From Ashes (From Ashes #1)(25)

“I’ll be here waiting for you.”

Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath in and held it. If only she knew what she did to me. I could see us, just like this. Whispering in the dark room before I started work each morning, her telling me she’d be waiting for me when I got back. God, I wanted to kiss her and stay in that bed all day, but just then I heard the front door open and shut and knew I had to get going. With one last squeeze, I reluctantly unwrapped us from each other and left the room.

CASSIDY

“THOSE BOYS ARE treating you all right, aren’t they, Cassidy?” Stephanie asked as she pulled up a chair at the breakfast bar where Gage’s youngest sister, Emily, was coloring. “It was hard enough losing Tyler, and then you had to go with him. I feel like all my babies are gone and I just need to make sure you’re all taking care of each other.”

“They’re great. I work early in the mornings, and Gage takes me; when I get home they’re at school and by the time they’re back I have dinner made for them. Everything’s been great so far.”

“Good, sweetie,” she said, and I couldn’t believe how much she and Gage’s mom, Tessa, looked alike, and how Tessa looked nothing like her kids.

“You tell me if my boy’s actin’ up, all right, sweet girl? I don’t care if that boy is grown, I’ll still smack him upside the head.” Tessa gave me a look and I didn’t need to have seen Gage’s flinching to know she would.

I laughed. “You don’t have to worry about that, Gage is . . . Gage has been . . . he’s great.”

Tessa and Stephanie shared a look and Stephanie raised her eyebrows as she took a long drink of iced tea.

“All right, I’m sorry, but I have to ask. Are you dating Ty or not?” Amanda, Gage’s oldest sister, put the stack of plates away and leaned back against the counter so she was facing me.

I paused, opening up the package of yellow cake mix, and looked at her, confused. “Uh, definitely not. Why?”

“Well . . .” She looked at her mom and other sister, Nikki, before continuing. “We’ve all heard about you since as far back as I can remember . . . and it just kinda looks like y’all are together.”

Stephanie started laughing and I could only imagine the look of horror on my face. “No. Tyler’s my best friend—really he was my only friend until we moved to Texas. We’re just really close like that; he’s like my family.”

“So is there anyone you are dating?” Amanda asked, and I noticed even Tessa had stopped what she was doing and looked up at me.

“No.” I drew out the word, uncertain as to why they were all looking at me like that.

“Interested in?” Tessa asked, seeming a little too concerned in what my answer was going to be.

“Um, well . . .” My cheeks flared and I had to bite down on my lips to stop my ridiculous smile. “I—”

Just then the front door opened and shut, and Gage’s and Tyler’s voices drifted in toward us. My eyes went wide and I swear I somehow blushed harder. Tessa took one look at me and smiled to herself before turning back around to the food she was preparing. When I looked over at Amanda, she was studying me intently. She shot a quick look at her brother and cousin when they came in and the same smile I’d just seen on her mom spread across her cheeks.

“You girls wanna go to a bonfire?” Gage drawled, and winked at me; I swear I somehow blushed harder.

“I do!” Nikki yelled, and ran up to the guys. Gage and Tessa started disagreeing immediately.

“Absolutely not!”

“No way, Nik.”

“You said girls, Gage! I am a girl, you know!”

He kissed the top of her head and ruffled her hair. “When you’re older, kid. Amanda and Cassidy,” he clarified, and smirked when Nikki huffed, “do y’all wanna go?”

I stole a quick glance at Tyler and gave him a smile when I saw he was staring at me intently. “Sounds . . . fun?” When he nodded I looked back to Gage and nodded once. “Yeah, sure.”

Amanda agreed and Gage grabbed two bottles of water out of the fridge, tossing one at Tyler. “All right, we’ll leave after dinner.”

“Gage!” Amanda looked quickly at the clock, then back to him. “Dinner’s in like—three and a half hours!”

“And?”

“That gives us no time! We need to go into town!”

“Why?”

She just shook her head and grabbed my hand before towing me toward the front door. “We’ll be back before dinner!” she called as we went out the door. “Do you have boots?”

“Uh, what?”

“Boots, do you have any?”

“No . . .”

She hopped into her car and I followed. “Figured as much. You can’t go to a bonfire out in the country without ’em.”

“Oh, if that’s why we’re going into town, we don’t need to. I can just go in my flip-flops or Converse.”

“Yankee,” she mumbled, and I snorted.

“I FEEL LIKE I look like a cliché.”

Amanda laughed and checked herself out in the mirror. “And why is that?”

“You put me in a plaid button-up and cowboy boots.”

“Yeah? And you look hot! At least I didn’t give you a torn denim miniskirt to match it with, because I have one. I can even get you a cowboy hat!” I looked at her, mortified, and she laughed. “Exactly. Now, that would be cliché; what you are wearing is perfect.”