Ashton
A sh paced the kitchen waiting for Regan to come back from town. She left a note saying that she was going to grab some groceries and be back in time to make lunch. It was after one in the afternoon, and she still wasn’t back and that scared the fuck out of him. What if she decided to bolt? Would she just leave town without her motorcycle or any of her belongings? Ash knew that he had insecurities about people leaving him but for some reason the thought of Regan walking away made him feel sick.
Ash knew that his insecurities stemmed from his mother ditching him when he was only two. After he was born his mother seemed to withdraw from everyday life. His dad told him that she suffered from postpartum depression and eventually, she just gave up and left when Ash needed her most. Even though he was just a toddler when his mom left he remembered the day so clearly. She was crying as she slipped her bag onto her shoulder, prying Ash’s little body off her own. She handed him over to his dad, turned her back on them both, and walked out the front door. His dad’s only response was, “I guess it’s just the two of us, Ash.” That was the last time his father spoke of his mother.
His dad tried to fill the void that she left but he was also busy making ends meet by bartending. Jamison’s father saw how they were struggling, and he was the one who came up with the idea for the two of them to buy the old plantation. The farm saved Ash’s life and gave his dad a purpose.
Another hour passed and Ash tried to do some chores around the house, sticking close to watch for Regan. Where the hell was she? The minutes ticked by and it was getting harder to find any work to take his mind off her. Did he have her pegged all wrong? Was she the type of person who could spend the night in bed with him and Jamison only to leave them both so easily the next day?
Luckily, Jamison had some work to do on the fences in the South pasture and left Ash alone most of the day. Jamison always seemed to know exactly what Ash needed even before he did. Maybe it was because Jamison was a few years older or maybe it was because his best friend knew him better than anyone else ever had. Ash could tell that Jamison was worried that Regan would leave for good too. The look on his face when Ash told him that Regan’s note said she’d be back at noon to make lunch, but she never returned, said it all. Jamison was just as worried about Regan but for different reasons. He seemed more concerned for Ash than for himself. Not just because he was such a great best friend but also because he never expected much from life for himself. Jamison learned never to hope for or want too much that way, he would never be disappointed. It seemed to work for him, but Ash worried that if his friend never opened his heart to anyone, he’d never find love. And wasn’t that what they were both looking for in a woman, even one that they shared?
Ash heard the pickup truck even before he saw it slowly coming up their lane. He didn’t want to run out to her truck and pull her into his body as soon as she turned off the ignition and jumped down from the cab, but he did. She looked surprised to receive such a welcome too but hell, he was so fucking happy to see her.
“What the hell, Ash? Shouldn’t you be out in the field or something?” He released her, looking her up and down as if inspecting her for injuries.
“Where the fuck have you been, Regan? You said you were going into town for groceries and would be back for lunch. That was hours ago, by the way.” Regan seemed nervous, and that was the last thing he wanted.
“I’m sorry that I wasn’t here to make you guys lunch,” she whispered. “It won’t happen again. I just got caught up in town and it took longer than I hoped. They wouldn’t let me charge the groceries on your account. I had to leave everything at the grocery store and that was humiliating.” Regan covered her face and sobbed into her hands. Ash couldn’t help himself, forgetting his anger, he wrapped his arms around her and gently kissed her forehead.
“I’m so sorry, baby. Jamison or I will call down there and send Travis back to pick everything up.” She nodded her head against his chest and a part of him wanted to march right down to that grocery store and give the manager a piece of his mind. Actually, for making Regan cry, he wanted to punch someone in the fucking face but that wouldn’t end well for any of them. He and Jamison had developed quite a reputation around town. They didn’t need any more trouble heaped onto what people already thought about them.
“I knew I should have just called it a day after what Katie said about you and Jamison. She made me feel bad enough but being turned away because they thought I was trying to steal groceries on your account, felt plain awful.” Ash felt every muscle in his body stiffen.
“Katie? What did she say, Regan?” He knew what vile things Katie liked to tell people around town about him and Jamison. They shared one night with her, and they both regretted it ever since.
“She is not a very nice person, Ash.” Yeah—he already knew what kind of person Katie was. “The things she said about you and Jamison were disgusting.” Regan shivered against him, and he tightened his hold.
“What did she say, baby?” he asked again, and Regan hesitated. He was willing to wait her out though.
She sighed, “She said I am just a notch in your bedpost in a long line of women that you hire and have sex with. She called me a whore for working for the two of you.” Regan barked out her laugh, “Hell, what kind of woman jumps into bed with not one but both of her bosses on the first day on the job?”
“That’s not how it fucking happened, and you know it, Regan,” Ash growled. “What happened between the three of us felt right, don’t let Katie ruin that for us.” Regan looked up into his eyes and he could see the conflict that today had caused her. “Katie was a mistake baby—but you weren’t. Jamison and I didn’t know what to do about the fact that we liked to share women. Hell, at first it felt plain wrong. When we shared Katie, we were just starting to figure things out.”
Regan wrapped her arms around his waist and squeezed. “What happened with your last cook?” Ahh, there it was. Katie was spreading false rumors around town again. He wanted to laugh at how petty she had become but knew that now wasn’t the right time to find the whole situation funny.
“Baby, nothing happened between us and Mrs. Lucas. She was more like a mother figure to Jamison and me. She retired a few months ago and we’ve been waiting for you ever since.” Regan laughed against him and the sound was magical.
“So, Katie wasn’t being entirely honest about your last employee? She told me that you two hired her just to have sex with her and then let her go after you were finished using her.” Ash must have made quite a face with the way Regan giggled at him.
“I can assure you we did not have sex with Mrs. Lucas.” Regan nodded her head still giggling about everything.
“What was up with that welcome home you just gave me?” Regan’s smile beamed up at him and he found himself wanting to tell her everything.
“I thought you left us. When you didn’t come back for lunch, I thought everything that happened between the three of us was just too much and you took off.”
Regan gasped, “Why would you think that Ash?”
He shrugged, trying for nonchalant. “I guess that’s what my mom did when I was about two. I’ve never really given it too much thought before, well until now. You being here with us has triggered me in some way and I’m not sure why.”
“Ash, I would never just take off, it’s not my style. If I want to leave I will tell both you and Jamison. I give you my word I won’t ghost you. That must have been terrifying being left like that when you were just a toddler.” Ash reached into the cab of the truck and retrieved her two bags. He wanted to just shrug off the whole subject, but he also wanted to open up to Regan. He felt a connection with her that he hadn’t with any other woman that they had been with.
“It wasn’t easy, especially for my dad but we made it through. After she left us Jamison and his dad were there to help us pick up the pieces. I wouldn’t be the person that I am today if it wasn’t for Jamison. He’s more than just my partner here on the farm, he’s my brother.” Regan’s easy smile was back in place as they walked into the house and back to the kitchen. He liked the way she seemed interested in him. He wasn’t used to women sticking around for too long after they spent the night with him and Jamison. Usually, the woman left early the next morning since Jamison had a rule about getting too attached. Ash couldn’t think of any other woman that they shared, knowing that she wasn’t going to be leaving the next day. He was afraid that Jamison might get a little antsy, knowing that Regan was going to be sticking around. So far, his friend seemed to be on board with keeping her around, at least it seemed that way before he found out how old Regan was.
Ash sent Regan up to relax in her room and set to work reaming out the store manager who sent Regan packing without her groceries. He sent their foreman Travis into town to retrieve the bags that Regan left behind and radioed Jamison to tell him to get his ass back to the house. They needed to figure out just what they wanted to do about keeping Regan because letting her go was becoming less of an option for him.