“I would never.” He forces a quiet laugh and clears his throat.
We spend the rest of the ride listening to music, but we don’t talk again. We pull off the Baybridge exit, but instead of making the turn toward the main town, we go in the opposite direction toward the residential area.Is he taking me to his family’s home?
Sweat starts to bead at the back of my neck at the thought. I know he just met my mom, but I’m not ready to meet his parents. Especially knowing his dad is trying to find my mother’s abusive piece-of-shit boyfriend. That makes a potential meeting more than a little awkward.
We drive for a while before turning down a long, winding road. When we come to a large iron gate, Ashton leans out of his window and pushes a button. He gives his name to the person on the other end, and the gate opens toward us. We drive through until we come to a large circular driveway in front of a massive estate.
Shit. I knew he was rich, but this is likerichrich.
Ashton puts the car in park and hops out, coming around to open my door. I take his outstretched hand, and he leads me past the house.
“Where are we going?”
“Now, what kind of surprise would it be if I told you?”
He smirks, the freckles on his nose crinkling, and I roll my eyes.
We walk for what feels like several minutes before we come to a tiny thatched-roof cottage. This has to be the edge of the property.
“Close your eyes.”
“What?”
“Allie,” he sighs. “For once, can you do something without questioning it?”
“Fine.” I let my eyes fall closed, and he guides me forward. We only walk a few more steps.
“Okay, open them.” I do, and my jaw almost hits the floor. I’m surrounded by every flower imaginable in one of the biggest gardens I’ve ever seen. There are large planters with vegetables, several white benches scattered throughout the area, and even some fruit trees on the perimeter. I walk further beyond the archway we must have entered through. To my right, there is a large patch of daisies, and on the other side of me is a sea of lilacs.
“Ashton, this is?—”
“Do you like it?”
“It’s incredible. Is this your family’s?”
“My grandmother’s.”
I look back at him. “I thought?—”
“My grandfather hired someone to take care of it after she passed. He never had much of a green thumb, but he wanted to keep her memory alive.”
“It’s beautiful.”
“You haven’t seen the best part yet.” He smiles and takes my hand again, leading me past rows of lavender until we stop at a rose bush. Pink roses spill out of a mass of thorny stems, and right next to it is a neat little row of white daffodils.
“She kept them next to each other,” he says, tipping his chin. “Love and new beginnings.”
Tears spring to my eyes.
“Love doesn’t always have to hurt, Allie. She knew that more than anyone.”
A single tear falls down my face, dripping over my lips. “What do you mean?”
“My grandfather was her second marriage. He’s technically my step-grandfather. Her first husband, my dad’s father, died when I was pretty young. I don’t really remember anything about him, other than that he was cold. I don’t know the specifics, but I know they didn’t have the best marriage.” He rubs the wetness on my cheek with his thumb. “She was only twenty when they first got married, and after he died, she preferred to be alone. She finally had the freedom to live her life the way she wanted. Then one day when she was least expecting it, Theo came into her life.”
My eyes widen. “Theo? As in…”
“Theo Aldridge,” he confirms. “My grandfather.”
