This girl was too much. I threw my head back, and my laughter soon echoed around the kitchen. Ashlyn put her hand on her hips and gave me a you-know-it’s-true look. Was she jealous? Was the annoyance in her tone and her fierce stance because she didn’t like the thought of Tori anywhere near me? Fuck me, the thought alone made my cock ache, and I wanted her to claim me, to use me, to do whatever the fuck she wanted to get the point across. My laughing died down and she still looked like she was bubbling with annoyance.

“Breakfast is getting cold. Get your asses out here.” Ky stuck his head around the door before disappearing just as quickly.

“Let’s go. I’m sure Tori has saved a seat for you.” Ashlyn rolled her eyes and stepped out of the kitchen before stopping and turning back to face me. “Don’t leave her waiting, it wouldn’t be very gentlemanly of you.”

I stopped just in front of her, and lowered my voice. “Two for you, zero for her. Just remember that.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Orgasms received last night. It’s your body that’s still humming, not hers. That’s what you need to remember.”

I didn’t wait around for a response. Stepping onto the back deck, I groaned when I found the only seats free beside Tori. I chose the one at the end of the table, which would mean that Ashlyn would be sitting between me and Tori. Breakfast was full of chatter and listening to Ky and Eden talk all things weddings. I had never met anyone that planned things like Eden. The more she spoke, the higher her voice seemed to get. It was around the time she started talking about flowers that her voice reached optimum levels.

Soon, conversation changed to a topic I wished never existed. I shifted in my seat and focused on my breakfast, wishing for a spontaneous case of deafness.

“So when are you planning on going to London? That’s very exciting, sweetheart,” mom asked Ashlyn in an excited voice from across the table. “We will miss your beautiful face around here, though.”

I had been silently struggling with the thought of her fucked up idea of moving to London, and I wasn’t afraid to admit that the thought alone made me sick to my stomach. There was no way she was going. Yes, that made me sound incredibly cocky, but I was making it my mission to erase even the thought of packing up her life and leaving. I had a future planned, and it involved her, whether she wanted to acknowledge whatever was happening between us or not. I dug into my eggs and met Eden’s gaze briefly across the table. Her big blues narrowed slightly, and darted to Ashlyn before falling back to me, as if she was silently analyzing things. Something I didn’t need her doing.

“It’s only an eight-hour flight, so I’m sure I’ll be travelling back when I can. You’ll have to come over and visit. We can hit up the stores,” Ashlyn replied softly.

“Will you go and visit, Josh?”

I looked over at my mom and found hope staring back at me. Beside me, I felt Ashlyn’s eyes burning into me, but I kept my gaze locked firmly on mom. Placing my fork on my plate, I offered the weakest smile I could. “I guess it just depends.”

Mom nodded and her lips fell into a brief frown. There was no way she’d let me off with that response, but for the time being it seemed she would accept it. Conversation resumed around the table and, as Ashlyn spoke of her plans and answered questions, I remained silent, just finishing my eggs and coffee.

“You okay?” she whispered once conversation moved from her.

I lowered my coffee cup and turned to her slightly. “Yep.”

“Now who’s lying?” She frowned.

I shook my head slightly and moved my attention to Mom. “Thanks for breakfast. I’m going to head upstairs and start packing. Duke is coming over to watch the game, so I’ve got to head back soon.”

I pushed back from the table and grabbed my plate, then headed to the kitchen. I was in a foul mood, and needed a moment to sort through my thoughts. I headed upstairs to my bedroom, and pulled my phone from my pocket. I needed a distraction, and decided returning Savannah’s earlier message with a call would do just that.

“Can I start calling you Rocky, seeing as how you seem to like boxing a little too much?” she said in greeting after answering my call.

“You can call me whatever you like, Sav.”

Her laughter shot down the phone. “Always the flirt. So you’re a modern day Prince Charming, rescuing girls from idiot ex-boyfriends, I hear? Ashlyn’s lucky to have you.”

I paced my bedroom, picking up clothes and putting them in my bag.

“He is a motherfucker,” I growled. “But I don’t really want to talk about it to be honest.”

Savannah immediately changed the subject, and talk turned to what she loved best—my non-existent love life, and finding out about the women I’ve been with. I swear it was like a sickness to her. She craved gossip of my time between the sheets. I’d swear I was chatting to one of the guys most of the time.

“So how are things going with you in the lady department? Still sowing your oats around town?”

Fuck me, I loved her Aussie way of speaking. Even though her accent wasn’t as strong as it was when I first met her, it was still thick. I thought of my reply options. Savannah could be the one person I needed to be able to get everything off my chest. Mostly, she would allow me the privacy to discuss my innermost thoughts without the fear of judgment I knew I’d receive from everyone else.

“I haven’t sowed my oats in weeks,” I finally admitted.

Her gasp rang through the phone, as if I’d just announced the most shocking thing in the world.

“It’s really not a big deal, Sav.”

“Who is she?” she asked abruptly. All teasing tone in her voice had vanished. “Josh Crawford does not stop sowing his oats for no reason.”

Maybe she could help sort out my fucked up and confusing thoughts. I inhaled sharply before speaking truth. “She is someone I can’t risk hurting, but someone I want more than anything.”

Her voice dropped low. “Do I know her?”

“Yep, you know her.”

“Where has this thought of hurting her come from?”

I took a seat on the edge of the bed and sighed. “You know me, Sav. I jump from pussy to pussy. I don’t do commitment. Fuck, I wouldn’t even know monogamy if it hit me square in the face. And she knows that. But she is different. So fucking different. And she doesn’t deserve my bullshit. I need my shit together to make this what she deserves, but I can’t keep myself away from her.”

The feeling of relief at saying it out loud was immense.

“Can I offer you one piece of advice? A risk is worth taking if it leads to a happily-ever-after. I took an enormous risk, and look where it led me. I was all of those things, Josh. My plan was to screw my way around Los Angeles, but look at me now. I have a man and son who I love more than life itself. The girl you are talking about could be yours. She could be your turning point, she could be your happily-ever-after.”

That’s all Ashlyn ever wanted, to live her own happily-ever-after, but now she was living one chapter at a time, never knowing what ending she was facing. I was the cliffhanger, but could I be the happily-ever-after she was searching for? Could I be the author and rewrite my story to get the ending I had always craved, the ending that would include Ashlyn Hart?

“When are you coming to the East Coast?” I asked, wanting to get the conversation away from me.

“Tate, Tanzi, Jack, and I are coming over for Red Velvet NY anniversary. You should all come.”

“Email me the dates.”

The door slowly opened, and Ashlyn stepped in before closing it behind her.

“I’ve got to go, but I’ll call you later,” I said without breaking my gaze from Ashlyn.

“Call me later. Remember, risks can lead to amazing, life-changing things.”

I ended the call and stood from the bed to meet her stance.