Chapter 40: My Lucky Day

Ashton's POV

"What is this, Isabelle?" I asked my sister after she barged into my office and handed me a brochure, then settled on the chair in front of my table.

"Well, I noticed ever since you last visited Megan at her house, you’ve been in a sour mood, and you seem so stressed. I think you need to relax your mind, Ashton. And if you want to pursue Megan, don’t just sulk in your room or here in your office," she responded, and my brows furrowed.

"You know I’m so busy with work, Belle. That’s why I’m always here in my office, dealing with so many things. I don’t have time for a retreat, and that kind of activity will only bore me. And this is so funny, big sister. I don’t do meditation. I’d rather run and hit the gym," I declared, and she pouted her lips and looked me in the eyes.

"If you don’t want to do it, please do it for me instead. I beg you, Ashton. And you have to believe me, this is what you need," she insisted, and I shook my head.

"Stop it, Belle. There’s no way I’ll be attending a nature retreat. I don’t need something like this," I said as I raised the brochure.

"Come on, Ash, you have to come with me," Isabelle begged, and I could tell she was now serious because she only calls me Ash when she wants me to listen to her. I raised my head and looked at her, and she beamed when she realized I was giving her enough time to convince me why I should go on the retreat.

"Connecting with nature would be fun. The center provides facilities for us to enjoy, and three days would never be enough. But since we’re both busy, it’ll be okay for now," my sister added.

"We’ll do some meditation, but if you don’t like it, you can skip it. You can plant trees for future generations to enjoy the world. That’s what we need—we have to plant more trees to save Mother Earth," she continued, and I couldn’t stop myself from feeling interested in her following words.

"We can swim in the cold spring, go trekking, and do some gardening. We can harvest vegetables. You have to believe me, it will be fun," she said.

"Why do you sound so convinced that we’ll be having fun, Isabelle?" I asked her, and she suddenly looked sad.

"Because that place saved me, Ashton. When Dexter broke up with me, I thought I couldn’t survive. I was devastated. I felt so alone, and I was in deep pain. I didn’t know how to deal with it at the time," she stated.

"And one of my friends insisted I visit the place. Since I felt so down, it didn’t matter whether I’d have fun or not, as long as I could escape reality. So I packed my bags and left. I never expected to fall in love with nature, and I stayed at the retreat house for almost a month. When I returned home, I could tell I’d become a different person," she added, and I was silent.

"Do you know that in silence, you find so many answers? I was hoping you’d try it, Ashton. If you don’t like the place, you can leave right away. I’m asking you to come with me because I want to help you," she said, and I smiled at my sister.

"Thank you for your concern about my love life, Belle. But you don’t need to worry. I’m fine," I declared.

"You can never fool me, Ashton. I can tell you’re having a hard time, even if you try to look fine," she responded, and I realized my sister could see right through me.

"Okay, I’m coming with you. But I want to remind you, I’m only going because I love trekking and tree planting. I love saving the world too, and it feels wonderful to be part of something meaningful," I said, and her face lit up. I could tell I had made my sister so happy.

"How I wish the boys were here," I added as I realized I missed my brothers.

"Don’t worry. Next time I’ll ask them to join us," she replied, and I couldn’t hide the expression on my face.

"Hey, don’t look so sad, Ashton. I’m sure you’ll love the place," Isabelle said as she got up from her seat and slowly walked toward the door. I returned my focus to my laptop and couldn’t believe I had said yes to my sister. I wondered how I would bail on her.

But I knew it would be hard to say no to our big sister, so I released a heavy sigh as I realized I didn’t have a choice but to go with her. I knew there was no way the retreat center would help me forget about Megan and our son. I thought that the moment we arrived, I’d only miss them more.

"No flowers for today, Mr. Pritzgold? The flower shop keeps calling me," my secretary asked, and I shook my head. I knew Megan would only hate me more if I continued sending her flowers.

"No more flowers, Les," I replied, and Leslie looked at me. I could tell she wanted to say something, but she kept it to herself.

The days passed by quickly, and I was thankful it was Friday. My face fell when I realized I needed to go with my sister tomorrow to the nature retreat center located in the fifth town going south. It would be a long drive, and we needed to leave early.

I was shocked when Isabelle informed me she needed to go home to Astikoz at the last minute. I was glad Zachary came with me, even though I called him last minute. I realized I could always count on my best friend. As I drove my pickup truck, I also told him Isabelle’s story to convince him to go with me, and when we arrived at the retreat house, I realized my sister was right.

I felt relaxed right away watching the giant trees surrounding the retreat center, and as we went to our designated accommodation, I couldn’t stop admiring the place. I could say I didn’t regret coming here. Our cottage looked so adorable. Zachary left to order food and bottled water since we hadn’t had breakfast.

I walked to the window when I noticed guests approaching the cottage across from us, and I could feel my pulse racing when I saw two familiar faces. I couldn’t believe my luck to see Megan and Alice. I realized maybe my sister knew all along, and that’s why she insisted I come here. I thought maybe this was my sign to never give up on her. I hid on the side while watching her face as she stood on the porch looking around. She looked so beautiful with her ponytail.

Megan looked so beautiful when she raised her head and looked at the gigantic trees around. I grunted as I realized how much I wanted to take her into my arms and kiss her lips once again. I wished Megan would give me a chance to talk to her. I felt disappointed when they got inside the house, and I almost jumped to my feet when I was startled by Zach’s words.

"What the hell are you doing, Ashton? Why are you hiding over there? Did you become a pervert after Megan broke your heart for the second time?" he asked, and I could tell my best friend was mocking me. I had to put my finger to my lips so he would keep quiet.

"Megan and Alice are here," I said as I walked closer to him; he was stunned, and I could see the mischievous smile on his face.

"Wow, Isabelle loves you. She did a good job saving your ass, and you should be thankful for having a supportive sister, Ashton," he said, and I could see the unhappiness on his face. I knew how much he wanted siblings.

"Hey, you don’t need to feel sad. My siblings are your siblings too, and you should know that by now. Isabelle is also concerned about you, and she treats you like her younger brother too," I declared, and he gave me a weak smile.

"I know, but it would be different if I had my own siblings. But it’s too late now. My parents are old, and they can’t have children. If they did, it would be like my own child," he said, and I laughed.

"Wow, thank goodness you still know how to laugh. I think Megan has something to do with it," he said, and my smile faded as I realized I didn’t know how to approach Megan after she told me she could only forgive me if I stayed away from her.

"You need to tell her your side of the story, Ashton. That’s the only way she’ll tell you Axel is your child. She has every right to know why you did it to her. She’ll hate you forever if you keep it to yourself," my best friend declared.

"I don’t want her to have regrets and blame herself instead. Most of all, I don’t want her to hate my dad more. It’s better that she only blames me for what happened to us," I said.

"It was your father who did those things, Ashton—not you. Stop protecting your dad. Megan knew what kind of father he was to you before he got paralyzed," Zach added, and I knew my best friend was right.

"Okay, I promise I’ll talk to Megan, whatever it takes. And you know I’ll be needing all your help," I said.

"Don’t worry, just leave it to Alice and me. We’ll make sure this time you’ll have your chance to speak with Megan," Zachary said. I couldn’t stop myself from feeling so excited that I would finally have the chance to talk to the only woman who made me fall in love and feel complete. Now, without Megan, I could tell I would never feel whole again.

This time, I’ll make sure Megan knows how she makes me feel, and I’ll tell her that I’m still madly in love with her. I should never have let Gael intimidate me, and it was so wrong that I left her house without asking her if she still felt the same way about me.