Page 91 of Bourbon Breakaway

I haven’t taken my gaze off Jolie. “I thought you liked bourbon?”

And that’s when she makes the first move. “Bourbon just makes me sad now.”

I dive into her eyes and hang on to the meaning in her words. “It makes me sad, too.”

Weston glances between the two of us and finally gets the picture. “I’ll leave you to it.”

I stop him with a hand on his chest. “No. You stay.” I grab Jolie’s hand, and surprise fills her eyes. “We’ll be leaving.”

Making my way toward the laundry room off the side of our rec room, I lead Joey by the hand, shove her inside with only a few people watching, and close the door behind us.

“What are you doing?” She leans against the washing machine, placing her hands on the top, which pushes her breasts out invitingly. The clean sweet smell of laundry is the exact same scent of Bird’s Eye.

I want to smash my lips against hers and kiss her into oblivion and tell her this is all over now. That enough is enough and we’re meant to be together and she’s not leaving this room without being my girl.

“I hope Logan didn’t see you holding my hand,” she says, a hint of sadness in her words.

“Logan knows.”

Her lips part in surprise.

“He knows everything. He knows I’m in love with you. He knows I don’t want this to be over… I don’t want this to beover, Joey.” My heart thunders against my ribcage. “I fucked up. Big time.”

She shakes her head. “Your mom did.”

“Yes, she did, but I mean I should have told you about everything. I honestly need you to believe me when I say it wasn’t because I don’t trust you. I really, really do. I trust you with my life, Joey. I trust you with my heart. You’re in my soul; it’s like you love me from the inside out. Nobody’s ever given me that. It’s the way I want to love you, too, and I let you down.”

I clutch her hand and place it on my heart where I hope she can feel it beating in there just for her. “I let Chloe hurt you. That’s on me. I need you to forgive me. It’s always been you, Joey.” I close the space between us and take her curvy hips in my palms to tug her into me. “I just got lost along the way.”

I want to melt into her. I want the floor to drop out and we float like magical lovers in some star-filled universe with no beginning, no end, and no problems. But we still have a lot to get through. And that’s okay. Because from the sound of it, Joey is ready to do this together, and with her and me on the same side, I can’t believe a single world where we don’t win.

She peers up at me. “What about Chloe? Do you still want to tell Fletcher, or do we hide until she forgets about it?”

“Fletcher knows.”

She gasps audibly. “What?”

“I decided to give my mom a chance to tell him. So I told her about all that went on between me and Chloe and the blackmail… we argued…” I stop for a moment, thinking of my mom. Thinking of those two having the hardest conversation of both their lives right now just upstairs. “Momand I were talking about it all when Fletcher walked into my room.”

“Oh my God.” Her gaze is genuinely torn. “How is he? Or even both of them actually. Shit, Ashton, this is… huge.”

I love what I see in her face right now. It’s a deep connection to everything that is me. It’s an empathy only a strong woman like Jolie can be capable of.

“I don’t know exactly what happened. My mom sent me down here to host, and they’re still upstairs talking. It wasn’t how I wanted it to happen, but it’s done now.”

Music blares all around us, the flimsy door the only thing between us and chaos.

Joey’s gaze is on the door, but it doesn’t look like she plans on leaving. “Keeping secrets must be painful. Maybe that’s why I struggle to do it. It’s hurtful to keep the truth inside.”

I take a risk and grab her hand, even though a couple of days ago it wasn’t mine to have anymore. “That’s what I love so much about you, Joey. I can believe what you say. I can believe in you. I’m so sorry I ever made you feel any other way…”

She bites her lip, and the corners of her mouth turn down. “Ashton, you aren’t the only one who has something to apologize for. I fucked up, too. I was scared and shocked and so confused with Chloe showing up. I… fell apart.”

I think about her mom’s words. “No, Joey. You exploded. Like the volcano that you are.”

Her gaze is grateful. There is no better feeling than being seen, and I know Jolie. Whether she’s decided to stick by that explosive night or not, her reaction would have been the same.

She draws her lips into a thin line. “I did explode. It’s a bad habit.”

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