She could see that Slate was on the Naval base, and even what building he was in.
A goofy smile crossed her face. She clicked her phone off and put it in the drink holder next to her. She didn’t need to look at a map to get to the first ten or so houses on her list. She’d been to all of them enough times to know the routes by heart.
By the time Ashlyn finished with her deliveries and got back to Food For All, she was tired, but also a little giddy about seeing Slate later. Her thoughts were filled with the fun they’d have this evening, so when she walked into the building, she wasn’t expecting to be ambushed by Kenna, Monica, and Carly. Lexie was also there, trying to hide a smirk. Elodie was the only one missing.
“Giiiiirl!” Kenna said as soon as Ashlyn walked into the main room at the front of the building.
Ashlyn shook her head. “I guess you all heard?”
“Heard that you and the last man standing finally hooked up? Hell yes, we heard!” Kenna said enthusiastically.
“That’s really great, Ash,” Carly said a little more sedately.
“Happy for you,” Monica added. Little by little, the most quiet woman among them was coming out of her shell. Monica would never be the kind of person to enjoy being the center of attention, but at least with their group of friends, she was opening up more.
“Thanks, guys. I’m pretty happy too,” Ashlyn said.
“You looked pretty chummy at Monica and Pid’s wedding out at Kualoa Ranch,” Kenna said. “Are you sure you weren’t already…” Her words trailed off as she bumped her fists together suggestively.
Ashlyn rolled her eyes. “Good Lord, what are you, twelve? And no, Slate and I weren’t having sex back then. Honestly, even though he annoys me sometimes—”
“Sometimes?” Lexie interrupted.
“Right, fine, even though he annoys me a lot, he’s also funny, and I like hanging out with him. Of course, it’s not like we had much of a choice. As a group, we hang out all the time, and the rest of the guys are spoken for,” Ashlyn said, winking at Carly, the last woman to fall for one of the SEALs. She and Jag hadn’t gotten together until fairly recently, but everyone knew he’d had his eye on the pretty waitress for a long time. “It was kind of inevitable,” she finished.
“I think it’s great!” Kenna exclaimed. “Can you imagine if Slate brought someone into our inner circle who was a bitch?”
“You did hear that we’re just dating casually though, right?” Ashlyn asked before everyone could get all excited about the possibility of another future wedding. They were neck deep in planning Carly and Jag’s ceremony, which would take place at Duke’s restaurant down in Waikiki, and she wouldn’t put it past her friends to try to plan a double ceremony or something.
“What does that mean, exactly?” Carly asked.
“Just that we aren’t in love with each other,” Ashlyn said.
“Yet,” Lexie muttered under her breath.
Ashlyn ignored her. “We just like hanging out. We’re doing what millions of other couples do around the world…getting to know each other better, enjoying spending time together, and taking things one day at a time.”
“So, you can see other men, and he can see other women?” Monica asked.
Ashlyn shrugged. “I guess.”
“You guess? You haven’t talked about it?” Kenna asked in bewilderment.
“Guys, it’s been like two-point-three seconds since he asked me out for the first time,” she insisted.
“Kenna’s got a good point though. Knowing if you’re exclusive or not is important,” Monica said.
“Right? What if he fucks some random chick, then comes to your place for seconds?” Carly asked.
Ashlyn pressed her lips together in agitation. “Slate’s not like that.”
“I know,” Carly said. “I was just trying to create a scenario.”
“Would it bother you if he was dating someone else at the same time he was seeing you?” Monica asked.
Ashlyn tried not to get irritated at her friends. They were just looking out for her…but it was still kind of annoying. What part of “casual” didn’t they understand?
“And what if you meet someone you like? I’m guessing he wouldn’t he happy to know you were with someone else at the same time you were with him,” Kenna added.
“Look, it’s a moot point. I’m not seeing anyone else. Neither is Slate. Jeez, neither of us has time to even meet people. Most weekends we’re hanging out with you guys and his team. And it’s not like guys were knocking down my door to ask me out before now, anyway. We’ll figure that out if it becomes an issue,” Ashlyn said.
“We’re just trying to protect you,” Lexie said softly.
“I know, and I appreciate it. But I’m good. Slate’s good. I’m excited about this, about not having the pressure of wondering if he’s ‘the one’ and if he wants to have kids and all that stuff. We’re just being chill about things right now—and I need you guys to be that way too.”
“We are.”
“We will be.”
“No problem.”
Ashlyn was relieved at her friends’ immediate support.
“When are you seeing him again?” Carly asked.
“Well, we had plans to go out to dinner on Friday, but when he called this morning, he asked if he could come over tonight.”
“Oooooh,” Kenna purred.
Ashlyn rolled her eyes. “And before anyone asks, yes, we’ve had sex. Yes, it was amazing. Yes, I had multiple orgasms. And yes, we’ll do it again tonight. Anything else you want to know?”
Everyone burst into laughter.
“I think that about covers it,” Kenna said, still chuckling.
“Can we change the subject and start talking about someone else now?” Ashlyn asked. “Carly, what’s the latest with your ceremony?”
Thankfully, her friends were content to let her off the hook and started talking about Carly’s wedding. They’d finally nailed down a date, two and a half months from now. It was a little sooner than Carly wanted, but since they were at the mercy of the schedule at Duke’s and when they could rent out the entire restaurant for a few hours, they couldn’t be picky.
Ashlyn had a feeling Jag probably thought two and a half months wasn’t nearly soon enough, but she didn’t say anything.
Lexie and Midas were the only ones not already married or actively planning a wedding. Neither was in a rush to tie the knot or have children, though Lexie admitted to Ashlyn recently that Midas had added her to his life insurance, so she’d be taken care of in case anything happened to him.
The thought of any of the guys being hurt struck fear in Ashlyn’s heart. She’d gotten to know them all very well over the last year, and it would be devastating to everyone in their circle if someone was killed.
After half an hour or so, she discreetly looked at her watch. At least she’d thought she was subtle about it. Lexie came over and hooked her arm with Ashlyn’s. “I can finish things up here. Go home.”
“But—” Ashlyn started.
“Nope. I got it,” Lexie told her firmly. “You want to get home and get ready for Slate. I can tell.”