Hold on to My Heart (Maine Sullivans)

Rory looked surprised by the forceful way she was speaking to him. She tended to be less prone to outbursts than their other siblings, but that didn’t mean she felt any less passionately about things.

“I just want to make sure no one hurts you or Kevin,” he said in his defense.

“I know that. But do you truly think I would risk my happiness and Kevin’s on a man like him, who is going to blast out of town as quickly as he blasted in?”

She stopped speaking when Rory’s eyes moved to a point over her shoulder, and she knew they were no longer alone.

Nash spoke first, introducing himself to Rory while her face flamed as she thought of what he might have overheard. “You must be Ashley’s brother. I’m Nash. It’s nice to meet you.”

Rory shook Nash’s hand. “Rory Sullivan.” He turned to look at the old VW van in the parking lot. “Looks like you’ve got quite a project ahead of you.”

“It’s been a long time since I’ve worked on building out a van. Hopefully, I haven’t forgotten everything from when I was sixteen.”

Although Nash was smiling as he replied, he seemed a little tense. Probably because he’d overheard her being a complete jerk, saying how she wouldn’t be stupid enough to ever risk her heart to a man like him. She’d spoken much more carefully last night when she and Nash had had their difficult discussion in the backyard. It was just that Rory had a way of pushing her buttons, acting like he knew what was best for her, just like her other brothers. Now, her chest ached. She knew her words had to have wounded Nash.

“So, what’s your plan?” Rory asked.

Though her brother was gesturing to the van, Ashley couldn’t help but feel that he was asking Nash a bigger question. Not simply, What are you going to do with your van? But, What are your intentions toward my sister?

Clearly, Rory hadn’t been listening when she’d told him to butt out. So she elbowed him in the gut, making him groan. Hopefully, he’d heed her requests in the future.

Nash, to his credit, ignored Rory’s implied question about his intentions. “I’m planning on making it livable for up to a week at a time on the road.”

“Are you thinking lithium and solar?” Rory asked, quickly moving into builder mode despite his reservations over Ashley’s relationship with the rock star.

“I am. I’ve ordered a few things online to be shipped to this location, if that will work for you.”

“No problem. And Ash says Kevin’s going to be helping you?”

“He’s a good kid,” Nash said with a nod. “Smart, too, which you of course already know as his uncle. He came up with some great ideas yesterday. I’m looking forward to working with him on the project.”

Her heart melted. Though she vowed to keep their relationship purely platonic from here on out, when Nash spoke that way about her son and when she saw him be so great with Kevin, her insides got all gooey.

She didn’t care that he was a superstar, or that he was rich and handsome. What mattered most was the fact that Nash was a wonderful man.

“My nephew’s great,” Rory agreed. “But if you do need a break at any point, feel free to send him into my workshop. I can always put him to work for a little while.”

Just then, Kevin finished eating his doughnut and ran over. When Nash shook his hand and asked him how things were going this morning, she could see how pleased her son was to be treated like an adult, rather than a kid.

“I’m awesome!” Kevin declared. “I’m ready to get started on the build. I’ve had lots more ideas too.”

Ashley was amazed by how old he sounded. Like he wasn’t her little boy anymore, but was becoming a man. Although, he did have a smear of chocolate frosting from the doughnut across his upper lip.

Just then, the woman Rory was madly in love with walked up to Nash, holding a plate with two doughnuts. “Hello, I’m Zara. These are the last doughnuts. Any interest?” she asked Nash and Ashley.

“Aunt Zara makes the best doughnuts in the whole wide world,” Kevin enthused.

Ashley shook her head. Being so near Nash and not being able to touch or kiss him made her lose her appetite.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Nash said. “And yes, I’d love a doughnut.” He took a bite, then groaned low and deep in his chest. Remembering how he’d groaned in a similar way while they were making love sent tremors through Ashley’s body.

Zara shot Ashley a heavily loaded look that seemed to say, You’ve got yourself a live one, don’t you?

Ashley blushed even harder now. In an effort to hide her reaction, she grabbed the remaining doughnut and shoved a bite into her mouth. Unfortunately, it ended up going down the wrong pipe, and she started coughing, spitting doughnut into the napkin Zara quickly handed her. Nash reached out to rub her back, and she instinctively moved closer to him.