As I cuddled into Ashe’s chest, the smell of New Year’s was still on his skin. Remnants of the beer I’d served him and the smoke from the bar. A holiday I’d always dreaded working even though the money was amazing because it was so crowded that I could barely get around and everyone was incredibly sloppy and only getting drunker as the evening went on.
Yesterday had been different.
Ashe was the silver lining.
The sweetest, gentlest man coming in with his friends, just so he could spend the whole night with me. When the bar began the countdown, he’d searched the crowd until he found me, joining our lips as the clock hit midnight.
I couldn’t have asked for a better shift.
Or a better way to start the year.
And as I stared up at his face, I truly didn’t know how I’d gotten so lucky.
I was just grateful I had taken off my shoes and stopped running, or I would have missed something extremely beautiful.
He stirred as I brushed my fingers over his scruff, his eyes slowly coming awake.
“Mmm,” he groaned so softly. “Morning.” He rubbed his hand over my naked back, massaging between my shoulder blades. “How did you sleep?”
“Perfect.”
He kissed my forehead, leaving his lips there for an extra few seconds. “I’m glad.”
“Are you hungover?”
I’d served him enough beer last night to guess he probably had a little bit of a headache even though his eyes were clear and he wasn’t wincing.
“Not too bad.”
He put his hand in my hair, brushing through the strands, and I rested my face against his chest, the movement so relaxing.
“What are your plans today?”
“Since Frank wouldn’t put me on the schedule for tonight and I don’t have any homework, I have nothing on the agenda. I do need to go home soon and check on Gran.”
“I’ll come with you.” My body stiffened, and I imagined he’d felt it because he added, “Pearl …”
He’d offered to come with me many times before. I’d turned him down or avoided an answer each time. But as I glanced up from his chest, his hand went to my cheek.
“Don’t hide her from me. She’s the person you love most in this world; share her with me.”
“Ashe …” My voice was so soft. “It’s not her I’m hiding.” I sat up, crossing my legs in front of me.
His hand went to my knee, and he rolled onto his side to face me. “Talk to me.”
I glanced out the window, at the adorable-looking strip that was across from us, housing a cute coffee shop that we went to all the time and a restaurant that he’d taken me to a few weeks back. On the ends were brownstones that were probably worth several million.
“Where I live looks nothing like this.”
“So?”
As I gazed at him, he seemed unaffected by my brief description. I needed him to understand.
“So, it makes me uncomfortable—the thought of showing you my neighborhood when I compare it to yours.”
He cupped my cheek, his fingers rubbing a small section of scalp behind my ear. “I want to see every part of you, Pearl. Even the parts that make you uncomfortable. And believe it or not, I would be so proud if you showed me your home.”
I was staring into his eyes, searching for answers. “I don’t understand.”
“You work at the bar almost every day of the week, you go to college full-time, you’re the lead actress for the school plays, you support your grandmother, you put food on the table, you pay all of the bills.” He placed his fingers on my heart. “You do all of this without anyone’s help; every bit of it is on you. And yet, you still make Dean’s List every semester.” He kept his palm there but extended his fingers to my shoulder. “Most kids, like myself, wouldn’t be capable of even half that. We’ve been given everything we have, and we haven’t worked a day in our lives. So, instead of worrying what I’m going to think, you should be proud to show me everything you’ve worked your ass off for.”
I looked around at the matching furniture in his room and the expensive signed jerseys he had framed on the wall and the fluffy comforter that matched his pillowcases.
“You’re right,” I said softly. “It might not be the best, but it’s ours.”
There was no judgment in his eyes, just admiration. “And I will love it.”
I knew this was the next step in our relationship; it just wasn’t an easy one. I had no experience, no knowledge on how to tackle this vulnerability, how to continue to reveal all the different sides of me when each came with new, uncharted emotions.
But I would learn because holding back wasn’t fair to him.
Just as he began to rub my muscle, loosening me up, my eyes closed.
I took in a deep breath and said, “Okay.” My lids opened, and I stared into his eyes. “I’ll take you home.”