I was slightly nervous because I’d never met Asher in person, and it wasn’t exactly an ideal situation to see him for the first time.
Although, if this hadn’t come up, it might have been a lot longer before I’d seen Asher’s face.
Now that Cole and I had arrived, everyone was here.
Cole had told me that Asher had decided to invite Millie because she’d been friends with Lorraine and because she’d been willing to let Asher search on her property.
He’d also told me that he thought Asher’s reasoning was complete and utter bullshit.
Cole seemed to think that Asher had wanted Millie to come simply because his brother was starting to care about his aunt.
I was guessing that Asher had allowed me to be present because Cole told him that he wanted me here.
I could see the beautiful, ornate casket that Asher had chosen sitting next to the gravesite in the distance.
Cole parked next to Asher.
“Did Millie actually come here with Asher?” I asked in a surprised voice.
“Yeah. Shocking, right?” Cole joked. “I offered to pick her up, but Asher insisted on doing it himself.”
“It’s really nice that he invited her,” I said as I watched Cole get out of the vehicle.
He looked incredibly handsome in a gray suit and a subdued tie.
Before I could get my door completely open, Cole was on the passenger side of his truck. He opened the door and wrapped his arms around me. I put my hands on his shoulders, and he literally lifted me to the ground.
Considering that he had a large truck, it was probably the most graceful way to get my feet on the ground when I was wearing a dress and heels.
“Thanks,” I said as I smoothed my dress down nervously.
“Don’t be nervous,” Cole said with amusement in his voice. “Asher isn’t always well-trained, but he doesn’t bite.”
Asher and I had met a few times when I was a kid because he’d known my brother.
But those meetings had been extremely brief.
Cole had already warned me that Asher liked his space, so I was already aware that hugging Cole’s brother wasn’t an option.
“Lauren!” Millie exclaimed as we approached them. “You look so pretty.”
Like me, Millie had donned a dress for the occasion. Hers was a deep, muted green.
Both Asher and Cole had requested that we not wear black because this wasn’t really a sad occasion in their eyes.
They’d done their mourning for their mom a long time ago.
I kissed Millie’s cheek. “You look gorgeous,” I told her quietly.
“No introductions needed for me,” Asher said in a low, solemn baritone. “Thanks for coming, Lauren.”
I turned my head, and my gaze locked with Asher’s.
I wasn’t surprised to see that he was just as handsome as his brother.
He was just a little bit taller than Cole, but their features were so similar that it was very apparent that they were brothers.
He was wearing a gray suit just like Cole.
