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Billie liked to introduce herself to interesting new patrons most of the time. It was apparent, as she didn’t make the attempt with Ashlynn but continued mouthing Stevie Nicks, Justice had mentioned the brunette to her best friend. Lawson didn’t mind. He was actually grateful not to spark Billie’s curiosity. The last thing he wanted was to draw more attention to himself than Ashlynn’s red lipstick already did.
“So, do you live far from here?” asked Ashlynn as they stepped aside to wait for their coffee.
“No. But if you live in town, you’re not far from anything.”
“You’re right. I got a place near the hospital.”
Lawson nodded, studying her as he inquired, “You’re workin’ at Vanderbilt?”
“I am. Nights, mostly. Not my preference, but beggars can’t be choosers.”
Unable to hold himself back any longer, Lawson shook his head and asked, “Why did you move here? What happened to your old job?”
Ashlynn opened her mouth to speak at the same time their names were called by the barista who set their drinks on the edge of the bar. They both turned to grab their coffees, then Ashlynn pointed at a vacant table and Lawson followed her lead. When they were seated across from one another, she focused her blue eyes on him unabashedly.
“A lot has happened over the last few months. My best friend died in a car crash last October.”
“Oh. I’m really sorry to hear that,” Lawson muttered sincerely.
“Thanks. It’s been tough. We’d been close since college. Anyway—after her funeral, I’d been thinkin’ a lot about how short life is. For a few weeks after she died, I felt like I was just…existing. It was my mom who reminded me, Liz wouldn’t want me to wallow. She’d tell me to keep on livin’ and to make the best of the time I’ve got left, however long that might be.
“One day, I woke up and asked myself: when was the last time you were truly happy? Lawson, I realized it was when I was with you.”
Lawson hesitated, a frown pulling at his brow as he started to speak, but Ashlynn spoke over him.
“I was there, you know? The night your brother was stabbed. It was my first week on the job. I moved to Shelbyville thinkin’ I could have a fresh start. You always talked about how much you loved it here, and I thought I’d give it a try. I thought I’d try to find you… I was nervous at first. Then, that night, it felt like a sign, seein’ you and your family there. I’ve been tryin’ to get ahold of you since.
“Now, I know—I know you always said you couldn’t promise me anything, but we had some good times together. You can’tdeny that. And when you broke it off, you just said it was time for you to move home. You said Shelbyville was where you belonged. Well, it took me a while to figure it out, but if you belong here, then so do I.”
Leaning toward her, he spoke softly as he replied, “Ashlynn, it was never like that for us. You said it yourself, there were no promises between us. We weren’t serious.”
“Just because we weren’t doesn’t mean we can’t be. And seein’ you yesterday with your daughter, I see now why you needed to move back. I’m not mad that you never told me about her. I’d love to meet her.”
Lawson sat back in his seat and raked his fingers through his hair. Whatever was happening was worse than he’d imagined. She saw only what she wanted to see. Clearly, she could accept Evelyn calling himdaddy, but she refused to see the woman who stood by his side through their entire exchange the previous morning.
With a sigh, Lawson decided it was time to be brutally honest. “You shouldn’t have moved here for me. There’s a reason I ended things between us. Hell, there’s a reason things between us were never serious. I’ve only ever really wanted one woman, and in a few weeks, that woman is going to be my wife. We’ve got a daughter and another baby on the way—I’ve got a family, Ashlynn. I’ve moved on.”
She reached up and swept a bit of hair behind her ear self-consciously, all the while staring at him in disbelief. “You’re gettin’ married? It hasn’t even been a year since you left Nashville. How could you move on so quickly?”
Lawson couldn’t help himself. He quirked an eyebrow and gaped at her in obvious confusion. “I’ve been in love with Nora-Jean half my life. I didn’tmove onfrom you, Ashlynn. I never loved you, and you never loved me. We barely knew each other.”
“Barely—barely knew each other?” she scoffed, her volume increasing. “We were in each other’s beds for months. Of course, we knew each other!”
Lawson peered around the shop, afraid of the attention her voice likely beckoned. In a hushed tone, he fought a scowl and said, “Look, the bottom line is, you and I don’t have a future. I’m with someone else, and you should try to find your someone else, too. If you moved here for a fresh start, I hope you find it. But if you really did move here for me, I’m sorry.”
She stared at him blankly for a long moment before she forced a smile. She then shrugged and said, “I get it. It’s been a while. I haven’t forgotten what existed between us, but you found someone else, and it’s caused you to forget how happy we could be.”
“Ashlynn—”
“No, it’s okay. I did move here for you, and I’m not givin’ up so easily. I’ll be around. You said you’re gettin’ married in a few weeks, which means I have a few weeks to change your mind. And I will. This is your home, and I see why you love it. I imagine it was easy to fall back into somethin’ with an old flame. But you don’t have to settle. I’m here now. You’ll see.”
She stood, adjusting her purse on her shoulder with one hand as she raised her coffee with her other. “Thanks for the drink, Lawson. I’ll see you soon.”
Speechless, Lawson watched her leave without a word of protest.
It was rare for all three of them to leave the apartment at the same time on a weekday morning, but that’s precisely how schedules worked out on Tuesday. This meant Lawson not only got a chance to help Evie into her booster seat before bidding her goodbye, but he was also around to give Nora-Jean a pep-talk when she got behind the wheel of her SUV for the first time.
“Remember, it’s just a car,” he told her, one arm propped against the top of the roof, the other resting on top of the open door.
