Undeniably Asher (The Colloway Brothers Book 2)(74)

“Let me finish, baby. I know it may seem too early to say this, but I know deep in my very being you’re mine. I’m in love with you, Alyse. I’m so fucking in love with you, I can’t think straight. You don’t have to say it back. You don’t have to respond, but I need you to know how deep my feelings for you go and you should know I don’t intend on ever letting you go.”

She shifts, climbing on top of me, her nakedness arousing me all over again. It’s dark and I can barely make out much beyond her shadow, but when she takes my face in her tiny hands, I know she’s looking me in the eyes. “I’m fucked up.” She pauses and her anxiety seeps into me. I slowly run my hands up and down her torso, patiently waiting for her to continue. “Every single person I’ve loved has left me, Asher. Every single one, including Livia. I want to give you every one of my keys, but I don’t even know if I can remember where they’re all hiding anymore.”

“Then we’ll look together until we find them all.”

“Asher, I’m…scared to be hurt again.”

“Me too, but I won’t leave you.” She leans down and I embrace her tightly. “I love you, Alyse. So, so much.”

“I’m terrified of how much I love you, Asher.”

“I’m your steady. I won’t fail you. Ever,” I tell her again, knowing now she needs this reassurance and probably will daily until she truly believes she can count on me to keep my promises.

“How do you know? How can you be sure?”

“My love,” I whisper against the shell of her ear, threading my hand in her hair. “I know because I feel my heart truly beating for the very first time and leaving you is equivalent to ripping it out myself. I literally can’t breathe with the thought of not having you in my life. It’s simply unfathomable. Not even in the realm of possibility.”

She’s quiet for several seconds, before softly pleading with me, “Don’t ruin me in the worst possible way. Please.”

“Only the best, baby. I promise. Only the very best.”

Alyse’s few words have given me so much more insight into the real her than anything she’s said in the last few weeks. She’s been hurt repeatedly. I won’t be one of those people. I know that no matter what happens, I will keep that promise I just made to her.

There is nothing in the world that would cause me to abandon the woman I love more than life itself like everyone else has.

Not a goddamn thing.





Chapter 28





Alyse





“All bills are caught up and I ran payroll today,” Heather’s soft voice carries through the receiver.

“Good. Thanks,” I reply, relieved to have enough money that we don’t have to worry.

“I also received the quote from the web developer this morning on the enhancements you want done. I’ll email that to you when we get off the phone.”

“How much?” I ask, not able to wait.

“Five grand for full redevelopment, less than one for just some basic enhancements.”

Five grand. Damn. When I started last year, I opted for an “almost free” version of a website. Unfortunately, it looks like it. Even with this job, I don’t have an extra five grand to waste on my website, but I know it’s a client’s first impression of your organization’s level of sophistication.

“Looks like we’ll have to hold off on the redevelopment for a while then. Okay, what else?”

“When are you going to be back in the office? I have seven prospective client meetings I need to schedule. We’ve been inundated this week with RFPs.”

“Seven?” What the hell? I haven’t had this much interest in months. While I’m thrilled, I have a niggling feeling in the back of my brain that this can’t be sheer coincidence. No, there’s definitely somebody behind this. I’d bet my firstborn his name starts with the first letter of the alphabet. While I’m grateful for the help, I don’t want Asher out drumming up business, using his influence to help me. I want to succeed on my own. I’ll have to talk to him about this.

I glance at the calendar and realize I’ve been in Chicago for three full weeks now without making it back to Detroit. Tomorrow night is Livia’s bachelorette party and the wedding is next weekend already. I don’t have time to make a trip back, but I simply can’t afford to lose any potential business. If I land all of these clients, I now have a new problem, a good problem, I guess. Staffing.

“Do you think Al could take any of the meetings?”

“Let me check. But one specifically asked for you.”