“Don’t care,” I said. “You’realways covered in glitter. If I’m covered in it? Just means I’ve been close toyou.”
The smile Ashley respondedwith outshone the streetlamp overhead.
“Knew there was a reason Iloved you,” he said. “Home?”
“Home.”
EPILOGUE
ASHLEY
One year later…
“Think I’ve got that edgepiece you were looking for,” Logan’s voice sounded as I slipped into Grandma’sapartment.
A grin spread over my face,and I paused just outside the door. I loved that they got along. Two of themost important people in my life being friends meant the world to me.
Grandma loved Gabe, too.They baked together.
Logan stuck to jigsawpuzzles after The Waffle Incident, which had proved that he hadn’t just beenunluckythat night we’d tried to makedinner together.
Not that he was a bad cook.Most of the time, he was great, and I loved getting to share meals with him.
He just didn’t get along wellwith fire. I’d found out from Gray that he’d been banned from going near agrill years ago, as had Fox. Gray was theonlyone of themallowed to be in charge of fire.
Their family events werealways fun to go to. They made me feel like I fit in, always. They werekindto me.
The family I’d always wanted.
“Is that a part of the wateror the sky, do you think?” Grandma asked. I could picture her chewing on thearm of her glasses, turning the piece this way and that as she squinted at it.
She and Logan got on well. I’d always kind ofthought Logan had an old soul, the kind of soul that liked rest days andsleep-ins and sitting on a park bench feeding ducks.
We’d done all of those thingsmore than once, so I knew now that I’d been right about that.
There were plenty ofexciting, fast-paced people in my life. The fact that Logan was a littleslower, a little more sensible was agoodthing. He grounded me like noone else ever had. Like I hadn’t realized anyonecould.
“I feel like that’s aripple?” he said. “But it might be a cloud.”
I leaned back against thewall by the door, obviously still unnoticed. Just listening to them was sonice, and I never got to see them together when they thought they were alone.This was a rare opportunity to enjoy just a couple of minutes of that before Iannounced myself.
“It doesn’t fit in any ofthese spots,” Grandma said. “We’ll have to set it aside.”
“I’m keeping blues overhere,” Logan responded.
I’d just pushed away from thewall to go inside when Logan spoke up again.
“Hey, umm. I wanted to… Idunno, not… I’m not asking yourpermission, exactly, but kind of asecond opinion?”
Permission?
Guilty as I felt aboutlistening in, that word rooted me to the spot.
“I’m listening,” Grandmasaid.
“It’s about Ashley,” Logancontinued. “I… we… we’ve been dating a while now.”
“Little over a year,”Grandma agreed.
