I frowned, not sure how I felt about my mom saying that. So I just forced a chuckle and nodded.
* * *
I should have leftMom at home.
Ever since we stepped over the threshold of Harmony Island Pub, Mom had not been her usual reserved self. She was buying drinks for the people around us. She was dancing to the music.
Jax suggested we play Everyone Wants to Kiss You, a bachelor party game where I would be blindfolded and all the single ladies could line up and pay twenty dollars to kiss me. Mom shouted that it was the best idea and offered to be the one to take the money. Apparently, this was a tradition in the pub, and the money went to help pay for alcohol for the bride and groom on their wedding night.
I stared at my mom, baffled that she was the same woman who grounded me for the whole summer after I set up a gambling ring in the seventh grade.
She was having a little too much fun, and it had me worried.
“Your mom is hilarious,” Jax said over the music as he brought our table another round.
Miles, Boone, Bash, and Isaac, my mortgage guy, were all standing around as we huddled in the corner. Mom was currently playing pool with a few strangers, and I was left staring at her, wondering if I should call the Men in Black because an alien most certainly had taken over her body.
“Yeah,” I said as I pulled my gaze from her and shook my head. “This isn’t the woman who raised me.”
The guys chuckled as they picked up their shots, and we downed them all at once.
“Claire’s in the back looking for a towel to use as a blindfold, and then we can get this party started,” Jax said as we all set our empty shot glasses down on the tray. “I’ll be back with more drinks.”
I wanted to tell him that I’d decided against the game. I really didn’t want to kiss a bunch of strangers. But Mom seemed so excited at the idea that it felt wrong to take it away from her. It was frightening to see your strict mother let loose, but I also knew how hard she worked. If this would bring her happiness, then who was I to take that away from her?
I glanced up and realized Mom had disappeared. I scanned the pub but didn’t find her. Maybe she’d gone to the bathroom.
Just as I brought my gaze back to the guys, a familiar face stopped me. Chad. I frowned as I recalled the conversation between him and Ella a few days ago.
Friday night. Date. Was Ella here?
“Asher!” Mom’s voice cut through my thoughts.
I turned to see her pushing through the crowd. I stepped toward her, relieved that my mom hadn’t left with some stranger—with the way she’d been acting, I wouldn’t have put that past her. Then I froze.
I hadn’t noticed that she’d been dragging Ella behind her until she stepped up next to Mom with a confused expression on her face. Her gaze slowly lifted to meet mine. My heart picked up speed as I stared into her familiar blue eyes.
“Guess who I found in the bathroom…” Mom said like it was a mystery. She let go of Ella’s elbow so she could wrap her arm around her shoulders. “Ella!” she announced.
I pushed my hand through my hair as I offered Ella an apologetic smile. “Hey, Ella.”
She nodded, but her smile was shy. Something I’d never seen from her before. “Hey, Asher.”
“It’s kissing time,” Jax shouted as he pushed through the crowd with a towel held high.
Mom cheered. “You’re joining us, right?” she asked. Her grip on Ella was so tight that I wondered if Ella thought she even had a choice.
I tried to signal that she could say no, but if Ella saw, she didn’t acknowledge it. Instead, she just smiled at Mom and nodded. “Sure. What are we doing?”
Mom pointed to me. “Kissing Asher.”
20
ELLA
I adored Asher’s mom.She had always been so sweet to me. She was funny and outgoing, and I’d looked up to her like a second mom.
But right now, with her words ringing in my ears, I wanted to disown her.Kissing, Asher.Did she just say that? And did I just agree to it? I blinked a few times, trying to force my brain to process what was happening.
