Page 49 of Where the Stars Heal

“Define hook up.”

“Oh my god. They so did!” Madi yells triumphantly as she points at me.

“Shh,” I hiss at her, smacking her hand down. “We’ve fooled around. I really like him, and he’s told me I’m his.”

“What?” I ask when I notice the girls staring at me wide-eyed.

Ace shifts to the grass, stretching out and resting his head on my legs. I finish the rest of my wine in one long sip, waiting for the girls to snap out of their stunned silence.

“Halle,” Madi says in awe. “He said you’rehis?”

Heat rises in my cheeks once again. “Yeah, he did,” I say cautiously.

“What she means to say is, we’ve never seen a day where Asher has called a girl his. Not even with Piper, and she hung around like a bad smell. None of us could get rid of her, but he never called her his,” Tessa says.

“This is huge, Halle!” Madi gasps. “Oh my god, I am so freaking happy for you two.”

My nose scrunches, a sinking feeling twisting in my stomach. Who the hell is Piper? Was I right? Does he have a line of girls waiting for him, ready for their turn? Once he has me, will he toss me out and move on to the next? The weight of those thoughts presses down on my chest, and I go to stand, the urge to get away from this all so strong.

Tessa’s hand lands on my leg, stopping me from getting up. “What happened inside your pretty little head just then?” she asks with concern.

Twisting my fingers together, I glance at the girls, feeling a little embarrassed when I ask, “Who’s Piper?”

“A hoe, that’s who,” Madi says bluntly.

“One would say, she’s the town…” Tessa’s voice trails off, hesitating on her next words.

“Slut,” Madi finishes for her.

I wasn’t expecting that, and as I sit here, stunned, trying to process that answer, music starts filtering through the speakers. The girls finish their wines and place the glasses down on the grass before standing.

“Don’t worry,” Tessa says, her voice reassuring. “She’s not been around in months. Not since she went crazy, wouldn’t leave Asher alone, and lied about being pregnant. It was a whole thing. Asher proved she was lying to get him to stick around, and after that, he kept his distance. Honestly, girl, he hasn’t been with anyone since, and now you’re here, and he’s claiming you. This is big but in the best way.”

Her words sink in, and I relax, trusting them. I have no reason not to. A slow smile tugs at my lips, the tension disappearing. I hope I never have to meet Piper. The thought of running into her sends a spark of possessiveness through me.

He’s mine.

“Okay, okay!” I yell, laughing as Tessa and Madi finally pull me to my feet.

For the last thirty minutes, they’ve been trying to get me to dance with them, and I’m finally caving, realizing they won’t take no for an answer.

The sky has darkened, and the music is louder, pounding in my ears. The steady beat pulls us away from our heavy conversation moments ago. The energy is intoxicating as I grab their hands, and we spin in a fast circle, the smile on my face impossible to stop. Ace barks excitedly inthe middle, jumping in circles like he’s a part of our dance, and a burst of laughter leaves us all.

Feeling his eyes on me, I glance over and catch Asher staring at me in the doorway. The intensity of his attention makes me blush instantly. His smirk sends a jolt straight to my core, and when he follows it up with a wink, I completely melt as I watch him disappear inside. Taking note of how good his ass looks in those jeans.

“I think she’s drooling,” Tessa teases.

“Oh yeah,” Madi says, full of amusement, her finger dabbing the corner of my mouth. “That’s definitely some drool there.”

Her touch snaps me back to reality, and they both burst into giggles as I smack her hand away, glaring at them while my blush deepens.

We settle back down on the grass, a slight breeze cooling my hot skin from all the dancing. Tessa starts filling us in on her day at Sunlit Espresso. Apparently, the local coffee shop here is a prime location for all the town gossip, making Tessa more in the know than anyone else here. I snicker at her animated hands as she tells us about the latest drama between an old couple who show up there every morning at seven a.m.

Just as she goes to launch into another story, all three of our phones ping at the same time. Exchanging confused looks, we reach for our phones. Madi pulls hers from her bra, which makes me laugh, raising a brow at her.

“What, where else am I supposed to put it when I’m wearing a dress?” she says unfazed.

Glancing down at my screen, I find a new text in our group chat.

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