by Toni Aleo
“But you saw her wearing Aiden’s ring?” Emery asks, referring to when I tried to get my mom to give me Aiden’s ring. I honestly never thought he’d use it. He obviously proved me wrong.
I shrug. “I didn’t want to give Jasmine this one.”
“Why?” Stella asks, and I feel her gaze on me.
“I always saw it as Ally’s,” I admit almost in a whisper, and both of them draw in sharp breaths.
“So, you’re asking her to marry you?” Emery squeals, and I quickly shake my head.
“No, not at all. I just want her to know I care about her. That, like this space, nothing can keep us apart. Something will always hold us to each other.”
I’m met with silence, but I thought that was genius. I am proud of it. Was. Now, I feel stupid. Especially when I look from Stella’s face to Emery’s.
Stella gawks at me and then asks, “So, wait. Why are you doing all this?”
I shrug. “Because I want to. I want her to feel special.”
“But shouldn’t you do this when you ask her to marry you? Use this ring?”
I’m getting clammy. “Yeah, what she said,” Emery says, hooking her thumb at our sister. “What’s the point?”
“I don’t know. I just want her to know how important she is to me.”
Stella and Emery look at each other and then back to me. “Or you’re trying to keep her from wanting more, so you’re hoping this satisfies her.”
“Which makes you a complete idiot,” Emery says, shaking her head. “Y’all love each other—”
“You don’t know that,” I quickly say, and again, they’re gawking at me. “She hasn’t said that.”
“Have you?” Emery asks, eyeing me. “Do you love her?”
“I care—”
“Wow, you’re a real dumbass.” Stella shakes her head.
“What? People say ‘I love you’ all the fucking time, and it never means anything. Hell, I know for a fact that it doesn’t. And when I say it, I want it to mean everything and more.”
They don’t care. Hell, I probably should care. With a dark look, Stella proclaims, “You know you’re going to ruin this, right?”
“What are you talking about?” I throw back, even though my heart is pumping like no other.
“This is all going to blow up in your face if you don’t get your head out of your ass and see you are doing all this because you love her. A lot.”
“I’m really tired of people telling me how she feels or how I feel.”
“Well, you sure aren’t listening to your heart. Maybe you’ll listen to us,” Stella tosses out at me.
I go to tell her off, but Emery captures my attention. “What are you scared of?” Emery furrows her brow. “It’s Ally. She loves you.”
I’m well past the uncomfortable state and now into panic. “I don’t want to lose her. And if I say it, it’s real, and boom! We are in this for real. Right now, we feel all this, and no one can get hurt.”
“That’s not true. If you lost her today, what would that feel like?”
I feel my stomach twisting. “I refuse to think that way.”
“Because it would kill you,” Stella supplies, watching me. “Have you thought that maybe you won’t lose her if you make sure she knows she is loved and cared for?” she asks, and I look away.
“Mom didn’t leave Dad, or him, her. Maybe at one point, things were shitty between them, but then they loved each other and things were fine. Is it easy? No. It’s never easy. You’re giving your heart to someone and trusting that they love you like you love them,” Emery tells me, and I can feel her eyes burning holes in my skin. “You know you’re not only wasting your time, but Ally’s too, acting like this. Doing these little things won’t hold her off, Ash. They’ll make her fall deeper in love with you.”
I don’t know where my sister is getting all this, but it’s making me sweat. Stella touches my hand. “Ash, please. If you give her that ring, know you’re basically giving her the three words you have inside you. Don’t say them because you think you have to. Say them because you want to. Because you feel it.”
Emery nods once more. “What she said,” she says, holding my gaze. “Because at the end of the day, who do you want to spend the rest of your life with?”
With the snap of the box lid, I close my eyes.
I really shouldn’t have involved my sisters.
Not only are they annoying, but they may be right. Really right.
I don’t know what’s scarier.
Them, or my feelings for Ally.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Ally
I feel like a princess.
I sit beside Asher at the bar, my legs pressed into his as he rubs my thigh. He looks devilishly handsome in a light gray shirt and black sport coat. The first two buttons on his shirt are open, showing a little hair, and thankfully, he’s wearing his new thick black frames. I lean my elbow on his knees, gazing into his eyes. “You’ve outdone yourself, Ash B.”
He grins, his eyes dancing with excitement as he drinks me in. “You look absolutely incredible, Ally T.”
And when he winks, my breath catches.
“Are you sure? I feel like this dress is so Stella Ann and not Allison Mae.”
It’s a tight, formfitting red dress that hangs dangerously low on my breasts. It stops at my knees with a slit up my thigh. Very much something Stella would rock and have men drooling all over her in. I’m pretty sure these are her red-soled heels. I can’t bring myself to ask, though, because if Asher bought these for me, I might hump his face right on this bar.
I’ve never felt more loved in my life.
Asher slides his hand up my slit to my hip, gazing into my eyes. “I feel Allison Mae is owning this dress. You’re hot as all get-out, baby.”
My lips quirk. “You’re so getting laid tonight.”
He nods, all confident-like. “Oh, I know.”
My face breaks into a grin as I bring my glass of wine to my lips. My stomach is swirling with desire, but my nerves are eating me alive. I spent the day working on my resume and finding out where I want to send it. I’ve focused a lot on Nashville and the surrounding cities, but the jobs I really want are in the Midwest. I want to be a part of a team, working with athletes to help maintain their mental health. The only team here I’d want to work with is the Assassins, and that can’t happen. I could transfer to football or even soccer since we have those teams here in Nashville, but my heart says hockey.
I’m scared to find out what Asher will think. What he’ll say. I know he’ll be supportive; that’s Asher. He’s the best when it comes to me reaching my goals, but will he be with me through it? Will he come with me? Can he come? So many questions and my stomach hurts thinking of them. As I sit here, staring at him, I don’t want to leave. I want to stay right here, under his hooded gaze, feeling like he sees nothing but me.
I want to shake him. Scream at him to tell me he loves me. Scream back that I love him. But I just don’t think doing that will help. I’m on his time, and I agreed to that. But a part of me just wants to say it and let it out into the world. Maybe then it’ll help him get to where I am.
But it could also scare him off.
I need to change the subject.
“Emery picked out the fuzzy white jacket thing, huh?”
He grins as he nods. “Yeah. Do you like it?”
“Oh, I love the whole outfit.”
“Good,” he says. “Do you like the shoes?”
I press my lips together, shifting them back and forth because of the gloss I’m wearing over my dark red lipstick. “I love them, Ash. They’re amazing.”
He grins. “Stella said you needed them.”
I’m breathless. “You bought them for me?”
“Yeah. Can’t have a hot dress like this without shoes to match.”
Why do I feel like I’m about to cry? Wait. Is he going to tell me he loves me? “I’m overwhelmed by all of this, honestly.”
“Just
how I wanted you,” he says, leaning toward me and pressing his lips to mine. “I want you to know how special you are to me.”
I gaze into his eyes, and the words are there. Come on, Ash. Say them. He cups my face, running his thumb along my jaw, and he’s going to say it. I know it.
“Mr. Brooks, your table is ready.”
I can’t stab a hostess, right?
He sends me another wink before getting up and helping me off the barstool. He takes my hand as I grab my wine, and together, we head toward our table in the back corner. Like the gentleman he is, he pulls out my chair for me. “You look really good in those shoes, Ally.”
I beam over my shoulder at him. “Stop it. I can’t with you.”
He grins. “Want to take the fuzzy thing off?”
I nod, and he helps me out of it before putting it on the back of my chair. Before I can sit down, though, he snakes his arm around my waist, pulling me to him, and he kisses my shoulder. Even the hostess is swooning at this point. I gaze up at him as I sit down and take the menu from her. As he lowers himself into the other chair, he unfastens the button to his jacket, and it’s basically porn for me. For the love of all things holy, this dude isn’t playing around tonight. I don’t know what is wrong with me, but I want him more than I’ve ever wanted him in my life.
I’m also falling so totally in love with him, that it’s almost torture.
But maybe tonight is the night he tells me.
Or I tell him I’m more than likely going to move when I graduate, and he dumps me.
The possibilities are endless at this point.
I lick my lips as we both look over the menu, and then we order our entrees. We’re both ravenous, not only for food, but for each other. I hand off the menu to the waitress and reach for my wine. He takes a long pull of his water, and our eyes meet over the candlelight. His face glows from the low lighting, and I can’t help but smile.
“What?”
“This is really nice,” I admit, and he sends me a quirky grin before lacing our fingers together. I take a deep breath and beg for a conversation topic to come to mind so I don’t jump him. “So, you told your sisters about me?”
He nods with a rueful grin. “Funny you ask. Apparently, everyone in my family knows but my mom.”
I’m confused. “I’m sorry?”
He rolls his eyes. “Aiden told my dad to get back at me for telling everyone about him and Shelli—”
I laugh. “Oh yeah, when you were trying to get your mom’s ring for Jasmine.”
Something shifts in his eyes, and for once, I don’t know what it is. “Yeah. And good for him, it was a nice burn.”
“Such a nice burn. You threw him to the wolves like a little crybaby.”
He holds up his palm. “Whoa, please spare my feelings. I was young and stupid.”
“It was like nine months ago. You’re still young and stupid.”
He squeezes my hand, and we laugh together. “Anyway,” he sings, and I grin. “Emery overheard my dad and Aiden’s conversation. I wasn’t going to tell them when I asked for their help today, but Emery doesn’t know how to keep her mouth shut.”
“Oh no, that’s not her way of life.”
He nods. “It was interesting, to say the least.”
“I bet. Those two are a hoot.”
“That’s one way to put it. They’ve grown, like, a lot.”
“Yeah. That’s how I feel about Journey. One minute, he’s a snot-nosed brat, and now, he’s still a snot-nose, but he’s taller than me.”
He grins. “He’s a good kid.”
“Yeah,” I say softly. “The girls are wonderful too. They just demand attention.”
“God help the guys they trick into relationships.” He eyes me with a teasing gleam in those gray depths. “But I do tend to surround myself with women like that.”
I laugh as I reach for my glass. “Hey, don’t act like you don’t like that about me.”
He strokes his thumb along mine. “I’m not. Just stating facts.”
I side-eye him. “Sure.”
He grins as he looks down at our hands. “I think I need to go talk to your dad. With everyone knowing on my side, my mom will find out sooner rather than later, and she’ll tell your family. I don’t want Jakob to find out like that. I want to tell him.”
“I’d appreciate that.”
“We can go together.”
I smile. “Okay. Or we can start making out and just call him into the room.”
He blinks. “I thought you liked me? Are you trying to get me murdered?”
I giggle, shaking my head as his face lights up across from me. Lord, he’s so beautiful. When his phone sounds, he makes an annoyed face before he pulls it out of his pocket. “Sorry.”
“It’s fine.”
He reads the message and then rolls his eyes, tucking it back into his pocket. “Stella, being dumb.”
I bring in my brows. “Huh?”
He shakes his head. “It’s nothing.”
“Tell me.”
He meets my gaze, and his lip quirks at the side. “Don’t laugh at me.”
I shake my head. “I will not promise that.”
“Then I’m not telling you.”
I scrunch up my face, thinking really hard if I can contain myself. Usually if he says that, I can’t. “Fine.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
He lets out an embarrassed laugh, and then his eyes capture mine. “We sat in the car before we went into the mall, looking for songs to send you.”
There is no laughter in me. Mainly because my heart has exploded. “Really?”
“Really, and it was so silly because nothing felt right. And then the one that did, I felt I wasn’t ready to give you.”
“Aw, what song?”
He gives me a look. “I’m not telling you.”
“Why?”
“I might use it later,” he says, eyeing me through his long lashes. “But she was texting me another song that she says ‘fits us perfectly.’”
“Which one?”
“Again, not telling you. I haven’t heard it, and I want to listen to it first.”
“So rude,” I complain, and he winks.
“I’ll make it up to you.”
His words are more a promise than anything, and that excites me more than it should. Our entrees are brought out, and we dig in. We eat off each other’s plates, and the conversation is so easy. So us. I very much skirt around the edges of where I sent my resumes, and he says every sweet thing in the book, except the three words I’m dying for. He finishes before I do, and when the waitress takes his plate, I send him a forgiving smile.
“I’m getting full, but my mom didn’t raise a quitter,” I admit, and he laughs.
“It’s fine. Take a break.”
“So supportive,” I say as he grins. I lean back in the chair, thankful that my dress gives the food baby growing in my gut some room. I feel him watching me, and I look over, shrugging. “What?”
“I’ve got something else for you.”
I arch a brow. “What? Why? Asher, you’ve given me so much tonight. It’s really the perfect night.”
He swallows as he opens his jacket and pulls out a little box. “I want you to know how I feel about you.”
My heart actually stops as he places the little mahogany box in front of me. I look from it to him and then back down to it. I feel my heart kick back up and start to pounding. “What is this?”
“Open it.”
I look back at him. “Are you asking me to marry you?”
He scoffs. “I’m glad I’m not because you would have ruined it.”
That takes a bit of the pressure off. Kinda. “I don’t understand.”
“Don’t understand what?”
“What this is,” I explain, and he looks at me blankly.
“Then open it.”
I’m almost afraid to. With a shaky hand and my heart pounding in my ears, I slowly open th
e box to the most stunning diamond duet I’ve ever seen. And holy hell, the diamonds are huge. I cover my mouth as I look back at him. “Did you just get paid?”
He laughs loudly, his whole body moving with the action as I glance back down at the box. “Do you like it?” he asks, and I feel the tears in my eyes as I reach for the ring. It’s a gorgeous white-gold band holding one emerald-cut diamond and a square-shaped one. The space between the diamonds is so unique. I slowly slide it onto my right ring finger since hopefully, one day, he’ll give me something for the left. Though this ring looks like it belongs on the left. I hold out my hand to take in the gorgeousness he’s just given me, but he takes my hand in his, nodding.
“Perfection. I knew it was made for you.”
Breathless, I fight back tears. “This is too much.”
“No, you deserve it,” he says softly. “And I want you to know, Ally, despite this space, nothing can keep us apart, because like this band, something will always hold us to each other.”
My lip wobbles as he traces his thumb along the band and diamonds, his eyes never leaving mine. He’s so proud of himself, and it fills me with such unbelievable love. “You’ve been working on that since you got the ring, huh?”
“Yup, a lot of thought went into it. Stella and Emery weren’t impressed,” he admits as a tear rolls down my cheek.
My voice breaks as I say, “Well, I am thoroughly impressed.”
His lips turn up in the most gorgeous grin. “That’s all that matters.”
Our eyes meet, and everything goes numb. Never in my life have I felt what I feel for this man. I wait, begging with my eyes.
Say it, Ash.
Say it.
But his stare is so level. “Are you happy, Ally T?”
He isn’t going to say it. I lick my lips, and softly, I say, “So much so. You’re about to get the best loving of your life.”
He nods, so damn sure of himself. “I know.”
So cocky! And boy, do I love it.
But the one thing that demolishes me inside is that I didn’t need any of this.
All I need are those three words.