“I’m officially only eating from places that get the Chloe Fisher-Walton Seal of Approval.”

“God knows she’s more critical than the Board of Health. She keeps trying to get me to make her an Instagram account so she can post pictures of cupcakes.”

“Gotta get in on that influencer check before it’s all cashed out.”

Asher laughs and finishes his donut. When he looks back at me, he rolls his eyes and my stomach flops.

Wow is there anything I haven’t missed about him?

“What?” I ask, but he’s already swiping his thumb along my bottom lip. He licks off the chocolate.

Wow.

Wow.

Okay.

“You… um, you lied to Ana and Chloe when they asked you what your plans were today,” Asher says quietly, almost like he didn’t want to say it all.

I knew this question was coming. I’m not shocked that he’s curious. I can’t expect him to lay everything out on the table and not reciprocate. Relationships aren’t one-way streets.

Not that we’ve defined what we are or aren’t or might be.

“It’s just easier than explaining the truth,” I tell him. “Because if I tell the truth, I bring everyone down. And I don’t want people to feel sorry for me, and I don’t want to burden anyone. I mean, they’re asking a simple question not expecting to get a heavy answer. It’s a lot to put on someone.”

“You’re not a burden.”

“Says the man who constantly tells me I drive him crazy.”

“You do drive me crazy, but you’ve never been a burden.”

His arm drops around my shoulders, and instinctively my body curls into his. It takes all the self-control I have not to crawl into his lap and live there. I’m not sure how I thought I was going to make it through today alone. I barely made it through last Christmas and the one before that.

“Will you tell me about her?”

My head finds the crook of his neck, and I take a deep breath. He’s all vanilla and wood. It’s calming.

“She was… everything,” I tell him. “My mom and my best friend all rolled into one. She loved Shania Twain and the color green and trashy soap operas. She made the best chocolate chip oatmeal cookies and never went anywhere without a dozen tubes of lip balm.

“She worked so hard to make sure I had everything I needed. Honestly, I’m not sure if she ever slept. She’d pack my lunch everyday and she’d always write a note on the napkin. Some days she’d wake me up and tell me it was a holiday, and I’d skip school and we’d go on an adventure. She was just… the best mom. I was so lucky to have her.”

“How long has it been?”