Cole’s grin was wicked as he sank to his knees, his hands sliding further up her legs.“Why not?”
“Because it’s embarrassing,” she said quickly, her hands instinctively reaching to stop him.
For a moment, his gaze burned wild, his gray eyes dark with want.Then he closed them, exhaling slowly before pressing a lingering kiss to her thigh.“Let’s go,” he said hoarsely, his hands dropping as he stood.“Before I regret it.”
Ashley’s breath caught as she adjusted her dress, her face still warm.He gave her a small, knowing smile and offered his hand.She took it, letting him guide her toward the door, her heart pounding as they stepped out into the cool evening air.
The bistro they drove to was small and intimate, its brick walls lined with shelves of wine bottles and flickering candles.Ashley slipped into the booth by the window, her dress brushing against the soft leather seat.Outside, the streetlights cast a golden glow over the cobblestone streets, and the hum of distant conversations blended with the soft clink of glasses.
The warm lighting softened the sharp lines of Ashley’s face, highlighting the honeyed hues of her hazel eyes.She tilted her head slightly, the movement sending a cascade of dark hair over one shoulder.Her laugh was unguarded, her smile wide, lighting up her entire expression.
Cole sat across from her, his gray eyes settling on her, watching her movements with the same quiet intensity she’d come to know so well.“Feeling less embarrassed now?”he teased, his lips quirking into a grin.
Ashley shot him a mock glare, though the warmth in her cheeks lingered.“Barely.You’re lucky I didn’t make you sit in the car.”
“Worth the risk,” he replied, leaning back as the waiter approached with a bottle of water.
The two fell into an easy rhythm as they ordered, Ashley choosing the duck while Cole predictably went for steak frites.As they waited for their food, the conversation turned to lighter topics: the move, the quirks of their new neighborhood, and Ashley’s excitement about finally having enough space for her dream library.
“I’m thinking floor-to-ceiling shelves,” she said, her hands moving animatedly as she described her vision.“And maybe a rolling ladder if we can make it work.”
Cole chuckled, resting his chin on his hand.“You do realize this will become the room I never see you in, right?”
“You’re welcome to join me,” she countered, her eyes glinting with amusement.
“And disturb the sacred silence of your book haven?I’d be exiled in minutes.”
Ashley laughed, the sound light and unguarded.“Maybe.But I’ll allow you entry for special occasions.”
The food arrived shortly after, and for a time, the table was filled with the quiet contentment of shared meals.Ashley savored the rich flavors of her dish, occasionally sneaking a glance at Cole as he ate with his usual focus, his forearms resting casually on the edge of the table.
As the plates were cleared and dessert menus offered, Cole leaned back slightly, his expression softening.“I’m going to visit my mother in a few days.”
Ashley’s fork hovered over her plate.“Do you want me to come with you?”
He shook his head, his smile faint.“No need.You know how she is.”
Ashley nodded slowly, her appetite fading.“Yeah…” Her gaze drifted to the candle flickering between them, the warm glow casting fleeting shadows across the table.
Her mind drifted to Margaret, Cole’s mother.They’d first met at his father’s funeral–an unfortunate introduction, to say the least.Margaret had been composed to the point of fragility, her grief so tightly contained that Ashley had wondered how it hadn’t spilled over.Dressed in stark black, Margaret sat in the front row, her hands clasped tightly in her lap, her face pale and unreadable.
Ashley had stood beside Cole, unsure of her place.He’d been a rock, his arm steady around his mother’s shoulders, his expression betraying nothing of the storm he must have felt.When Margaret turned briefly to acknowledge Ashley, her nod had been polite but distant, as if she were seeing through her rather than at her.
Ashley had told herself it was the grief.Margaret had just lost her husband to a surprise heart attack and, not long before, her son.Surely, with time, the sharp edges would soften, and they could forge a connection.
Unfortunately, time hadn’t changed anything.
Even at their wedding, Margaret had been a shadow, present but unreachable.She’d sat through the vows in the front row, her posture perfect, her hands resting neatly in her lap.Ashley had searched her face for something–anything–a smile, a tear, even a fleeting glance of pride.Yet Margaret remained composed, as though she were merely an observer rather than the mother of the groom.
It had been a beautiful day, though.Small, intimate, and utterly theirs.The sun had filtered through the canopy of oak trees where they’d exchanged their vows, just a handful of close friends and family gathered around them.
Sarah had stood beside Ashley, her laughter soft but steady as Ashley fought tears through the vows.Elliot, one of Cole’s closest friends from his PHD, had clapped Cole on the back afterward, his voice ringing with congratulations.
Ashley had loved every moment of it–the simplicity, the intimacy.The way Cole had looked at her when he said, “I do,” his voice was low but unshakable.It had felt like a promise not just to be her husband but to be her partner in every sense of the word.
And yet, even in the midst of that joy, Margaret had been there, silent and distant.Ashley had tried in those early years to reach her, to bridge the space Margaret seemed to live within.She’d told herself it was temporary, that Margaret’s quietness was just a wound that needed time to heal.
Margaret’s grief wasn’t something to overcome; it was something she’d made her home in, a world Ashley could never enter.
