We may have been stupid back then—jealous, insecure, and blind to what she truly needed—but I think we’ve all learned that lesson the hard way.
I twirl the drumstick between my fingers, my grin returning as a plan begins to form in the back of my mind.
She’s here now. She’s willing to try.
And I’ll be damned if I don’t do everything in my power to show her that she doesn’t have to keep us out anymore. She doesn’t have to do this alone.
Ashlyn Robinson isn’t just the girl who got away.
She’s the one we’re going to fight to keep.
After she passes out,I grab one of the blankets from the overhead compartment and drape it over her, tucking it carefully around her. Her breathing is slow and even, her face relaxed in a way I rarely see. None of the walls are up, none of the perfect masks she wears to navigate the world. Just her.
Her hair falls over her face, and I brush it back gently, my fingers lingering for half a second longer than they should. She looks so peaceful like this, soAshlyn,it makes my chest ache.
Todd drops into the seat across from me, his eyes immediately settling on her. “I’m glad Shelley agreed to our crazy idea of her coming on tour with us,” he says, his voice low.
I glance at him, a faint smile tugging at my lips. “Ash may kill you if she figures out it was you who got her stuck with us.”
“She’ll thank me by the end of the two weeks,” Todd says confidently. “Because we’ll be a pack again.”
“You assume.”
He shrugs, leaning back in his seat. “I felt the way she kissed me back. That wasn’t just for the cameras. She feels it, even if she’s scared to admit it. We’ll prove to her that she doesn’t have to fight this. That we need each other.”
I look back at her, at the faint rise and fall of her chest under the blanket, the slight parting of her lips as she sleeps.
“She doesn’t need us,” I say quietly.
Todd’s gaze sharpens, his brows furrowing. “What are you talking about? Of course she does. We’re scent-matched. We’re hers. She’s ours.”
I shake my head slightly, not taking my eyes off her. “She’s made a life for herself without us. She’s built something solid, something she can control. She’s successful, strong. She doesn’tneedus, Todd.”
“But that doesn’t mean she doesn’twantus,” he counters, his voice firm.
I sit back, his words pressing against me as I study her sleeping face again.
“Maybe,” I admit after a long pause. “But we’ve got two weeks to prove to her that we’re more than the guys who broke her heart.”
“And that we’re not going anywhere this time,” Todd says.
I glance at him, and for once, we’re completely in sync. Two weeks to prove none of this is fake.
CHAPTER 37
Ashlyn
The café Shelleypicked for lunch is perfect for her kind of narrative—a cozy, picture-perfect spot tucked into the heart of the city, with just enough foot traffic to keep things interesting. She probably picked it because the outdoor seating offers the ideal opportunity for us to be seen without being overwhelmed.
We settle at a table near the front, a spot that feels a little too visible for my comfort, but the guys act like they couldn’t care less. Todd pulls out my chair for me without a word, and I murmur my thanks as I sit.
Xayden sprawls into his chair next to me, while Jake takes the seat on my other side, his arm draping casually over the back of my chair. Todd sits across from me, scanning the menu with an intensity that makes me bite back a smile, and West quietly claims the last chair, his gaze flicking to me every few moments as if to check that I’m still here.
“Do we even have time for this?” Xayden asks, spinning the salt shaker like it’s part of his drum kit. “What’s next, tea and crumpets at the palace?”
“Relax,” Todd says without looking up. “We’ve got an hour. Plenty of time to eat before soundcheck.”
“And to savor the rare sight of Todd actually sitting still for five minutes,” Jake quips, earning a quiet laugh from me.
