Page 23 of Forget Me Not

“She was poisoned,” Asher says, walking up next to me.

“What?” Willow yells, looking panicked. “We should call the doctors.”

I glare at Asher for scaring her.

“Don’t worry, I’m a doctor and I think she’s going to be just fine. Why don’t you go play with your friends?” I point over to where a group of girls around her age are sitting.

“They’re boring.” She rolls her eyes but walks toward them anyway, leaving Asher, Kade, and myself standing over a still-laughing Demi.

“Lo,” she yells, much louder than necessary. “My best friend in the entire world. What are you doing up there?” She tilts her head to the side, squinting her eyes, most likely unaware she’s even lying on the ground. I squat down, careful to make sure my dress still covers me, to get closer to her level.

Demi rarely gets this drunk unless there’s something going on. I’m hesitant to let Asher drive her home, although I know Kade trusts him. I also know that knowing Demi, she’ll pass out during the car ride home and he’ll have better luck getting her inside than me. There’s nothing I can do until she’s sober and willing to talk.

“Hey, Dem. Do you think you can stand up? Asher is going to drive you home if that’s okay with you.” I gently grab her hand, pulling her into a sitting position.

“Lo.” She taps my shoulder like she didn’t already have my full attention. “He’s really hot,” she whispers loudly, pointing to Asher. Her cheeks are flushed red, probably a mixture of Asher and the alcohol, and she seems unaware of the fact that he’s able to hear her.

Asher smiles wide at the compliment while Kade glares at him. “Don’t even think about it.”

“Relax, she’s your baby sister, dude, you know I wouldn’t go there,” Asher says, and Kade seems to relax slightly.

“Alright, Dem. Let’s get you standing.” I manage to pull her up to standing, where she proceeds to drop all of her dead weight onto where she is leaning on me.

“I’ve got her.” Asher leans down to wrap his arms around her thighs and throws her over his shoulder. Kade watches him carefully, but Asher makes sure to keep his hands firmly on her legs.

“Whoa, how’d I get up here?” Demi moves her head around to observe her surroundings the best she can. Nobody answers her, knowing she’s living in her own sort of la-la-land right now.

“Her keys are in her purse,” I tell Asher, the cross-body bag still wrapped around her.

“Got it.” He walks toward the side gate that leads out of the backyard and toward the front of the house.

“You have a nice ass,” Demi says as Asher walks away with her still thrown over his shoulder. She grabs his ass for good measure.

“Stop fondling me, woman. You’re going to get me murdered.” He removes one of his arms from where it was wrapped around her legs to attempt to swat her hand away. Being drunk, she just swats him right back. I laugh at the two of them until I feel Kade’s arm wrap around my shoulders, drawing my attention up toward him.

He leans down farther, so his lips are nearly touching the shell of my ear. I feel his warm breath against my skin before he speaks. “Kayla’s watching.” I deflate. “Don’t do that. Yes, I want her to think we are together, so she’ll leave me alone. But don’t think for a second this also isn’t exactly where I want to be.”

I don’t know whether to believe his words under the scrutiny of his ex, but I let my body relax into his regardless.

I follow Kade around the party for a little as people try to talk to him. He’s polite to everyone, but it’s obvious he prefers to be alone rather than interact. We eventually eat food that Kinghas laid out buffet style for people to grab. Then, when he starts talking to King, who I now know is his boss, I take that as my cue to excuse myself. I make my way back over to Willow who is sitting alone in the corner of the yard, picking flowers from the grass.

“What are you doing over here alone?” I ask her, dropping down onto the grass next to her. Thankfully, the weather has been nice today, no rain in sight, so the grass feels warm from the sun.

“The other kids are boring. All they want to do is talk about stupid TV shows, and my sister disappeared probably to her room forever ago.” She picks at the flowers, which I can now tell are daisies. I pick one out of the ground myself.

“Want me to show you how to make a flower crown?” I ask her. Her face immediately lights up and she turns her full attention toward me, giving me her answer without any words.

I sit with Willow for what I’m sure is a reasonable amount of time, but it feels like no time at all as we make the flower crown. I’m just placing it on her head when I look up to see Kade and King approaching us.

“Daddy, look.” Willow jumps up from the ground. “Lo made me a flower crown.” She smiles brightly at him and it’s obvious how much she loves him.

“You look beautiful, kid.” He lifts her up and places a kiss on her head on top of the crown.

“You about ready to go?” Kade asks, still looking down at me. I push up from the ground, brushing the grass off my dress.

“Yup, all ready.” I smile at him. “Thanks for having me,” I say to King, who nods his head politely in response. I squat down once more to give Willow a hug as King drops her to the ground.

“Am I going to see you again?” Willow asks, looking between me and her dad. I’m silent for a second, not sure how to respond.I like Willow and I hope that I’m able to see her again, but I also don’t want to be presumptuous.

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