Chapter 13
Sierra
“This absolutely has to stop, Asher,” I said in a bemused voice two weeks later. “I don’t need to get a new phone. Mine still works.”
He was spoiling me ridiculously, and I needed to put my foot down.
We’d fallen into a routine.
I did my duties in the morning while Asher was in his office.
We were out of the house by lunchtime, usually on our way to Billings, although he was also starting to take me to other places in Montana that I hadn’t seen yet.
Almost every trip revolved around something he thought I needed.
One day, it was clothing.
The next, it was beauty products because I’d mentioned that I needed to pick up one small thing.
He’d filled up the cart with anything I looked at in the store.
I’d accepted a few things because it was hard to refuse when Asher wanted to get me something, but the price of the items he wanted to buy just kept increasing every single day.
I’d desperately needed some clothing because I didn’t want to wear worn-out clothing on our outings, so I’d reluctantly agreed to get a few things to wear. I’d accepted a few decent tops, a new pair of jeans, and a swimsuit so I could use Asher’s pool and hot tub.
Exasperated, I’d given in to some beauty products because I was getting out in nice public places with Asher every day.
But upgrading my phone was getting completely insane.
“You’re not even getting regular updates to that phone anymore,” Asher said calmly as we sat in a restaurant in Billings.
Oh, that was another thing…he hadn’t let me cook dinner since I’d moved into his home.
Surprisingly, Billings had a pretty diverse food scene, so we ended up eating an early dinner out every day.
Yes, I knew that eating out was good for Asher, but I felt like a major slacker.
I was only doing my housekeeping work for a few hours a day.
Spending time with Asher wasn’t work for me.
It was the most fun I’d had in a long time.
We spent our afternoons hanging out in Billings or another place that Asher thought I needed to see, and then he insisted that I work on my art projects when we got home.
We usually got in a ride, which was probably good for both us and the horses.
I’d gotten extremely fond of Sadie.
He usually spent a few hours in his office while I worked on my illustrations.
We were done by early evening, and we spent those hours at leisure.
Asher and I both loved to read, and I hadn’t made even a small dent in his massive library yet.
If we weren’t reading, we could usually find a movie or something on TV that we agreed we wanted to watch.
I really enjoyed our TV nights since I hadn’t had a TV in my apartment.
My life was nearly perfect.
Except for the fact that Asher was determined to spoil me rotten.
“My phone does what I need it to do,” I told him firmly.
Yeah, my cell was old, but I didn’t need anything fancy.
“You need a new laptop, too,” he mentioned nonchalantly as he pushed his empty plate away. “You’re getting offered more projects. The laptop you have is barely functional and it’s so slow that you’re wasting time trying to use it for business.”
I sighed.
He was right, but I could only do so much at one time.
My biggest priority was a new roof for my mother.
The leak in her roof was getting worse, and she couldn’t keep trying to clean up the water when it rained.
“I’ll deal with that as soon as I can,” I told him as I put my utensils on my empty plate.
As usual, dinner had been delicious.
We’d decided on a family restaurant with comfort food today.
He lifted a brow as he looked at me with those intense gray eyes of his. “Exactly when will that be?”
“I don’t know,” I said in a frustrated voice. “My priority is getting a new roof on my mother’s house and some other necessary repairs. Then new art supplies that I can’t keep putting off so I can do my best work. The laptop is down a few items on my list.”
I was making more money.
I wasn’t going to have to worry about the rent on my apartment.
I was being offered more projects.
But I’d put off so many things for so long that it was going to take me a very long time to catch up.
“I’ll take care of everything,” Asher said in a high-handed tone. “I’ll give you whatever you need for your mother and purchase everything you need for your business.”
“You can’t do that,” I replied in a panicked voice. “Do you have any idea what that would cost?”
“I guarantee that I’ll never miss the money,” Asher answered drily. “Did you forget that I’m a billionaire? It doesn’t matter what you need. It’s virtually impossible to bankrupt me.”
“I know that. But I don’t want to feel like I’m taking advantage, Asher. You’re already helping me so much.”
“I’d like to do a lot more,” he grumbled. “At least let me do this for you. Let me help so you can really start over. Let’s clean all of the financial stuff off your plate.”
God, I had no idea what it would feel like to not have financial pressure hanging over my head.
“It’s not that simple,” I insisted.
He leaned forward, his voice low and demanding. “It is that simple, Sierra. You’re helping me right now and I’d like to repay that favor. The one thing I have to offer you is money because I have an endless amount of it. All you have to do is agree.”
I didn’t believe I was helping him that much, but Asher was getting better.
Little by little, he was getting more comfortable being in public places.
He wanted to tackle his issues, and Asher was a stubborn guy.
Being taken out and spoiled wasn’t exactly a hardship for me, either.
Still, I desperately needed to take care of repairs for my mother, and I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to come up with that much money anytime soon.
Honestly, my pride really wasn’t more important to me than my mother’s suffering.
Asher was giving me the chance to take care of my mom without any sacrifice to himself.
Could I really turn down that kind of offer?
Probably…not.
“We’d have to work out a payment plan,” I told him.
“Not happening,” he said flatly.
Okay, I’d expected that.
“Asher, I can’t just—”
“There’s no way to put a price on the ability to live a normal life,” Asher interrupted stoically. “You’re helping me do that. Just take the damn money, Sierra. The money is nothing to me.”
To my mortification, tears filled my eyes. “I can’t say no,” I replied in a tremulous voice. “My mother is all I have, and I want her to live a comfortable life. It’s not her fault that I made mistakes.”
Asher frowned, plucked his credit card from the little book the waitress had left when he’d settled the bill, and then rose from his seat.
He held out his hand, and I was so startled that I took it.
He pulled me from my chair and led me outside.
“If you cry, it will kill me,” Asher said in a deep, harsh voice as we reached his vehicle.
“I can’t help it,” I said in a shaky voice as a tear plopped onto my cheek. “I feel so damn lucky to have you in my life. Some of this is overwhelming for me. My life has never been like this. Other than my mother, nobody has ever cared about making my life easier or happier.”
Asher was still holding my hand, and his grip tightened.
“Is that really so hard to believe?” he said in a low growl.
“You care about me in the same way. Hell, you care about everyone and you put your own happiness and well-being last. It makes me fucking insane. You need someone to take care of your needs, Sierra, because I don’t think you’ll ever do it yourself.
Take what I’m offering, because you deserve it. ”
I swiped the tear from my cheek.
“I don’t really feel deserving,” I admitted. “That’s a struggle for me. It has been for a long time.”
Asher leaned against his vehicle, wrapped a strong arm around my waist, and pulled me against his warm body.
It was a comforting embrace, but I had a really hard time not wrapping my arms around him and sobbing against his shoulder.
Some people might find Asher intimidating, but he was becoming my shelter.
He was the one person who made me feel safe.
“I think you deserve a lot more than what I’m offering,” he said huskily near my ear. “But I know you won’t accept everything I want to give you.”
“You’re offering me everything,” I whispered.
“It’s nothing to me,” he answered. “It’s all about perspective. What I’d be spending would be like pennies or pocket change to me.”
I knew he was right, but to me, it was a lot of money.
I leaned my head against his shoulder. “Okay. Help me take care of my mother. I can handle everything else eventually if I don’t have that expense. I’ll be forever grateful to you.”
“The last thing I want is your damn gratitude,” Asher said harshly.
“You’ll still have it,” I insisted, still trying to figure out some way to repay him in the future. Maybe he wouldn’t take money, but I’d figure something out. “If you ever want anything from me, all you have to do is ask.”
Slowly but surely, Asher Remington and I had become friends, and I’d do anything for him.
There was a moment of silence before he opened my car door. “Let’s go home,” he said in a hoarse voice.
I let go of his hand and slid into my seat.
I didn’t know why I knew that he’d wanted to say something but had decided not to voice those words.
I was getting to know Asher.
His likes and dislikes.
He’d shared a little about his life in Austin.
I’d learned quite a bit about him, but there were so many things that were still a mystery to me.
The trip home was quieter than normal, and for the very first time, I found the silence between the two of us a little uncomfortable.