Peyton does the same but adds “so proud of you.”
Haley texts me a shocked face and “you did it!”
Mia.
Emerson.
Jamie Beth.
Mama’s so proud of you, baby.
But no Storms.
Specifically…
No Jared.
Did he not see it?
I trust Max. He would have made sure Jared got the message.
But…crickets.
Knock, knock.
I suck in a breath, and with shaking hands, I go open the door.
Jared stands before me with one hand full of a cat carrier and the other a bouquet of wildflowers.
“I love you too, Ashley Hill. I always have.”
CHAPTERTHIRTY-SEVEN
My heart melts.
I melt.
I grab the cat carrier and take Jared’s hand to pull him over the threshold.
His hand is cold.
“You’re freezing!” I look at what he’s wearing. “You’re in shorts and a t-shirt? It’s cold out tonight!”
“I didn’t have time to change,” he explains.
We both squat to unzip Louie’s carrier so she can be free.
I give her a big hug and kiss her furry head. “I’ve missed you so much!”
“What about me?”
I look across Louie’s back at the handsome man smiling at me.
“Did you miss me, Hill?”
I throw my arms around his neck, and he scoops me into his lap right there on the floor.
“Yes, I missed you, despite the way you sprinted out of here.”
