Chapter 32
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Laney
Ipace the entryway, glancing at the time as I wait for Ashlyn to pick me up.
All day, I’ve been torn. Part of me wants to go to Eden tonight, but the other half can’t shake the guilt, like I’m somehow betraying my mom.
I was twelve when she had the accident. I still remember bits and pieces of life with her before, though some memories have started to blur.
What I do know is she was an amazing mom, and I miss her every single day.
It’s hard to believe it’s been six years since I last heard her voice or felt one of her hugs.
Ashlyn does seem great now that I’ve spent some time with her, and I can understand why my dad likes her so much.
Still, I can’t help wishing things were different, that it was my mom making him smile instead.
But like I said to Ashlyn last night, I’m starting to accept that even if she woke up tomorrow, things wouldn’t go back to the way they were.
The chime of my phone pulls me from my thoughts.
I grab it from the pocket of my jeans and see a message from Dad.
We’d spoken earlier and he seemed genuinely pleased that I’m giving Ashlyn a chance.
He must know we’re heading to Eden tonight, but he hasn’t mentioned my date.
I guess Ash kept her promise and didn’t tell him.
Dad: Hey, sweetheart. Have fun with the girls tonight. I’m so glad you and Ash are getting along. I’ll see you when I’m home tomorrow.
I type back quickly.
Me: Thanks. I’m a little nervous.
Dad: You’ll have a great time. Ash loves a night out.
Me: What time will you be back tomorrow?
Dad: Sometime late afternoon, I think.
Me: Okay. See you then.
I slip my phone back into my pocket just as a car horn sounds outside. Stepping to the door, I spot Ashlyn’s car waiting in the driveway. Nerves twist in my stomach as I take a steadying breath. I lift my hand in a quick wave, grab my things, and head out to meet her.
Ashlyn steps out of the car and reaches for my bag.
“Hey, Laney. You doing okay?” she asks as she takes it from me and walks over to the trunk, popping it open and setting it inside.
I’d left the dresses I tried on last night at her place, figuring I’d be getting ready there tonight anyway.
“Hey, Ash. Yeah, I’m okay… just a little nervous about the date,” I admit.
The truth is, it’s not just the date I’m anxious about. The whole night has my stomach in knots, even though I hung out with Ashlyn last night and had fun. It’s all still new.
We climb into her car.
“You’re going to have a great time,” she says with certainty as she clicks her seatbelt into place and backs out of the driveway. “What time are you meeting… wait, I don’t think I asked. What’s his name?”
“Ryan,” I tell her. “We’re meeting at seven.”
She nods. “Perfect. I’ll make dinner when we get back. We can’t do takeout two nights in a row,” she teases with a laugh. “Ivy’s coming over too. You like pasta, right? It’s kind of the only meal I can make. I’m a terrible cook.”
I smile at the way she rambles on, like she’s trying to fill the silence. It’s kind of sweet that she seems as nervous as I feel.
“Pasta’s great,” I say.
She glances over at me. “Have you decided which dress you’re going with yet?”
I turn toward her slightly. “I’m torn, but I think I’m leaning toward the red one. What do you think?”
Her face lights up. “The red one is stunning! Classic and elegant. You can’t go wrong. But try them both on when Ivy gets there and see what she thinks.”
“Good plan,” I say, feeling a little more at ease.
“I love a girls’ night,” Ash says, her tone lighter now. “Especially when it starts with drinks at home.”
“It’s been a while since I’ve done that,” I admit quietly. “At least, not since before we moved to River Falls.”
Ash frowns. “Didn’t you just go on a girls’ weekend?”
“Yeah,” I say with a shrug. “But I barely knew anyone. I was basically there to make up the numbers.”
“I’m sorry, Laney,” she says softly.
I give a small shrug. “It’s not your fault. Switching schools senior year sucks.”
Her gaze softens as she glances over at me again. “Well, tonight, we’ll make up for it. I promise.”
We fall into easy conversation on the drive to Ashlyn’s place, and before I know it, we’re pulling up outside her apartment building. After grabbing my bag from the trunk, we head inside and take the elevator up to her floor.
As soon as we step through the door, I kick off my shoes and trail after her into the kitchen.
“Help yourself to a drink,” Ashlyn offers, tossing her water bottle into the sink before motioning toward the fridge. “I’m just gonna go get changed.”
She disappears down the hallway and I grab a soda, wandering into the living room as I sip it.
A table lined with framed photos catches my attention, and I find myself moving toward it.
There are so many pictures. Snapshots of family and friends; moments that obviously mean something to her.
One in particular makes me stop. A photo of four guys in suits, all smiling widely. I recognize one as Wyatt.
I’m still holding the frame, studying their faces, when Ashlyn returns.
“That was at Cade and Sophie’s wedding in Vegas last year,” she says behind me, her voice warm with the memory. “Sophie planned the whole thing. Cade didn’t have a clue.”
I smile and set the photo back down. “That’s so romantic.” Then I glance at her with a smirk. “Your brothers clean up pretty well.”
Ashlyn laughs. “Yeah, I guess they do.”
“Are they all as nice as Wyatt?” I ask. “I still can’t believe he came with you to bail me out the other night.”
Her smile softens. “Yeah, they’re pretty great.”
“Must be nice, having siblings,” I say, my tone wistful.
“It is… most of the time,” she replies with a chuckle. “But having four older brothers has its downsides too, believe me.”
I pull a face. “Let me guess, super overprotective?”
“You have no idea.”
I grin, then my expression fades as I glance at her again. “I bet they weren’t thrilled when you started dating my dad.”
Ashlyn’s face falls slightly, tinged with something a little sad. “No, they weren’t. It was tough in the beginning. But I think they’ve finally come around.”
I nod slowly, feeling a pang of guilt twist in my stomach. “I wasn’t exactly nice either,” I admit quietly.
She places her hand on my arm. “I get it, Laney. You were going to have your guard up, especially under the circumstances, and we cleared the air with all that last night, right?”
I offer her a small smile. “Yeah, we did.”
We sit in silence for a moment, neither of us quite sure what to say next. The quiet is broken by the buzz of the intercom.
“That’ll be Ivy,” Ash says, giving me a small smile as she gets up.
She leaves me in the living room and crosses to the door to let her in. I settle back into the sofa, tucking my legs beneath me and taking a sip of my drink. A few minutes later, there’s a knock at the door, followed by a whirlwind of energy as a stunning brunette strides in.
“I brought wine!” she announces, holding up a bottle of red like it’s a trophy. She sets it down on the breakfast bar and makes a beeline for me. “You must be Laney,” she says warmly. “I’m Ivy.”
Before I can respond, she plops down beside me and pulls me into a hug. I blink in surprise but can’t help laughing as I hug her back.
“It’s nice to meet you, Ivy,” I say as we pull apart.
“You too.” She grins. “Ash told me you’ve got a date tonight.” She wiggles her brows, and I can’t help but laugh again.
“Yes. And thanks for sacrificing your Friday night to make sure I don’t end up as a true crime documentary.”
Ivy bursts out laughing and waves me off. “Are you kidding? I’m usually at Eden with Ash on Fridays anyway. This just gives me something fun to do while we’re there.”
“Laney, want a glass of wine?” Ash calls from the kitchen.
I glance over, surprised. “Uh… sure, if that’s okay?”
“One glass won’t hurt,” Ash says with a wink. “I promised your dad you wouldn’t drink at Eden, but I made no promises about my apartment.” I laugh as she raises an eyebrow at me. “Red or white?” she asks.
“Red, please.”
“Ivy?”
“Same for me,” Ivy answers.
As Ash pours the wine, Ivy glances over at me with a curious smile. “So… this guy you’re meeting, is he your age?”
“He’s a little older,” I reply. “Twenty-two. And he’s a cop.”
Ash looks up from the kitchen, eyebrows raised. “A cop? Which station?”
“Hope Creek.”
“No way!” she says, sounding surprised. “That’s where Nash works. I bet they know each other!”
Ivy leans in a little closer. “Do you have a photo of him? You said you met him online, right?”
I nod. “I can show you his profile,” I say, pulling out my phone.
“Wait for me!” Ash says, hurrying over with two glasses of wine. She hands one to me, the other to Ivy, then jogs back to grab her own before settling on the coffee table in front of us. “Okay, ready!”
I laugh and open Ryan’s profile, scrolling through his photos as I hold out my phone.
“He’s cute,” Ashlyn says, nodding in approval.
“He’s more than cute,” Ivy adds, giving me a playful wink. “Scroll back to that shirtless pic.”
I laugh, locking the screen. “He’s no Wyatt Brookes, but he seems like a nice guy.”
Ivy’s eyes gleam. “Oh, so you’re a Wyatt fan?”
My cheeks burn as I realize what I said, and Ivy laughs.
“Don’t worry.” She grins. “We’ve all been there.”
Ash shoots Ivy a look. “Wait a second. Since when were you a Wyatt fan?”
“Oh, come on,” Ivy says with a laugh. “I had the biggest crush on him when we were teenagers. Your brothers are hot, Ash.”
Ashlyn looks genuinely surprised. “You never told me that!”
“I didn’t want it to be weird,” Ivy says with a shrug. “I was just a kid, and he wasn’t interested in me anyway. I got over it.”
“You should have said something, you idiot,” Ash says with a grin, pulling her in for a quick hug.
“I’m fine, Ash,” Ivy says, hugging her back. “Trust me, I’m not pining over any of your brothers.”
“Good,” Ash replies, laughing. “Because that would be weird.”
She stands, wine glass in hand, and heads toward the kitchen.
“I’ll get started on dinner,” she says, grabbing a pan from the cupboard. Then she glances over at me. “Laney, you should let Ivy curl your hair. It would look incredible.”
“Yes! Let me do your hair,” Ivy says, springing up from the sofa. “I’ll grab Ash’s curling wand.”
“If you’re sure you don’t mind…” I call after her, but she’s already disappearing down the hallway toward Ash’s room.
“Ivy seems awesome,” I say to Ash. “And, uh, sorry if I made things awkward when I brought up Wyatt.”
Ash smiles as she fills the pan with water. “Not at all. I always suspected most of my friends thought my brothers were hot. They were just more upfront about it than Ivy. It’s seriously no big deal.”
Relief washes over me, and I nod.
“Need a hand with anything?” I offer.
She shakes her head. “I’m good.”
“Thanks for all this, Ash,” I say.
“Of course. We’re having as much fun with this as you are.”
Just then, Ivy marches back in, holding the curling wand like a prize.
“Time to work some magic on this hair!” she declares with a grin.
An hour later, dinner is finished, my hair is styled in loose, glossy waves, and my makeup is flawless. I’m wearing the red dress. Both Ivy and Ash insisted it was the one, and as I study my reflection in Ash’s full-length mirror, I hardly recognize myself.
“I can’t believe this is me,” I murmur, smoothing my hands down the soft fabric of the dress.
“Believe it,” Ivy says. “You look beautiful.”
“Absolutely stunning,” Ash adds with a warm smile.
I catch their reflections behind me in the mirror and return their smiles, completely at a loss for words to express how grateful I am.
“We should head out,” Ash says, grabbing her bag. “Showing up late to a date is a bad look.”
Ivy bursts out laughing, and I glance at her, confused.
“Says the woman who’s late to everything,” Ivy teases, rolling her eyes.
“Rude,” Ash shoots back, though there’s nothing but amusement in her voice.
“Notice she didn’t deny it?” Ivy says to me with a playful grin. “Ask your dad if she’s ever on time for work.”
Ash sticks her tongue out at Ivy, making us both laugh.
“Come on! Let’s go!” Ash says, ushering us toward the door.
Still giggling, Ivy and I follow her out of the apartment.
I’ve already had such a fun time with them, and the night is just getting started.
A part of me kind of wishes there wasn’t a date at all, that we could just hang out together and have a girls’ night at Eden instead.
It’s probably just the nerves kicking in.
I haven’t been on many dates, and the few I have didn’t really lead to anything.
Maybe tonight will be different. I mean, thanks to Ash and Ivy, I look better than I ever have.
I could get used to having friends like them.
I think I’ve been the one holding myself back.
Just because Ash is with my dad doesn’t mean we can’t be friends.
I just need my head and my heart to get on the same page.
My head understands that Mom and Dad are never going to be together again.
.. it’s just taking my heart a little longer to accept it.