Chapter 241

The wedding was set for the sixth of June. Before that, I wanted to go to France. Ashton said he supported it. Technically, he did. Out loud. But I could tell he hated the idea. He looked at me like I’d sprouted wings and flown out of reach, and he didn’t know how to drag me back without crushing something. If it weren’t for the time it took to plan the damn wedding, he’d have married me the day after Presidents’ Day ended. I had to argue him down to June. I left for France in early April. He meant to come, but work snowballed. The plan was he’d join me once he dug himself out. If he ever did. That morning, he drove me to the airport. We pulled up to the kerb and I reached for the handle, but he grabbed my wrist. ‘What’s the rush? You’ve got time.’ He was stalling. That much was obvious. If he had it his way, I’d miss the flight entirely, spend another two days tangled up in his sheets, and he’d shrug it off later like it was all accidental. His grip on me didn’t loosen. He leaned in a