A Surprising Fact About Love_Small Town Romance by Karice Bolton

Author:Karice Bolton [Bolton, Karice]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-03-29T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

Austin could almost taste the discomfort Ashley felt from bringing up her family, and he felt horrible about it. He’d always had a close relationship with his family. His parents had divorced, and his father went off with the new family, but his mother and grandmother had somehow made it almost unnoticeable.

Granted, there were times when he was very resentful of his father, but he never felt cheated. His mother and grandmother were strong women who showed all his brothers and him how to be respectable men, unlike his father.

But his mom and grandma were incredible role models. In fact, he often thought his mom had an inkling about his father from the very beginning, because he and his brothers didn’t take their father's last name. North is his mother’s name, and it made him proud.

Everyone had family stuff.

Everyone.

Yet, there was something haunting Ashley, and she didn’t want to reveal a single thing to him about what it was. That little fact he knew. She’d clam up and turn away from him on the mere mention of her family, and it broke his heart because whatever was bothering her made it nearly impossible for her to even have a relationship.

Or at least that was Austin’s guess. Not that he was a psychiatrist or anything, but he had a sneaking suspicion that whatever she missed when she was a child was something that she craved from these other families without the risk of getting hurt.

And here Ashley Malone was, sitting in front of him, drinking wine, and cutting into her steak as she pretended he hadn’t almost opened the lid to something she didn’t want to face.

“Filet cooked to perfection?” he asked, trying to shake off his curiosity.

“Beyond.” She smiled and took another bite. “Are you asking as the head of operations or a date?”

“Both,” he teased and glanced around the restaurant.

They’d moved from the bar to the steakhouse, and he’d been careful not to mention anything about family.

The problem, however, was that he wanted to know so much more about Ashley Malone. He wanted to know everything there was about her, and she didn’t want to reveal much of anything.

“What do you do in your spare time?” he asked, watching her avoid his gaze.

“Well, I can tell you what I didn’t do.” She looked out the window.

“How so?”

She let out a sigh. “Honestly, I feel like I’ve wasted more time than not, especially with the Finns. They watched their children far more than I ever did. There was so much I could have done with my time. So much.”

“Like what?” He was genuinely curious what Ashley felt she missed out on.

“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “Maybe take online courses, finish my degree online, or take classes that would help my future.” She let out a low, slow breath. “And before I know it, I’ll be forty, and what do I have to show for my life?”

Her words shocked him, and he instantly reached for her hand across the table. “You’re an incredible woman, Ashley.

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