Always(Time for Love Book 4)(42)

*

Ash exhaled his disquiet as he put the phone down. He hadn’t gotten anything out of Jane either—just that he should wait for an email invitation to hit his inbox soon, and that hopefully he could attend. The only extra information he got was that it would be an intimate gathering of only a very select group of people.

Like she’d asked of Amanda, Jane had also begged him not to tell Brenna about the whole thing. She’d hammered the point that it would spoil it for Patty if Brenna wasn’t genuinely surprised on the day.

Ash tapped his fingers on his desk. A major part of him wanted Brenna to know about this. He hated the thought that a grand gesture from Patty might bring Brenna closer to Darren. But were his reasons purely out of selfishness? What if Brenna would truly appreciate a surprise thank you for all the sacrifices she’d made for that family?

He had no answers at this point.

*****

“I’ll see you tomorrow morning, babe,” Ash said as they prepared to walk back to their respective offices after having lunch together. “And I’ll call you tonight to remind you to pack work clothes for tomorrow. Also, I know you have an event happening this weekend, but how about you also stay with me on Saturday night? I’d love to spend two straight nights with you again, even if I don’t see you during the day.”

Brenna glanced at him with a look that he’d been seeing lately every time he raised the topic of her spending the night at his place: hesitation.

“Um, I might be able to concentrate on my work better if I go home, Ash,” she said weakly.

He stared at her, claws of fear slowly closing around his heart. Brenna used to love staying over at his place at the beginning of their relationship. There were even times when she’d turned up without notice because she’d missed him and his body. That hadn’t happened in the last three weeks. What was going on?

“Hey,” Brenna said softly, putting her palm on his cheek. His face must have shown his emotions.

“Is everything okay, Bren?” he croaked.

Brenna gulped. She was silent for a moment before she exhaled loudly. “I’ll tell you tomorrow, okay?” she said.

“Am I gonna like what you’re going to say?” he asked in a low voice, trying to keep panic at bay.

She bit her lip. “Probably not. But I’m hoping you’ll understand.”

The fear that was slowly creeping into his system was now zipping around fast and unrestrained. “Let’s talk about it now,” he said, not caring if he had an appointment coming up in a few minutes.

“I can’t, Ash,” Brenna said, checking her watch. “I’ll be late for an important meeting. I really have to go now. Promise we’ll talk tomorrow, okay?” She gave him a quick peck on the lips before waving goodbye and hurrying off.

Was that their last lips-to-lips kiss?

He shook his head to dislodge the thought. Don’t be pessimistic, Ash, he scolded himself.

He couldn’t afford to think like that while in public. Or he just might break down and cry. Which would be incredibly pathetic.

But then again, since when had he stopped being such a sad case when it came to Brenna?

*****

Ash stared in shock at the email in his inbox. What? Even if this was another pretend thing, why hadn’t Brenna said something to him?

His phone started ringing. It was Amanda who, no doubt, got the same email from Jane. He rejected the call, not ready to talk to anyone until he’d fully absorbed what was right before his eyes.

Brenna’s recent actions flooded his mind. Did her apparent reluctance at spending the night with him have something to do with this invitation? Was she too scared to tell him something that she knew would hurt him greatly? Or was he reading too much into this? After all, she was still sleeping with him, so she must still be attracted to him, at least. Maybe she was just truly overwhelmed with work.

But he’d never known Brenna to get fazed with being busy. His gut told him that work was only a small factor in whatever was making her act funny lately. Perhaps the situation with Patty was getting her down?

Regardless of the reason, he was bound to find the truth soon enough. He hoped with all his heart he was simply being paranoid.

He got out of his chair to go to the window and stare outside. Down below, across the street, was the section of the Royal Botanic Gardens where he and Brenna had their first proper kiss. His heart palpitated at the seemingly real possibility that there was only but a short moment in his lifetime that Brenna had been his.

He trudged back to his desk, unable to stop the negative thoughts that were like sharp claws scratching at his heart. He knew it was silly to be making such assumptions. But he couldn't help it. It must be the effect of years of unrequited love.

He sat back down, only to face the email again. The words on the screen jumped out at him.

You are invited to an intimate get-together to celebrate Darren and Brenna’s engagement!

There was a photo of the two, seemingly taken while they weren’t looking, with Darren’s arms around Brenna while he whispered something in her ear. They looked sweet together.

He forced himself to look closely. Was it a recent shot? It wasn’t a close-up, and he couldn’t tell. Brenna had her hair in a ponytail in the photo so he couldn’t tell if it was the same length and style as she wore now.

His phone vibrated on his desk. This time it was Connor. He shook his head. The guys must be getting worried about him.