Chapter 17
Asher
“I can’t believe that you’re going to one of Millie’s family dinners,” Cole said as we spoke on the phone a few days later. “You’re actually feeling up to that?”
I hadn’t really spoken to Cole since he’d left for his honeymoon, and I was glad to get a chance to talk.
The two of us had always been close. We’d never gone long without communicating, even if it was simply by text.
Lauren was busy looking at tours for their next destination, so Cole had some idle time.
“I think all of that damn therapy is finally kicking in, and I’m getting out more with Sierra,” I told him. “It helps.”
Cole knew that I was seeking treatment for my issues. I’d finally told him right before he’d departed on his honeymoon.
Like a good brother, he’d been really supportive.
Hell, I knew how badly he wanted me to become a real person again so I could have a normal life.
I guess if I would have watched my little brother withdraw from the world for the last several years, I would feel the same way.
Now, I had another big motivator to be normal.
I leaned back in my office chair and grinned as I thought about the last few nights with Sierra in my bed.
She got bolder every time I touched her, and I loved the fact that she felt comfortable enough with me to let her inhibitions go.
Apparently, the previous men in her life had been selfish lovers, but I had to admit that I liked being the guy who could give her new pleasures that she’d never had before.
I also got a ridiculous amount of satisfaction out of the fact that she was now moved into my bedroom. It hadn’t been incredibly difficult to move her since she had very few personal things.
I was determined to change that in the near future.
Maybe I couldn’t offer her a man who was whole and emotionally healthy right now, but money and things?
I could give her anything her heart desired, and I was more than willing to do it.
I’d already purchased her a new phone and a laptop that would help her with her business needs. She’d get them as a gift before we left for Texas.
“I’m glad it’s working for you. How’s Sierra?” Cole questioned.
“She’s living with me now,” I shared.
I quickly explained why her living arrangements had changed, as simply as possible.
“Couldn’t you just pay for a better apartment for her in Billings until she reestablishes her art career?” Cole asked.
“No,” I said flatly. “Not if I want her to sleep in my bed.”
Cole didn’t answer.
He was obviously taken aback.
I couldn’t blame him.
I was still surprised myself.
“And are you sleeping with her yet?” he finally asked. “Asher, I know your aversion to anyone touching you.”
I didn’t plan on telling him details about my sex life, but Cole and I had been tight from a very young age.
“That doesn’t seem to be an issue with Sierra,” I said drily.
“Shit!” he cursed. “I noticed the way you looked at her, but I didn’t think that kind of relationship was possible because you didn’t get physically close to anyone. So you two are together now?”
“That’s complicated,” I said slowly. “As far as I’m concerned, we are. My only hesitation is the fact that Sierra probably deserves better than a man who has my baggage. I’m not pushing for anything else right now.”
“You will,” Cole said confidently. “You might be okay for now, but you’re going to want more if she’s the one. I’m going to assume that she is since she’s the only woman you’ve been interested in for a long time, and you obviously trust her.”
“She’s done a lot for me, Cole,” I grumbled. “She’s made it a lot easier to get out in public places. I think I’m going to lose those issues altogether at some point in the near future.”
“But…you don’t know what she wants,” Cole guessed.
Fuck! I hated it when my brother could see through my bullshit.
The truth was that I wasn’t sure if she wanted anything more from our relationship right now. She’d mentioned a relationship with no strings and no promises.
“I don’t,” I admitted. “I think she needs some time. We’ve barely acknowledged the chemistry between us.
She has goals she wants to accomplish, Cole.
I think she needs to prove to herself that she’s a talented woman with a great career ahead of her.
She’s talented. Really talented. Look at her website.
All she needs to do is reestablish herself and she’ll have so much demand that she’ll be turning people down. ”
“You’ll need to find a new housekeeper,” Cole joked.
“I don’t think of her as my housekeeper anymore,” I informed him.
“She’s a woman I care about. I’ll get someone to clean.
She’s getting so many new projects that she can’t keep up both jobs anyway.
I can’t cook like she does, but I can help with the other stuff.
I’m going to have the bonus space on the main floor made into another office for her so she has a private place to work. She’s going to need it.”
“I don’t know if you realize it, brother, but you’re already planning a future with Sierra,” Cole said solemnly.
“Fuck!” I cursed at that. “I realize that, but I can’t seem to stop myself. I’m going to conquer my damn problems and offer her more someday. I guess I’ll have to hope she’s ready to accept it when the time comes.”
“Make her fall in love with you,” he suggested.
“How in the hell can I do that before I completely have my shit together?” I grumbled.
“You’re a good man, Asher,” Cole said adamantly. “Maybe you have things to work on, but that doesn’t affect the guy you are at your core. I know she can already see that. She wouldn’t be with you if she didn’t.”
“I don’t really want to hide the fact that Sierra and I are together,” I told him hoarsely.
Cole chuckled. “You want to claim her. Hell, I know that feeling.”
“To anybody and everybody who will listen,” I confessed.
“Then do it,” he advised. “You’re sleeping together. I don’t think Sierra is going to object. Hell, it might make her feel a little more secure. I get the feeling that she isn’t the type of woman to just casually sleep with someone.”
Hell, I knew that was true.
He had no idea how innocent she was, and I wasn’t about to tell him that she didn’t seem to have a lot of experience with having her body satisfied.
“Maybe,” I said noncommittally.
“What am I going to be missing at Millie’s dinner tonight?” Cole questioned.
“Pot roast, beef noodles, and biscuits,” I told him. “I’m sure there will be some kind of vegetables, and I’ve been told that she’s making a cherry cobbler.”
Cole groaned. “That’s sound good. I’ve never had Millie’s cobbler.”
“I like cherries,” I said. “I’ll eat your share.”
“You’d better grab what you want while you can get it. Kaleb, Tanner, and Devon can put away a lot of food.”
It sounded like it was going to be a lighthearted dinner, and I was actually looking forward to it.
“This is going to make Millie really happy,” Cole said in a serious tone. “She’s wanted you back in the family fold for a long time.”
I knew that, and it had always killed me to hurt my aunt’s feelings because she was such a goodhearted woman, but I hadn’t been ready to try to attend family dinners.
Until recently.
“I think our cousins are good men,” I mused.
“They are,” Cole confirmed. “All of them. I got to know them all better after Lauren and I got engaged. They can be a pain in the ass, but they mean well, and family means everything to them. If you ever needed them, they’d step up to the plate in a heartbeat.”
I’d noticed that with Reese, and she wasn’t even blood family to me. I had no doubt my male cousins would do the same. Devon had made that pretty clear when we’d seen each other at the bar.
“I think I’d like to get to the point where I’d do the same,” I admitted.
“I think you already would,” Cole said solemnly.
“I think if any of the Remingtons needed something, you’d be there.
Maybe you have some obstacles that you’re dealing with right now, but I know what kind of man you are, Asher.
You’re checking up on Millie to make sure she doesn’t need anything while I’m gone. ”
“How do you know that?” I asked.
“Are you kidding?” he questioned. “You know how close Millie is to Lauren. Millie mentioned that you check in with her almost every day to make sure she doesn’t need anything done at her ranch.”
“It’s not a big deal,” I answered. “There are some things that a woman of Millie’s age shouldn’t have to handle on her ranch. I’m just covering while you’re not around.”
Cole’s ranch was right next door to Millie’s, so he’d always checked in with her often.
“She got to you,” Cole said with a chuckle. “You’re fond of her.”
“How could I not be?” I flipped back at my brother. “She always brings food every time she stops by.”
Little by little, Millie had wormed her way into my affections.
Even when I’d been a dick to her in the beginning, she hadn’t given up on having me be part of her family.
Especially after she’d gotten close to Cole.
I’d gotten tired of resisting because it was nice to have a relative who worried about me other than my brother.
Truth was, I liked Millie, and she was my aunt.
I was becoming a little protective about her welfare even though she had three sons who already worried about her.
“She’ll mother you if you let her,” Cole said. “I’m starting to like that since I don’t really remember our mom all that well.”
“She loved us,” I said. “But I don’t remember a lot of the specific memories anymore, either.”
Cole and I had lost the one parent who had given us affection and love at a really early age.
“Maybe remembering every memory isn’t all that important,” he suggested. “Maybe it’s enough to just remember how much she loved us.”
“You’re right,” I told him. “But I’m not sure that I need another mother figure at my age.”
“I don’t think we’re ever too old to gain a parent figure who cares,” Cole said. “Besides, I think Millie likes to fuss over all of the Remingtons. It makes her feel useful.”
He was probably correct.
Millie had lost her husband years ago, and she’d had to give up her painting because of her arthritis.
She kept busy with other things, but I was pretty sure her family meant everything to her.
“She has a granddaughter now,” I reminded him.
Tanner and Hannah had added the first of a new generation of Remingtons to the family.
“That gives her a little Remington to fuss over,” Cole said with humor in his voice. “But I don’t think she’s going to start paying less attention to the rest of us.”
I smiled.
Probably not.
“Try to relax and enjoy the evening,” Cole added. “I’ve gotten to the point that I really look forward to the family dinners.”
“I’ll do my best. Enjoy the rest of your honeymoon. I’ve been checking in at your place. Your barn manager is doing well with your horses and everything’s good.”
“Appreciate that,” Cole said.
I looked at my watch. “I think I’d better go check on Sierra. We should probably leave in a few minutes.”
Cole and I said our goodbyes, and I stood to go check on my woman.