by Stacy Borel
Forrest held his finger up. “Ed had a coin collection. Were you aware of this?”
“Yeah. I used to play with them as a child.” The memory stabbed the back of my throat.
He nodded. “I was advised by your grandmother to take it and sell it. Some of those coins were worth quite a bit of money, Crew. She left the money to you.”
My eyes burned with unshed tears. None of this was making sense; the garage and now money? How did I not know any of this? How did no one in the family not question where those coins went? There was no way I was the only one outside of grandma who knew they existed.
I tried to clear my throat. “H-how much?”
“It’s in the realm of seventy-five thousand.”
I leaned forward, putting my head near my legs. The bile was rising up my throat, and I wanted to get sick. I needed to talk to someone, and the only person I cared to speak to at this very moment was the one person who didn’t want anything to do with me. I had to talk to her, though. I didn’t care if I had to beg and plead; I needed Ashton. I felt like I couldn’t even take a deep breath without her calming presence.
I hadn’t even realized that Forrest was still talking to me, but it didn’t matter. Everything he was saying was going to be put on legal document shit anyway. I stood, and so did he. His face was etched in confusion.
“I’m sorry, I need to go.”
“But we aren’t done. I still need you to sign the papers to make everything official, and I can file it with the courts …”
I was already out the door while he was still talking. I felt bad, but I’d be back. I’m sure he liked me a little less, but I didn’t seek his approval. I had somewhere I needed to be.
Not even bothering to stop at the house, I got in the Camaro and headed northwest. I was after my girl.
Ashton
FOSTER HAD GIVEN ME A heads-up that Crew had gotten back late last night around three a.m. I gave it till seven before I couldn’t keep myself away any longer. Getting to the apartment felt like greeting an old friend. I hadn’t been here since Crew left. Foster was standing in the kitchen pouring himself a cup of coffee, which he held in the air and tipped his head at me as I walked right past him without saying a word.
My heart was a complete mess, bouncing around in my chest and making my breathing erratic. Since meeting him, this was the longest I’d gone without seeing him, and it’d been hard on me. My emotions had been up and down, but Christmas was my turning point. I had a box in my hand, and I twisted the knob of his bedroom door.
Lying across his bed was a passed-out Crew, fully dressed and still wearing his shoes. His beautiful face was peaceful, and his dark hair was laying across his forehead. I stepped into his room and closed the door behind me. He didn’t stir except for the butterflies in my stomach. I had a box for him that I’d gotten a couple of days ago. Setting it on his small dresser, I went and sat on the corner of the bed.
“Crew?” I said softly.
He let out a small grunt.
I lightly brushed his hair back from his face and waited for him to open his eyes. When they did, that gorgeous yellow was about the only color in his stark white room. He blinked away the sleep and focused on my face.
“Ashton?”
The corner of my mouth tipped up. “Hi.”
He sat up so fast and pulled me into his arms. He buried his nose into my hair and neck, inhaling deeply. “Oh god, I’ve needed this. You have no clue how much I’ve needed it.”
I had an idea. The feeling of his tight hold and the franticness in his voice were concerning. “Crew, what’s the matter?”
He pulled back and looked at me, searching my face for something. Hopefully, he didn’t expect me to leave him. “God, so much.” He looked pained. “I don’t think I can do this.”
“What?”
“Being away from you. It was like a physical pain when you aren’t close enough for me to touch you. I can’t do it, Ashton. I need you. I want you. I have to have you near.”
I shook my head. “Crew, that can’t be the only reason.”
He grasped my hands and pulled them against his chest. “No, it’s definitely not the only reason. There’s so much more. Your smile lights up my world like I’m standing under the best fireworks display. Your optimism for life makes me feel excited about … everything! You make me want to see everything through your eyes.”
I lifted my hand and placed it over his mouth. “Shhh … just listen for a minute, okay?”
He lowered our hands into his lap and gave me his undivided attention.
“I was wrong about things. I try to be right about so much, but I was very wrong about how I was to you that day I was scared. Seeing you in a situation like that, the violence, the rage in your eyes, I had no idea how to take it. I tried to hide behind a mask of fear by saying if you did it to him, who else would you do that to.” His jaw was tight, but he was listening. I put a hand on his cheek, and he closed his eyes. “You’ll never hurt me.”
They flashed back open, and it was like a wolf staring back at me. “No, not ever.”
My mouth was shut, but I smiled. “I’m sorry I walked away.”
“You don’t need to be sorry. I understand why you did it.”
“It’s not an excuse.”
“Ash, I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. I have been through some serious shit the past few days, and you know, all I could think about was you. This heart …” He put a fist to his chest. “It’s beating because of you. My life stopped when I lost my grandparents. I had no idea what I was doing or who I was becoming, but I do now.”
“I love you, Crew. And I don’t want you to feel like you need to say it back to me. I just … I wanted you to hear it. I wanted to hear it. Out loud. Me walking away is never going to happen again because I love you.” A few tears fell from my eyes. I had no intention of crying when I got here, but it was raw and from deep in my chest.
Crew was beaming at me. His eyes danced around my face, and he looked happier than I’d ever seen him. He leaned forward and kissed me with everything he had. It was a toe-curling, passionate kiss that I felt deep in my bones. When he pulled back, he said, “I love you too, Ashton. I’m not saying it because you think I need to follow suit. I just do. And before any more mushy love stuff keeps going, I have a few more things to tell you. Well, show you. Go get in the top drawer of my dresser.”
I did, also grabbing my box. Who knew we’d be exchanging gifts, if that’s what this was. I handed him mine, and he looked at me puzzled. “Just open it.”
He lifted the lid on the flimsy white box and peeled back the tissue paper. Pulling it out, he seemed confused at first, but then he busted out in a full-blown belly laugh. I knew he was making fun of the gift, but he understood its meaning. In his hand was a teal plate, and in the center was the word “Home.”
“I painted it at the pottery store. I wanted you to know that you are always welcome at my house, and you are home. Your place is here … with me.”
He set it down and kissed me again, taking my breath away. “It’s your turn.”
I was holding what seemed like a jewelry box. Peering under the lid, I saw a gold locket. I took it out of the box and opened it. Engraved in the metal were numbers, but I didn’t understand them.
“Those are coordinates.”
“To where?”
“Where I realized my heart was no longer mine, but yours.”
I looked around. Uhhh, was this real life? Romance like this was dead, I thought. “Which was?”
He grinned devilishly like he knew some joke I didn’t. “The bathroom. Where I first saw you.”
I laughed. “You found the coordinates to the apartment bathroom and had them put on a locket?”
“Mmmhmm.” He was pleased with himself.
“That’s the most clever thing I think I’ve ever seen.”
He gave me a small bow as he sat with me on the bed. “You can expect things like this, Ashton. This is only the beginn
ing. I’m going back to school too.”
I gasped. “You are?”
“Yes, thanks to my grandfather.” He lost me there. “It’s a long story that I’ll fill you in on, but I also found out the garage is mine. Grandpa left it to me in his will. That attorney I told you about; he needed to talk to me because Grandpa gave it to me.”
My eyes bugged out. “Oh my gosh, what are you going to do with it?”
“I thought about it the whole way back here. I think I’m going to let Mike or one of the guys manage it. I can be a silent owner and keep it in the family, but those guys, they know what they are doing when it comes to handling all those cars and shit.” He chuckled. “Let’s face it, these aren’t mechanic hands.”
He held them up, and I laced my fingers with his. “No, they are my hands. You are doing good things, Crew. What about Mac?”
“I’m too invested in him, and I need to let it go. He had too much control over me, and it’s time I let it go. Whoever takes over the shop can decide what they want to do with him. They’ve had to deal with his shit longer than I have, so it’s theirs now.”
I couldn’t believe it. How did life feel like it was coming full circle? I was taught so many lessons growing up, but none compared to what I’d taken in as an adult. I was grateful for this. Crew, the fight, my family, and every little thing between. I felt like, for the first time ever, my decisions might coincide with my mom and dad’s, but they were also mine.
My stars were aligned, and Crew was my North Star.
Climbing up on my knees, I pushed him back till he was flat on his back. Desire swam in his eyes. “Let me love you.”
“Always.” He smiled. Life was everything it could be, and I was happy.
The End
