The following day was the one I'd been dreading. Preston came back to say good-bye.

"Hey, stranger," I said, hugging him, when he showed up, even though it had only been a day since I'd seen him.

"Hey there, how's it going?" He asked.

"Eh, could be better," I said.

He took me by the shoulders and said, "Louis really misses you."

I felt like crying. "I miss him, too."

"Ashten," he said before getting ready to leave. "Don't hold this against him. He knows he screwed up, but he really loves you."

"I know," I said. "I know." I knew I was being stubborn and it was time to let go of my fear.

I hugged Preston good-bye and then he left.

I moped around for a few days, until I couldn't stand being alone anymore. I had to get out of the house. I found my father and asked, "Daddy, can your chauffeur take me into the city?"

"Oh, Ashten, I didn't even get a chance to tell you!" He said. "Niall is here. He arrived last night."

"Oh...okay," I said, feeling a little sad that Preston was gone and replaced so quickly.

Once I'd gotten ready, my limo was out front waiting for me, with Niall in the driver's seat.

"Hello, Niall," I said. "Do you remember me from a few summers back? I'm Veronica's friend." I tried not to think about what Veronica told me about their illicit fling.

When he answered me, I couldn't deny that his accent was adorable. "Sure, I remember you," he grinned. "Nice to see you again. So where are we going?"

"Veronica's office, actually. 1948 Witford Avenue."

"All right," he said, setting the GPS. Then we drove off.

"So, Niall, what brings you back to the US? Surely you're not planning to drive a limo all your life," I said, and then I immediately thought that might have sounded snobby. "Uh, I'm sorry, I just meant-"

"It's fine," he said with a laugh. "I'm hoping to launch my music career, actually."

"Really?" I said in surprise. "Well, then maybe you should meet Veronica's boyfriend. Well that is, if it wouldn't be too awkward."

Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! I slapped myself mentally. Why did I say that?

"Ahh, she told you about our little trysts, did she?" He asked with a laugh in his voice.

"Yeah, I'm sorry, that was kind of blunt, wasn't it?" I said, feeling downright humiliated at my lack of a filter.

"No problem," he chuckled. "Veronica's boyfriend, is he famous?"

I laughed. He had no idea. "Her boyfriend is Liam Payne."

"No way!" He said excitedly. "That would be amazing!"

"Well, then, I'll see what I can do," I said with a laugh, noting his enthusiasm.

"You were so different when I worked for Veronica's family," he commented.

"How so?"

"Well, you're much more relaxed now," he said.

"You mean, I'm no longer a coldhearted bitch?"

He laughed so hard that I thought he might lose control of the car. "You could say that," he replied, after he'd stopped coughing and laughing.

I spent a better part of the day helping Veronica and Danielle decide on certain fabrics for one line of clothing they were working on. I told Veronica about Niall's aspirations to break into the music business and she thought it would be great to introduce him to Liam. And she didn't seem bothered at all that he was her ex-lover.

Again, it was such a nice distraction to spend the day with my besties. Their work was so different from my ordinary life that I hardly thought about Louis. But I was planning on going back to Boston the day after Thanksgiving, and anxiety was getting the better of me. By the end of the day, I was spent, emotionally and physically.

I climbed into the limo and Niall asked, "Having a rough time, are ya?"

I shrugged. "What was your first clue?"

"Everything," he laughed. "I'm a good listener, if you want to talk."

I sighed. "Do you feel like shopping?"

Surprisingly, he said yes, so he drove me to Fifth Avenue and we got out and walked, mostly window shopping. I told him all about Louis and just about every single moment we'd spent together. Niall was right - he was a good listener. Most guys would have ditched me or fallen asleep by the time I finished the story.

Niall was dressed in his chauffeur's uniform and I got more than a few strange looks from people since I was walking around with him, chatting with him like he was my friend. I didn't make my servants wear their uniforms in Boston, but my mother insisted on it when they were under her roof.

We stopped into a small cafe and ordered some peppermint mocha coffee, one of my favorites around the holidays. When we sat down, I asked, "So, any advice from the great and wise listener?"

"Well, here are my first impressions," he began. "One, you really love this guy."

I closed my eyes and let out a heavy breath. "Yes, I love him more than anything."

Niall continued, "Two, you're pissed because you're finding out that he's not perfect and that he can't make you happy."

"What?!" I asked in shock. "Well, I'm specifically pissed at what he did. Do you think I should just leave it at that? He's not perfect, therefore I should give up on him?!"

He took a sip of the minty coffee. "That's not what I said at all. I just said you're finding out he's not perfect. But who is?"

"Yes," I agreed. "But then you also said that he couldn't make me happy."

"Yeah," he said, as if I was stupidly slow in catching on to his obvious point.

"How do you know that he can't make me happy?!" I snapped, angry at his assumption.

"Because, darlin', you are the only person in the world who can make you happy." He took another sip of his coffee and remarked, "Ahh, that's good."

"So, I shouldn't stay with Louis or anyone else because no one will make me truly happy except me?"

"Oh, you're making it too complicated," he said impatiently. "I didn't say you shouldn't be with this Louis fellow. You obviously love him, and it sounds like he loves you, too. But love isn't about relying on someone else to make you happy. If you do that, you're setting yourself up for a world of heartbreak. Nobody's perfect, so if you're expecting perfection from your man, he's eventually gonna disappoint you."

"That sounds kind of cynical," I scoffed.

"Realistic," he corrected me.

We finished our coffee without much more discussion. I wasn't sure how I felt about his analysis of my relationship with Louis, or of relationships in general.

When we got home, it was rather late. I found another letter from Louis on my bed. I opened it eagerly, hoping that he wouldn't say that he was giving up on me.

Dear Ash,

I still want to give you space, so you don't have to respond to this letter, but I wanted to make sure you know everything that's in my heart.

I shared my past indiscretions with you, and I told you that I felt awful when I'd realized what I had done to those girls. I don't know what came over me when I decided I was going to have a meaningless fling, but I guess that I figured it wouldn't do any harm since I thought that all rich people were shallow and heartless. Of course, I was wrong, but you have to admit that you had you own stereotypes about poor people as well, that our main purpose was to be serving people of your social stature.

But after working for thousands of thankless and abusive wealthy people, you were a breath of fresh air. Even when you tried to order me around, I could see past your tough exterior. I knew there was something different about you. I didn't realize what it was until after Harry almost attacked you. That night, I realized that you really do have a heart, Ashten.

You have a beautiful heart.

I stopped reading for a moment and laughed, thinking back to when I'd seen Harry a few nights earlier. I wished Louis could have seen me when I told him off.

You were wrong, by the way. I wasn't lying about the reason I was holding off on sex. I was trying to protect you, and oddly enough, the person I was trying to protect you from was me. My motives had been so dishonorable to begin with, and it felt too easy that you fell for me so quickly. As much as I love you, I felt guilty. I felt that I had somehow won your love in a dishonest way. I didn't feel worthy of the love you had for me, and I still don't.

I know I screwed up. I know I've made a huge mess of everything. But I promise you that if you give me another chance, I will spend the rest of my life proving to you that I am madly in love with you.

If you'll give me another chance, I will prove to you that I'm not in it for money or sex. If it makes a difference, I will walk away from Harvard if it means I can have you. You're more important to me than anything, even Harvard medical school.

As far as sex, I don't want it to be just sex. I want to make love to you when you are completely mine, and that means I want to wait until you are my wife, if you'll have me. Then you will have my vows to assure you that I'm never walking away. That's the only way I can think to prove that I'm not using you.

I love you, Ashten. And I'm lost without you. Please come home soon.

Forever,

Lou

My heart was stirred by his words. He wanted to make love to me.

He wanted to marry me.

He would even give up Harvard for me.

I had no idea how or why he loved me so much, but I believed it all now. I believed that he loved me. When I fell asleep, I dreamed happy things, all of them involving Louis Tomlinson.

The next day was Thanksgiving. It was always the same traditional dishes, served in the same traditional ways. It never seemed like much more than a dinner party because my parents were so formal about it. But I was still looking forward to it, maybe because it was a touch of normalcy in the midst of the chaos that had overtaken my life.

The dinner itself was quiet, probably because my mother was still in a bit of shock that I'd spoken to her the way I had a few days earlier. After reading Louis' letter and pondering on his love for me, I decided it was time to come clean.

"Mother," I said.

She looked up in surprise, almost as if she'd been off in another world. "Yes, Ashten, what is it?"

"I have something to tell you," I said. I shot a nervous glance at my father. He nodded in encouragement.

"When we spoke about my friends the other day, I wasn't telling you everything."

"What do you mean?" She asked, looking gravely concerned.

"What I mean is that those people are all my friends. Except for Louis-"

"Well, that makes sense. He was always a little unruly," she said, popping a forkful of stuffing daintily into her mouth.

"I wasn't finished yet, Mother. Louis is my friend, too, but he's much more than that." The color started to drain from her face. She knew what I was going to say. I had an unexpected surge of courage, so I finished, "I'm in love with him."

She looked at me, eyes wide, blinking sporadically. Finally, she burst out in laughter. "Ashten, you've never been very good at telling jokes."

"She's not joking, Charlotte," my father interrupted. "She and Louis are in love. And I've given them my blessing."

She shot a pointed look at my father. "Berk, dear, you can't be serious! Ashten can't possibly hook up with the likes of him. He's so obviously middle class." She started to laugh again, clearly thinking we were concocting some elaborate story, or at least hoping we were.

"I'm completely serious," my father responded. "Louis is an exceptional young man with a very good head on his shoulders. He's going to med school and he's in love with our daughter. You probably haven't noticed how happy she is because she's been too afraid to tell you."

My mother sat there for quite some time, obviously trying to formulate a response. "The two of you have lost your mind!" She huffed finally. "How on earth is he going to provide for you, Ashten? Have you thought about that?!"

At that moment, I felt sorry for my mother, that she couldn't see beyond the dollar signs, or lack thereof. "Mother, providing for me is about much more than money. Besides, I'm going to college, too. And I have my inheritance. The reasons I love Louis are so much greater than his ability to take care of me financially."

She scoffed. "Well, then, have you considered that maybe he has an ulterior motive?"

I stood up and screamed, "What the hell is wrong with you?! How can you be so shallow? Not everything is about money!"

"Ashten," my father warned. "Please lower your voice."

"Thank you, dear," my mother said to my father as she took a sip of wine.

"I agree with her, Charlotte," he said. "But I still want her to show some respect to her mother."

He was right. It wouldn't do any good to turn this into a brawl. The funny thing about her accusation was that Louis actually did have an ulterior motive at the beginning. But now I knew his heart had changed.

"Mother, Louis is the best thing that's ever happened to me, and he makes me very happy." Then I remembered what Niall had said to me: you are the only person in the world who can make you happy. "Well, I'm always happy when I'm with him. He treats me very well, we laugh together, and we want the same things in life. And I want to spend my life with him."

"Richard treated you well," she said nonchalantly.

I didn't care what my father said anymore. I was done being polite to my mother.

"Richard?!" I screamed. "Richard had a mistress almost the whole time we were dating! And now he's engaged to her!"

I could tell the news shocked her. I almost didn't continue, but I wanted her to know what a horrible person he was. I could tell my father wanted to stop me from saying anymore, but I blurted it out before he could do anything.

"Richard tried to rape me, Mother! Is that what you consider treating me well?! Open your eyes for once, Mother! You have no idea how much he fucked up my life!"

I shoved past my chair, not even waiting for a reaction from either of them. I rushed outside, only to be greeted by a wave of frigid air. I sucked in a breath as it hit my bare skin, but it felt good. And then I realized...I wasn't crying. I wasn't upset about what had just taken place. I was overjoyed, practically giddy with excitement. I had just told my mother everything that was important to me, whether she wanted to hear it or not. For the first time in my life, I no longer felt powerless against her.

Because I had just taken all of her power away.

I walked back to my room, calm and happy and ready to move forward. I called Louis and my heart flipped when I heard him answer.

"Hi, Lou," I said quietly.

"Hi," he said, and I could hear the smile in his voice.

"So, I'm ready to talk. Are you still in Michigan?" I asked.

"Yeah. Til Sunday."

"Okay, well I'm going back to Boston tomorrow, so can we talk when you get back?"

"Of course," he said. "I'm looking forward to it."

"Me, too."

"Ash?" He said just before I hung up.

"Yeah?"

"I miss you."

"I miss you, too, Lou," I said. More than he could possibly understand.

Later in the evening, my father came to find me.

"Did you come to tell me that I shouldn't have yelled at her again?" I asked.

He sat down on my bed and smiled. "No. I came to tell you I'm proud of you. You're standing up for something you believe in."

I smiled in relief. "I love him so much, Daddy."

He nodded. "I know."

"I can't understand why Mom doesn't seem to know what love is. She has you, and you have to be the most wonderful man in the world. Doesn't she see how lucky she is to have you?"

I could have sworn I almost saw a blush gracing my dad's cheeks. "That is the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me," he replied, looking down at his hands.

"It's true," I insisted. "I would think she'd be happy just to have you and that money wouldn't really matter much to her."

"She loves me," he finally said. "She doesn't always show it, but I know she does. And I love her, even if she does irritate the hell out of me sometimes!"

I laughed, never having heard my father say such a thing.

"Don't tell her I said that," he laughed.

"I won't," I said, and I gave him a tight hug. "And thank you, Daddy. I'm glad you approve of Louis."

"Only the best for my little girl."