Southern Secrets (Southern #7) - Natasha Madison Page 0,66
aunt Olivia calls her inside. She gets up, rubbing my head. "Don’t push it away."
I sit in the chair for what feels like an eternity. Only moving to get food and then when Asher comes to get me to leave.
I get into the truck, the whole time not saying anything. He reaches out and grabs my hand once he gets into the car and kisses the top of my hand once we drive away from my grandparents' house. "Are you okay?" he asks when he pulls into the driveway of my house.
My hand reaches to open the door. "Yeah, I’m just tired, I guess." I get out of the truck, and for the first time, I don’t attack him when we get into the door. Instead, I walk over to the kitchen and open the fridge to get a water bottle out.
"What’s wrong?" He stands there in the middle of the living room, looking at me. "You can’t tell me you’re just tired. I’ve seen your tired face before." His hand goes up and points at me. "Something happened today at the barbecue, and I’m not going to drop it until you tell me."
I look down, gathering all the courage I need for this next part. Knowing that in one small move, he can shatter me. "My mother said I looked different." His eyebrows pinch together in the same confused face I must have given my mother. "I fell in love without even knowing it." The lump starts to grow bigger in my throat. Heat rushes up my back to my neck, and I think I’m going to be physically sick. "I fell in love, and I didn’t even know it was happening until it did." I blink away the tears. "I’m in love with you," I say the words while my heart soars in my chest. "And I know without a shadow of a doubt that I won’t survive without you." I wipe the lone tear that comes out of the corner of my eye.
"I don’t know what love is," he finally says. "Never knew love growing up, never knew love when I became a man." He walks to me and turns me to look at him. "What I do know is that being with you makes breathing easier. I know that when you walk into a room, all I can do is smile. I know that kissing you is the single best thing I’ll ever do in my life. I know that the thought of being without you makes my chest hurt. A pain that feels like something is pressing or stomping on my body and crushing my bones.” He pushes the hair away from my face, his big hands coming up to cup my face, and right before his lips meet mine, he says the words that I’ve never heard from anyone but my family. "I love you, Amelia."
Chapter 27
Asher
"What time are you going to be done?" I ask Amelia when I walk into her office at the barn. She looks up at me, and again, for the I don’t know how many times, I stop and smile at her. Leaning back in her chair, she folds her hands on her stomach.
"I’m done at three," she says. "Like I am every single day. So in three hours." I walk over to her desk and sit on the side of it. It’s the closest I can get to her without touching her. It’s something I often do, and if someone came in, it wouldn’t look out of sorts.
"Did you eat lunch?" she asks, and I smirk at her, looking around to make sure no one is lingering or can hear me. My voice goes low anyway.
"I can tell you what I want to eat for lunch." I wink at her, and she shakes her head.
"You had that for breakfast." She laughs.
"Well, I’ll be having that for dinner also." I get up, standing by her chair. "Just so you know."
I want to bend down and kiss her lips, but I know it’s not the time.
It’s been over a month since I told her I loved her. A month that I’ve had to hide it, and if I’m honest, I am about done with it. But before I tell everyone about us, I have to come clean to Ethan and Jacob. "I’ll see you later." I smile at her, and she tilts her head back, and I glare at her. "Why do you tempt me like this?"