Page 160 of Forever To Me

I scowl. “I don’t need a damn lecture.”

Jack shrugs. “No, but you do need to pull your head out of your ass.”

Ollie nods. “Because let’s be real, Mack’s not gonna forgive you if you let Violet walk away.”

“Walker won’t forgive himself either if he lets Violet walk away. He’s going to regret it,” Jack says.

Mack is already pissed at me. Already looking at me like I’m the biggest idiot on the planet for pushing Violet away. And she’s right. Hell, they’re all right.

I let my past blind me. I let Stella’s betrayal twist something good—something real—into something I was too damn scared to hold onto.

And in the process? I didn’t just break my own heart. I broke Mack’s too. I exhale sharply, shaking my head. “I have to fix this.”

Ollie grins. “Again, no shit.”

Jack claps me on the back. “So, what’s the move, Cowboy Daddy?”

I groan, already regretting every single life decision that led me to this moment. But I know one thing. I’m not letting Violet go without a fight.

I groan. “I hate all of you.”

After way too much prodding, I finally pull up the damn video. And I immediately regret it. Because it’s her. Violet.

The way she sings, her voice smooth and raw and perfect. The way she closes her eyes, completely lost in the music. The way she tilts her face toward me, just barely, as I strum beside her.

And the way I look at her. I swallow hard. Because holyshit. I look at her like she’s my whole damn world. And now? Now I’ve ruined it.

I thought watching this would piss me off. I thought I’d see it and feel betrayedlike she knew what she was doing all along. But that’s not what I feel at all. I feel like I just got kicked in the chest. Because it’s so painfully obvious, I love her. And I let my own fear and insecurities drive her away.

I don’t realize I’ve stopped breathing until Will’s voice cuts through my phone. “You watch it?”

I clear my throat. “Yeah.”

He sighs. “And?”

I rub my jaw. “And I need to fix this.”

Silence. Then, “No shit.”

The bar is quiet before opening—just me, a half-drunk cup of coffee, and the low hum of the jukebox playing something old and familiar. Mack is settled in the back with snacks and working on her homework. I’ve been trying to find some sort of normalcy now that everything has gone to shit.

I need silence andthe space to think to figure out how the hell I’m going to fix what I broke with Violet.

But, of course, the universe isn’t that kind. Because the door swings open, I don’t have to look up to know who it is. I feel her presence before I see her. My skin crawls, and my stomach tightens.

Stella.

Waltzing in like she owns the place. Like she’s got some goddamn right to be here. "I'm here to discuss something with you."

I sigh, dragging my hand down my face. “What do you want?"

She smirks, sliding onto a barstool like she’s settling in for a friendly chat. “You always were a talented singer, Asher. You and Violet… well, I gotta admit, you're an odd pairing.”

I clench my jaw. “Cut the shit. What do you want?”

She leans forward, resting her elbows on the bar. “I want to talk to her.”

I freeze. “To who?”

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