Chapter 44
Corine's POV
The morning sun poured into my room like golden syrup, warm and sticky against my bare shoulder. I blinked awake slowly, heart still fluttering from last night.
Jasper.
Jasper Ashford kissed me.
I stared at the ceiling, a stupid grin plastered on my face. Not the polite kind of grin. The real kind. The kind that comes from butterflies, from daydreams that for once matched reality.
"Holy shit," I whispered to myself.
The Jasper Ashford. The man with the quiet laugh and watchful eyes. California senator's son. Brittany's infuriatingly protective older brother. And last night-my date.
A real date.
One that didn't end in me crying or him running. Instead, it ended with us tangled in laughter, with cotton candy stuck to my cheek and his thumb brushing it off like it was the most sacred thing he'd ever touched. It ended with his mouth on mine. His lips devouring, claiming, worshipping.
I pressed my hands to my face and groaned into them.
I was in so much trouble.
Still grinning like a lunatic, I pulled on my robe and padded downstairs.
"Good morning, sunshine," Brittany sing-songed from the kitchen.
She was flipping pancakes like she owned the world, her hair tied up in a messy bun. Astrid was already in her high chair, smearing yogurt on her tray, while Kyle sat on the counter with a spoon in his mouth, giggling.
"Mommy!" Kyle beamed. "Brittany made pancakes! But not like yours. Hers are kinda... burnt."
"Are not," Brittany shot back, rolling her eyes. "I like them crispy."
I laughed, heart blooming. Kyle scrambled down from the counter and threw himself at me.
"We missed you. Astrid made a poop that smelled like the zoo," he declared, as serious as a four-year-old could be.
"Kyle!" I gasped, holding back a laugh as I scooped up Astrid too. "Is that true, baby girl? You stinky today?"
Astrid giggled, then squished her yogurt-covered hands onto my cheeks. "Mama pwetty."
I melted.
Brittany just gave me that look.
That look.
The one that said spill, woman.
"What?" I asked innocently, wiping yogurt off my face.
She didn't even bother answering. Just raised an eyebrow and pointed to my phone on the kitchen island.
I picked it up and nearly dropped it again.
Jasper Ashford: Still thinking about that kiss. You taste like strawberries and rebellion.
I turned red. I mean, cherry red.
"Who texted?" Brittany asked, barely containing her smirk.
"Nobody," I squeaked, already typing back a sarcastic but secretly giddy reply.
She smirked harder. "You suck at lying, Holt."
"Mommy's red," Kyle announced with great pride.
I covered my face with a hand. "Okay, okay! Maybe someone kissed me last night. Maybe it was your Uncle Jasper. Maybe it was the best kiss I've had in years. Maybe I'm still dizzy from it."
Brittany shrieked. "I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I-wait. Uncle Jasper? Ew. No. Don't say that again. I'm traumatized."
I was laughing so hard I almost dropped Astrid.
"He's not your real uncle, Kyle," I said quickly. "It's just... Aunt Brittany being dramatic."
"Can I have pancakes now?" Kyle asked, clearly over it.
After breakfast, I got him dressed in his favorite dinosaur shirt. He wanted to wear mismatched socks because apparently that was what cool kids did. I helped him brush his teeth and fix his mini backpack.
"You smell like toothpaste and chocolate chips," I told him.
He hugged my leg. "I love you, Mommy. Don't let Astrid eat my toys."
"Deal," I said, giving him a kiss on the forehead. "Go, go! Brittany's driving today."
Once Kyle was off to preschool, I had a rare moment of peace. Astrid was occupied with blocks, so Brittany and I decided to film a TikTok video for Luxe Beauty-something fun and spontaneous to promote the new lipstick drop.
"Alright, Holt, show the people what happens when a boss mom reclaims her crown," Brittany said, phone already recording.
I smirked, slipped on the new Luxe crimson lipstick, and posed dramatically. "This shade is called Savage, and yes, it's named after my ex."
Brittany choked. "DEAD. I'm actually dead."
We danced. We twirled. I even did a hair flip that made Astrid squeal. She ran into the frame halfway through, giggling and shouting "Mama! Mama!" with jelly on her shirt.
It was chaotic. Real. Perfect.
We posted the video, laughing so hard we didn't think twice.
Within an hour, the views started climbing. Hundreds. Thousands. Hundreds of thousands.
Then the comment appeared.
@JasperAshfordOfficial: I was there when she picked that shade. Looks better on her lips than in the bottle.
I stared.
"He WHAT?!" Brittany gasped.
"He made an account?" I whispered.
"He doesn't even HAVE social media. The man uses email like a dad from 2002. He still double-spaces after periods."
I refreshed. Sure enough, his profile was brand new. One follower. One comment.
Me.
I didn't know if I should laugh or cry.
But I smiled.
God help me, I smiled.
I was so not ready for this.
And yet, maybe I was. Just a little. Just enough.
To be continued…