Page 110 of April

“Not like it’s our first kiss,” Asher said, and her hand moved into Linden’s hair.

“Every time we kiss, I still can’t believe it happened; thatthisis happening.”

When the next song started to play, the DJ announced that it was the last song of the night.

“We suck at dancing,” Asher said, laughing a little. “We end up making out instead.”

“We just need more practice,” Linden suggested.

“I’ve got to settle everything.” Asher nodded toward the wedding.

“Need any help?”

“You can go get a piece of wedding cake for yourself,” Asher replied. “It’s your favorite and from Bakes & Cakes.”

“Yeah? Awesome,” she said. “Want me to get you one, too? I’m guessing you didn’t eat at all.”

“Well, if that’s true, I’m not starting with cake, Linden.”

“They didn’t serve kale chips tonight, Ash.”

Asher laughed and said, “Just get a piece of cake before it’s all gone. I’ll be done soon, and we can go home.” Asher pecked her on the lips and took off into the tent.

“Home?” Linden said to herself.

She could picture that. She could picture having a home with Asher. It was easy to do because they already spent so much time together at Asher’s much nicer apartment, and she could see them making it a home for the two of them. She could even see them buying a house one day. Linden could see them arguing about it, too. Asher would want something fancy, while she would want something basic and functional. She didn’t need a house like the one Kyle and Melinda had in the Garden District. She’d happily settle for anywhere with Asher. She could see them painting walls, moving furniture, and getting a cat or a hypoallergenic dog because of Asher’s allergy. She felt like a cat would better suit their vibe. Hell, she could see them naming that cat Kale or even Bacon as an inside joke.

As she watched Asher work, Linden knew she could see everything with her, and for the first time in her life, that wasn’t something she was scared of. The only thing that scared her at this moment was the fact that Asher still planned on moving away soon, and they’d only just figured out that this was how things were supposed to be with them all along. With Carolyn shutting down any possibility of her going to Dallas, too, ifLinden went with Asher, she’d have to find a new job. She wondered if she could convince Carolyn to let her go there if she threatened to quit if she didn’t, or if she told her that she and Asher were together now and wherever Asher went, Linden would go. The only problem with that was that Linden really didn’t want to leave New Orleans at all.

CHAPTER 29

Asher opened the front door, letting Linden inside, and without words, she headed upstairs. It was late, but Linden had to know, right? She had to know that Asher wasn’t just going upstairs to sleep. At least, that wasn’t her plan. Turning around and seeing Linden at the wedding earlier, being held by her, dancing with her, and seeing the expression on her face when Linden had been thinking about Dallas had Asher ready. She wanted Linden. She wanted Linden to be her first, and she hoped Linden would be her only. She wished for Linden to be her everything.

Linden followed her up after kicking off her shoes and locking the door behind them. She was carrying her overnight bag, which made Asher very happy. It meant Linden wanted them to have many nights here together. They had tomorrow off, and that meant they could spend their day in bed or at least talk about what Asher had been avoiding talking about. When she walked into her bedroom and waited, Linden was right behind her and dropped her bag onto the floor by the closet.

“Can you unzip me?” she asked, feeling her hands shake just at the question.

“Oh, yeah. Sure,” Linden replied.

Asher stood with her back to Linden and waited. She let Linden walk up behind her, and Linden’s hands were on herhips first before she moved them up to the zipper and lowered it slowly. Asher swallowed hard and hoped Linden knew that, even though they’d never done this before, she wanted more than just for Linden to unzip her dress.

“You’re shaking,” Linden noted softly while her hand moved over Asher’s back. “Ash, you’re shaking.”

“Yeah,” she replied. “I can’t seem to stop it. Trust me, I tried the whole way home.”

“Why were you–”

“I was driving here, knowing you were following, and I was… thinking about this.”

“This?” Linden asked.

“Yes, this,” Asher replied.

Linden’s hand moved down the gap in the dress she’d just unzipped, and Asher gasped when it stopped where her ass met her lower back.

“This?” Linden asked again.

“Yes,” Asher repeated.

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