“Tell me there’s coffee.” Jake’s voice is rough with sleep as he enters the kitchen, rubbing at his face. His hair is a mess, and his sweatpants hang low on his hips.
Todd chuckles, pushing a steaming mug toward him. “Always.”
Jake grunts in appreciation before taking a sip, eyes closing briefly like it’s reviving his soul.
Another set of footsteps follows, and Xayden appears next, stretching his arms over his head as he steps into the room. His shirtless torso is on full display, the tattoos winding up his arms catching the morning light.
“Something smells good,” he mutters, voice still thick with sleep.
“That’d be me,” Todd quips, flipping another pancake onto a growing stack.
Xayden smirks. “Cocky this early in the morning? You must’ve gotten laid last night.”
Todd shoots him a flat look, while I roll my eyes, reaching for my coffee.
West is the last to arrive, his expression unreadable as he steps into the kitchen. His gaze finds mine immediately, and my stomach flutters at the intensity in his eyes.
“Morning,” he says simply, his voice carrying a quiet weight.
“Morning,” I echo, feeling the warmth of last night settle between us.
Todd plates more food, sliding them toward the guys. “Sit. Eat. We’ve got time before we have to figure out the rest of the world.”
For a moment, it’s just us—the five of us together, warm and easy, like we’ve been doing this forever. Like we were always meant to.
CHAPTER 55
Ashlyn
I tightenmy grip on my phone as I stare at Shelley’s name flashing on the screen. I’ve been putting off this conversation, but there’s no avoiding it anymore. If I wait, she’ll find out from someone else, and I owe her more than that.
With a deep breath, I answer. “Hey, Shelley.”
There’s a beat of silence before she exhales slowly. “Oh, thank God. I thought I was going to have to hunt you down. You’ve been avoiding me, Ash.”
I sigh, rubbing my temple. “I know. I just needed time to figure things out.”
“Figure things out?” Her voice shifts. “Ashlyn, I hope you’re not about to say what I think you are.”
I press my lips together, bracing myself. This might mean my promotion is out the window, but they mean more to me. “I’m done playing games, Shelley. With the media, with the fake dating angle, with Owen popping up on live TV, with all of it. I’m going public—with the truth this time. I’m scent-bound to Primal Pulse, and I’m not hiding it anymore.”
Silence.
Then a long, slow exhale. She doesn’t deny anything or yell.
“You know, I had a feeling this was coming,” she finally says, and there’s something almost amused in her tone, despite the weight of the conversation. “I do produce a show about love, after all. I know when people are falling.”
My chest tightens at her words. “I never stopped,” I admit.
There’s a pause, then, “Yeah. I figured that out too.”
I close my eyes for a second, relief and anxiety tangling together. At least she’s not completely blindsiding me with anger.
“But Ash,” she continues, her voice turning more businesslike. “You do realize what this means, right? No more strategic headlines, no more perfectly timed media stunts to keep you and the show trending. You’re walking away from the leverage I built for us.”
“I know,” I say, my grip on the phone tightening. “But I’m done letting other people tell my story. I’m done letting the press twist my life into something marketable. This is real, Shelley. They’re mine, and I’m theirs. And I refuse to let the world act like it’s anything less than that.”
She groans, and I can practically hear her rubbing her forehead. “You’re killing me, Ash.”
