Page 51 of Bleeding Hearts

“Well, I can’t give away all my secrets. I’ll leave that for you to figure out on your own.” She pauses. “Although, may I give you some unsolicited advice?”

“So that’s where your daughter gets it from.” I laugh, nodding for her to continue.

“I wouldn’t wait too long to figure it out. She has to be a pretty special person for Logan to love her the way she does. She won’t be available forever.” She smiles softly at me before turning to walk back over to her boyfriend, Daniel.

My bones turn to cement at the thought of Demi being with someone else. I’ve told myself time and time again that she deserves someone better than me, the picture-perfect life with someone else.

But the thought of her having it with anyone other than me, of me watching her fall in love and build a family with another man, isn’t something I can seem to come to terms with.

I want Demi to have everything she wants and deserves. I just don’t think I want her to have it with anyone other than me.

The realization is fucking terrifying, but then again, I’ve beat terrifying things before.

CHAPTERFIFTEEN

Demi

“I love this song,” I squeal, reaching over to turn up the volume of the car radio as if it’s not already blasting. I’m a fun passenger, okay?

Asher and I left Seattle at eleven a.m. this morning. Being the gentleman he only seems to be when it comes to me, he offered to drive. Although my Mercedes gets way better mileage than his truck, so we decided to have him drive my car instead.

I didn’t have time to make my own coffee this morning because my suitcase and I got into a fight. I wanted it to close, and it refused.

Asher looked at me like I had two heads when he walked in to see me bouncing on it, trying to zip it.

I know we’re only gone until Sunday, but you never know what you may need.

He calls it overpacking. I call it being prepared.

By the time we got the suitcase closed, we had to get on the road so we could get there, have time to check into the hotel and relax a little before I have to check in for the convention.

Check-in is at four and only consists of me getting my nametag and schedule for the event.

Still, I don’t want to be late.

We were on the road for about ten minutes before I made Asher stop at a drive-through for coffee because, as much as I tried to ignore it, caffeine is a necessity for me in the mornings. And afternoons. And sometimes evenings.

We stopped another half an hour later because caffeine also has the tendency to make me have to pee a lot, which I informed Asher of when we had to stop to pee again half an hour after that.

Now it’s nearly two and we are only about half an hour away, a little behind schedule because of my stops, but we still have plenty of time.

I yank one of the dozen red lollipops that Asher made sure to pack in his bag of snacks for me out from between my lips, using it as a makeshift microphone.

I turn to Asher to belt out “Sugar, We’re Goin Down” by Fall Out Boy as it blares through the speakers.

“Am I more than you bargained for yet? I’ve been dying to tell you…” I keep singing as Asher watches me with a wide smile on his face.

I give him my very best performance, putting my all into it as if I’m performing live. I watch him struggle not to laugh at the fact that I can’t sing well to save my life, but I couldn’t care less.

He even joins in on the chorus with me, his voice equally awful. This is one of my favorite things about being with Asher. Being able to be one-hundred-percent myself, regardless of how ridiculous I look or sound.

We sing and we laugh together, living life to the fullest without worry or embarrassment.

The feeling of being completely comfortable with someone is rare, and it’s something that I’ve found with him.

The song fizzles out and I fall back into the passenger seat, out of breath but feeling content in the best possible way. I stick the lollipop back in my mouth, sucking on it as a song I don’t know plays through the radio.

He eventually reaches out and lowers the volume to an acceptable level rather than the loud one I have it at.

---