Page 85 of Bourbon Breakaway

“Did he do it? I mean…”

“Break it off?” It’s the first time I really think about it. It’s been a whirlwind of emotion since I was blindsided by Chloe. And even though I told myself he didn’t want me and that’s why he was keeping secrets, the truth is, I ran away. I lift my head again and face her. “It was me.”

She takes my hand. “Well, give me the gist so you can get it off your chest.”

“It’s pretty much a problem with…” I search for a way to explain that’s both the truth and not exposing too much. “It’s his ex.”

Mom stiffens in her chair. I’m sure Monica told her about Chloe being the actual cheater in the situation. “No daughter of mine is going to allow a scandalous woman like that to stand in the way of her and her happily ever after. Is she?”

“It’s complicated, Mom.”

“I don’t give a rat’s ass how complicated it is, Jolie. Youcan walk away of your own free will, but don’t let yourself be pushed away by…her.” She says it as though she witnessed firsthand what I did two nights ago.

“There’s more. More that I can’t tell you. The whole thing is bigger than me and Ashton.”

She shakes her head like I just said something stupid. “Is he the one?”

“What?”

She repeats. “Is Ashton the one?”

Never in my life have I ever had eyes for another. “He’s always been the one, Mom. You, of all people, know that.”

She scoots her chair closer, wraps her arm around me, and gazes at me deeply. “If he’s the one, it’s time you heard this—a universal truth that exists in every single union of soulmates, every marriage, every forever love. If he’s the one, then there isnothingbigger than you and Ashton. Not now. Not ever. Couples that are so-called meant to be are the ones who went through things that should tear them down, but they come out stronger than before. You gotta fight for it, my girl. And judging by the look of that jezebel, I reckon you can take her.”

Her words make me laugh, but it very quickly transforms back into a gentle cry. “It’s going to be hard, Mom. Really hard.”

“It always is.” She shakes her head, her eyes distant with memories. “It always is…”

Her voice trails off, and I’m sure she’s thinking about dad.

“But every couple comes up against those us-against-the-world decisions. You have to be united. Stand together.”

My mom is right. And I let Ashton down. I dropped the gloves when he needed me to fight in hiscorner.

Mom rubs my back. “When was the last time you talked to him?”

“He texted me ‘Happy Thanksgiving. I love you.’” I shake my head, chastising myself for not saying something significant. “I texted him a pumpkin pie meme back. I didn’t know what to say.”

“Well, he probably took that as good news.” She tightens her arm around me. “Pies are fun and games, right?”

My mom earns a soft laugh. “Seriously, do you read the urban dictionary or something?”

She shimmies her shoulders. “My book club. I know more than what pie is.”

I let out a stale sigh and experience a million different feelings at once. Most of all, I wonder if after my dramatic departure from his life, asking for one last kiss… will he ever give me another?

Just then, my mom’s doorbell rings. She rushes over and opens the door to Shay, Starlight Canyon’s favorite baker and all-around wonderful human. If I didn’t already admire her for her excellence in the kitchen, I would for her character. I used to think she and Logan were cute, but after what she’s taken on in the past years, her integrity makes Logan seem like a degenerate.

Shay has a large cake box in her hands. “Special delivery!” she says brightly.

I guess, like the rest of us, she didn’t nearly drown in a gravy boat last night.

“Come on in, sweetie. Oh!” Mom rushes to her small table and clears her own toast and coffee out of the way for the cake box. “Just here.”

Shay puts down the box, and I stand to hug her, too, holding the duvet off the floor with one hand. Ihaven’t seen her nearly enough since coming back to the Canyon. But she has every excuse to be busy since becoming a mom. I still can’t believe what happened to the Mendez family. Shay’s reaction to tragedy put her right up there in the pantheon of women I admire. She took on the world.

Yeah. Logan doesn’t deserve her.

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