CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Kaia
Isat in bed, staring at the red heart Ash had sent twenty minutes ago. He said he was okay if I was—but I wasn’t.
Sharon and I had been on our way to the studio when Dad called her. She’d answered on speaker, and it was too late to hide the words: Asher beat up another racer. Ever since, I hadn’t been able to stop worrying.
Asher had never lost his temper with me. Violence wasn’t him. What had pushed him that far?
The silence since then hadn’t helped. I tossed my phone aside and got up. If nobody would tell me, I’d find out myself—even if it meant lying to make his mother talk.
As I stepped into the dark hallway, Dad’s voice carried from his office. I crept closer and stopped at the slightly open door. Sharon sat in front of his desk while he paced behind it.
“So, what do they want?” she asked.
“Guess we’ll know on Monday.” My father halted. “God, this mess is the last thing I needed.”
She pressed her hands to her temples. “Do you think Asher’s in serious trouble?”
Dad scoffed. “Of course he is. He broke Ethan’s ribs and gave him a concussion.
He’s lucky Ethan’s a good guy who didn’t want the police involved.
” He circled his desk and dropped into his chair.
“I thought Asher had grown up, but I was wrong. He still goes looking for trouble, still acts on impulse.”
Heat flared through my veins. Asher didn’t look for trouble—he wasn’t violent. Not with me. He would never risk his career by hitting his teammate for nothing. Ethan must’ve done something.
“Guess it’s my fault,” Sharon said. “I should’ve made sure he talked to someone after Sergio died.”
Or maybe her son had needed his mother. But she’d never admit that, just like my father never did.
Dad huffed, shoving a stack of papers aside.
A few pages slid to the floor, but he didn’t pick them up.
“Don’t blame yourself. I found the best therapist for Kaia, and it’s like I did nothing.
Asher’s twenty-one—old enough to control his temper.
You can’t excuse his actions with his father’s death forever. ”
She rubbed her forehead. “You’re right, honey.”
You’re right, honey? My chest cinched. How could she make assumptions without even talking to Asher? What if Ethan provoked him?
Sharon stood and pushed her chair in. “I’ll go get ready for bed. Don’t stay up late.”
“All right.” Dad’s eyes stayed on his screen. “I’ll be with you in a few.”
As she moved toward the door, I darted down the hall to their bedroom. She slowed when she spotted me. “Kaia. What’s wrong?”
I should’ve stayed quiet, but the words burned on my tongue.
I wrapped my arms around myself, shivering despite my hoodie and sweats.
“You’re his mother. You should know he’d never hurt anyone for no reason.
When his dad died, he didn’t need therapy.
He needed you. Instead, you dragged him to a country he hated to live with people he didn’t know.
And now you’d rather believe someone whose idea of caring about their child is forcing her to see a therapist she doesn’t trust.”
Sharon stared at me, as if she couldn’t believe I’d dared to call her out, but she recovered quickly.
“Life isn’t always so black and white, Kaia.
I know my son better than you do. What Asher did is, unfortunately, very much like him.
I only hope his reckless actions don’t cost him his future. Good night.”
She patted my forearm and brushed past. When her door shut behind her, I slipped back to my room.
A stack of textbooks glared from the nightstand. I couldn’t focus, but I grabbed my math book anyway and headed downstairs. Better to try reading than sit there unraveling while I waited for Asher to come home.
***
Asher parked his bike in the driveway around midnight. He froze when he spotted me on the porch steps. “Kaia?”
In a few strides, he was in front of me. “What the hell are you doing up? You’ve got an exam tomorrow.”
A bruise spread across his cheek, ugly and swollen. My eyes burned. Was he serious? What else could I have been doing except worrying myself sick?
“I’ve been waiting for you.” The words scraped out. “We need to talk. In the backyard.”
I led him to the bench by the fountain and sat. Asher stayed standing, arms crossed. “What happened?”
“What happened?” I flung the textbook aside. “Have you looked at your face?”
He shrugged. “It’s nothing. I’m sure Ethan’s looks like a Picasso. Well fucking deserved.”
“Why did you do it, Ash?” My voice dropped to a whisper. “You’re not a violent guy. So why?”
“Maybe I am.” His frown cut deep as he turned to the bare trees. “I told you to go to bed. Your exam matters a million times more than me. So please, go to bed. I’m fine, see?” He opened his arms as if to prove it, casual enough to make me want to scream.
I’d never seen him like this. Cold. Detached.
“Not until you tell me why you hit him.”
His gaze fell to his sneakers. “I’m hot-tempered. A law maker.”
Lies. He was neither.
“Stop it.” My fists clenched as I shot to my feet. “If you don’t tell me the truth, I’ll ask Ethan myself.”
His head snapped up, his eyes so dark they pulled me under. “No, you won’t.” He stepped closer until our sneakers touched. “Promise me you won’t. I don’t want you near him. Ever.”
“Then tell me why.”
He groaned, raking both hands through his hair. “Kaia, please.” His voice cracked, his armor slipping.
“Please, what?” I pushed. “Can’t you see I worry? You said you were fine, but you’re not. I don’t care what our parents think. You’re not my father, so stop treating me like a kid and tell me the truth. Why did you beat him up?”
“Because he disrespected you!” Asher’s voice snapped like a whip. “And he deserved every punch. If you’re looking for regret, sorry to disappoint. I don’t have any.”
“Disrespected me?”
He nodded once. “Yeah. So please, go to bed now.”
I’d only seen Ethan twice, and both times he’d been a jerk. Whatever he said about me must’ve been vile.
My insides iced over. Asher cared too much about racing to risk sanctions—and now he would, because of me. Sharon had said the fight could cost him his future. What the hell had he been thinking?
“Why, Ash? What if they sanction you? Screw what he said about me. This is your career. The season just started. Why risk everything?”
His jaw tightened, chest rising like he couldn’t hold the words back. “Because I love you!”
The world stopped. My heart missed, stumbled, then thundered as heat crashed into the cold that had hollowed me out. The most infuriating guy in the world had just said… he loved me?
His expression softened, raw edges stripped away.
“Don’t look at me like that. I love you.
You’re under my skin so deep no one could ever pull you out, peque.
And when you love someone, you defend them.
Ask me anything, and it’s yours. Just don’t ever ask me to do nothing when someone hurts you.
I don’t care that you weren’t there—he deserved what he got. ”
“I love you too.” The words broke out, ragged with a sob. I’d carried them for so long I almost couldn’t believe I finally got to set them free.
Asher cupped my face, thumbs stroking across my cheeks as if to anchor me. “And I’m the luckiest because of that.”
I kissed him, tentative at first, but his answering heat burned away every doubt. His tongue teased mine, his hand sliding to the small of my back, tugging me closer until I melted against him. He hummed when I deepened the kiss, and it vibrated straight through me.
When he finally pulled away, his voice gentled. “You need sleep, mi nina.” He brushed a strand of hair from my face. “Your test is important. I don’t want you scoring low because of me.”
If I did, it wouldn’t be because of him. Still, I grabbed my textbook and nodded. “Okay.”
“Go in first,” Asher said. “In case someone’s up.”
One last glance, one last breathless beat, and I stepped inside with my heart so full it nearly spilled over.
He loved me.
***
“How did it go?” my classmate Jill asked outside school the next day. I only shrugged.
“Aw. Don’t worry. You can retake it.”
She was right, but it wasn’t my first try. Her father wouldn’t lose his shit if she scored low. Mine would.
The language part hadn’t been catastrophic, but math wrecked me.
It was like the months I’d spent hunched over textbooks had vanished.
Lack of sleep hadn’t helped. Neither had worrying about Asher.
He was racing this weekend, but what if his head wasn’t in it?
What if he crashed? He’d left before I woke, wished me luck by text, but I hadn’t heard his voice and had no idea how he really felt.
“Thanks,” I told Jill. “I’ll definitely retake it. At least now I know I need to study harder.”
She chuckled. “It’s never too much practice, right? Don’t stress. Hey, need a ride? My parents will be here in five.”
I scanned the lot. Sharon’s car was already waiting. “No, thanks. My father’s girlfriend’s here.”
“Cool. It’ll be fine—you’ll see.”
We said goodbye, and I slid into the passenger seat. Sharon gave me a conspiratorial smile. “So, should we go celebrate? I’m sure you aced it.”
She seemed to have erased last night from memory. I hadn’t. And failures weren’t cause for celebration. I shook my head, wincing. “I’ve got a bad headache. I’d rather nap.”
She started the car. “Oh. Okay, then. Your dad will meet me at the mall after the race. You sure you don’t want to come?”
“Positive.” Going to the mall only to hear my father tear into me before even seeing the results? No, thanks. He always expected me to fail—this time, he’d be right.
Sharon didn’t try to fill the ride with chatter, and she didn’t object when I said I was going to lie down. I drew the curtains and slipped under the duvet, praying my brain would finally shut off.
A few hours later, the familiar scent and strong arms pulling me against a hard chest woke me.
“Ash.” I tried to sit up, but he held me tighter.
“Don’t move. I want to stay like this.”
I turned to face him. “How was the race?”
“Good. I was first.” He kissed my forehead. “How was the test?”
“Congratulations, peque. The test was shitty.”
He squeezed my waist. “Language.”
“Una mierda.”
Asher laughed. “Much better. I missed you. And I’m sorry the test sucked. I should’ve helped more.”
I buried my face in his chest. “No. You’ve got too much to deal with.”
His hand slid under my hoodie, warm palm drawing circles on my skin that made me tingle. “Your father should’ve hired a tutor. There’s nothing wrong with getting help. You’ve studied every day since I came here.”
“It’s okay,” I murmured. “I’ll study harder. I just wanted to make Mom proud.”
“She already is.” He brushed his thumb along my cheek. “Look at your desk.”
A stunning bouquet of red roses sat in a vase. I slid off the bed and leaned closer. The tiny card read For the smartest girl I know—in Asher’s handwriting.
“I love them.” I buried my nose in the petals, inhaling their sweetness. “Thank you, Ash.”
His soft footsteps followed. He wrapped his arms around me from behind, lips brushing my neck. “I’m sorry about yesterday. I was a mess. I didn’t want you worrying, and I hated that you stayed up waiting when you needed rest.”
I turned in his embrace. “No, Ash. You don’t have to—”
“I do.” His thumb traced my bottom lip. “I’m sorry being with me is so complicated. I’d take you to Spain if I could and fuck them all. The team, Ethan, everyone. I just want us to have a goddamn break.”
I kissed his thumb. “Me too.”
Our parents’ voices rose downstairs. Ash groaned, letting me go. “Guess I need to leave. Don’t worry about anything, peque. I love you.”
He brushed a quick kiss over my lips and strode to the door.
“Ash,” I called as his hand closed on the handle.
“Yeah?”
“I love you too,” I said. “And I don’t mind complicated.”