Chapter 46: His Charm

Megan's POV

"How was your talk with Ashton?" Alice asked the moment I got back inside our cottage, and I was surprised to find her waiting for me with a wine glass in her hand. I couldn't utter a single word as I listened to the throbbing of my heart; I could still feel the aftermath of our make-out session in the garden. And yes, it still feels like I am a teenager all over again.

I still blush the same way, and with regards to Ashton, I can still feel the hammering of my heart every time I hear his name. Right now, I felt giddy, and I could no longer control the muscles of my face as I smiled on my own and gave Alice a wide grin.

"Wow! I hate Ashton. How could he make you smile that way? I have been trying to cheer you up for the last eight years, yet I haven't seen you smile like that," she said, and I stopped smiling at her.

"You know that is not true. How about when I am with Axel? You can see me smiling this way," I responded.

"Yeah, but it's different now. You're glowing again, Megan, and I couldn't believe Ashton Pritzgold has that power to do that. Well, even celebrities are seeking his attention. No wonder you feel that way," she declared, and I couldn't stop myself from scowling when I heard the word celebrities. Even if Ashton confessed to me that he was still in love with me, I couldn't stop myself from feeling so jealous—especially of his fiancée.

"Hey, I don't intend to ruin your beautiful night, Megan. I was only joking, but it seems you were so affected by what I said," she added when she noticed the expression on my face.

"It’s not about what you said, Alice. It’s about the decision I made, and I realized I was such a fool for believing Ashton again. I'm not even sure if what he said was true because I haven't heard in the news that it was over between him and Claire. I don't know if my decision to give him another chance was right for Axel and me," I declared as I took a deep breath.

My best friend was looking at me, and I knew by the way she looked at me that she found it hard to tell me what was on her mind since Alice didn’t want me to get hurt by what she was about to say.

"Why, are you back together?" she asked, and I shook my head.

"And why do you look so stressed about it, Meg? What kind of decision did you make that made you so worked up?" she added.

"I already told him he is the father of Axel and about Abigail, and he wants to be there for our son. I think I was being irrational again. I should have made him suffer first," I answered.

"Megan, I have witnessed how you lived your life without Ashton, even if you became successful in your career, and you are now one of the hottest CEOs in the country. I could say you made all your dreams come true. But as your best friend, I felt sad and hurt because the more successful you became, the more lonely and miserable you became," she declared, and I could see the concern on her face.

"Don't let your mind take over what your heart wants, Meg, because you will only be more unhappy. You are not a fool for giving Ashton another chance. I was also angry with your ex, Megan, because of what he had done to you. But I understand that he will always be the only person who can give you the kind of happiness you've been looking for, and I could say Ashton was also a victim of his father's cruelty," Alice added.

"I know Ashton was sincere when he told me that he is still in love with you, Megan, and your ex chose to shatter your heart eight years ago because he only wanted to protect you. His only mistake was he never told you anything about what his father had done," Alice continued.

"And I can see you weren’t the only one who suffered, Meg. He was in pain too. Right now, I guess there is nothing wrong if you lower your pride," she added, and her forehead furrowed when she looked at her wristwatch while I was taken aback by her words.

"We should go to bed now, Meg. We need to wake up early tomorrow since I know you are excited to have a yoga class," she said, and I smiled at her.

"Thank you, Alice, for not judging me," I blurted out.

"Come on, Meg, I am your best friend. Even if you make the poorest decision, I will always be here for you, as long as I know it will not harm you. And who am I to judge your strong feelings for Ashton, Meg? I’m glad you gave yourself a chance to be happy again," she said while she held and squeezed my hand.

"Did he kiss you?" she asked, and I blushed right away as I remembered the hot kiss I shared with Ashton. I could feel my face warm when I remembered sitting on his lap.

"You don't need to answer me, Megan. The way you blushed is enough to tell me everything I need to know," she said, and I smiled at her.

"How was it?" she asked, and I could feel my face turn redder.

"It was perfect, Al, more wonderful than I could ever imagine," I replied, and she giggled.

"I’m so happy for you, Meg, and I guess you will not be needing me anymore since you have him back," she muttered.

"Don't say that, Alice. You know I will always need you in my life. Besides, we’re not back together yet, and I told him it will not be easy to win Axel and me since I am still hurting. I need to heal my broken heart first before I can accept him again," I said.

"Fair enough. But I can't believe you told him that after allowing him to kiss you so many times," she said as I saw the disappointment on her face.

"How did you know he kissed me many times?" I asked, and she giggled.

"Megan, you can't hide anything from me, and I know that look. It’s not something you should be embarrassed about as long as you had fun," she responded.

"Of course I did, and I enjoyed my time with him, Al," I declared, and my best friend beamed at me.

I slept like a baby for the first time in a long time, and I realized I was thinking about my daughter without pain in my heart anymore. I can't deny I fell asleep touching my lips as I relived the kisses I shared with Ashton in the garden.

The following day, I was surprised when I saw Ashton and Zachary enter the yoga studio, and I couldn't stop my heart from beating so fast. My heart went wild when Ashton winked at me, and I could no longer concentrate on what to do next even though I was listening to the yoga instructor because I couldn't deny that every time he was around, I would lose my focus.

I didn't know they both liked yoga. Many men today are now interested in yoga since it helps relax the mind and relieve the body from stress. That’s why I always have yoga with Alice every time she comes to my house.

Everyone in the studio, especially the women, looked at Ashton curiously. I could tell they were wondering what he was doing here at the retreat center, and I couldn't stop myself from glancing at him. When I caught him gazing at me, I suddenly felt self-conscious, and when our yoga teacher found Ashton staring at me most of the time, she asked him to settle beside me. Instantly, he spread his yoga mat next to mine without talking to me.

I stifled a laugh when he started stretching, and I could tell he joined the session because of me. I found it so cute. I felt so happy as I did the yoga steps. Still, when we finished, I felt terrible when almost all the women in the studio, including our instructor, circled around him, and he only waved his hand at me as he talked with them. I felt devastated that he didn’t speak to me, as if nothing had happened between us last night.

"Hey, why do you look like that? Are you upset that Ashton’s fans couldn’t stop taking pictures with him?" Alice asked as we made our way back into our cottage. I felt glad that they informed us last night our breakfast would be delivered to our cute little cottage, or else I would be scowling in the dining hall even after our meditation.

"Yeah, and I hate myself for feeling this way. I expected him to come near me after yoga, but I was only disappointed, and I think it’s not a good idea to give him another chance because he’ll only end up hurting me all over again," I declared.

"Hey, those girls are Ashton’s fans, Meg. You can’t just get jealous of them. If you want to give Ashton another chance, you have to accept that things like that will happen. You’re not even back together yet, and you're already feeling that way," she responded, and I knew my best friend had a point. Before I could answer her, I heard someone knocking softly outside our door, and I suddenly felt hungry as I realized our food had arrived.

I walked toward the door, and my eyes widened when I found Ashton on our doorstep with flowers in his hands. I could tell he made an effort to cut those flowers from the garden.

"Good morning, Meg. These flowers are for you," he said, and I could feel the knots in my stomach when he smiled at me. He looked so boyish as he stood in front of me wearing only his running pants and a fitted shirt. I could see the bulge of his biceps, and I couldn't stop myself from looking at his hard chest down to his rock-hard stomach. I suddenly felt shy when I realized I was checking him out.

When I raised my head, I found him looking at me with an intensity that sent electricity down my spine, and I couldn’t stop myself from biting my lower lip when I saw him staring at my mouth.

"Stop doing that, Megan, or else I won’t be able to stop myself from kissing you again..." he said, and his sexy, masculine voice made me realize I would find it hard to resist Ashton’s charm.