Chapter 16
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Ashlyn
Ileave Ben and head toward the bar, but I don’t see Seb anywhere, so I make my way to his office out back. Knocking on the door, I step in without waiting for a response. Seb is sitting behind his desk, his head in his hands. I rush over and kneel beside his chair.
“Seb, what’s wrong?” I ask softly.
He looks up, his voice barely above a whisper. “I almost lost her, Ash,” he says, his voice breaking. “What if she never woke up like Ben’s wife?”
“But she did wake up. She’s going to be fine,” I reassure him.
He shakes his head, his eyes full of guilt. “I was so stupid, hiding my feelings for Sophie from her. I should’ve been honest. Maybe none of this would’ve happened.”
“Hey, look at me,” I say, waiting until his tortured eyes meet mine. “You need to let this go. It was an accident. Have you and Taylor talked?”
He nods. “Yeah, and things are good, I think.”
I raise an eyebrow. “You think?”
“No, they are. They’re good. I told her what an idiot I was and how much I love her. She believes me. I think Sophie spoke to her too.”
“Then you need to stop beating yourself up. When can she come home?”
“Tomorrow,” he says with a relieved sigh. “I can’t wait to get her back here. I’m moving in with her for a while. I don’t want to be apart from her again.”
“I’m sure she feels the same way, Seb.”
“I hope so.”
I stand and walk around to the front of his desk. “Thanks for not being an ass with Ben. I know Nash and Cade aren’t exactly thrilled about me dating him.”
He sighs. “I’m not ecstatic that he’s older than you–” Before I can say anything, he holds up his hand.
“Let me finish.” He stands, walks over to me, and takes my hand.
“But he really seems to care about you, Ash. I know I was barely conscious after the accident, but I remember that he showed up for you. After everything that’s happened and how close I came to losing everything, the little things like an age gap don’t matter as much. I just want you to be happy.”
“He does make me happy. So far, at least.”
He smiles. “Good, but I meant what I said. If he hurts you...”
“I know you do. Thank you for having my back,” I say, standing on my tiptoes to press a kiss to his cheek.
“Always.”
I pull back and grin. “Any chance you can convince Nash, Cade, and Wyatt that Ben’s a good guy?”
He chuckles. “I’ll try.”
“Have I ever told you that you’re my favorite brother?”
He rolls his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. I bet you tell the others the same thing.”
I scoff. “I definitely don’t.” I pull him into a hug. “I should go find Ben. You’re okay, right?”
“I’m good. Go enjoy your evening.”
“Thanks, Seb. I’ll visit Taylor as soon as she’s home.”
“She’d love that.”
As I make my way back through Eden, I feel lighter, like a weight has been lifted now Ben and I have Seb’s blessing. One brother is on my side. I can’t help but wonder how much harder it will be to win over Nash, Cade, and Wyatt.
Ben
I watch Ashlyn as she crosses the room, disappearing from view. Now that Seb seems to have accepted us, I feel a bit more at ease about meeting her family. I’m still nervous, just not quite as much as before.
I pull my phone from my jeans pocket and quickly send a message to Laney. She’s out with her friend, but after our conversation earlier, I just want to make sure she’s okay.
Me: Hey sweetheart, just checking you’re okay. Are you still out with Chelsea?
I watch the screen for a while, waiting for the message to be read.
When it stays unread, I slip my phone back into my pocket and grab my Coke, taking a sip.
My eyes scan the crowd while I wait for Ashlyn to return, and suddenly, I do a double take.
A blonde woman who looks exactly like Laney catches my eye.
She disappears from view, and I stand up, pushing my way through the crowd.
Eventually, I spot her dancing closely with a guy.
“Laney Murphy, what the hell are you doing in here?” I call out.
She glances over her shoulder, her eyes widening when she spots me.
“Fuck!” she exclaims.
“Yeah, you could say that.”
The guy she’s dancing with sizes me up. “Who the hell are you?” he asks.
“I’m her father. Who the fuck are you?”
His eyebrows furrow as he looks between me and Laney.
“Father? How old are you?” he asks Laney.
I answer for her. “She’s eighteen.” My gaze drops to the glass she’s trying to discreetly hide behind her back. “What are you drinking?”
She sighs and pulls it out. “Vodka soda.”
My jaw tightens. “How did you get served?”
The guy takes a step back. “I’ll leave you to figure this out,” he says before vanishing into the crowd.
“Thanks!” she scoffs. “He was cute.”
I glare at her. “This isn’t the time for your sass, Laney.” She rolls her eyes. “I’m going to ask you again. How did you get served?”
She blows out a frustrated breath. “I’ve got a fake ID.”
I drag my hand down my face. “Jesus, Laney.”
“Oh, please!” she retorts. “Like you weren’t out drinking in bars at eighteen.”
I let out a dry laugh. “Gramps would’ve kicked my ass if he’d caught me drinking.”
She crosses her arms and raises her eyebrows. “You let me drink at home. I don’t see what the difference is.”
“The difference is that I allow you to have one glass of wine occasionally with dinner, not vodka sodas in a packed bar where you need to be twenty-one. And not to mention the older guy all over you.”
She scoffs sarcastically. “Older guy? You can’t lecture me about dating an older guy when you’re with someone half your age.”
“She’s not half my age.” I shake my head. “This isn’t about me and Ash. It’s about you being underage in a bar.” I pause, then glance around before my eyes land back on her. “Where’s Chelsea?”
“What?”
“Chelsea. Where is she? You said back at the house that you were out tonight with Chelsea.”
She shrugs. “She couldn’t make it, so I came alone.”
I close my eyes and reach up, dragging my hand through my hair. I take a deep breath, trying not to completely lose it with her. “Surely, you know how dangerous that is.” I’m so mad at her I can barely see straight.
“Dangerous? What exactly do you think is going to happen to me? This town is dead. We’re in the ass fuck of nowhere.”
“Right. I’ve heard enough. We’re going home.”
She smirks. “Aren’t you on a date?” She spits the word ‘date,’ and I frown. I know she’s upset about her mom, as well as me and Ash, but right now, I barely recognize her.
“Fuck,” I mutter, realizing that Ash is probably back from speaking to Seb by now, and she’s going to wonder where I am.
Laney smiles. “Maybe you’re not as into this woman as I thought you were if you’ve forgotten you’re on a date.”
“That’s enough. You’re already in a world of trouble. Don’t make this worse.”
“How could this possibly get any worse?”
I ignore her comment and take her arm, guiding her through the crowd and back to the table where Ash and I were sitting. When the table comes into view, Ash is sitting in the booth alone.
“Hey. There you are,” she says. Her eyes go past me to Laney, and she stands. “Is everything okay?”
“I’m so sorry, Ash, but I’m going to have to cut our date short. I ran into Laney on the dancefloor.”
“Oh,” Ash says, her eyebrows pulled together in a frown. “Is that a problem?”
My eyes widen in surprise. “She’s eighteen, Ash.”
“Almost nineteen,” Laney interjects.
“She’s just on a night out with her girlfriends, though, right?” Ash says. “I was in bars at eighteen.”
“Almost nineteen,” Laney says again.
“Enough, Laney,” I say, exasperated. “We all know how old you are.”
“It’s just one vodka soda, Dad. It’s not a big deal.”
Ash screws up her nose. “Why doesn’t Laney join us for a drink but stick to just the soda?”
“She’s going home. She wasn’t in here with her girlfriends, even though she told me she was. She was here alone with a guy she just met.”
“You do know I’m standing right here?” Laney says from beside me.
I side-eye her. “I’m aware.”
“You should go. I’ll make my own way home,” Ash says.
“No. I’m not leaving you here. I’ll drive you home.”
“Okay.”
“Maybe we should stay for that drink,” Laney says. “I could get to know Ashlyn better.” She slips her hand in mine and slides into the booth, pulling me to sit next to her. “Just one drink?”
I look from her to Ash, who smiles and nods. I sigh. Laney’s clearly up to something. She didn’t want anything to do with Ash earlier. Why the sudden one-eighty?
“Fine. One drink.” I point at Laney. “One non-alcoholic drink.”
She rolls her eyes dramatically. “Okay, Dad.”
“I’ll get the drinks,” Ash says. “I’ll be right back.”
“I’ll help.” I turn to Laney. “Don’t move.”
I don’t wait for her to answer before I jump up and follow Ashlyn toward the bar. Catching up with her, I grab her hand. “Wait up.” She stops and turns around. “Is everything okay?”
She nods and bites down on her lip. “Just nervous. I want her to like me.”
I cup her face with my hand, my thumb stroking her cheek. “I want that too, baby, and she will. I’m sure of it.”
“I hope so,” she whispers, leaning into my touch.
I lead Ash to the bar, her hand nestled in mine. I want her and Laney to get along more than anything, but I can’t help feeling apprehensive. I’m pretty sure Laney’s a little drunk. I hope she’s going to play nice.