Page 13 of Because You Loved Me

How could his father not have seen that?

“Asher. We can figure this out.” Chase reached for him, but Asher shrugged him off.

“Leave him.” Out of the corner of his eye, Asher saw Charli grab Chase’s arm to hold him back as Asher stormed from the room. “He needs time.”

But time was the one thing Asher definitely didn’t have the luxury of. He only had a few hours to figure out how to transfer all of his responsibilities onto his managers, never mind the matter of finding somewhere to live for the next six months.

Suddenly his siblings’ idea that his biggest problem was that he’d end up falling in love through this process didn’t seem quite so bad now that he was faced with the alternative.

ChapterFour

“Another!”Noa slammed the empty shot glass down on the bar top and wiped her lips with the back of her hand.

“Are you sure?” Sarah gave her a look. “You don’t think you’ve had enough?”

“I sure don’t.” She turned her back on her cousin and leaned over the bar, exposing her cleavage to the bartender who winked and set to work making her another shot of whatever concoction he’d been pouring her all evening.

The bartender was cute, and he’d definitely been flirting with her all evening. Never mind that he probably made his money in tips, Noa couldn’t stop thinking about what Ryan had said earlier. Maybe she did need to get something out of her system. But how fucked up was it that she was even contemplating anything to do with another man only hours from her wedding ceremony?

Very fucked up.

That’s what it was.

But then again, so was everything to do with her situation.

“Here you go, darlin’.” Cute Bartender Man slid the shot over to her with yet another wink.

“Are you flirting with her?” Sarah snatched the shot away before she could grab it. “She is getting married tomorrow.”

Noa didn’t bother to stifle the groan as her cousin admonished the poor man.

“Have some respect!”

“My apologies, ladies.”

Noa mouthed the wordsorrybefore the man moved to the far end of the bar.

“Sarah. That wasn’t—whoa.” Noa only managed to grab the edge of the bar before she fell over.Maybe she really did have too many shots?

“You need to stop drinking, Noa. It’s your wedding tomorrow. You don’t want to be puffy.”

“Puffy?” She threw her head back with a sharp laugh. “I don’t think it’ll matter.”

“Of course it won’t.” Sarah grabbed her arm and led her to a nearby table. “Ryan obviously thinks you’re the most beautiful woman in the world. Have you seen the way he looks at you?”

Noa raised her eyebrows but didn’t bother to burst her cousin’s bubble by informing her that right before they’d left their suite to go out, Ryan had told her that the silky, plum top she’d paired with her faux leather leggings and tall black boots was giving offeggplant vibes.

And he didnotmean it in a sexy way.

Just like everything else between them, he teased her like a brother, too.

As if he knew she was talking about him, across the room, where the men were gathered around a pool table, Ryan looked up moments before taking a shot of his own and flashed a smile in her direction.

She groaned.

“Really, Noa. I don’t know what’s wrong with you. I would be thrilled to marry Ryan.”

Before she could stop herself, Noa jumped up from the table. “Well then,” she said to her cousin. “You marry him.”

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