When I straighten up, Ares is at my side. He looks uncomfortable as hell. His hands are shoved deep in the pockets of his jeans as he stares at the ground. When she was messaging with him, she must have asked him to go with me to pick out a suit.
“Thanks for doing this,” Ash says, rubbing engine oil off his cheek. His eyes lift to hers, and his face instantly softens. Ares has it bad, and it’s actually nice to see. I didn’t think the asshole was capable of feeling anything for anyone, and I’m glad to be proven wrong. “We appreciate it.”
“I’m doing this for you,” he grits out, and I bark out a laugh.
“Don’t go doing me any favors.” Pain tightens my chest. Chad should be doing this with me.
“Stop being a pussy, and let’s go.”
“Be nice.” Ash warns, jabbing her finger in his face. “I know you want us to believe you have no heart in here.” She places her hand on his chest. “But we all know that isn’t true. I love Jase, and I know you care for me, so don’t be a jerk.” She stretches up, whispering something in his ear.
He nods before grabbing her face and kissing her hard.
When he releases her, I haul her into my arms and kiss her deeply, uncaring we are drawing funny looks from people passing by. “Have fun, Temptress.” I hand her the new credit card I got her on my account. She opens her mouth to protest, but I place my hand over it, muffling her words. “No arguments. What’s mine is yours.” Withdrawing my hand, I tug her in closer. “I want to buy my bride her wedding dress. Indulge me, baby.”
“I love you.” Her arms encircle my neck, and she kisses me again before we break apart. “Don’t kill each other.” She waggles her finger between us. “I need you both.”
“You don’t have to worry about us. We’ll see you at the restaurant later.”
Ares and I walk off in one direction while the girls go in the other. I made private appointments at both stores, paying extra to have a tailor and seamstress on hand for immediate alterations.
Ares is silent as we walk the five blocks toward the store. “How are you holding up?” I ask him after a while.
“I’m fine.”
“You don’t have to talk to me, but you should at least talk to Ash. She worries about you.”
“How do you do it?” he blurts, glancing sideways at me as we walk. “Back there, you didn’t care that I kissed her.” His eyes narrow to pinpricks. “I wanted to knock you into next week when you pulled her into your arms.”
“Her happiness is all that matters to me.”
He chuckles, leveling me with a look of disbelief. “Come on, dude. Don’t spout that bullshit at me.”
“I’m not lying.” We part ways temporarily, moving to opposite sides of the sidewalk to let a woman with a stroller through.
“You can’t tell me you don’t get jealous when she’s with me,” he adds.
“I can.” I stop at the pedestrian crossing, and we wait for the light to change. “Maybe it’s because I spent two years watching her with Chad while secretly loving her.” I scratch the back of my head. “I was very envious of him back then. But why would I be jealous now when I get to have her?” I slap him on the shoulder. “Jealousy is a pointless emotion. I didn’t think I would ever get to be with Ash. Now, she’s marrying me. She’s going to be a permanent fixture in my life forever. If I have to share her with you and Chad, so what? She is still mine, and as long as we keep her happy, we’ll never lose her. What’s to be jealous about?”
ChapterSeventeen
Ashley
“My brother is going to go crazy when he sees you in that dress,” Bree says as we exit the designer bridal store and head toward the restaurant where we are meeting the guys. They have been there for a while since they finished shopping quicker than us. It’s dark out, but it’s still busy as most of the stores in this exclusive part of Lowell are open late. Light spills out from elegant storefronts as we walk by.
“I hope he won’t think it’s too plain,” I say, thinking of the simple satin dress with the spaghetti straps and ruching over the bust. It is fitted at the waist before flaring out over my hips. The material is in two layers that split as I walk, showcasing a daring amount of my legs and thighs. It is three-quarters length, and I have the perfect silver sandals at home to go with it.
“You look beautiful and sexy, and it’s pure you. Trust me, Jase will love it.” She loops her arm through mine. “You could show up in a trash bag, and my brother would still be all over you. He loves you like crazy.” She pops a kiss to my cheek. “Thank you for loving my brother like you do.”
“Gawd,” I say, fighting a new burst of emotion. “It’s not even the wedding, and everyone is already super emotional. I’m going to be a blubbering mess on the day.”
“Weddings are supposed to be like this, and we’re latching on to the happy occasion because otherwise we’ll be thinking of all the other shit, and I don’t think anyone wants to go there.”
“I get bouts of guilt,” I admit as we round the corner, the restaurant visible up ahead. “It feels wrong to be elated and happy when Chad is imprisoned by a crazy bitch, Ares is retreating into his head, and my dad is dead.” Tears prick my eyes as Bree stops, takes my hand, and pulls me over against the wall in between two stores.
“You’re allowed to be happy, babe. If we’ve learned anything recently, it’s that life is too short to not celebrate the good things.” She brushes tears off my cheeks. “We will get justice for your dad, and we’re going to give him the best send-off.”
“I wish I could turn back time and do some things differently.” I peer up at her through blurry eyes. “Dad tried so hard this past year to make amends with me, and I spent far too long pushing his gestures aside. I wish now I hadn’t raced to my room, or rushed out of the house immediately after dinner, eager to avoid him. I wish any of those times he’d asked me to go hunting or fishing with him or to go to a movie I’d said yes instead of turning him down.” I can barely swallow over the painful lump wedged in my throat. “I wish I’d told him I loved him more.”
