Chapter 11
Chapter
Eleven
AISLING
“Holy shit.” Frankie gasps from behind her chair.
“Oh my,” Norma, the older woman who is getting her weekly blowout from Frankie, exclaims.
Turning to see what all the fuss is about, my mouth drops open in shock at the sight of a delivery man walking into the salon with a giant bouquet of black roses in a cherry cola colored vase.
“Are those for you, Frankie, dear?” Norma asks.
“No, ma’am,” Frankie answers, sliding her eyes to me as she smirks. “There’s no man in my life who would be sending me flowers like that.”
“Delivery for Aisling?” the man asks as he looks around.
“Right over there.” Frankie points toward me, her smirk intensifying.
I take the roses from the man, thanking him as I stare at them in a daze.
Who would send me flowers?
“You need to keep that man, dear. And maybe tonight give him a little sugar if you catch my drift.” Norma winks at me.
Oh, my God.
I can feel my cheeks turning the color of my hair from having a woman of Norma’s age telling me to thank someone with sex.
“Who are they from?” Frankie asks as she busies herself with Norma’s hair. The nosey bitch.
I pull the card out of the holder and turn it over.
Aisling,
I know this doesn’t even begin to put a fucking dent into fixing what I’ve done. I hope these flowers bring light into your day the same way you always brought light into mine.
- Lachlan
Oh, my God.
I’m frozen in shock.
Hash sent me flowers.
And he signed his government name.
My stomach flutters as I lean in to smell them, the scent of roses filling my nostrils, a small smile toying at my lips.
I’ve never been sent flowers before.
“Aisling?” Frankie presses.
“Hash,” I answer quietly.
“Mhm,” Frankie mumbles with the same knowing smirk still in place.
I take the flowers into the back room and set them down on the counter.
There’s no denying that these flowers are gorgeous. It’s one of the most thoughtful things someone has ever done for me, but I can’t help but wonder if he’s trying to butter me up into letting him into Cormac’s life without having to prove he’s going to show up for him.
I’m either jaded as fuck from the past and am looking at this all wrong, or Hash is actually being sincere for one time in his life and isn’t trying to manipulate the situation.
It will be a cold day in hell before I let this man try to pull that shit again.
When he left last night, we didn’t make plans to see each other again. I could see that it was on the tip of his tongue, but he never spoke those words. I refuse to be the one to initiate. If he wants to prove himself, he needs to be the one to make the jump first.
I need to at least tell him thank you. I don’t want to come across as a complete cunt.
Pulling out my phone, I find his contact and shoot off a text.
Me: Thanks for the flowers.
I nibble on my fingernails, trying to decide how far I want to take this.
Fuck it.
Me: I hope you haven’t decided to block me again and you actually get the thank you.
A tiny thrill of adrenaline runs through me at how good that felt. If there’s one thing to know about me, it’s that I’m petty. I’ve had people in the past tell me it’s immature and I need to take the high road, but fuck that. Being petty makes me feel a tiny bit better about being screwed over.
My phone vibrates, Hash’s name lighting up the screen.
Hash: Keep the lip up, baby doll, and I’ll show you what it does to me.
I roll my eyes. Of course, that turns him on.
That’s one thing I loved about him when we were on — I could be my authentic self. I never felt like I had to tiptoe around my unfiltered mouth. He could take everything I dished out and give it right back to me with the same energy.
Hash: Glad you like the flowers. See you tonight.
I stare down at my phone, confused.
See you tonight?
What the fuck is he talking about?
Me: Did I miss where we made plans?
Hash: No, I just told you I’m coming over.
Oh, no.
This is not how this is going to play out. I hit call on Hash’s contact. It rings twice before his smooth, deep voice greets me.
“Hey baby doll.”
“You can’t come over tonight, Hash. I have Cormac.”
“I want to meet him. I’m not trying to take him away from you or promise him anything. I just want to meet my son.”
“Our son,” I correct, a feeling I can’t quite place coming over me at saying that out loud because until recently he’s been just mine.
“Our son,” Hash repeats, his voice lowering.
“What happened last night can’t happen in front of him.”
“Babe, people argue; it’s part of life. If a kid never sees their parents argue and work shit out, how are they going to learn themselves?”
Well, I guess that’s true, but…
“I don’t think we need to start that lesson now. He’s just a baby.”
Hash sighs through the phone. “I promise we won’t argue. If shit feels like it’s too much, I’ll leave, okay? I just want to meet him, baby doll. Please.”
It’s the baby doll that does it for me every time.
I like to think I’m not a pushover, but all he has to do is call me by my name and bat those pretty green eyes at me, and I’m done for.
“Fine. But if we even come close to arguing, you’re gone.”
“I’ll bring dinner again. Don’t forget to bring my flowers home. I want to smell them in your place. Later, babe.”
“We don’t need to have—” I get out before Hash hangs up on me.
Pulling the phone away from my ear, I look at the screen, instantly irritated. I’m getting really sick of him hanging up on me.
“Everything all good?” Frankie asks as she cleans her station from Norma.
“I don’t know.” I sigh. “I think so. He wants to come over tonight to officially meet Cormac.”
“You knew that was the next step, babe,” Frankie says, her tone light.
“I know,” I groan as I lean up against her counter and cross my arms. “I just didn’t think everything would be so boom boom boom. It’s honestly all a little suffocating.”
“And there’s the fact that you’re not ready to introduce him,” Frankie adds.
“I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready,” I admit.
I can forgive, but how do you forget?
“It’s just going to take time, babe. You’ll get there.”
I hum in agreement. Truthfully, I don’t know if I will ever fully be there.
Thankfully, the rest of the workday flew by. I only had to wax one vagina, and the rest were facials.
I think it went by so fast because I tried not to think about what’s to come tonight. I’m nervous as fuck. I just never know what to expect from him.
I see Hash’s bike already parked in front of my house with him sitting on my front porch as I pull into the driveway.
“Let’s hope this isn’t a shitshow,” I mumble to myself as I put my car in park and cut the engine.
Hash starts walking toward me as I climb out.
“I thought you said you were coming over later?” I ask, slightly annoyed that he didn’t give me a chance to get home and get settled.
“And risk you bailing on me? Not a chance, baby doll.” Hash gives me a knowing smile.
Ugh.
“Gahhh!” Cormac shouts as I open the back door and get him out of his car seat.
“I know, baby. I’ll feed you as soon as we get inside.” I kiss his cheek as I prop him up on my hip to lean over and grab the flowers.
“I got those. You handle, little man,” Hash says, reaching over me until I had no choice but to step back.
I glare at him for giving Cormac a nickname. He hasn’t earned that right yet.
“What’s wrong with you?” Hash asks as he slams the car door shut.
“Nothing,” I lie. “It’s just been a long day.”
And it has.
Even more so now that I had to endure the slow torture of this evening. I’m still trying to figure out what his long game here is, and that makes me on edge.
“Put your feet up. I can take care of this,” Hash says once we’re inside.
“I need to feed Cormac, Hash.” I roll my eyes. Not all of us have the luxury of relaxing anytime we want.
“Tell me what he eats.”
I stare at him, wondering why he’s doing this.
“Aisling, let me help, please. I’m trying,” Hash says, his voice low as he places the flowers dead center on the dining room table so they’re on display.
“I was just going to give him my leftovers from last night. He loves mashed potatoes.”
The meat and veggies are small enough for him to eat with his fingers as well.
God, I’m such a fucking pushover when it comes to him.
I watch Hash as he goes to the fridge and takes out the leftovers and heats them up, serving Cormac first. It surprises me, but it’s a pleasant surprise.
He keeps passing every little test with flying colors.
“I just put it on this tray?” Hash asks, coming over with the warmed-up food.
“Yeah,” I answer as I put the breast milk I pumped at work into the fridge.
I want to laugh because where else would you put the food, but then I realize he’s probably never been around a baby before, let alone fed one.
“He’ll play around with it. Most will probably end up on the floor, but he tries his best.”
Cormac dives in as soon as the food hits his tray, grabbing a fistful and smooshing most of it on his face, missing his mouth entirely.
“Easy, little man. You almost took my finger off.” Hash laughs, a huge smile on his face.
“What did you do today?” I ask, going to dish out the pizza he brought over.
“I said I got it,” Hash grumbles. “Sit down. You want some champagne?”
“Uh, sure,” I answer, a little flustered that he’s demanding to wait on me. I have enough milk stored to pump and dump.
“I had church today and then I fucked around on my Mustang.”
“What?”
“You asked what I did today.” Hash hands me my drink and plate before getting his and sitting down next to me.
“You have a Mustang?” I ask, trying to keep the jealousy out of my voice. I always hated that there was a whole part of Hash I didn’t know. Sometimes it felt like he was living two lives.
“Yup. A ‘67. I’m restoring it. We had an open spot in the garage today, so I brought it in. I’m almost done with it.”
“Are you restoring it to sell it?”
“Fuck no. That baby’s mine. I’ll take you for a ride in her one day.”