32. Charleigh
One Month Later
Asher and I stayed with his father until the end. I’d just returned to Chris’s house after running to a farmer’s market I spotted along the beach when I came home to Asher standing at the end of the hall.
Tears streamed down his face, and his body sagged as if he’d been carrying the weight of the world on his back. The gold flecks in his eyes dimmed, and it was then that I knew.
Christopher Egan was gone.
I ran to Asher, and he swept me up in his arms. I placed my hands around his face and told him to let me in, to share in his pain, so he didn’t feel like he had to carry it all.
This time, he did.
He wrapped his large arms around me and just held me, with my legs curled around his waist, as if he was going to fall apart if he didn’t. He sobbed into my shoulder, then took me into his father’s room.
Chris looked like he was in a deep sleep when I lifted his hand and kissed the back of it. I leaned down and whispered in his ear, thanking him for loving me like his own daughter in the few short weeks I’d known him. I thanked him for showing me how it felt to be truly loved by a father.
Then Asher and I spread a few of his ashes along his favorite beach in Santa Barbera, as he’d asked us to do, before bringing him back home to New York with us.
It’s been three days since we left California, and the fall chill in the New York air is already biting at my skin, but it feels good to be home. It feels good to be home in Asher’s apartment, with pieces of Chris still lingering in the hallways.
Cracking my eyes open, I twist in my bed, turning to Asher’s side. The sheets are pulled back, leaving the space where he left earlier. I run my hand over the silky sheets, excited to get back to work today.
Asher hasn’t returned to his job since we’ve come back home, but he’s taking his time. I can tell his father’s loss has hit him hard—harder than he expected.
For now, he’s promised to come down to my new flower shop to help me plan out the details of how I’ll be setting it up.
I turn back over and grab my phone from my nightstand.
My girl’s chat is blowing up, the constant pinging too annoying for someone who hasn’t had their first sip of coffee yet.
Julianna: Honestly, it’s about time you’ve added her to the chat.
Selene: I wasn’t sure if London wanted to be included.
Julianna: Wow, Selene. Are you trying to keep your sister hidden from your best friends?
Selene: Of course not. It’s just that she doesn’t live here, and I didn’t want to flood her phone with our never- ending messages.
London: Which you’re both doing right now. LOL, but I don’t mind. Thank you for including me.
Julianna: I’ve got your back, London, and so does Charleigh. If that girl ever wakes up.
Selene: She should be up by now.
Julianna: Charleigh.
Julianna: Charleigh!
Julianna: Wake up, love! It’s a big day!
Me: I’m up! LOL But it wasn’t the messages that woke me.
Selene: Good morning, Charleigh!
Julianna: Yay! To catch you up, London is now in our group chats. We just have to work on getting her to move here.
Selene: Don’t bother trying, Jules. I’ve tried, and she won’t leave her husband. He refuses to trade Boston for New York.
Julianna: What?! Why????
Selene: Beats me.
London: Same here. I’ve talked to him, but he refuses. It’s strange considering he went to college there and his family has history there, too.
Julianna: Well, boo. Does that mean you’re still coming to Charleigh’s grand opening, though?
Me: I’d love it if you were able to make it, London. If not, I understand.
London: Absolutely!
Me: Good!
Selene: Hey, Jules…
Julianna: What?
Selene: You or your brother don’t happen to plan on inviting a certain someone with the same name as a city in Italy, do you?
Me: Yeah, we all saw how that turned out last time.
Julianna: Hell, no. In fact, Hell will freeze over before I’d ever invite that man anywhere. Plus, my brother won’t be making that mistake again unless he wants to find his body buried beneath six feet of dirt in one of those cemeteries along the Hudson.
Me: Lol, I’ll see you guys later at the new shop. I’m excited to get started on the planning. Love you three!
I shut the screen off and drop my cell on the nightstand, eager to find Asher. I know he’s still home because I hear movement coming from downstairs, as well as the scent of fresh coffee lingering in the air.
I slip into his favorite gray T-shirt and head down the stairs. The cool air pricks my bare legs, goosebumps spreading across my skin.
When I make it to the bottom step, I see Asher in the kitchen. He’s dressed in his black slacks. His sculpted abs are visible thanks to his unbuttoned, white-collared shirt. I haven’t seen him in a suit since before we left for California. Funnily enough, it’s an odd sight, like seeing two different versions of Asher. Both ones I love equally.
“Good morning, Little Flower.” He grins behind his mug, the steam lifting from his coffee before he presses it to his mouth.
I run my fingers through my tangled hair and wrap my arms around his waist, looking up at him. “Good morning.”
His eyes roam over my face. “You look beautiful this morning.”
I giggle and stand on my toes. “I doubt it, but I appreciate it, anyway.”
Pressing my lips to his, I lean into him, moaning. We’ve gone through enough pain to last a lifetime, but life with Asher is beautiful now. I could get used to this.
I pull back from him, and he places his mug on the kitchen island. His fingers graze my cheek when he tucks my hair behind my ear.
“Remember when I said you’ll look good on New York?”
“Of course.” I smile, my heart fluttering. “It was the first paper heart you ever left for me.” I ache between my thighs, wanting him inside me, but I hold off, knowing I need coffee first.
Asher wraps my hand up in his and pulls me into the living room, his mouth tugging into a smile. “It still applies, don’t you think?” he asks, stopping in front of the window facing the entire city. He nods behind him with a coy, teasing grin on his mouth. I dart my eyes over his shoulder, gasping at the sight of the paper heart taped to the window.
My eyes move to his before taking a step forward. The small heart stands out against the clear glass and the backdrop of New York City.
I read the four words written on the front .
From Asher, with Love
I swallow, tears already streaming down my face. I never thought I’d ever receive another paper heart from Asher. All of them were lost in the fire. Seeing it brings back a flood of memories—the good ones. The ones where Asher kissed me for the first time. The ones where he told me he loved me. The ones of him climbing through my window while I tried to stifle my laughter. The ones where he traced my collarbone.
With shaking fingers, I reach out and tear the heart from the window, turning it over in my hand.
Will you marry me?
My breath stops, and I cover my mouth before spinning around. Asher is bent down on one knee, a ring pinched between two of his fingers. The large, square diamond is surrounded by a string of tiny golden gems. The gold band shimmers in the morning light.
His eyes fall to the ring. “My father helped me pick out this ring the day after we flew in to see him. But the truth is…” he pauses, steeling his chest and inhaling a deep breath. “The truth is, I already knew I wanted to marry you. I’ve known I wanted to marry you since the first time I saw you huddled under that oak tree, with your wide eyes and dirt-stained jeans. I just got a little lost along the way. I love you, Charleigh. I never stopped, and I will spend the rest of my life loving you, making sure I never lose you again. To anyone or anything. You are mine forever.”
I fall to my knees in front of him and press one hand to his face. I place the other around his, holding the ring and hold it between us.
He pulls me close, his mouth almost touching mine .
“So, what do you say, Little Flower?” he whispers, his breath dancing across my skin. “Will you marry me?”
Turns out I was right.
Four words can change everything.
Thank you so much for reading From Asher, With Love !