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“Come here.” Ashton stood and pulled me into his arms.
I collapsed against his strong chest, breathing in his expensive cologne that smelled like spice and warmth. Tears slid down my cheeks as I clung to him, his arms wrapping me up tightly against him.
“Did you hear?” I gasped out between hitched breaths while fighting off sobs.
“Every word. What are you going to do?” he asked.
“Go back home,” I said even though the idea made me want to vomit. “I got fired last week because I kept messing up, so I have no money of my own to get an apartment. No savings. No car. I took the bus to work, and now…”
“Do you want to return to the farm?”
“Hell no,” I muttered, and shuddered with a heavy sigh, getting a steadier hold on myself. “There’s no life for me there anymore—and sometimes my parents can be just as cruel as Nora.”
Ashton grasped my upper arms and pulled away, dipping his head slightly to meet my eyes. “You have nowhere else to go? No friends you can stay with for a little while?”
I shook my head, the wavering image of him through my tears even more beautiful because of the concern he showed me.
“I don’t want you to leave California—we just met,” he continued, the words tumbling over each other. “What if…Rhett and I have a guest room. You’re welcome to it until you can figure something else out.”
His suggestion floored me—my jaw dropped. “Y-you hardly know me,” I sputtered.
“That doesn’t matter,” he stated firmly. “I heard enough to recognize verbal abuse, and you can’t stay here even if your sister changes her mind. She’s toxic to your sunshine, and I refuse to see you fade beneath her shadow.”
The ache in my chest lessened, a sense sweet as honey replacing the feeling. I went all warm and gooey inside like a cinnamon bun fresh out of the oven.
“That’s the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me,” I whispered through my tears.
Ashton cradled my face in his hands as I laid my hands on his hard chest. His heart beat heavy and a little fast beneath my palms. “Will you come home with me?”
“What? Now?”
“She made it quite obvious she wants you gone,” he stated matter-of-factly, those beautiful eyes of his studying mine, hints of gold around his pupils. “I’m here with an empty trunk. If we pack up what you need just for now, I’m sure we could put the rest in storage until you have things figured out.”
“I don’t have much to my name.” I hated admitting how poor I was, considering his nice clothes and that fancy car.
“Then take me to your room, and I’ll help you pack your things.”
I searched his kind eyes for any hint of lying or manipulation. Not that I had ever been the best judge of character, but Ashton seemed real. Genuine. Too good to be true. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”
His shy smile flipped my belly upside down. “I’ve always wanted to be a knight in shining armor. I’ll call Rhett once we get home to let him know what’s going on, but in the meantime, let’s get out of here before she comes back in and starts tearing you down again.”
Oh, Nora and my parents would have a fit if I went along with him, but as with any metaphorical squirrel, my attention scampered toward the nut he’d tossed and latched on, my better sense heedless of the path ahead of me.
“Okay,” I whispered and took his hand without another thought on the matter.
12
Ashton
Hearing how Nora treated Skylar had shifted something inside me, a sense of protectiveness I’d only felt for my siblings and Rhett. I’d wanted to tear into that kitchen and set the bitch straight on how awesome her sister was, how her sunny disposition outshone any brain smarts.
The fallout had been worse than I’d expected, but I hadn’t known Skylar that long. She’d been overcome with emotions and had melted against me, clinging, seeming to soak up my arms—as if no one had ever offered her comfort before.
Anger still simmered in my gut long after we bagged up Skylar’s things and filled my trunk before heading south.
Nora hadn’t left her room, thank God. Hadn’t said goodbye—but neither had Skylar.
Using trash bags, we had quickly packed up her meager belongings, which consisted mainly of clothing and books.