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“Like he wants to rip your clothes off,” he said finally, catching her by surprise.
“Asher, Finn and I never—it wasn’t like that between us.”
“It wasn’t?”
“No. It wasn’t.” She kissed his lips firmly. “I love you so much. So if you need to spend the weekend repairing your friendship, you can do that. I’ll be right here.”
He sucked in a breath. “He never even let me know that he was out. That he was back. My dad knew, but no one thought to mention it to me.”
“Sounds like the bad friend in this relationship isn’t you.”
He nodded. “You’re right. If he doesn’t want to be around me, then that’s fine. I’ve lived ten years without the man who used to be like my brother. I won’t beg him to be in my life.”
She lifted up on her toes, rubbing his cheek. “It’s his loss.”
He smiled at her, his spirits visibly lifting, and her heart warmed. She’d done what was necessary. Making Asher feel better was all that mattered to her. That was her place—standing by his side. Wherever Finn was, whatever he had done, it didn’t concern her. Asher was the man of her dreams, her true happily-ever-after, and she had to force herself to stop thinking about the man who’d once consumed all of her thoughts.
* * *
Blythe awokein the dark bedroom, her eyes heavy with sleep. She reached her arm across the bed, sitting up when her skin didn’t connect with his. She looked around the room, her suspicions confirmed. Asher was gone.
“Asher?” she called, her voice echoing through the quiet room. She lifted the cover from her legs, her feet sliding quickly to the cold hardwood floor. The room was completely dark except for a sliver of moonlight coming in from the window to her right. She tiptoed across the room, trying to be as quiet as possible so as not to wake the other guests sleeping in the house. Or, she guessed she was the true guest. The others were family, except for Finn.
She opened the door slowly, thankful it didn’t squeak like the rusty hinges of the farmhouse doors she’d grown up with. There was no sneaking to be done around that house. She’d always believed her father refused to apply WD-40 specifically so her parents would always know if she tried to sneak out. It had worked, she supposed. The squealing door had kept her honest.
She looked at the door to the bathroom, the yellow light shining out from under the wood, and heaved a sigh of relief. He must’ve woken her when he left to use the bathroom. She turned around to go back toward their room when she heard the water shut off and, within a second, the door was opening.
“Blythe?”
She expected to see Asher, but she knew the voice wasn’t his. “Finn?”
“What are you doing?” they asked each other at the same time.
He ran a quick hand through his hair. “Listen, about earlier…”
She cocked her head to the side, waiting for him to explain. What possible explanation was there for the lie he’d told her? While, technically, she guessed there wasn’t really a lie—it wasn’t as if she’d come out and asked him if he was a criminal—it was a lie of omission all the same. “Why didn’t you just tell me?” she asked, keeping her voice low.
He blew air from his nose, obviously trying to figure out what to say. Finally, he nudged his head in the direction of his bedroom. “Come with me, okay? Not out here.” He started to walk toward the room but stopped when he noticed she wasn’t following him.
She bit her lip, looking down the staircase. What would Asher do? He certainly wouldn’t be okay with her following Finn into his bedroom. But it wasn’t as if something was going to happen. She wouldn’t let it. She meant every word she’d said to Asher. She loved him. But she needed to know the truth.
“Asher’s gone,” Finn said finally, interrupting her thoughts.
She glared at him. “Gone? Gone where?”
“He headed out a while ago. Said there was something he needed to do.”
“Hetalkedto you? Why wouldn’t he tell me?”
He shrugged. “I overheard him telling someone downstairs. It sounded like he was on the phone. He didn’t leave you a note?”
She shook her head, but truth be told, she had no idea. She hadn’t been looking for a note—she’d been looking for a person.
“Go call him if you want,” he gestured toward their bedroom, “but if you want to know about me…I’ll be in my room. The choice is yours.”
She nodded, watching him disappear into his bedroom, true to his word. As she stood, contemplating her next move and chewing her bottom lip, her stomach rumbled. Whatever choice she made would be wrong. She wanted to call Asher, wanted to know where he was and what he was doing. But the mystery surrounding Finn also had her dying to know the truth. If Asher came back now, there was a chance she’d never know. If she found out the truth from Finn, she could call Asher as soon as she was done.
Without allowing herself to debate any longer, she stepped forward, turning the knob to Finn’s door and stepping inside. The room was almost identical to theirs except for the fact that Finn had his curtains pulled open, giving a perfect view of the mountains and an even better view of the man sitting on the edge of his bed. The disheveled T-shirt, the loose sweatpants, his messy hair. It all reminded her of the mornings they’d woken up next to each other. The room smelled of him—like soap mixed with his warm cologne. She took a breath, breathing in his scent. It was intoxicating.
