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I listen as he talks of trying to fix the relationship with his dad so he can be more open to ours. He had the same idea as me, it seems.
I know I should make my presence known, but I don't want to interrupt Asher. I stay put until I hear them move away, then slowly I make my way to the trapdoor of the treehouse. I open it and look down to see the coast is clear, and start my descent.
With only a few steps to the ground, my foot slips on the ladder and I slide down the short remaining distance. My one pant leg snags on something, leaving me draped against the tree with one leg hoisted up like a climbing frog.
I hear a snicker behind me and I press my forehead against the tree, humiliation making me want to disappear.
“Need some help there, Sam?” Knox chuckles.
“Let me help, Sam,” Asher says, and I can't help but think,my hero.
I feel Asher behind me as he lifts my body at the waist high enough so I can free my pants from a nail protruding from the tree.
“Thanks,” I say, my face burning. Even with my feet back on the ground, I’m unable to turn and face them. I bite my lip as I brush the imaginary dirt off my clothes.
“You good over there, Sam?” Knox asks from behind me, trying and failing to hide his amusement.
Trying to maintain some semblance of dignity, I turn to glare at him, raise my chin, and mumble, “I'm fine.”
Knox coughs away his laughter. “I'm going to leave you two alone now.”
Asher thumps Knox for his snickers as he makes his way back to the house, but he’s barely containing his own laughter.
“Don't you dare laugh at me,” I grumble, pointing at his chest.
“You have to admit, that was funny.” He presses his lips together to hold his laughter in. But his smile is so infectious I can't resist but burst out laughing along with him.
As we try to catch our breath, I look up at Asher, my smile faltering a little. “Hey, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. I fell asleep in the Treehouse last night, and only just woke up.”
“Wait, what? You slept in the Treehouse all night?” He’s furious.
“We’ve done it before,” I say cautiously.
“Yeah, Sam, when I was with you! What if someone came looking for someplace to crash and found you here?” I can see that the thought really scares him.
“I’m sorry, I've always felt so safe here, the thought never crossed my mind.” Now that it did cross my mind, I'll never do it again. It was a stupid thing to do, especially since it's partially hidden from the main house.
He calms down almost as quickly as he got angry, and lets out a huff of breath through his nose. He then looks at me with the hint of a smile returning to his face.
“So, you heard my conversation with Knox, huh?” he asks, and I nod. He moves close, looking down at me as he cups my face with his large hands. “Samantha, I meant every word.” His eyes search mine for any clue of what I'm feeling. “I love you, and I want to give this relationship a real chance, without any more doubts or hesitations.”
My heart pounds in my chest as I listen to his words. The fears that held me back, and the walls I built around myself, all of it has to go if I want to have a future with him.
“I heard you went to see your dad,” I say, smiling up at him. “I did mine, too, and I realized that I tend to hide instead of face my problems. I'm going to have to work on that. And that means I’m done shutting you out, Asher.”
He hangs his head and sighs. “I’m so sorry, Sam. Back then, when you thought I cheated on you, I went back home with the full intention of simply giving you a night of space before trying to talk things over. We were both slightly drunk and emotional, and I knew we could work things out. Then, I came home and let my dad get in my head. He began to question my every decision and said that my need to one day play for the NFL would end up dragging you through the mud. That I should let you go before I hurt you because I simply wasn’t good enough. And I believed him. So I let the anger of the fight fuel me into the decision to stay away, and even blame you for all of it. I know now that it was the wrong choice and that it caused years of lost time between us, but please believe me that I never meant to give up on us. I want you, and I’ll fight for you, if you’ll have me…”
I can’t believe he thought that. “Your dad convinced you that you weren’t good enough for me? That you’d hurt me if you didn't let me go?”
“I believed him, Sam. I didn’t want to have you tag along behind me while I was on some football scholarship. I didn’t want to see you give up your own dreams only to be with me. Or worse yet, have you wait for me back home as we try and fail at some long-distance relationship.” He gently holds my face with both hands and looks into my eyes. “I cared about you too much to do that to you, so I let you go.”
I reach out and wrap my arms around him, burying my face into his chest. “I love you, too,” I whisper, my voice barely above a murmur as emotions overwhelm me.
He pulls me away and his gaze bores into mine. “No, Samantha, you have to say it. Say it like you mean it—say it to the world. Because that's what this will take.”
I smile and throw my head back, shouting up at the sky, “I love you, Asher Stoll!”
Asher laughs, and without another word, he leans down and hefts me up against his body. I loop my arms around his neck and wrap my legs around his waist, our lips crash and melt into each other.
