Page 252 of Second Sets Omnibus

“We missed it the first time, Pretty Girl. So, here we are now. We wanted to celebrate Stella’s life.”

“And Katy’s,” Kieran murmurs, locking eyes with Asher, who stiffens.

“Thanks, man,” Asher murmurs, rubbing a hand across his chest. “Means a lot.”

“She was your mom, bro. I never knew Katy, but I’m sure she was the bomb,” Rad proclaims.

“She made daddy pancakes, too!” Lyric giggles. “Just like daddy makes me.” She beams when he grins.

“All right, River Blue. How about we all go out for a nice dinner?” Kieran asks, looking around at the boys, who nod.

“Pizza?” Lyric asks with hope.

“If that’s what you want, Little Blue. We can go to Tuscany. They’ve got it all. Pizza, pasta… Whatever your heart desires.”

“Yay! Let’s go!” she shouts, jumping up as we all rise. Grabbing hold of Kieran’s hand, she drags him back to his car as the others follow.

“Asher,” I whisper, clinging to his arm as he stops dead.

“What’s up?” he questions, swallowing hard.

“I want you to know something,” I whisper, moving into his space. We stand chest to chest. Our breaths hitch together.

“What is it?” he questions with furrowed brows. “Are you okay? Did I cross a line? I didn’t mean—” The moment my lips touch his, he shuts up, staring at me with wide eyes until he relaxes. His fingers brush through my hair, desperately holding me close.

“I forgive you,” I whisper against his lips. “Don’t beat yourself up anymore. What you did is in the past. I’ll remember it forever,Evil Ash. I’ll remember how it made me feel. But I don’t want to hold a grudge against you anymore. What you did sucked, but you’re… You’re so different, and I forgive you for what you did. I want to move forward with this relationship. You’re so important to Ly… And to me.” I swallow hard when his grip tightens in my hair, and a whine slips through his lips.

“Oh, Little Brat,” he chokes out. “I really don’t deserve that, baby,” he whispers. “I fucked up so hard. I’m…so fucking sorry for what I did. I don’t?—”

“You deserve forgiveness, Asher. You did a bad thing. But it doesn’t mean you’re an evil guy. You were desperate. Your abusive father and stepmother were going to force you into something you didn’t want to do. Could you have done it differently and talked to me? Yes. You could have. But, Ash. I’m ready to forgive. I feel it in my heart,” I murmur, thumping a fist against my chest. “Are you ready to forgive yourself?” I whisper, putting my palm against his rapidly beating heart.

“Little Brat,” he whispers with tears falling down his cheeks. “Yes. If that’s what you want, I’m ready to move forward. But just know, I’ll forever prove to you that what I did was the biggest mistake of my life,” he whispers, cupping my jaw in his palms. “The biggest regret I’ll ever have is leaving you behind. It was the dumbest thing anyone ever could have done.”

“I believe you,” I whisper, wiping away the tears on my cheeks. “Now, let’s get some Italian food and continue going forward.”

“One day at a time,” he whispers, leaning in to brush his lips against mine again in a soft embrace.

“One day at a time,” I whisper my declaration when he takes my hand, pulling me toward the cars.

The other three guys watch us with neutral expressions. Their arms are resting across their chest, taking us in as we walk up hand in hand.

“I forgive you all,” I say softly. “I don’t want this grudge to come between us anymore. I know it’s only been a short time. Our time here on Earth is never promised. I don’t want to go to sleep anymore with this anger I’ve held.”

“We’ll continue to support you both,” Callum says, marching to me. “Every day, we’ll fight the wrongs we put you through.” Without a moment to second guess himself, he pushes his lips onto mine in an eager kiss. He hums, swirling his tongue against mine in desperation. “My first and last,” he murmurs when we finally break apart. “My forever.”

“We’ll always show you, River Blue. We’ll be here every day,” Kieran chokes out, moving forward to capture my lips with his in a soft, dominating embrace.

“There’s no getting rid of us, Pretty Girl. You can put a collar around my neck with your name as my girl. Forever and ever…” He kisses my cheek, grinning when Lyric makes a face.

“Gross,” she says, wrinkling her nose.

“All right, how about some pizza?” Kieran asks Lyric, bringing her into his arms.

“Pizza! Pizza! Pizza!” she proclaims loudly, thrusting her tiny fist into the air with a giggle.

“And then after pizza, you’re going to spend the night with Alma and Anni,” I say, grinning when she whips her gaze toward me.

“Really?” she squeals.