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He wrapped an arm around her. “I wish I could’ve seen it.”
“Me too,” she agreed sadly. It was one of the things that crossed her mind frequently as she and Asher grew closer. He would never know that side of her. Never meet her parents. Never see the bedroom she’d meticulously decorated as a teenager. It was all gone. Half of her life had gone up in a cloud of smoke, and sometimes she wasn’t sure what to do with the rest of it. Most people, when they met someone new, introduced them to their past. Her past was just that, the past, forever. She had no plans to ever return to Darlington.
“Do you want a tour?” he asked. “Or I could take you outside, see some of the land. It’s really beautiful out there.”
“I’d like that a lot. Shouldn’t we stay inside if dinner will start soon?”
“No one’s in any hurry,” he promised her.
As if on cue, the front door swung open and two strangers stood behind them. Asher greeted them, quickly introducing Blythe to his cousins and following them into the kitchen, promising to show her the grounds after dinner.
As the dining room began to fill with people—some faces she remembered, most not—Mona directed Blythe to the chair next to hers as Jacob gave a quick toast, thanking their guests both new and old and asking everyone to dig in.
Blythe’s body burned, her skin on fire with adrenaline as she remained consciously aware of Finn sitting just a few seats away. He seemed to be equally aware of her, his gaze trailing to her and then away from her every few minutes. He spoke to the family comfortably, obviously familiar with everyone.
As dinner wound down, Asher set back in his seat, sliding his hand under the table and onto Blythe’s thigh. She offered him a small smile before turning to Mona, who was rambling on about the Christmas shopping she was nearly done with.
“Dinner was wonderful, Mona,” she said politely, wiping the corners of her mouth with her cloth napkin.
“Thank you, dear,” she said. “I’m glad you enjoyed it. I certainly hope you’ve left room for dessert.”
“I was hoping to show Blythe around for a bit, Mom. We’ll come back in to grab some dessert later.”
His mother’s smile wavered just a bit, but she eventually agreed. “Make sure to show her the view from off the deck,” she said. “No one should live without being able to see that once in their lifetime.” Without another word, she turned to the woman next to her, a stout, pretty young thing named Annie, and began talking about the two-year-old alongside her.
With that, Asher stood up, pulling Blythe’s arm carefully so she would stand as well. Blythe felt uncomfortable leaving the table while everyone else was still there, most done with their dinner, but still lingering to talk. Finn’s eyes fell on her, his mouth slightly opened as he watched her leave the table. She wanted desperately to talk to him. To have a few minutes alone to discuss everything on her mind, but she knew that opportunity wouldn’t present itself in this situation. Finn had to be forgotten. Asher was priority.
He led her out the back door and onto the large, covered back balcony. It overlooked the acres of woods in the valley below. Mona was right, the view was to die for.
“This is incredible.”
“Can I be honest with you about something?” Asher blurted out, his voice rushed, stressed. It was obvious he’d been holding it in for a while.
She glanced over at him, at the way his forehead held a wrinkle of stress she wasn’t used to seeing on his usually calm face. “Of course. What is it?”
“I…I’m not a jealous person, Blythe. I’m honestly not. I’ve always been the one with most of the power in relationships, and I’ve always made sure they weren’t exclusive for this exact reason.” He paused. “I don’t want to get hurt.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m not comfortable being around Finn anymore. I mean, the guy was my best friend. I used to know everything about him. But I don’t now. I don’t know hardly anything…except that you like him.Liked, maybe. But he likes you…present tense.”
“What are you saying, Asher? Has he said something to you?”
“He doesn’t have to. He hardly kept his eyes off of you all through dinner.”
“I think that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but even if it isn’t, I can’t help it if he was staring. I wasn’t staring back.”
“I know,” he said, and she let out a small breath of relief. “It’s just…why did it have to be him, ya know? I can handle a bit of competition, but my best friend?”
“I don’t want to cause any trouble between you two, Asher, believe me. If I’d known…”
“What?” he asked when she didn’t finish her sentence. “If you’d known…what?”
“I don’t know. I met Finn first. If I’d known you two were best friends, maybe I wouldn’t have allowed myself to fall in love with you…but I did. And I wouldn’t wish a life without you on myself. Truth is, Asher, as much as I wish this had happened any other way, I wouldn’t want to change the outcome. I love you so much.”
“I love you, too,” he told her. “I can’t stand the thought of losing you. I guess that’s all I’m really trying to say. Everytime I see him staring at you, I get this sick feeling in my stomach. Jealousy. Rage. I think I’m starting to hate him, and that’s not fair to anyone.”
“I don’t want to cause you to lose your best friend.”
