for making me stop running.”
Twenty-Two
Before
Pearl
“Happy birthday, Pearl,” Ashe said as he placed a cake on the table. There were two chocolate tiers and twenty-one candles lit along the top, my name written in sparkly icing with flowers frosted around it. “Make a wish.”
I stared at the small fires, a thought coming into my mind. There was only one thing I’d ever wished for year after year.
I hope I’m able to move Gran out of here and give her a better life.
I sucked in as much air as I could hold and tried to blow out every candle, but a few were so stubborn that it took another breath to put those out.
Just as I finished, he took my face into his hands and kissed me. “I can’t wait to taste the peanut butter on your lips.”
His smile caused a flutter in my chest, and so did the feel of him on my cheeks.
“That’s the flavor you got?”
“It’s your favorite.”
Details.
Ashe paid more attention than anyone I’d ever met, making it one of the sexiest, most endearing qualities about him.
I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and kissed him. “From every bit of my heart, I thank you.”
“Don’t feel like you have to keep saying that.” His voice was so tender. “You’ve shown your appreciation since the moment you arrived at my apartment tonight.”
That felt like days ago.
Because never had I expected this evening to turn into this.
But maybe I should have.
From the very beginning, Ashe had shown me how wonderful he was. And each day, he’d continued to prove that he was the type of man who would decorate a rooftop with flowers and candles, play music, and feed me Chinese. At this point, I truly believed he would do anything to make sure I had a memory to hold on to forever.
“I don’t think I’ve shown you enough,” I whispered.
“Trust me, you have.”
Trust.
That word hit me hard, rolling all the way to my stomach, heating and bubbling like the oatmeal I’d made Gran for breakfast. It was a word that had held no value for most of my life, every promise made to me broken until I’d moved in with Gran. She was the only person who made me believe in trust.
Ashe wasn’t far behind.
He grabbed a long knife from the drawer and handed it to me. “Do you want to do the honors?”
I smiled. “I’ll let you make the mess.”
He laughed, carefully sticking the blade into the center of the cake and dragging it to the edge, repeating the motion until there were several slices. He used the flat side of the knife to lift the large pieces and plate them. Once we each had one, he took out some vanilla ice cream and spooned that on the side.
“As kids, we always had ice cream with our cake,” he said, sitting next to me at the table. “My mom used to buy us strawberry. I think that was her way of trying to get us to eat more fruit.” He took a bite. “But I think vanilla tastes best with this.”
I dipped my spoon into the creaminess and added some of the cake, making sure a frosted flower made it in as well. All of the flavors mixed together in my mouth, and I moaned, “You’re not wrong.”
“You like it?”
“Love.” My eyes closed. “Really, really love.”
When I opened my lids again, he was grinning, and he reached across the small space, rubbing his fingers over my cheek. “God, you’re beautiful.”
My face warmed under his hand. “Are you going to cut a piece for Dylan?”
I hadn’t asked if he was here when we first arrived. I just assumed he was in his room.
“He’s gone for the night. But I assure you, he’ll dig in the second he gets back in the morning.”
“Do you have eggs?” When he nodded, I added, “Good. Then, I’ll make you guys breakfast, and we can have the cake for dessert.”
He stared at me for several seconds. “You’ve decided to stay?”
Even though I’d stuck a few overnight things in my bag, I’d still debated while I was on the train to his apartment tonight. Once I opened the sleepover door, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to close it, and something told me I’d be spending many more nights over here.
In my head, it seemed like an urge I should fight.
But in my heart, I knew I couldn’t.
Waking up next to Ashe was what I wanted.
“Yes.” I swallowed, the richness slowly sliding down my throat. “I’m