52. Ashlie
CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
ASHLIE
“ S o…” I turn to Hunter, flashing my teeth in a nervous grin. He pauses the movie I chose for his “month-i-versary” surprise tonight, then adjusts on his sofa. “I got called for an interview.”
“Fuck yeah, baby! I knew you’d get it. When is it?”
“This week, at the Jensen Center. It’s two parts. Monday, I’ll be in the rec center offices, and if that goes well, I’ll do a swimming interview at McMahon on Saturday.”
Pulling me closer, he nuzzles into my neck. “I’m proud of you, honey bear.”
I smile as he kisses my temple. “Yeah, thanks. Me too. How was your day?”
“ Oh , I forgot. Guess who I bumped into at the flower shop?” Hunter rubs his hand up and down my thigh. “Awe-vuh,” he says in a pretentious voice.
I snort. “Was she wearing green?”
“No idea. I got out of there as fast as I could.” He laughs and presses a kiss to my shoulder, which I return with a kiss to his lips.
“Thank you for telling me.” Ava’s been such a hot button issue with us, I’m relieved I have no lingering suspicions. Hunter’s changed for the better, and I’m working on changing too.
“Always… How was your session today?”
“Good! We talked about you, actually.” I bite my lower lip nervously. He raises a brow, but waits for me to explain. “All good things. Promise. We discussed how supportive you’ve been with my healing journey. How much I appreciate your patience with me. And how I hope I can give that back to you.”
“You already do,” he whispers. “So much.”
“Thank you for all the surprises tonight, love.”
He tilts my head back with a finger under my chin, taking a deep, slow draw on my lips. “I need to show you something else.” Reaching for the hem of his shirt, he scoots away from me and pulls it over his head. The soft smile on his face as he takes my hand and moves it to the freshly wrapped ink on his chest sets me at ease. My eyes sweep over the retouched Atlas and the expanse of the heavens, the stars, the planets, and the moon. And peeking out from behind the storm cloud is the not-so-temporary sun I drew on him weeks ago.
I’ve made a show of pulling out a pen and retracing the lines whenever my rudimentary drawing fades. Hunter huffs like he hates it, but he lays back and lets me do it every time. And here it is, my simple sun shining with a little twist. The skinny rays shine on one side, with the expertly drawn inflorescence of a sunflower on the other.
My eyes sting as they meet Hunter’s, the explosion in my chest vastly different from the panic I’m used to. My heart is gone, burst open by this display of devotion. He added a sun to his tattoo. No . Not just any sun. He added my sun and my favorite flower. He added me , right over his heart. I can barely hear my voice when I ask, “When did you do this?”
“This morning,” he says with a smile.
“ Why did you do this?” My mouth hasn’t closed yet, and I blink rapidly, my eyes moving from his face to his chest and back.
“Ashlie, you’re a part of me, forever. You have my heart. You are my heart—my sunshine gleaming out of the darkness. And now, I have a little piece of you to take with me wherever I go. I love you.”
“I love you more.” My trembling voice stutters out of me as I struggle to keep the tears at bay.
“Wanna bet?” Hunter smirks and pulls me forward, kissing me slowly, encircling me in his arms. He clutches to me like a hard-won treasure he’ll never let go of, kisses me like he’ll never stop. On both accounts, I hope he never does.