“Ashton,” I said, my voice trembling. “You can’t be here.”
His brow furrowed, the muscles in his jaw tightening. “Why not?”
“Because,” I said, taking a shaky breath, “I can’t do this again. You need to let me go. You need to?—”
“No.” His voice was low, firm, cutting through the quiet of the night. He stepped closer, his boots crunching in the fresh snow, and I instinctively took a step back until I was pressed against the door of the bookstore.
“Ashton,” I whispered, but he shook his head.
“I tried,” he said, his voice rough with emotion. “I tried to let you go. I thought it was the right thing to do, the only thingto do. I thought if you hated me, if you believed I didn’t care, you’d be safe.”
Safe. The word hung between us, heavy with meaning.
“I didn’t let you go because I wanted to, Dove. I let you go because I had to. Because I thought it was the only way to protect you.” His eyes searched mine, pleading, as if he needed me to understand. “But I never stopped thinking about you. Never stopped worrying. You were in every thought, every breath, every goddamn moment.”
I shook my head, my throat tightening with the flood of emotions threatening to consume me. “Ashton, you can’t just say that now. Not after everything?—”
“I’m saying it because it’s the truth,” he interrupted, his voice fierce. “I thought keeping you at a distance would keep you safe, but I was wrong. I was so fucking wrong, Dove. Because all I’ve done is hurt you, and it’s killing me.”
My heart pounded in my chest, my breaths coming in shallow gasps as I stared at him. The snowfall was thicker now, soft flakes landing on his hair and melting against his warm skin. He looked at me like I was the only thing in the world that mattered. His usual stoicism cracked wide open, leaving nothing but raw vulnerability in its place.
“I love you,” he said, the words spilling out like they’d been waiting to be said for years. “I love you, Dove. I’ve loved you since the moment I saw you, walking through that market like you didn’t even know you existed in a world full of noise. You made me feel something I didn’t think I could feel.”
I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. His confession left me breathless, stunned, my mind reeling as I tried to process what I was hearing.
He took another step closer, his voice softening as he reached out, his fingertips brushing against my cheek. “When I said I wanted to keep you, I meant forever. Not just for amoment, not just for now. Forever, Dove. I want forever with you.”
Tears welled in my eyes, spilling over as I shook my head. “You broke me,” I whispered. “You made me believe I was nothing to you.”
“I know,” he said, his voice breaking. “I know, and I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you if you let me. I’m not perfect. I’m not good. But I swear to you, I will love you with everything I have.”
The sincerity in his voice, the raw emotion in his eyes, tore through me, leaving me bare. I wanted to believe him. God, I wanted to believe him.
He stepped even closer, his chest brushing against mine, and for the first time, I noticed the mistletoe hanging just above the doorway. His eyes flicked upward, and a small, almost sheepish smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
“Would you look at that,” he murmured, his voice low and rough. “A little Christmas magic.”
Before I could respond, he cupped my face in his hands, his touch gentle but firm, and leaned down. His lips brushed against mine, soft and warm, and the world seemed to fall away. The snow, the lanterns, the bustling streets—it all disappeared, leaving just him and me.
The kiss deepened, his lips moving against mine with a hunger that stole my breath. My hands found their way to his coat, clutching the fabric as if it were the only thing tethering me to reality. His fingers threaded through my hair, pulling me closer, and I melted into him, my heart pounding in my chest.
When he finally pulled back, his forehead rested against mine, his breath warm against my skin. “I thought you didn’t do romance,” I whispered, my voice trembling.
“For you,” he said, his voice low and possessive, “I’d doanything. I’d rewrite every part of myself if it meant I could keep you.”
Tears spilled down my cheeks, and he wiped them away with his thumb, his touch tender. “You don’t need to change for me,” I said softly. “I just need you to be honest. To be real.”
“I can do that,” he promised, his voice steady now, resolute. “I can give you everything, Dove. Just don’t walk away.”
I nodded, my heart too full for words. And as he wrapped his arms around me, holding me tightly against him under the falling snow, I let myself believe—just for a moment—that maybe, just maybe, forever was possible.
The snow fell like whispers, soft and delicate, coating the world around us in shimmering white. Ashton’s arms stayed firmly around me, his presence grounding, his eyes locked onto mine with an intensity that made my breath catch. The night seemed to hold its breath, the distant sound of carolers fading into the hush of falling snow.
For the first time in a long time, I wasn’t afraid. I wasn’t running. I wasn’t breaking.
“I never thought I’d feel this again,” I whispered, my voice trembling as I let the words spill out. “This hope. This… love.”
Ashton’s jaw tightened, his grip on me firm but not crushing. His thumb brushed against my cheek, wiping away the stray tear I hadn’t realized had fallen. “I spent so long convincing myself I didn’t deserve it,” he said, his voice rough with emotion. “That I wasn’t capable of it. But then you came into my life, Dove, and you ruined every lie I ever told myself.”
