Seeking to be together~

Epilogue~

"I totally kicked your ass," I declared with a triumphant grin, relishing the moment.

"You did not kick my ass," Ralph retorted, crossing his arms in mock indignation. "You just got lucky with that last punch."

"It's all in good fun," Asher chimed in, adjusting his shirt sleeves with an air of confidence. His eyes sparkled with a mix of triumph and mischief. "Every student eventually becomes the teacher."

"Boy, I'll knock you upside the head if you don't stop with the nonsense," Ralph shot back, though a smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

"What did I say about arguing at the table?" Missy, Ralph's wife, interjected, raising an eyebrow playfully. "Let's save the quibbling for later so we can all enjoy dinner."

I stifled a laugh as Asher and Ralph muttered playful retorts under their breaths but eventually complied.

"What was that?" Missy's brows rose higher, her gaze sharp yet amused.

"Nothing," they chorused in unison, their feigned innocence making it hard not to smile.

"Teach me your ways," I whispered conspiratorially to Missy while the guys dove into the roast chicken and garlic mashed potatoes. "How do you manage them?"

She chuckled softly. "After thirty-plus years of marriage, you pick up a thing or two. But..." Her eyes sparkled with mischief. "Judging by the way Asher looks at you, I don't think you need to worry about keeping him in line."

Just then, I met Asher's gaze, and my breath caught. He winked, his mouth curling into a devilish smirk that sent delightful shivers through me, igniting butterflies in my stomach.

In that moment, I knew exactly what that smirk promised.

Heat rose on my cheeks, and I pretended to be fascinated with my plate while Asher's low chuckle rumbled across the table.

Missy didn't miss a second of it. 

"Oh, to be young and in love." She sighed. "Ralph and I married when we were in our early twenties. I've enjoyed every minute—except when he leaves his dirty clothes everywhere and refuses to see the doctor—but there's nothing like the passion that comes with youth. Everything's so fresh and new. And the stamina. Whew!" 

She fanned herself. "We were like bunnies, let me tell you."

By now, my cheeks were the color of the cranberry sauce on the table.

I adored Missy. I met her a week ago when Asher and I arrived at her and Ralph's Vermont farm for an extended Thanksgiving weekend, but I immediately took a shine to her. 

Warm, friendly, and down-to-earth, she baked a mean pumpkin pie and had a penchant for raunchy jokes—and raunchy personal stories.

This morning, out of the blue, she asked whether I'd ever had a threesome — I hadn't — and I'd nearly sprayed orange juice all over her cherrywood table.

"I didn't mean to embarrass you." Missy patted my arm, but the spark of mischief remained in her eyes. 

"I'm just so thrilled Asher is dating. I've known that boy for years, and I've never seen him look at someone the way he does you. I've always said he just needs the right woman to open him up. He was wound tighter than a Victorian corset."

I leaned toward her and said in a conspiratorial whisper, "Honestly, not much has changed."

"You know I can hear everything you're saying," Asher said dryly, smirking.

"Good. I was afraid I wasn't loud enough."

"Birdy, you being loud has never been an issue," Asher said in a silky voice.