sound asleep on her pillow.
“Looks like he had a busy night.” She giggled, leaning on the doorframe to face me.
The moment took me right back to that first night, dropping her off at her motel room.
The kiss we shared that night was real.
I looked down at my feet before capturing her eyes with mine, searching for an answer to a question I couldn’t ask.
That alone has to mean that there’s something between us, right?
“Ashleigh?” I took a deep breath.
“Yeah?” she whispered.
Ask her, you fool. Just ask her.
My heart pounded against the inside of my ribcage like a fist. I’d never felt so tongue-tied in my entire life. Releasing a heavy sigh, I smiled.
“I’m glad you’re here.” I swallowed hard. “Good night.”
“Good night, Connor.” Her shoulders drooped as the smile faded from her eyes.
If I didn’t know better, I’d say that was a look of disappointment.
I turned around and headed back toward the main house as Ashleigh’s door closed behind me.
Chapter 13
Ashleigh
I started to pick up the chair to wedge the door shut, then froze. I looked down at my white knuckles grasping the back of the chair, and made the conscious decision to let go. Instead, I sat down and exhaled, an irrepressible smile forcing its way onto my lips.
I can’t believe this is happening.
I put my face in my hands, brushing my hair back and taking a deep breath.
I don’t know if it’s just facing my mortality that’s making me overly emotional, but kissing that man is like actual heaven.
Not only that, but his family and friends are all amazing. I chewed my thumbnail as I thought about it. Is it crazy that I think this could work for a while?
Not as crazy as the little voice in the back of my head telling me that this so-called act had only been on for a couple of hours, and I was already starting to convince myself that it was more than that.
What is wrong with me? I leaned forward, putting my head down. Maybe these feelings make more sense than I’m giving myself credit for.
If I’d learned anything in the last few weeks, it was how fragile and short life is. I didn’t want to leave this world without ever having felt this, without having something tangible. I’d wasted so much time and energy on guys I wished I liked this much. Would it be so bad to—
Knock, knock, knock.
The rapping at my door was soft, but it made my heart seize in place.
“It’s me.” Connor’s voice on the other side of the door instantly put me at ease, and I laughed at myself.
He probably wants to give me a heads-up about what we’ll be working on tomorrow.
I stood up, crossing the room to open the door.
Connor stood leaning with a hand gripping the frame on either side of the door as if letting go would mean getting sucked off into space.
“You okay?” My eyes shifted around.
“Marry me.” His eyes drew mine in.
“What?” The word came out with a half laugh.
“I realize you don’t know me.” He took a deep breath. “But if you marry me, I promise you can walk away any time you want… no questions asked.”
“Wow.” I crossed my arms, raising an eyebrow as I leaned against the doorframe. “That’s the most romantic proposal I’ve ever heard.”
“You’re not looking for romance.” His eyebrows betrayed a frown as he smiled. “You need somewhere you can feel safe. I want to be the one to give you that.” He looked down at his feet, and my heart clenched at the heartache on his face. “Even if that’s all I can be for you, I’ll be whatever you need. I just want you to know that.”
As insane as it sounds, I believed he meant every word. But all I could do was stare at him blankly, in disbelief.
Connor is a gorgeous, driven, self-sufficient person, I thought to myself. Why would he be willing to enter into a legally binding arrangement with some random hot mess that wandered into town? He’s either insane… or secretly a hopeless romantic.
Connor’s arms fell to his sides, giving a single nod as if satisfied that he’d said what he needed to say before he turned to go back into the house.
“Yes!” My hand darted out, catching his, and he looked back at me. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”
“Yeah?” His relaxed expression warmed into a wide smile. “Well, I’m honored. Even if it is just for show.”
This man… I smiled up at him through my eyelashes