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Jaxson points a hammer at me threateningly. “Real funny, I haven’t seen you pick up as much as a tool or paintbrush yet. So don’t come in here, wise guy, and?—”
“Woah,” Knox intervenes, holding Jaxson by the shoulder and turning him away jokingly. “Don’t bait him, Asher.” But then his eyes turn a bit more serious. “What's up, man?”
“I actually wanted to talk to you, Knox. Got a minute?” I grin at Jaxson who points the hammer at me again as a warning.
Knox ushers me out of the room, and back down the stairs to the kitchen. “Who put a bug up his butt?” I nod back toward where we left Jaxson.
Knox snickers softly, “Poor baby hit his hand with the hammer this morning. Says injury can affect the way he prepares hiscreations. I never knew chefs could be so delicate. I figured with handling all those hot pans and whatnot, he’d be oblivious to pain. Shows you how much I know.”
“Knox, I need to talk to you about something important,” I say, and he sobers at my tone.
He nods his head toward the back door. “Let's get out of this stuffy house for a minute, at least the sun isn’t so hot right now.”
We walk out of the house and toward the Treehouse. “So, tell me what's bothering you,” he says, waiting for me to spill.
I take a deep breath, trying to find the right words to explain what I'm going through. “It’s Sam. Or rather, what’s happening with her,” I confess, my voice barely above a whisper.
Knox nods, giving me a knowing look. “All right, I'm listening,” he urges.
I lean against the giant tree trunk under the Treehouse. “You're the only one of us I know that has a perfect, stable relationship.”
“First off, let me stop you there, Asher. Nobody has a perfect relationship. If anyone says they do, they’re lying. It takes work, dedication, patience, and faith. There are times when I look at Callum and have to leave the house before I murder him. But we both know that when there is a problem, we have to find the solution. Together.” He accentuates the last word with a meaningful pause and look. “For us, the key is to communicate. For you, it may be something else. You have to work on the relationship just as hard as you worked to get where you are in your career today. Blood, sweat, tears, trust, love, and everything in between.”
“I’ve been trying to reach her to make things right, but she won't answer my calls. How can I communicate when I can't even reach her?” Exasperated, I throw my hands up. “I’m here, I’m trying, but it's like I'm chasing a ghost.”
Knox shakes his head and smiles. “What do you feel for her, Asher? What makes it all worth it?” he asks gently.
I look up at the azure sky, away from the base of the Treehouse. “I love her, Knox. Truly. Always have,” I confess. “More now than I've ever realized. I want to make something together with her. I don’t know what yet, but I want to try and find out.”
“Well, it's about time you admitted it, man,” he says with a massive grin, clapping me on the shoulder. “What are you going to do about it now?”
“Well, I went to see and talk to my dad earlier this morning,” I tell him, and watch his eyes go wide. “We talked and I let him know that I won't stand for his abuse anymore. And he apologized. We both realized he didn’t even think he was doing anything wrong. To him, it was just the way he was raised.”
Even while we were growing up, Knox knew to a small extent how my dad treated me. My mom broke down and told his mother years ago, and Knox overheard. He questioned me about it back then, but he never pried, and told me he was there if I needed him.
“I’m happy for you, Asher. It's a start in the right direction. You both need to heal. Maybe now that you’ve started your journey to forgiving your old man, you can help her start hers.” Crossing his arms, he turns his back to the tree and leans against it. “It's time to stop messing around and tell her straight. Life’s too short for regrets.”
“Thanks for hearing me out, Knox,” I tell him.
“Anytime, Asher. Try calling her again. Who knows, maybe this time she’ll pick up,” Knox says hopefully.
I feel a renewed sense of purpose. My own insecurities, the press, Valerie's interference. None of it is going to stop me this time.
I’m going to find Samantha, and this time, I’m laying my feelings bare to her. The next time I see her, she will know that I love her—even if she doesn’t love me back.
Chapter Fifteen
SAMANTHA
Ican’t believe I stayed in the Treehouse all night, and by myself, no less.
I stand up and try to work the kinks out of my sore body. Sleeping on floorboards is not for me.
I look out the front door to the platform balcony, and off into the distance toward the house. I freeze for a moment, then drop low when I see Knox and Asher walking toward the Treehouse.
I realize my stupidity and go to my usual spot at the back window facing the woods, and wait for them to come up. But they don’t. They stop at the bottom of the tree and begin talking.
I am blown away as Asher pours his heart out, especially by how he wants to move forward and see where our relationship takes us.
