So I set seven boxes of cereal onto the counter and grab bowls from the cupboard, spoons from the drawer. Phil finishes plating scrambled eggs and bacon just in time: Evelyn shuffles to the table, wrapped in a fuzzy robe, and drops into a chair. With a wan smile, she mutters a ‘morning’ that says the morning is anything but good. Cheryl, then Eddie, then Samantha and John, and sounds come from upstairs. I chew on my lower lip before asking if the others can keep an eye on Ashton for a moment.
Holden jumps when I appear in the doorway of his bedroom, and his lips turn down in the corners. Probably a reaction to the serious expression I wear. I press forward until he takes a step back then another. As soon as I can, I shut the door behind me and lean against the wood.
“Holden, I need you to be a hundred percent honest with me, a hundred percent sure about this.”
“About what?”
“Us moving in.”
Holden nods before I even finish speaking. His hands come up to rest on my hips, a gentle touch that brings heat to my eyes. “Of course I’m sure, Dealla. I wouldn’t have asked if I wasn’t.”
“Ashton… He means everything to me. Heiseverything to me.” Blowing out a breath, I force myself to meet his gaze. “If it turns out you can’t handle it, I need you to promise you’ll tell me immediately if this isn’t something you want anymore.”
“Dealla—”
I continue, drowning out his voice, “It’ll hurt, but I know in time, I’ll accept it was for the best. The last thing I ever want to do is force you to be with me if you’re not happy.” I pause, look at Holden directly. A glimmer of something—hope?—hides behind the clear gray of his eyes. “You deserve to be with someone you love and can have a future with. If it ends up not being me… then okay. Can you promise me that? Swear you’ll tell me straight-up that you want out? Don’t stay just because you love Ashton and are afraid of fucking him up.”
“I swear,” he murmurs, the word nearly inaudible in the silence. He lifts one of my hands to his lips and kisses the ridge of my knuckles. “I swear on everything in my life that I will let you know if I ever want to break up. I mean, it’ll never happen, but on the absoluteimpossiblechance it does, I’ll tell you.”
“Then... Yes. Ash and I will move in.”
“Are you sure?”
“A hundred percent.”
My next words are cut off by the searing kiss Holden leaves on my lips. I bury my fingers in his hair, pull him closer, and let myself fly with the lightness that diffuses through my entire being.
His hands wrap around my waist, and I stumble when he moves me aside. He takes a second to steady me, but then he’s gone, barreling down the stairs. Giggling to myself, I follow.
“She said yes to moving in!” he shouts as he skids into the dining room on socked feet.
Despite the various levels of hungover, everyone bursts into cheering and clapping. I shake my head and cross the room to crouch beside Ashton.
“Hey, buddy, wanna live here with Holden?”
“’Den!”
“I think that’s a yes,” Phil says, and Holden pulls Ashton out of his chair. As he spins the toddler in circles, making Ashton screech, Phil nudges me with his shoulder. “You’ve just made his entire year.”
I stare at my boyfriend, at the brilliant smile that splits his face as he listens to Ashton babbling. The light in his eyes that could illuminate the whole world if I could just harness it.
“Yeah,” I murmur. “Yeah, I know the feeling.”
Homecoming
LucitugsAshtonoutof my arms the instant she’s able to, and I huff but turn to hug Tristan tightly. He allows it for a moment then pushes me away gently. I know what he is going to say before he even opens his mouth.
“I thought I told you not to think of coming back if it ain’t to pack your shit and go.”
“You are the worst friend I’ve ever had, did you know that?” I lean into his side, wrap my arm around his lower back, and lead the group toward baggage claim. “How was your holiday?”
Tristan sighs, scrubs a hand over his face. “You had the right idea of not visiting family. Dad asked if I got a real job yet, Mom demanded that I bring home a girl next time I visit, and Mimi? Well, she decided to get drunk and do a jig in her delicates. Again.”
“Oh, Tris, that sounds awful. Anything good happen at all?”
“I got a new pair of socks!” he announces with false cheer. With a sigh, he relaxes his expression of forced levity. “Honestly, your call on Christmas was the only highlight of the last week of my life.”
“I’m glad I could make it better in some small way. How about yours, Luci?”
