Page 55 of Protecting Chaos

She’d called Ashton several times throughout the day to check in. He’d seemed a bit distracted each time she’d called. She chalked it up to the FBI trying to cut his time off short.

She checked the mail and jogged up to the loft, where Ashton was sitting at her small dining room table with his laptop out and phone pressed to his ear.

“Hey, listen. She just walked in. I’ll call you back.”

He was quick to close the laptop. A little too quick. “Who was that?”

“Your brother,” Ashton said as he rose from his seat.

“Did you call him, or did he track us down?” she asked.

“I called him.”

She knew it was a matter of time. No matter the arguments growing up with Grant, he and Ashton could never stay mad at each other.

She dropped the mail onto the counter. “Why did you call him? I thought we agreed to wait another month and then we’d go visit him.”

“I know, and I’m sorry, but I had to call. It was important.”

She sighed but realized it was inevitable. “What was so important you couldn’t wait another thirty days?”

“Let me show you,” he said, taking her purse off her shoulder. He set it on the table and then took her hand, leading her back to the door.

“Can it wait? I’m kind of tired and starved.”

A look of determination settled on his face. “I’m going to feed you.”

“I’d rather not go out.”

“You’re making this difficult.” He pulled her into his arms and kissed her until she leaned into his embrace. “Give me ten minutes, and then if you want to come back home, I’ll draw you a bath and wash your back.”

A smile slipped onto her face. “Ten minutes and I’m holding you to that.”

She let him guide her back out of the loft and down the stairs. He rested his arm around her shoulders and guided her over to the art gallery.

“Why are we going here? It’s closed.”

“Not to us,” Ashton said and used a key to unlock the door. He ushered her inside and shut the door behind them.

She stood motionless.

Fairy lights hung around the room and from the walls. All the paintings had been removed, and in their place were pictures of her and Ashton through the ages, even from times when he’d returned just for Grant’s parties. They’d always managed to get a picture together.

The way he was looking at her in each of them. The way her eyes sparkled back in return. There was no denying the love and chemistry they shared.

Her hand flew to her mouth to cover her gasp. “Where… How?”

“I had a little help, but I wanted to take you on a stroll down memory lane.” He gestured to the one closest to them.

She swallowed around the lump in her throat. The first large picture was from them as kids. “We couldn’t have been more than ten in this picture.”

“If I remember correctly, I pulled your hair to get you to make that face.”

“I got you back by pushing you in the pool.” She smiled.

“Young love is grand.” He chuckled and walked her around the room, reminiscing in each of the photos until he got to a recent one of them on the beach that she didn’t recognize.

Ashton had his arms around her waist as they looked at the water, watching the sunset. “Who took this?”

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