Page 86 of Ashley & the A-Listers

All of it was for nothing, because what he was running from was something he’d never escape.

And it was never more obvious than when Dylan was back at that house.

Ashley opening the door, running over her checklist, forgetting something last-minute—like she always had and likely always would.

Sitting in the driver's seat while she buckled herself into the passenger’s side felt like it used to. When they were seventeen and running around town just to fill the hours after school because they had nothing more fun to do than hang out with each other.

He’d never be able to stop loving Ashley.

And he didn’t know why he’d tried running from it in the first place.

I was scared.

And then that damned song had come on.

The one from the concert.

The one he’d kissed her to.

The one that had played as he’d had a full-on crisis about presenting as an alpha.

The one that haunted him, because he’d made a decision in that moment.

A decision to leave, to try starting over in a new city with his sister, leaving behind their shitty family. To try to adjust to being a fucking alpha, the thing he hated most.

He regretted it. Because even after all of that, he’d still hurt Ashley when he’d left to avoid hurting her in the first place.

He wanted to go back in time and tell his younger self to stop being an idiot, to stop panicking, and tell him that he wouldn’t turn out like his dad.

And now here Dylan was, with Ashley still in his passenger seat, a person who meant the world to him.

He had a second chance.

And Dylan knew he wouldn’t get another.

He couldn’t fuck this up. Ashley needed to knoweverything.She needed to know how he felt, why he’d left, how much he regretted it.

Was it selfish? To bring all this up, to apologizeagain?It was herbirthday.

The day he’d fucked up so royally, all those years ago.

And Cam and River were here, singing along to some pop song he’d reluctantly added to his list because Cam had enjoyed it so much when it had come on one day.

As Ashley began singing, too, the sun streaming in and turning her dark hair a vibrant mahogany, he decided… it was worth it.

These things needed to be said. Maybe if he’d been brave enough to say them ten years ago, they wouldn’t be here right now, inches apart but years away.

He’d just have to find the right moment.

They put the windows and sunroof down and the morning breeze flowed through the car. Ashley’s hair was tucked in a high ponytail or else it would be flying everywhere.

Once Ashley directed him to the correct parking area—it turns out her assistancewasneeded, because he lost service not too far into the mountains—they arrived.

“I didn’t realize all of this was so close to the city,” Cam murmured as he got out of the car.

“You’d be surprised what you can find up here,” Ashley said. “There’s tons of trails and water holes besides the one we’re going to today.”

“Maybe if Cam doesn’t die, we can plan another hike,” River said, and nudged the omega.

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