Page 89 of Be Your Forever
Brianna
You aren’t a bare minimum kind of woman
Howdidhe…Whydidhe…What? As I stare at my new reading chair, I can’t seem to form a coherent thought or question. But it’s not just the reading chair, because Asher doesn’t do anything halfway.
No.
Sitting on top of the chair is theentireOff-Campusseries. A series that I remember mentioning to him in passing. Moisture sliding down my face alerts me that I’m crying. The thoughtfulness of this man alone is enough to have my heart soaring like an eagle taking flight.
My fingers trail along the fuzzy purple chair, the soft plushness feeling like heaven against my fingertips. Visions of lazy Saturday mornings curled up in this chair reading with sunlight streaming through the open window as birds sing their hellos to the world flash through my mind.
Asher is truly everything I could have ever wanted in a partner. He continues to surprise me every day. Speaking of surprises, he has another one waiting outside for me. The fall weather has me leaning toward warmth and comfort over sexy and revealing. I reach for my gray sweats and hoodie, wanting to replace a sad memory with a happy one. The moment I step outside, my hands fly to my face, momentarily stunned at what I see.
Asher isthere with his hands inside the pockets of his checkered sweats wearing a sweet smile on his face. Behind him is a blue blow-up mattress with a shit ton of pillows and blankets piled on top. In front of the mattress is a gray tub filled with ice, two wineglasses, and a wine bottle. Snacks are scattered across the bed, and my feet become unstuck as I launch myself at him. Thank God for his calves of steel, because he’s able to keep us upright.
“This is incredible, thank you.” I press a smacking kiss to his lips before hopping down.
I carefully plop down on the mattress and grab the mint Oreos. There’s every snack imaginable here: sweet spicy chili Doritos, pistachios, Red Vines. Seriously, Asher thought of everything. While I unwrap the snacks, Asher is pouring the wine into the glasses he brought out. I’ve been so distracted by everything he set up out here that I forgot about the reading chair upstairs.
“Thank you for my reading chair and the books. I can’t believe you remembered those were the ones I wanted.”
“I remember everything about you.”
Asher’s fingers brush a runaway curl off my face, and my face nuzzles against his hand like a cat marking their scent.
Mine.
“As for the chair, well, I had help from Avery and Cas. I was thinking of ordering myself one so that way we can read together side by side.”
Seriously, how did I get so lucky to have a man like Asher in my life? Not only does he do shit like this, but he wants to get his own chair just so he can be near me? My heart threatens to jump out of my chest at the thought of spending weekends in our reading den together. He isn’t afraid to read romance books. In fact, that’s a majority of what he reads.
“Hey, Asher?” I ask.
“Yeah?”
“I know you like to read romance books, but I don’t think I ever asked why.” He confessed he got into reading as a way to talk to me, but I’m curious as to why he continues with romance.
“I know you love them, and you’re always talking about this book boyfriend and that book boyfriend. I was curious, so I started picking them up. At first, it was to have any excuse to talk to you—one I was too scared to follow through on. Then I started taking mental notes on reasons why you liked that character. I guess I hoped that if we ever got together, I’d know how you’d want to be treated—”
“You did all that for me? Why?”
“You deserve to be treated like the women in those books do. You aren’t a bare minimum kind of woman. These male characters go above and beyond for their girl, so that’s why I read them—well, started reading them. Somewhere along the way, I began to enjoy what I was reading. My Amazon book recommendations haven’t been the same since. But if it meant you and I were connected on some level—even if you had no idea—then I’d happily sacrifice my search history.”
I’m completely stunned. I mean, I guess I’m not really surprised, but the fact that he’s taking notes on how to treat a woman right? If I wasn’t already so in love with this man, my heart would have dropped at his feet right this second—alongside my panties. I remove the glasses from his hand and place them on the ground gently before straddling his lap.
“That has to be one of the hottest and sweetest things you’ve ever said to me.”
I caress his cheeks with my hands before our mouths meet. There is no rush with this kiss, we just take our time and explore each other’s mouths. The slow, lazy meeting of tongues heats our bodies against the cold, fall evening. There’s nothing inherently sexual about this moment, just Asher and I conveying our love through a kiss.
It’s Asher who pulls back first, pressing kisses to both of my cheeks before resting his forehead against mine. I snuggle closer to him, my head lying against his chest, listening to the strong, steady beating of his heart.
Just two individual souls twining together to create something beautiful. Something uniquely ours. Just being around him silences my worries, doubts, and fears. His calm energy soothes my chaos. I love this man with my entire being, and I’m glad we’ve chosen each other.
I find myself pulling back to admire the beautiful man that is Asher Larson. I watch his features soften with love and admiration, and I feel my face relaxing with what I assume is a matching look. He’s everything I’ve ever wanted.
I know I wanted to fall in love, but I hadn’t expected to do it twice—once with myself, and the other with the beautiful man in front of me.
“I love you, Asher. Thank you for loving every inch of me before I could learn to love myself.”
