“Whoa.” She pulled out ofthe parking lot and headed for the main road. “That escalated quickly.”
“Yeah.” And I was annoyed with the emotions it brought on. “I guess I still have some unresolved daddy issues, huh?”
Addison giggled. “Might be a slight understatement.”
“Look who’s talkin’,” I replied. There was no heat behind my words, though. Addison was already making me feel better.
“Tell me something. You rejectedthat sexy specimen and fell head over heels for my brother. Why?”
“Addie, Asher is mighty fine.”
“Duh, we’re related,” she said, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “But spill. Tell me what really made you fall for him.”
“Are you sure you want to hear this right now?”
She cocked her head and glared at me. “I asked, didn’t I?”
“Yes, but with everything going on between you and Jake, maybenow isn’t the best time to discuss—”
“Dylan Linn James, I am having a crisis of faith in love here. I need my best friend to reassure me that there is still some form of real love out there, or I swear to Buddha I will join a nude commune and stop waxing.”
All righty then. It appeared Addison was going to learn all my secrets today. Seeing no way out of telling her, I started with, “Do you rememberMs. Hiatt?”
“From seventh grade? The one who hated you?”
The beginning of seventh grade had been brutal because of my teacher. She was from a wealthy family, the favorite teacher of all the rich kids, and she treated me like the scholarship kid I was. I was sure she wanted me to fail and the harder I worked in her class, the meaner she was to me. “Yep. She almost failed me, you know?”
“Shedid?” Addison asked. “What happened?”
“She said I didn’t turn in a midterm paper, but I did. I was so upset I left to hit the bathroom, but ended up walking out of school. I was ready to give up that day. It was so difficult, and Ms. Hiatt was horrible.”
“I had no idea,” Addison said. “I mean, I know she hated you, but I didn’t realize she was bullying you.”
“That makes it sound so dramatic.She was just a grown-ass adult who was trying to fit in with the cool rich kids.” I snickered. “Looking back, I bet she was a total loser in high school. But anyway...Asher found me on his way to the library to study for his midterm. It was so embarrassing since I’d always had a crush on your hot big brother, and then he caught me crying in the bushes like a baby.”
Addison giggled. “He’s alwayshad the craziest timing. It’s like he knows when someone needs him.”
I nodded. “Must be a lawyer thing. Anyway, after he coaxed me into telling him what was going on, he gave me some ideas for how to solve the problem and asked me what I wanted to do. It was the first time a guy—especially a drool-worthy guy—had ever asked me my opinion on anything.”
“He gave you ideas?” Addison asked.
“Yeah.He said I could pack up and go home, or I could do something about it. He even offered to help. He said he could get me out of the class if I wanted, or he could remind Ms. Hiatt she was a teacher and needed to do her damn job.”
“What did you do?”
“Ash respected me, Addie. He didn’t force his solution on me like my dad or Dakota would have. I chose to stay in the class. He called the schooland spoke to Ms. Hiatt, pretending to be your dad. He let her know I was important to your family and told her he was invested in my well-being.”
Addison laughed. “Ohmigod, that sounds just like Ashey. I can’t believe you two never told me about this.”
“He swore me to secrecy. And I knew right then and there I would do anything for him. I was done, Addie. After that, I knew he was it for me.”
Her eyes misted over, and I felt like the biggest ass on the planet.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have told you all that,” I said.
“No. I needed to hear it.” She forced a smile. “Now, tell me where the heck we can go to eat? I’ve made three loops around this town and I’m starving.”
I laughed and directed her to the Happy Horse.
