives are so intertwined distance means nothing to us. But it’s one thing to talk to someone at every waking moment, and it’s a whole other to be in their arms.
Ally gives the best hugs.
She never lets go until you do. I could literally hug her for hours, and she wouldn’t let go. She also smells like heaven. I know she wears Bonbon eau de parfum because I bought it for her years ago, and she’s never changed her scent. I love it. It fits her perfectly, and I’ve missed it. She’s always been unbelievably beautiful with her long brown hair that she’s put highlights in since the last time I saw her. Her eyes, my favorite thing about her, have specks of gold in their green depths right now since she’s so excited. Her face is flushed, and I love how happy she is. I can’t believe she talked me into coming home.
In all honesty, it didn’t take much convincing.
While I’m now back in Nashville, Tennessee, I hadn’t been planning on returning. I love it here, but my family is exhausting. Don’t get me wrong. I love them more than life itself, but it’s real hard to hang out in your perfect, high-scoring-hockey-player older brother’s shadow, and then act as a referee for two little sisters. Aiden has always been the star son. My mom ran off with him when she got pregnant because she thought my dad cheated. Then many years later, they reconnected with my dad, Mom found out he didn’t cheat, and a great love story happened. Now, they’re married and raising all these kids. Because of everything that went on when he was little, Aiden has always been extra loved to make up for the time they messed up. I’m loved, but I’ve often felt like I’m second best to him.
Then there are my sisters. You can’t ignore them or not love them. They demand attention. Both beautiful and perfect in their own right, they’re also crazy as fuck. Stella is astonishing, striking, smart, and going places. I don’t know if Emery, the youngest and also possessing all the same characteristics as Stella…in her own way, is jealous of her or what. But Emery tries to kill Stella at least once a week. I wish it weren’t in a Netflix documentary kind of way, but I think it might be.
Okay, that could be me exaggerating Emery’s craziness, but one thing is for sure, my parents are saving up money to pay off the dude who decides he wants to take her on and spend his life with her.
God help him.
Stella will find her person, and he won’t need payment. She loves love. And then Aiden, who witnessed the fucked-upness of my mom and dad, had sworn off love. But then he found his match in Shelli Adler when he was traded to the Nashville Assassins. No one had to pay her to take him on. She’s loved him for most of our lives, I think. I don’t know why; he’s kind of an asshole sometimes. In his defense, our parents screwed him up good. It’s a whole big story that is equally as exhausting as my family. Though, I love them.
My dad is a badass. He is a great dad. He loves us more than life itself, and he is so damn supportive. He isn’t as protective of Aiden and me as he is of Stella and Emery, but he cares. A lot. Our choices matter to him, and he wants us to succeed. My mom, well, she is the best damn woman I know. We’ve had our moments—we are both the same person, very headstrong and know what we want—but in the end, I know she’d die for me. Unlike with Aiden, she didn’t feel guilt about us three, so she was hard on us. But I’m glad she was. It made me a better person. A strong person, and really, I don’t know why I was so sure I’d never come back.
Not only do I want to be around my mom and dad, I actually hated California. It was too busy, traffic was a fucking mess, and it’s expensive to even breathe there. I think the only reason I stayed as long as I did was for Jasmine, the woman I thought was my forever. I really did believe she was my soul mate. She was fucking gorgeous, super thin and tall, thick blond hair, and blue eyes that reminded me of a sheet of ice. Jasmine grew up in California, and once we were engaged, she made it clear she didn’t want to move to Nashville. I was cool with it for obvious family issues, but it felt a little weird. California wasn’t my home, but to make it somewhat like home, I was trying to convince Ally to move out there with us. Jasmine loved Ally—in a way I didn’t fully realize, which is why we are no longer engaged. Can’t marry a lesbian and expect it to work.
Learned that from Ross Geller.
While everyone thinks I had to know my so-called soul mate was a lesbian, I didn’t. I had no clue. She was a freak in bed and loved sucking my cock. She never really let on that she wanted something else. We got along great, and I loved her fully. She cared about Ally, and that was a big thing for me since Ally is so important to me. Problem was, Jasmine started asking to have a threesome with Ally. I thought she was joking, but she kept asking. Kept begging. It was really weird for me.
I won’t lie and say I haven’t thought of banging my best friend—I am a man, and she is hot—but I don’t want to open that can of worms. I’m not comfortable with it. I feel like sleeping with Ally could lead to something I can’t handle. Feelings I’ve never known. And that scares me. I can’t ever risk the relationship we have. I can talk to Ally about anything, and she always has my back. Plus, Ally gravitates toward some real fucking dickwads. She doesn’t know how to like a good dude who will treat her well, and I take pride in the fact that I’m one of those.
My mom made sure of that.
Jasmine, though, she didn’t want a good dude either, apparently. When I finally asked what the hell her issue was in wanting to sleep with my best friend, I quickly learned she had been sleeping with another girl for over two months. She said she didn’t think it was cheating since it wasn’t a dude and it wasn’t an actual relationship. Since I disagreed, and I watch Friends more than I care to admit and know how that story line ends, I’m now back in Nashville with my pride a wee bit dented and very much single.
It’s been a real long time since I’ve been hugged by a woman, and well, it feels damn good. I know that’s bad since this woman is my best friend, but I can’t help but nuzzle in her warmth a bit more. Like I said, she’s one hell of a hugger, and I’ve missed her. I pull back, because I know she won’t, and she grins up at me.
“You’ve changed.”
I bring in my brows, narrowing my gaze. “No, I haven’t.”
