Chapter 3 #6
“Ma, Jesus! What the fuck!”
“Watch your mouth, Asher James.” She glares at him then looks at me. “Sorry, I thought you knew.”
“Um, no. That’s okay. I mean, we just met and we all have a past. Some of it beautiful and some ugly,” I tell her.
There are some things in my past that are ugly too.
Like the guy I was going to marry before he slept with my mother.
How much uglier can you get? Her eyes are soft and she gives me a sad smile.
“So what are you kids planning for the day?” she asks, thankfully changing the subject.
“Going home then I need to have my dad take me to get my car.” I am standing at the corner of the island. Asher pulls my hand, dragging me in between his legs. He has a hand on my hip and I look him in the eye and give him a death glare. He runs his fingers down the side of my face and smiles.
“I’m gonna give Ma the key to your car. She can have Nico or Cash bring your car home for you.
Then you need to pack up some stuff and bring it over.
I’ll be out for a while, I gotta go up to Nashville to check on the job site and make sure the fire inspector doesn’t shut us down.
I’ll give you a key so just come in and make yourself at home. ”
I know I have an ‘are you crazy’ look on my face, but he is telling me to stay the night again.
“I’m not staying here,” I tell him.
“You are staying here. Your dad works the club at night and doesn’t get home till after four in the morning.”
“I’m not! I’ll just stay with my grandma,” I tell him, even though I don’t want to stay with her. She has three cats and every time I walk into her house, my eyes get so swollen that I can’t blink.
“If you try to go to your grandma’s, I will go there and drag you back here so I suggest that you just come here and save us both the trouble.”
“Are you crazy?” I ask, thinking that I know the answer is yes. “I’m not going to stay here.”
“We’ll talk about it later.” I have a feeling that we are not going to talk about it later and that he is going to try to boss me into doing what he wants me to do.
I glare at him again and he has the nerve to laugh.
Then his mom slides some eggs and toast in front of us and then comes around the island and sits down.
I move out from between Asher’s legs and sit on the stool between him and his mom.
I turn towards her, completely dismissing him and he knows what I’m doing because he’s still chuckling. He grabs my neck and kisses me again.
“Stop doing that,” I tell him, glaring.
“Nope.” It’s all he says before letting me go and starting to eat.
“So, November, have you been to Nashville shopping?” his mom asks.
“Yeah, but only once. My grandma and I went up there to go shopping for a new computer.”
“Oh, no, honey. I mean real shopping?” she says and I start laughing.
“My grandma’s not a big shopper. We only went to Nashville once and before we left the house, she made me call the store we were going to and make sure that the stuff I needed was there and then had me put it on hold so all we had to do was walk in and pick it up.”
“That sounds like her.” She laughs. “You and I need to do a girl’s day. We’ll leave early and hit the shops then go get a mani-pedi.”
“Really?” I breathe. I went all the time with my best friend, Tia, to get mani-pedi. I would always get jealous of the girls who were there with their moms. I always wanted to do that.
“Really,” she says, touching my face. “How about Sunday?” she asks.
“Yeah, that would be great.”
“It’s a date.” She is smiling again. “I never had a daughter. I kept trying for a girl and ended up with four boys. After that, I gave up. So this is going to be a lot of fun.”
I had a mom, but my mom never asked me to go shopping with her let alone go shopping and get our nails done. Suddenly, tears start to sting my nose and she pulls me in for a hug. “I’m really looking forward to it.”
“Yeah,” I say, hugging her back.
We finish breakfast, then I let Beast outside as Asher walks his mom to her car. When he comes back in, he just looks at me and says, “Gotta make a call.”
I go to his bathroom to get ready. I put on black leggings and an oversized off-the-shoulder sweatshirt in a soft peach color.
It matches my ballet flats perfectly. Then I braid my hair to the side and it falls over my breast. I put on some blush, mascara, and lip gloss, then I finish with peach body spray.
I shove everything back into my bag and carry it with me to the living room.
When I get there, Asher isn’t there, or in the kitchen, so I look out the sliding glass door.
He is standing in the yard in a pair of worn out blue jeans, his light brown work boots, and a dark gray thermal that fits like a second skin.
Just looking at him makes my mouth go dry.
I watch as Beast comes running at him with a stick in his mouth.
Asher wrestles it away from him and throws it as Beast takes off.
He looks so beautiful, playing with my dog.
Then I remember what he said earlier. If I’m not mistaken, he is kind of my boyfriend.
With that thought, I want to do some kind of acrobatics.
..or maybe a cheer. He kissed me and introduced me to his mom.
Well, technically she just showed up, but that had to count, right?
Plus, he said this wasn’t casual even though deep down, I don’t completely trust what he was saying.
But, I’ve decided that I’m going to give him the benefit of the doubt until he proves that he doesn’t deserve it.
He must feel me watching him because he turns around and smiles at me and my breath is stuck in my lungs.
He calls Beast and they both come up the stairs at the same time and walk into the house.
Without stopping to close the sliding door, he comes right to me, picks me up and kisses me.
When he breaks away, I’m in another Asher kiss fog.
“You ready?” he asks and all I can do is nod.
He slides me down his body and kisses my nose.
My legs are jelly so I hold onto his T-shirt to keep me from falling on my face.
He smiles like he knows what he’s doing to me.
I glare at him because no girl wants a guy to think that he’s got it going on even if he does.
“Okay, babe, get your ass to the jeep.” He steps away and closes the door.
I watch him move then realize I’m just standing here watching him.
I’m finally able to break out of the fog and grab my purse and overnight bag.
I walk to the door with Beast at my side, saying over my shoulder, “Don’t tell me to get my ass in your car.
It’s rude!” Then, I open the door and walk out to his jeep. His laughter follows me.