Page 50 of Always Will
I guess she doesn’t really know this, since I kept the complicated aspects of my last relationship from everyone except Sam. There’s no way she could understand how I felt like a hostage trapped behind a glimmering facade that no one seemed to question. I shrunk inside myself until I was unrecognizable, letting Carter rule almost every aspect of my life, save for my business. It sounds dumb as hell, but the bastard was a familiar replacement for how I grew up—controlling, intrusive, callous. “Carter would surprise me like this, pulling out special collections of expensive clothes he wanted to see me in, going into a rampage about my being ungrateful if I didn’t like something. I know it’s not the same, but it feels too similar, and I can’t shake it.”
“Wills, I had no idea.”
“That’s because I didn’t want you to know. I didn’t wantanyoneto know. It’s embarrassing I fell for any of it.”
“Girl, if I knew, I wouldn’t have suggested this to Trevor.”
My mouth falls open right as a pang of guilt hits me. “This was your idea?”
“Yeah.” She flashes a quick smile. “I like seeing you beingpampered for once. When I suggested it to him, he was giddy at the thought of spoiling you.” Her hand slips over mine, and she gives a reassuring squeeze. “I thought it would be a good thing, but we can put all of this back.”
“I—oh.” I blink several times, trying to integrate this new information into my assumption-induced attitude. Trevor and Ash were trying to help me feel special, and I turned it into a Carter memorial.What is my fucking problem? Ashlie squeezes my hand again, then walks into my dressing room.Am I really trippin’ over some clothes?Vulnerability from all of this support?Or is it that I feel my heart softening to someone when I swore I’d never let that happen again? She comes back a few minutes later with the stack of clothes neatly placed back on the hangers, and the truth hits me hard.Maybe it’s all of it…
“Ash, it’s okay. I’ll get the clothes.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want you to feel pressured. I’ll deal with Trev?—”
“I’m sure. You’re right. This isn’t even close to the same thing.”
Relief relaxes the dent between her eyebrows as she comes toward me. “Okay. Let’s pay and get a snack while we wait for the guys. If I’m hungry, I know you’ve got to be starving.”
“Starving was thirty minutes ago,” I tease, climbing to my feet. She turns toward the register, but I catch her elbow. “Hey, Ash?”
“What’s up?” The worried shadow falls back over her face as she searches mine.
“Thank you for thinking of me…”
Her bottom lip wobbles as a soft smile appears, and she pulls me in for a hug. This damn baby must be making me soft because I hug her back. “I just like seeing you happy, okay?” she warbles. “No thanks necessary.”
With bags in hand, we head to the food court for soft pretzels with mustard, one of our only bonding points when we were younger. I’ve just polished mine off when something grazes myshoulder. Like he was summoned from the depths of hell, the dark brown eyes of a suit-wearing demon with platinum blond hair appears.Carter-fucking-Zane. Seriously, who wears a suit to the mall on a Sunday?
“Wow, sweetheart, it’s been too long.” His blinding white smile doesn’t reach his eyes, and I have to tell myself not to look away. He’s sizing me up, seeing how much of a hold he still has on me. I can say with absolute certainty, he has none.
I drop my shoulder and his hand falls slightly before he recovers by putting it on the back of my chair. “Not long enough,” I reply with a scowl.
“Ashlie,” he taunts, keeping his eyes on me.
“Asshole,” she fires back, tapping on her phone.
“Well, aren’t you lovely? It must run in the family… You been getting my messages?”
“What messages?” I ask in a level tone.
“Oh, you know which messages I’m talking about, Willa. The ones you refuse to answer.” With a finger covered in fake tanner, he sweeps a twist over my shoulder. Ashlie promptly pulls me toward her with a scoff. His eyes flick to her, but just as soon, they’re making a sweeping assessment up and down my body. If I could crawl out of my skin, I would. “We really should catch up…”
“Catch me in hell.” My hands curl into fists on the table while I seethe at how close he is. “And keep your hands off of me.”
He tuts. “Idomiss that mouth, beautiful. You remember how great we used to be together?” Brushing another twist over my shoulder, his fingers skirt across my neck, and I see red. I fling his hand away, about to spring into his face, when Trevor steps in between us. Scooting my chair back, I make room for whatever is about to happen.
“She told you to keep your hands to yourself.” Trevor’s voice is low and gruff, a stark difference from the jovial tone I’m used to hearing from him. He positions himself in front of me completely. “If you want to keep them, I suggest you listen.”
Carter tries to step back but bumps right into Hunter, whose hard scowl is withering. “And you are?”
“Trevor. You?”
“Carter Zane. Attorney at Johnson and Associates.”
“And that’s working out well for you?”
