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I let out a shriek as my excitement skyrockets, and my suitcases are left abandoned as I take off running. As soon as I’m close enough, I leap into Asher’s arms. He catches me with ease and buries his face in my neck, breathing me in.
Over the last month, he’s made good on his promise. Every week, he made
the forty-five minute drive to come visit me, and we talked on the phone three times a week. But this— knowing there isn’t a time limit and I’m able to leave with him—it’s such a good feeling.
“You left your stuff at the door,” he murmurs.
I chuckle. “I don’t care.”
It takes another couple minutes before I let go, but when I do, I go back to grab my things. Paisley stands in the doorway with a shocked look on her face.
“You seriously scored Asher Hawthorne.”
A wide grin stretches across my face as I glance back at my boyfriend. “Nah, babes, Asher Hawthorne scored me.”
THE WHOLE WAY HOME, all I can thinking about is getting back to his place and into his bed. We talk about everything I’ve missed and all the things I didn’t want to waste time on during our short visits. Our hands stay firmly locked together as he tells me a million and one times how proud he is, and honestly, I’m proud of me, too.
When I took all those pills, I was in a place of despair. I honestly believed that the only way to escape was either to pretend like everything was fine, or to make it all go away—myself included. The last month has shown me just how wrong I really was.
We pull into the parking garage and I sigh happily, realizing how much I missed this place. Asher and I get out of the car. He grabs my suitcases from the back while I rush to the elevator. When he sees me itching to get upstairs, he laughs.
“You’re like a sailor back from deployment.”
I put a hand on my hip. “It’s been a month, Asher. A whole damn month!”
He snickers. “Don’t remind me. My hand needs a break.”
We step into the elevator, and as soon as the doors close, he’s got me pinned against the wall and he’s kissing me like it’s actually giving him life. I moan into his mouth, arching my hips to grind against him. He pulls away and rests his forehead on mine.
“Fuck, I’ve been wanting to do that so bad.”
“Then why’d you stop?” I pant.
He steps back just as the doors open, and shouts of surprise scare the shit out of me. My jaw drops as I walk into the living room, seeing all my favorite people there waiting for me. Kellan, Tanner, Oakley, and Micah are standing in the back with their arms obnoxiously thrown in the air. Charleigh and Skye are to the side, watching them with amused grins. Lennon and Colby have the biggest smiles…almost. My heart explodes when I see her. Front and center, with the proudest fucking look on her face, is my sister.
“What are you doing here?”
A wet laugh echoes out of her as she comes over to hug me. “You really think I was going to miss this? Get real, Tess.”
I accept her embrace and look back at Asher. He rolls his eyes as he hears my silent question.
“They’re only here for the weekend,” he tells me. “I already have a flight booked to bring them back to school on Sunday.”
My brows furrow. “Them?”
Knox, Grayson, and Savannah stumble out of the kitchen, and Zayn isn’t far behind. They all stop and look at where Asher and I are standing with Delaney. Savannah huffs and crosses her arms over her chest.
“See what you idiots did? Now we missed the surprise!” She comes over and wraps her arms around me. “Look at you. You look so good!”
I smile at the compliment. “I feel good.”
An actual damn waitress comes over with a tray of champagne flutes. Asher takes one before looking at the rest.
“Which one is…”
She points to a specific glass, and he hands it to me. My brows furrow as I look at him.
“It’s sparkling apple cider,” he explains.
