Page 102 of Desiring an Angel

“Maybe a hotel, or our office—the one downtown.”

Ashton climbed off my bed.

“Are you going to go find him?” I asked, my voice small. “Because it’s okay if you do—you love him. That won’t ever change, but I’m just scared.” My hands wrung as I considered the thought Ashton might not come back to me willing to share his heart. “A-and I don’t hate him. Not really. I want to though—I’ll be honest about that too.”

Ashton turned to face me but didn’t approach the bed where I huddled in on myself. “I’ll always love Rhett, yes, but I’ve also fallen in love with you too, sunshine. There’s no choosing, no one winning over the other. Your words have renewed my hope that I can find a way to make this work. I promise.”

Biting my inner lip, I nodded, giving him my trust.

I just prayed he didn’t break that along with my heart.

36

Ashton

Rhett must have gone to the office since we didn’t have any friends close enough he could have called up and asked to spend the night.

Or perhaps he’d gotten a hotel room.

I sent him a text asking him where he was and quickly dressed before brushing my teeth. I’d told him to go away the night before, but it was time to clear the air. To tell him about the cancer I could feel eating away at my blood no matter how much I tried to ignore it. He needed to hear how my time would be short like Archer’s. How he should let Skylar past his walls so he would have someone to love him when I was gone, because I knew she would. They’d connected on a deeper level than either of them had seemed to realize.

It was ridiculous that hidden feelings and a lack of communication had brought us to the point of breaking, but perhaps that was what the three of us needed.

Honesty. Openness. Owning our actions, emotions, and the choices we’d made without thought for the others.

I’d never been a leader, but I could be brave when necessary.

I would take that first step. I would bring the change we needed to move forward before it was too late.

“Are you okay?” Sky asked when I dragged myself into the kitchen. Eyes still red-rimmed from tears, she held out a travel mug of coffee to me.

There was no way my stomach would handle its bitterness, so I shook my head. Throat clogged, I tried to smile. “I will be—but Rhett hasn’t texted back, and I’m really feeling…”

“Antsy?” Sky suggested as my feet shifted.

I blew out a breath. She and I would have to talk too—all my truth needed to come out, but Rhett ought to hear about the illness I’d been denying first.

“Drive careful, okay?” Sky said as I made for the door leading into the garage.

“Mmm hmm.” Too preoccupied with the words I fought to find for Rhett, I left Sky behind without a goodbye kiss.

With a shaking hand, I checked my cell one last time.

Rhett still hadn’t responded.

“Office,” I mumbled to myself and backed out of our driveway, hoping like hell he was there because I honestly didn’t know where else to look.

The entire night before ran through my head as I headed downtown, from Sky’s walking down the stairs to how she sang happy birthday to me, off-tune and completely unconscious of her beauty and the raised brows she’d probably gotten.

Nausea and anger had sent me upstairs, and it had taken every ounce of strength I’d had to force my feet to carry me back downstairs after telling Rhett to go. I hadn’t wanted to mingle with guests, and I’d have preferred pushing everyone out the door on their merry way. If they didn’t like Skylar, I had no wish for them to occupy space in my home or life.

Rhett had already been gone by the time I’d plastered a smile on my face and joined the party once more.

He’d made no excuses, Wyatt had told me, simply walked out the door without a word to anyone.

His car had been missing from the garage, so I’d known he’d left the property, but I’d still been too hurt for my angel to reach out to him.

Skylar and I had both put on smiles for the next two hours, but exhaustion wilted both our shoulders before the last guest, party planner, and caterers finally left.

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