Ashley laughed all of asudden, pressing a fingertip to my chest and then holding it up to his face,grinning broadly.
“Glitter,” he said, asthough he’d found gold in a mountain stream. “You’re really mine, now. There’sno escaping this. Glitter is forever.”
I liked the sound of that.
I also acknowledged that itwas true. Once you got glitter on you, you were glittered for life.
That wasn’t so hard tolive with at all. Especially not when it came with a sweet, playful drag queenwho held my heart in his hands and barely even realized it.
“Maybe I’ll take up drag,” Isaid, picking another piece of glitter I’d just noticed off.
One day of sharing my bedwith Ashley and he’d already managed to make itourbed.
The thought made me smile.Ourbed. His and mine.
There was a me-and-Ashleynow. The feeling that came along with that was so big I wasn’t sure I couldcontain it.
But I also wasn’t sure Ihadto. It was okayif it escaped in a smile or a laugh or a need to touch, to hold, to kiss andtaste and breathe him in.
If I could go back in timeand visit the Logan of two weeks ago, he’d call me insane if I toldhim what was about to happen.
Now, though? I was so gladit had.
“You should,” Ashley grinnedat me. “I’m thinking a platinum blond wig for you. Start with court heels andwork your way up to platforms. I have to start a whole new wardrobe for it, Iguess, so we can have a shopping day…”
I snorted. “I’ll come withyou,” I said. “But I think I’ll stay firmly in the audience. If I’m invited toyour next show? There willbea next show, right?”
“Oh yeah,” Ashley said. “Maybenot this month. I… there’s a lot going on. Lots of things to process. Newboyfriend I want to cling to for a while. You know how it is.”
“I do know,” I murmured,rubbing my thumb over the curve of his shoulder. “Like I said. Take all thetime you need. You’re safe here. Even though we know it was Maisie now, thatdoesn’t change the fact that you’ve been through a lot.”
“I’m a tough little cookie.”Ashley sighed.
“You are,” I agreed. Hewastough. Even now,he was so goddamnstrong.
It’d still take him time toprocess, but he could do it. I wasn’t worried he was going to shatter if Inudged him too hard or anything.
Ashley could take my roughedges, and I could get a grip on his soft ones.
We weren’t all thatalike, but we were made for each other.
“Given any thought to whathappens to Maisie?” I asked. Ashley hadn’t mentioned her again, but I knew shewas on his mind.
He shrugged. “Thought about italmost the whole way back here. Part of me wants to strangle her with my barehands for everything she put me through.”
“Can’t say the idea didn’tcross my mind. I don’t make a habit of hitting women, but…”
“No compromising your honorfor me,” Ashley said, stretching out. “The rest of me knows revenge ispointless. I can’t undo any of the damage she did by… pressing charges, orinsisting my family disowns her, or whatever. Punishing her doesn’t accomplishanything, y’know?”
“Might make you feel better,”I offered, but I thought I already knew Ashley better than that. He wouldn’tactuallyenjoyhurting hissister, no matter how badly she’d hurt him.
He wouldn’t get anythingout of it.
As expected, he shook hishead. “Idon’t really need to be a source of misery in the world,” he said. “I’ve beentrying to make people happy for years. Besides, she’s already paying the pricefor all this. Failure is the price. There’s honestly nothing I could do to herthat’d hurt more than just walking away, and everything that brings.”
“You sure you’re okay withyour family business going under?” I asked.
Ashley shrugged. “They still ownthe land, Mom and Dad were smart about retirement savings, Maisie… well, she’sjust gonna have to get a job now, isn’t she?”
