Page 87 of Because You Loved Me

She couldn’t possibly be getting married to him. Not after everything…not after they…Fuck.But why shouldn’t she marry Ryan? Asher had all but pushed her back into his arms. It had been days since he’d seen her. Days where Ryan had probably been convincing her that they really were meant for each other. After all, hadn’t he told Asher himself how confident he was that Noa would come back to him?

“No.”

“Yes,” his sister said. “So you can see how I’m confused, because when you brought her to Christmas, it seemed like the two of you were?—”

“I know. It’s…well, it’s complicated.”

“I think that’s an understatement. After all, didn’t she run away from her wedding and jump into your truck?”

Asher didn’t have time to rehash the situation.

“I’m not even going to ask.”

“I appreciate that. Do you have her phone number?” It never seemed important to have Noa’s number before because she didn’t even have her phone with her the entire time they were together, and then it wasn’t the right time to ask her for it when he was being a first-class dick before she took his truck and left.

“I’ll send it over to you,” Kat said before hanging up. “And Asher? I know it’s not my place, and I really don’t know Noa at all, but seeing the two of you together…well, it just felt…different.”

He nodded and swallowed hard.

“So I wanted to call.”

“I appreciate it, Kat.”

Asher disconnected the call and when, a moment later, Kat texted him the number, he didn’t hesitate before dialing. He couldn’t let her marry Ryan. Even if she wouldn’t forgive him and never wanted to see him again, he would live with that. But there was no way he was going to let her make such a big mistake.

The phone rang and rang and eventually, the call went to voicemail. Asher was momentarily stunned when Noa’s voice came through the speaker, and he almost hung up just so he could call back and hear it again. Instead, when he heard the beep, he spoke into the phone.

“Noa. Don’t do it. Don’t marry him. Please.” He swallowed hard. “I’m sorry I was such an asshole. I didn’t mean to…I shouldn’t have…I just…” Asher shook his head and muttered under his breath. It was too late to start over. “I’m coming. Just wait. Please.”

He disconnected and stared at the phone for a minute. There was no way to know whether she would get the message in time, but one thing he knew for sure was that waiting for his brothers to bring him a truck was no longer an option.

He was running out of time. Quickly.

He fired off a quick text to Kat.

Stall her. I’m coming.

He stuffed his phone back into his pocket and lifted the shovel over his shoulder.

It was time for plan B.

ChapterTwenty-One

Even growingup and living his whole life in the mountains, Asher had never shoveled as much or as fast as he did as he dug out the shed behind the cabin. His plan still wasn’t fully formed, but it was better than doing nothing. He had to try.

He was exhausted by the time he’d cleared enough snow to open the door of the shed but there wasn’t any time to rest. He walked directly to the back where he’d seen a stash of snowshoes and cross-country skis.

“You couldn’t have an old snowmobile, could you, Dad?” He shook his head and pulled out the stack of dusty old skis.

There were a few different pairs, and Asher selected the ones that looked to be in the best shape. Luckily, he had the same size feet as his father, and the old boots that had been tucked under the workbench fit him.

Cross-country skiing had always been his mother’s thing when they were young. She’d force them all out on their skis once or twice a season when they were younger, but Asher had never enjoyed it. As soon as he’d been given a choice, he chose downhill skiing and never looked back.

“I suppose I probably remember a few things,” he said to himself as he eyed the old skis. “After all, it’s not that it’s that hard.”

It wasn’t hard. Nottechnically.But after packing himself a small backpack with a bottle of water and a snack, it only took Asher about twenty minutes to remember why he hated cross-country skiing.

It wasexhausting.

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