“If she didn’t insist I go after heading up the family business we would have been together all these years, Bex.”
As much as it hurt me to think about it, I had to grant Aston some peace. “Shoulda, coulda, woulda. We’re here now. You need to do right by your kids. My mom did her best until she died, but you already know that.”
“I did, but right now, this ... it just means more work for me. More to tackle. I have to get out from under these charges. I want to make this work with you. I need to protect the kids. Denise will help, but ... this is all on me. My dad is a piece of shit. Nan is busy. My mom is gone, and Cass is helpless.”
“Look, go now. And we’ll worry about all the rest in the morning.”
“Denise said for me to stay. She knows how much this night means to us. The kids are tired, and she’s going to put them back to bed at my house.”
“Are you sure? I’m not going to be mad,” I said, and it was the truth. Worried, yes. Mad, no.
“I’m staying,” he said. “I’ll text Denise, and then let’s take a warm shower and sleep. I need this few hours of calm before I tackle the rest.”
He tapped at his phone while I rubbed his back, and then I took his hand in mine and led the way to the bathroom.
Bexley
Afew days had passed since our sleepover date night that started out full of promise and ended with tension. Since then, I’d busied myself with work and near constant worry over Aston. He’d texted that the witness he procured was going to speak up in court in two days at a preliminary trial.
This whole thing was surreal—with deep pockets, Aston was still walking around a free man and tackling full custody with his kids. I had no clue what type of alternate universe I’d entered, but it wasn’t one I’d grown up in.
Especially when my phone rang, and I swipedACCEPT CALL.
“Mom!”
Piper had called from some unknown number—lucky for her, I’d picked up. Call it a sixth sense, or one of my hunches, but I knew it was important.
“Mom! Are you there?”
“Piper, calm down, what’s wrong?” I tried to steady my voice. Her shrieking was freaking me out, but I had to be the strong one.
“I’m stuck in the Italian restaurant in the Village Shopping Center. Come get me, please. Hurry.”
“What? Why? What happened, Piper?” I shrugged off my robe, letting it fall to the floor, and stood stark naked in my closet as I grabbed clothes. “Piper? Are you there? What happened? Why are you stuck? Where’s your dad? Aston?”
A million questions ran through my head at lightning speed.
Aston had taken Piper for a daddy/daughter date, trying to give her some individual attention despite being pulled in a million different directions. I’d planned to take a hot bath and relax.
Aston wanted to get to know her, look out for his other kids, be kind to Tyler, deal with Cass, exonerate himself, and care for me at the same time. He’d murmured something about me doing some self-care while kissing me, his tongue teasing mine. There were promises about him sneaking into my bed later, with a piece of tiramisu and a crème brûlée, about feeding me and licking whipped cream off of me.
Christ, I need to concentrate on what’s happening.
“Dad’s gone. Aston, I mean. Mom, hurry! The police were here.”
“What?” I shrieked.
Shaking, I put the phone on speaker and shoved my legs into a pair of jeans, forgetting underwear, and tossed on an old bra and a ratty white T-shirt. My flip-flops were on my feet before Piper spoke again.
“He ... he ... I mean, we were eating. Aston and me. Everything was great. He’s so nice, the best. Then his dad, Peter, you know who I mean? Aston’s dad came up to our table and stared me down. Marched right over ...”
“Take a breath, Piper. I’m coming.” Unsure how I could ask her to do something like breathe when I couldn’t, I grabbed my purse.
“He said all these mean things, Peter did. Then I remembered you told me he’s not nice, so I tried to ignore him. But then he said something about Dad—I mean Aston, not Seth, okay? He said Dad better get rid of some evidence he recently found, or—”
“I’m coming, baby,” I told her, turning on the car, grateful that Tyler was at Seth’s place.
“Mom, he saidor he would get rid of me. Peter said that. What does that mean? Mom, are you there? He wants to get rid of me. I didn’t do anything. And what does that mean?”
