“Are you still doing that?” he asked.

“Yeah, a few of us take it in turns.”

“Why do you have to be such a good person? I want you to stay in bed with me all day.”

I laughed. “You can help and then when we’re done we can . . . do other stuff.” Was he going to stay with me the whole day? Were we a thing now?

“Other stuff is my favorite kind of stuff.”

I playfully kicked his shin behind me. “You sound dirty.”

“I feel dirty. I’m naked—you’re naked. I’ve got a hard-on the size of the Great Wall of China.”

“You wish,” I teased.

“I don’t actually. I think a hard-on that size would be fucking inconvenient.” Luke’s tone was serious, as though he was properly considering the practicalities of having a dick that big.

“You’re a total geek.”

“Speaking of, we also need to find you a Wonder Woman costume.”

“No, we really don’t. And don’t you have plans today?” I asked, surprised that he seemed to be planning to spend the day with me.

“Are you trying to get rid of me? Because if you are, it’s not happening. I’m not leaving you on your own to freak out. Do you think I’m crazy? I’m going to be here when you have your meltdown. I’ll pour you wine and feed you chocolate, and then we’ll have sex and it will all be fine.” He grinned at me as if he knew that I wanted to punch him.

“I’m sorry, what was all that? What meltdown?”

“The meltdown you’re overdue to have about us and this,” he said, his hands circling my body.

I pushed against his chest, trying to create some distance between us, irritated with how sure he was about himself—and how right he might be about me. He just pulled me closer and kissed the top of my head.

“You wanna talk about it?” he asked.

“No.” Yes.

“You’re a crappy liar.”

I sighed. “It’s all happened so fast,” I said.

“Not really. I didn’t properly realize until last night, but I think it’s always been there between us.”

“From my side,” I corrected him.

“No, not from just your side. From mine too. Except you were young, and I knew that when it happened, it would really happen and I’d be done for. I wasn’t ready.”

“And that’s another thing. You and Emma. I mean, you only just split. I don’t want to be your rebound girl.”

“Cue meltdown,” he said, chuckling.

I kicked him in the shin and he just clamped my legs between his.

“Emma and I have been done a long time. I should have told her sooner. I’m just not good with change—you know that. And I loved her, I really did, in my way. But not enough. There was something missing between us.”

“I’m sorry,” I said. I hated him being upset. Whether or not it was with me, I wanted him to be happy.

“Don’t be. Whatever happened led us here, and I can’t think of anywhere I’d rather be.”

“Luke,” I said, moved by what he’d said.

“Do I need to be worried about being your rebound guy after Richard?” he asked.

“No, he was the guy I dated to get over you.”

“Really?” he asked.

I realized what I’d said, and my cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “Maybe a little.”

“Did it work?”

I raised an eyebrow at him. “Apparently not.”

He squeezed me closer, and I relaxed into him.

“So, shower, Mrs. Malcolm’s shopping, Wonder Woman costume, back here?” he asked. “Do you want to have dinner out, or shall we stay in?”

“Maybe I had plans tonight. It is Saturday night,” I said.

“Do you? If you do, that’s fine. I can go back to Haven’s, but don’t tell me you have plans if you don’t. Now we’re more than, whatever we were, don’t be the one to start playing games. If we’re going to make this work, we need to take the best of our history and make it better.”

He was right. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. I want to know what you want. If you want me here, I’m here. If you don’t, I’m gone.”

I clutched at him. The idea of him being gone was awful. “I want you here. Always. I’m just—I thought I was allowed a meltdown?”

“You totally are, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to call you on it. So, we’re going to try this? I want to explore this with you, Ashleigh. Do you feel the same?”

How could he think that I could possibly say no to him? I looked up at him and nodded. “Yes.”

He trailed his tongue across the seam of my lips. “Good answer.”

I couldn’t tell exactly what time it was, but from where I was lying on my back in my bed, I could suddenly see the line between the wall and ceiling more clearly than before, so the sun must have started to come up, bringing with it Sunday morning. Of course, Luke wasn’t watching the shapes in my bedroom come into focus. He was asleep, collapsed on his front. Being a heavy sleeper, he had barely moved for the five or so hours I’d been lying here awake, staring up at nothing.

There was a reason why people said that things always felt different in the morning. Most of the time, it was said to give comfort. For me, it felt anything but comfortable. My overdue meltdown had finally started to take hold.

It was Sunday and the bubble for two that we had occupied since Friday night was about to pop, and we were going to have to let the real world in. We were going to have to face Haven, and the reality of what we’d put at risk covered me like a cloud.

I felt stupid for thinking this could be easy. Luke had broken up with Emma a nanosecond ago. He wasn’t in the right frame of mind to be making decisions about a potential new relationship. He didn’t like change, and perhaps reaching for me had just been a way of giving himself comfort. He couldn’t have been seeing things clearly.

I covered my face with my hands. What had I been thinking? Haven, if forced to choose, would always pick her brother, and then I would lose not just my love, but my family. My stomach churned. How could I have been so reckless to put so much at risk?

This was going to be so hard; it was almost impossible that something between us could do anything but fail. But now that I’d tasted the promise of something, it was worse than if I’d never known what was possible. Luke’s feelings for me weren’t fifteen years old. This wouldn’t break him as it could me.

I wasn’t sure I could be with him.

But I wasn’t sure I could ever get over him.

Read more of Luke and Ashleigh in Calling Me Away.

I Can’t Make You Love Me – Bonnie Raitt

If You Ever Want To Be In Love – James Bay

Landslide – Dixie Chicks

Say You Love Me – Jessie Ware

To Make Her Love Me – Rascal Flatts

If I Knew Then – Lady Antebellum

You Are Everything – Diana Ross

Let’s Wait Awhile – Janet Jackson

Here I Am – Leona Lewis

Knocks Me Off My Feet – Stevie Wonder

Where My Heart Belongs – Gloriana

Come Rain Or Come Shine – Ray Charles

I’m so thankful to you for reading about Luke and Ashleigh’s story. It’s difficult to explain what a gorgeous lift to my day it is when I get a message from someone telling me how they enjoyed one of my books. Every single interaction on social media and my website means the world to me.

I still have to pinch myself every now and then that people are actually buying and reading my books. It’s a lesson to us all that some of our best dreams are the ones we don’t plan. I heard Condoleezza Rice say how important it is in life to leave room for serendipity. I’ve never been good at doing that but dear readers, I’m learning and you’ve all proved to me that it’s worth it –thank you.

To all the bloggers, supporters, champions and cheerleaders that I’m lucky to have in my world – thank you. I love the way you’re all on a crusade of positivity. We need more of it in the world.