Chapter 34

CHAPTER 34

Sawyer

Ash waited for me as I eased my boat into dock, his golden hair fluttering in a light breeze.

My stomach flipped at the sight of him. Tonight was another big night for us. Another sexual adventure. Sometimes, it seemed as if I'd never run out of "firsts" with Ash.

But it wasn't the thrill of the unknown that lured me in. It was all him.

"Hey," he called. "Don't bother tying up. I'm ready to go."

He grabbed the hand I extended and vaulted onto the side of the boat and then inside. I shook my head.

"One day you're gonna fall and crack open your skull."

"But not today," he said with a wild grin as he dropped into the seat beside me.

I leaned over for a kiss, because I couldn't resist.

Ash kissed me back with an intensity that was startling. We always had great chemistry, but there was something off about this kiss.

Almost as if he were trying to disappear inside of it.

I pulled back. "Are you okay?"

He winced. "Am I that obvious?"

"Did something happen with your mom? I saw I missed a call, but you didn't leave a message or pick up when I called back later. I just figured you were busy."

Ash nodded. "I was busy. The boat got a pretty steady stream of customers today."

"That's great!" I faltered at Ash's weak smile. "Isn't it?"

"No, it is. I just… Things didn't go that well with my mom."

I reversed out of the dock and turned the boat toward Ash's place. We'd spent last night at the camper, so I figured it was only fair. "Tell me about it?"

While I drove us to the houseboat, Ash filled me in on his conversation with his mom and the text he'd gotten from Rick afterward.

"God, what a huge dickface," I said as I cut the engine and Ash tossed the anchor overboard.

He laughed. "Dickface?"

"Yeah, it seems appropriate. He's a walking ballsac."

Ash laughed so hard I thought he might fall overboard. Then he grabbed me and kissed me hard.

"You're the best."

"Nah." I pulled him against me. "My boyfriend is the best."

"You do put on the good show," a voice called from above. "Should I get some popcorn and settle in to watch?"

We looked up.

Mel fucking Armstrong stood on the deck of the houseboat. Perfectly at home in the place Ash lived.

Did he invite her?

Does she come over often?

Are they still…

"I didn't know she'd be here," Ash said quickly. "I'm sorry, Sawyer. I'd have given you a heads-up."

My teeth clenched hard enough my jaw ached. I forced myself to breathe. To relax. To remember that Ash was mine.

"Come on, boys!" Mel waggled a bottle. "Get your fine asses up here and let's drink this wine."

I waved Ash toward the ladder. "After you."

He glanced at me uncertainly. "You're not gonna bail on me, are you?"

"I'll be right behind you."

Ash squeezed my hand. "Thanks for being cool."

Oh, I was far from cool. So freaking far. But I wasn't about to leave him alone with his ex or bail on him when he'd had a crappy day.

I climbed the ladder, stomach churning with nerves. I'd always known this moment would come. Mel had been this wall between us, and even when that came down, she'd been a shadow hovering at the edge of our relationship.

Eventually, she had to come into the light. I had to face that she didn't vanish just because Ash chose to be with me.

I just didn't think it'd be so soon.

When we reached the deck, Mel already had the wine open and was pouring it into plastic cups.

She handed one to Ash, then one to me.

"Long time, no see, Sawyer. Damn, you are still so cute."

"Uh, thanks?"

"How are you holding up, Ash?"

She stepped forward, hugging him with one arm, pressing too damn close to my man's business.

When he stepped back, I slipped my arm around his waist and tugged him toward me.

"So, what's up?" I asked. "You come over uninvited often or…"

"Ouch. Put the claws away," she said. "I'm here because my boy?—"

"Your boy?" I cut in sharply.

"My boy had a rough day. Your boyfriend needs his friends right now. Don't you think?"

Her acknowledging my relationship with Ash settled me a little.

"Yeah, sorry. Of course I agree."

"You don't need to be jealous," Ash said softly. "Mel knows I'm totally in love with you. She wouldn't do anything to fuck that up." He shot her a pointed look. "Right?"

"I'm just here to toast the demise of Dickface Rick."

"You heard that, huh?"

She tapped her cup against mine. "I sure did. I applaud your ridiculous insults and I raise you one. I say that Rick is a wrinkled , limp-dicked spermatozoon."

"Spermatazoon?" Ash said with a laugh.

"The scientific word for one single sperm. Because that's what he is. Just a smear that should have gone into the toilet instead of fertilizing an egg."

"Damn," I exclaimed. "You're much edgier than I remember in high school."

She chuckled. "Oh, you just never got on my bad side. I can be a nasty bitch."

"True words," Ash said.

I raised my cup. "To putting that spermatozoon where he belongs."

"In the fucking toilet," Mel added.

"I'll drink to that," Ash said.

We all raised our cups and took a drink. Wine wasn't really my thing—which Ash knew—so once we'd finished the first cup, he went inside to grab me a beer.

Mel and I sat on the two deck chairs, and when Ash returned, I patted my thigh. Ash was about an inch taller than me, with broader shoulders and a hard, muscled body. But I didn't care. I wanted my man close, even if my leg slowly went numb while he sat on my lap.

"So what are we going to do about this dickface for real?" Mel asked. "We can't let him fuck with Ash anymore."

"I just hate that my mom can't see it," Ash said. "Nobody else ever sees him for what he is and I'm so sick of it."

"I've always seen through him," Mel countered.

"Yeah, but you're my best friend, so you have to."

I tensed at the word best friend, jealousy briefly flaring. I was Ash's best friend, damn it.

Ash added, "And Sawyer is my boyfriend. So he sees it too."

I relaxed. Boyfriend was an upgrade, right? Or at least equivalent to best friend. Definitely better than former best friend. I'd take it.

"It's not because I'm your boyfriend that I see Rick for the maggot he is," I said.

"Ooh, maggot. Good one!" Mel crowed.

I raised my beer bottle in solidarity. "I've always hated the DreamBoats."

He chuckled. "That's true. I always thought that was because you hated me."

"Nah. That was just a bonus."

"Shut up." He laughed and turned his head to kiss me.

"Aw, you two are so cute."

"You shut up too," Ash said, tossing his empty cup at her.

She dodged it. "Hey, you're the ones kissing and being all adorable. Don't blame me!"

Ash stood up to retrieve his cup and refill it. I shifted, trying to recirculate some blood into my leg.

"Get up, Saw. Time to switch."

"Ooh, so you're vers," Mel joked. "Good to know."

I flipped her off as I stood, shaking out my leg a little before resettling—this time with me on Ash's lap. I fit more easily into his lap, being a bit smaller, but neither of us were small.

"So, if the problem is that no one sees who Rick really is, maybe there's a way to open their eyes," I said, once we were all rearranged and comfortable again. "Like, surely the other guys at DreamBoats see the problems there like you did?"

"I don't know," Ash mused. "Maybe.

"Well, at the minimum, you've got to talk to your mom again," Mel said. "Show her his threatening text. She can't deny it if she sees it with her own eyes."

"I'm just afraid to push her to choose…" Ash's arm tightened around me. "She shouldn't have to choose."

"You're not the one making her choose," I said. "Don't put this on yourself. Rick tried to twist your arm. He sabotaged your business. He's now threatening to keep your mom from you. And why? Because you wouldn't participate in his criminal behavior? It's fucked up, Ash, and you can't blame yourself for that."

"Sawyer's right," Mel said. "Rick is the problem."

"Maybe, but it doesn't change the outcome that I'm probably going to lose my family."

"I hope it doesn't come to that," Mel said. "But if it does, you've got us." She met my eyes. "Right, Sawyer?"

I hesitated a beat. "Right."

"I know our history is messy, but I'm happy for you two," she said. "I'll never do anything to come between you. I want us all to be friends again. Can we do that? For Ash."

"For Ash, I'd do anything."

She smiled. "You know, I believe it. What took you two so long to figure out how much you cared? Boys are so dumb."

"I mean, it'd have been easier if you weren't a skank who hooked up with my best friend right after we broke up."

"Oh!" She jumped to her feet. "Who you calling a skank?"

"Hey, if the insult fits…"

She laughed. "You jerk. It wasn't right after we broke up. It was at least three weeks."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. It was too soon."

"I think anytime would have been too soon."

"Maybe," I allowed.

"You know what's interesting?" she said. "At the time, I thought you were jealous of Ash. But now I wonder if you were actually more jealous of me."

"I don't follow."

"You weren't mad that Ash got me," she said. "You were mad that I got him."

"I didn't really think of him like that back then. He was just my best friend."

"Who you lost to me." Mel shrugged. "I'm not saying you were hot for Ash at the time. But you loved him. He loved you. I got in the middle of that, and I'm sorry."

"I think we've all apologized enough to last a lifetime," I said. "It's all water under the bridge now. It's time to move on."

"Good plan," she said with a yawn as she collapsed back into her chair. "This wine is putting me to sleep."

"Why don't you crash here?" Ash suggested. "Sawyer and I can go to his camper."

"You sure? I could probably make it home."

"It's a longer drive for you. We can be at the RV park in five minutes."

"Okay, then stay for one more toast," she said, refilling her cup. "To friendship." She paused. "And kicking Rick in the ballsac."

We laughed and drank. It was easier to be around Mel than I'd expected.

It didn't hurt that I was in Ash's lap, his left hand idly playing with my curls while his right clamped down on my thigh, holding me in place against him.

Every now and then he nuzzled into my neck, making goosebumps race down my arms.

Ash had chosen who he wanted to be with, and he was very obviously claiming me in front of Mel.

I didn't kid myself. The message was probably more for me than her. But I appreciated it all the same.

Ash wanted me. He loved me.

And Mel's presence in his life wouldn't change that.

I stood and helped Ash up. He shook out his arms and legs. "You're heavier than you look."

"That's because I'm all muscle, baby."

"Mm. How about we get out of here so you show me, big boy?"

"Ew. I think I gagged a little."

I glanced toward Mel, still slumped in her chair, eyes half closed.

"I thought you two would be hot together," she mumbled, "but that's just…disturbing."

Ash snorted. "Don't judge our sexy talk or I'll tell Sawyer about the time you dated that weird plumber who talked about snaking your pipes while you?—"

"Okay, point made!" She gestured toward the water. "Go before I toss you overboard."

Ash grinned and tugged me toward the ladder. "Come on. Let's go home."

My stomach fluttered again. Not because we were headed back to my place where we may or may not engage in our original plans for the evening. I wouldn't blame Ash if he wasn't in the mood for sex.

No, it fluttered because of the way he'd said home. As if my home was his, too. As if his home was with me.

I wanted that. I didn't know how much I wanted that until I heard him say the words.

I took his hand and interlaced our fingers. "Home sounds good. Do you want to pack a bag?"

"I left some stuff over at your place this morning. It's all good."

I raised an eyebrow. "Moving in on the sly?"

He ducked his head. "No. I wouldn't assume that was okay."

I cupped his face, his beard soft under my palm. "It's more than okay."

He looked up, eyes meeting mine, smile a little shy. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," I said. "Let's go home."