She opens her arms and pulls me into an embrace. “God, I missed you. I’m so sorry.”
I stay stock-still for a second, wondering if she realizes that we’re standing where anyone can see us. She’s hugging me like she wants to climb inside my skin, and it overwhelms me. Fresh tears spring to my eyes, and I can’t resist wrapping my arms around her. “I’m sorry. I should have told you about the texts.”
“No. I shouldn’t have overreacted. I’m sorry. I’m sorry for everything. For making you feel like our relationship isn’t everything in the world to me, when it really is. For letting my father make me feel like I needed to hide it from the world. I was no better than him, and I’m sorry.”
She’s still holding me close, and when she draws back and looks into my eyes, she keeps her body pressed to mine.
“Ashley, so much has happened today, all of it good, but…”
She searches my eyes, and the air between us shifts, warms. She seals her lips over mine, and for a second I’m too stunned to return the kiss. She presses her hand to the back of my head, keeping me close. Her tongue snakes over my lower lip, urging my mouth open, and I give in, finally, blissfully falling into our kiss.
I hear a door open, and when our mouths part, Delilah’s lips curve up in a gratified smile.
“Oh, sorry.” A woman starts to close the front door of the house.
“Wait.” Delilah takes my hand and leads me up the walk. “Aunt Lara, this is my girlfriend, Ashley Carver.”
Lara covers her mouth with her hand. The wrinkles around her eyes tell me she’s smiling. “Ashley, I couldn’t be happier to meet you.” She pulls me into her arms. “Would you like to come inside?”
Delilah reclaims my hand. “We will, in a few minutes. I want to take her over to the cemetery first.”
“Oh, okay.” Lara’s eyes are wide with surprise and a hint of skepticism, matching my thoughts.
“It’s nice to meet you,” I finally manage, still in shock by Delilah’s turnaround.
“You, too.” Lara waves as Delilah leads me back to the Jeep.
She starts the engine and leans across the front seat, taking me in another mind-blowing kiss.
“I’m so glad you’re here, and I will never—ever—deny our relationship again.” Delilah puts on her seat belt, then reaches across me and clicks mine into place while I sit in stunned silence. “I don’t care if people stare or disapprove. The more I hide my feelings for you, the more I perpetuate the biases of older bubbles.”
“Older bubbles?”
“Generations.” She laughs and shakes her head. “Bubbles,” she says under her breath.
“Delilah…What changed?”
She stops at a stop sign and sets her confident green eyes on me.
“Everything.”
~Delilah~
I PARK AT the cemetery and step from the Jeep, then walk around to the back and unwrap the package that I bought on my way back to my parents’ house before finding Ashley there. I hadn’t intended to use it until I was back at Harborside, but I’m done waiting.
“What are you doing?” she asks as she comes around to my side of the Jeep.
I tuck the item into my back pocket. “Nothing.” I wrap my arm around Ashley’s waist and lead her away from the Jeep. She tries to peek at my back, but I lean backward and block her view.
“Stop looking, Little Miss Need to Know.”
She laughs.
I love her laugh.
I want her to laugh again just so I can hear it and watch her eyes light up.
Until now I was dipping my toe into the water of our relationship. Now I’ve finally taken the plunge. And it feels so good I think I might burst.
“Did someone give you magic coming out pills? Because that was one hell of a toe-curling kiss you gave me in front of your house,” Ashley says as we cross the grass toward my parents’ graves.
I pull her closer. “I couldn’t help myself. I hope I didn’t embarrass you.”
That earned me the laugh I crave.
“The last few months have been really hard, but not nearly as hard as the last twenty-four hours. I think I went through every stage of grief at once.”
She leans her head on my shoulder. “I’m sorry, Dee. I’ll never keep a secret from you again. I went to see Sandy, and it was a disaster.”
My stomach twists. “You saw her?”
Ashley nods. “Brandon went with me.”
“Brandon?”
“Don’t ask. I wanted to tell her off, and I did, but as I was yelling at her, I realized that it was me who had hurt you, not her. I’m the one who didn’t share her texts with you. I didn’t want you to worry.”