“Not my fault you have pretty eyes.” Crap, I wasn’t supposed to say that.
“Oh?” Jasper paused in retelling how Noah had taken charge the last time I went to the coffee shop.
I waved a hand weekly in the air. Could he forget I said that?
“I’m flattered, honey. But my eyes can’t save you from the madness of our get togethers. Noah was more than you could handle.”
“Noah is more than anyone can handle.” Asher huffed. “Just saying. But I love him and can’t see life without him.”
“And Beckett?”
“Great for the both of us,” Asher was slow to say. “Still gets on my nerves, too. But in a different way.”
That caused Jasper to laugh, his sound echoing around the diner.
“Oh, hush.” But Asher didn’t seem too bothered, as he pulled me closer to him. “I should get back to work, though.”
“I didn’t mean for you to take so long. We stole you.”
“Koda stole me.” It was spoken fondly. “It’s a slow afternoon, so it’s okay. And it’s not often I leave the bar area.”
“You're safe zone.”
I squinted up at Asher, coming face to face with him. I noticed a small scar on the bottom of his chin.
“No one can touch me behind the bar. I hate men who get handsy, but I like working here most of the time. My men come by and see me on the busy nights, and to keep an eye on things.”
Sweet, I thought, but couldn’t get the word out.
“I’ll text you later?”
I nodded, but otherwise didn’t move.
“We’ll get together soon. After Christmas?”
“Text me and we’ll work it out,” Jasper took charge.
“And you’re sure you aren’t his daddy?”
“I thought Noah was the one to push such boundaries?” Asher hummed beforeJasper went on. “No. We are just friends. He’s…eighteen.”
“Seven years younger than you.”
“Friends. I have a…well ex-girlfriend.”
“See…. perfect match.”
No. We weren’t. My crush was…well not returned. Even in my sleepy mind, I knew Jasper would never see me that way. Even if I really liked his eyes and wanted to trace his tattoos.
“Alright,” Jasper moved, the leather squeaking as he did so. “Come on, sweetheart. Let’s get you home.”
It took a bit of work to get my legs and body to follow Jasper’s helping hand. When I was finally standing, Asher stood in front of me, cupping my face in his hands. It took a lot of effort to keep my eyes open and on him.
“You are stronger than you know. Keep being brave, Koda. You can win the war against the demons in your head.”
Chapter 36
The tears didn’t exactly stop, not even when I forced a few bites of warmed up chicken down. No amount of bribing was going to get me to eat more than that. All I wanted was to crawl into bed and sleep for the next three days.
