A SECOND CHANCE AT FOREVER Chapter 68: CHAPTER SIXTY-EIGHT

KYLE

Ashley was laughing.

Not the tight, guarded kind of laugh she gave when she was trying to brush off something uncomfortable. Not the sarcastic kind she used when she was making one of her sharp-witted comments. This was real. Genuine. Light.

We had just wrapped up her first real swimming session, and despite her initial hesitation, she had done better than either of us had expected.

Now, she sat at the edge of the pool, her legs still dangling in the water, her body wrapped loosely in a towel. Her red hair was damp, darkened by the water, and clung to her skin in messy waves. A few loose strands stuck to her neck and collarbone, teasing against her flushed skin. Droplets of water clung to her, catching the light, making her glow in the dim evening ambiance.

Her hazel eyes flickered under the golden pool lights, swirling with emotions I couldn’t quite decipher. But they were bright. Alive. Not the cold, guarded ones I had grown used to seeing since she came back to New York.

And then there were the freckles.

Those damn freckles.

The ones she used to hate, always trying to cover with makeup. But I had loved them—every single one of them. The ones dusting her nose, the ones along her cheeks, the faint ones trailing down her shoulders. They were still there, barely visible under the sheen of water on her skin, but enough to make something tighten in my chest.

Then my gaze dropped lower, and I cursed under my breath.

Her clothes clung to her like a second skin. The soaked fabric outlined every curve, every dip and swell of her body, leaving little to the imagination. The towel around her shoulders did nothing to hide the way the wet material molded against her, accentuating things I had no business thinking about.

And her lips.

Damn.

They were plump, slightly parted as she caught her breath from laughing, the kind of laugh that made her whole face light up. A drop of water slipped down her chin, trailing toward her mouth, and  I almost reached out to brush it away with my thumbz.

She was beautiful.

She had always been beautiful, but there was something different about her now. Maybe it was the way her guard had slipped just a little, how her shoulders weren’t as tense, how her eyes were shining with something that looked dangerously close to happiness.

Or maybe I was just a fool who never stopped looking at her.

Ashley turned her head, catching me staring.

"What?" she asked, an amused smirk tugging at her lips.

"Nothing," I said too quickly.

Her smirk widened. "You were staring."

"I was observing."

She rolled her eyes. "Observing what? That I didn’t drown? Because trust me, I already know."

I chuckled, sitting down beside her. "I was observing that you actually had fun today."

She sighed, leaning back on her hands. "Yeah, yeah. Don’t let it get to your head, Blackwood."

"Too late."

She snorted, shaking her head.

We sat in comfortable silence for a moment, listening to the soft ripples in the pool, the distant hum of the city beyond the tall walls of the estate. It was peaceful. And damn if I didn’t want to freeze this moment and live in it just a little longer.

"So," I said after a while, "do I get any credit for today? Or are you going to pretend you managed all this on your own?"

Ashley shot me a look. "You get credit for not letting me drown."

"That’s it?"

"That’s it."

I let out a dramatic sigh. "Unbelievable. Here I am, dedicating my time, my effort, my priority—"

Ashley nudged me with her foot. "Oh, shut up."

I grabbed her ankle before she could pull away, giving it a playful squeeze. "You’re starting to admit you trust me again."

Her smirk faltered for just a second before she schooled her features. "Don’t get ahead of yourself."

I tilted my head, keeping my grip on her ankle. "Baby steps?"

She looked at me for a long moment, something unreadable passing through her gaze. Then, finally, she exhaled and nodded.

"Baby steps."

I let go of her ankle and leaned back, watching her from the corner of my eye.

"So, what’s next on the bucket list?" I asked. "Since swimming is apparently no longer a death sentence."

Ashley hummed, tapping her fingers against the stone edge of the pool. "Hmm… I did mention wanting to travel, didn’t I?"

"You did."

She glanced at me, a spark of mischief in her eyes. "Are you offering to fund a round-the-world trip for me, Blackwood? Because I would love a first-class ticket to Paris."

I smirked. "Oh, I’m sure you would. But let’s not get carried away. You just learned how to float."

She gasped dramatically. "Are you saying I don’t deserve a reward?"

"Didn’t say that." I stretched my legs out. "Tell you what—you name the first place you want to visit, and I’ll make it happen."

Ashley narrowed her eyes. "You’re serious?"

I nodded. "Completely."

She bit her lip, considering. "Even if I say Tokyo? Or Greece? Or the Maldives?"

"Even if you say Antarctica."

She barked out a laugh. "Oh, hell no. I’m not freezing my ass off in Antarctica."

"Good," I said. "Because I’m not taking you there."

Ashley shook her head, smiling despite herself. Then she turned her gaze toward the pool, her expression shifting into something softer.

"I think I want to try again tomorrow," she murmured.

Something warm settled in my chest. "Yeah?"

"Yeah." She pulled the towel tighter around herself. "I mean, I’m still terrified, but today wasn’t… awful. And I kind of like the idea of getting better at this."

"You will get better," I said firmly. "You’re already halfway there."

She glanced at me again, and for the first time in a long time, there was something in her eyes that wasn’t resentment or pain. It was a bit of trust.

And I’d be damned if I ever broke it again.

Ashley exhaled, pulling the towel tighter around her shoulders as she stretched her legs out. Then she turned to me, arching a perfectly sculpted brow.

"Alright, next on the list," she announced, her tone shifting into something more playful, more familiar.

I waited, watching as she tilted her head, a mischievous glint sparking in her hazel eyes.

"You’re getting me pasta," she said matter-of-factly. "And then, you’re driving me home."

I huffed out a laugh. "Oh, so now I’m your personal chauffeur and chef?"

"Exactly," she said sweetly. "See? You’re catching on."

I shook my head, amused. "And what makes you think I’m just going to agree to this?"

Ashley shrugged. "Because you owe me."

I scoffed. "Owe you? For what?"

"For throwing me into the deep end of the pool today," she said, flipping her damp hair over her shoulder. "Literally."

I smirked. "That was called teaching"

"That was called attempted murder," she shot back, standing up and wringing some water from her shirt. "And now, because I survived your lessons, I deserve a reward. Preferably one covered in cheese and drowning in marinara sauce."

I watched her for a moment, shaking my head with a chuckle before finally pushing myself up. "Alright, fine. Pasta it is."

Ashley beamed, victorious. "Good choice."

As we walked toward the car, she sighed dramatically. "Man, if only all men could be trained this easily. Imagine a world where they just listen without arguing."

I shot her a look. "You’re dangerously close to losing that pasta, Ash."

She grinned. "Yeah, but you’re still gonna get it for me."

She wasn’t wrong.

With a shake of my head, I unlocked the car, opening the passenger door for her. "Get in before I change my mind."

Ashley smirked, sliding into the seat with a triumphant hum.

I closed the door behind her, walking around to the driver’s side, and as I got in, I glanced at her one more time.

Her skin was still flushed from the pool, her hair slightly messy, her lips curling up in that subtle way they used to when she was truly content.

She looked… happy and that meant the world to me.

I turned the key in the ignition, pushing the thought away.

"Alright, princess," I muttered. "Let’s get you your damn pasta."

Ashley grinned. "Now that’s the kind of attitude I like."

And just like that, we drove off into the night.