I smiled at her, watching the realization take affect on her face, “See? Things are looking up, aren’t they?”

“I guess.”

“You guess?”

“Are you coming with me? ‘Cause I kind of like living with you…maybe…a little bit.”

She was so fucking adorable.

“A little bit?”

“Yeah, a little bit. Like this much,” she said, holding her fingers close together.

“Well that’s enough for me, so sure. I’ll come with you.”

“Really? Like we’re really going to do this? You and me?”

“Absolutely. I mean, I love you so why wouldn’t I want to live with you?”

“Hold on, hold on, hold on,” She says, smiling ear to ear and dropping my hand, “what did you just say?”

“When?” I say, playing dumb.

“Right then.”

“Oh, I don’t really remember, why?”

She nods, “I love you too, Spence.”

And everything seems suddenly very, very worth it.

Ashley knew Aiden better than I did, but even I knew that losing two girls at once—let alone one that he had been sleeping with—was going to upset him. Ashley had insisted that she be the one to tell him, and I was more than willing to go along with her plan. Though I can’t say I expected her to invite him over so soon. And I certainly didn’t expect for “soon” to be that night. But there was something that came over Ashley as soon as she realized her time in the house was coming to a very abrupt ending. She was happy—thrilled even. And since I was in love with both her and the smile she kept flashing me as she talked about getting Maggie back, I didn’t protest when she picked up the phone and dialed Aiden’s number.

She revealed nothing over the phone, simply telling him that she wanted to talk to him and asking him to drop by. As soon as she hung up the phone and sat down next to me on her bed, I felt a familiar knot of anxiety in the pit of my stomach and no matter what, I couldn’t will it away.

“Are you ok?” she asked, kissing my forehead as we lay beside each other.

“I don’t know, Ash. Something feels weird about this.”

“It’s going to be fine. I mean, you heard me on the phone with him. You won’t even have to see him. He’s coming over really late…after his wife falls asleep.”

“You’re not going to tell him that it’s because we’re together, are you? Because I really don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“Spencer, you have to calm down. Aiden is harmless, ok? Trust me. It’s going to be fine.”

But I wasn’t going to just be pacified, “Are you or are you not going to tell him, Ashley?’

She stared at me, finally realizing just how scared I was, “I think he might already know.”