~ASHTON~

"I'm so happy," Ariel tells me with a bright smile lighting up her entire face, her eyes sparkling in a way that used to make my heart race without effort. "I have missed this so much."

I force a smile back at her, wrapping my arm a little tighter around her shoulders as we sit on the fallen log. She leans into me, her head resting against my chest, and for a moment, the familiarity of it all washes over me—the scent of her hair, the warmth of her body pressed against mine. I ...