“She’s your aunt,” I reminded him. “I knew she’d eventually get to you. She has a way of wearing people down. She cares, Asher. I’m not sure why, but she does.”
“I moved back here to find some peace,” Asher grunted.
“You’ll get your peace most of the time,” I told him with a grin. “It’s not like she stops by every day, and she usually brings food. If I don’t hear from her for a while, I actually stop by her place. Our cousins adore their mother, but I’m not sure that Millie always tells them when she needs something done.”
Asher shot me a questioning glance. “Does she need some stuff done? I could probably find some time to help you if she does.”
I hid my grin this time because I knew Asher was completely sincere in his offer.
He might not be willing to initiate contact with the family, but I had to wonder if he realized that he was making it clear that he’d be there if Millie really needed him.
Honestly, I’d never doubted it for a minute.
Asher might be antisocial, but he was always loyal and dependable.
The Remingtonswerefamily to him, even though he didn’t want to admit it.
I shook my head, almost feeling guilty because I’d pushed him to admit that Millie was getting to him. “She’s good. Her arthritis is bothering her, but nothing needs fixing there right now. I’ll just stop there when I get a chance and ask her about Mom.”
“Are you ever planning on telling me what’s eating at you today?” Asher asked.
“I was an asshole to Lauren,” I answered simply.
Asher shrugged. “Apologize.”
“It’s not quite that simple,” I informed him.
“It doesn’t have to be complicated, Cole. You like each other, and the chemistry is obviously there. You can offer her things that no other man ever could.”
“I’m an emotionally vacant asshole, Asher,” I reminded him drily. “I don’t think all the material things in the world can make up for that.”
“You’re not emotionally vacant,” my brother argued. “You’re cautious. I’ve never seen you like this with a woman before, Cole. I’m afraid that if you screw this up, you’re going to regret it.”
I snorted. “I think I already do.”
“Then do what we’ve always done,” Asher advised. “Give it your best shot. If it doesn’t work after that, then at least you gave it your all. She’s worth it, right?”
“Fuck!” I cursed as I slammed my fist down on the breakfast bar in frustration. “She deserves better.”
Asher shot me an assessing look. “Does she? What happens if she doesn’t get something better? What if she ends up with a real asshole who couldn’t care less about her happiness? She might be an economics genius, but is she really worldly? You and I both know what kind of assholes are out there. You mightnot always have the words or the romance, but I think you give a shit about what happens to her. I definitely can’t say that about guys like Todd Massey.”
Just the thought of that bastard or someone like him laying a finger on Lauren made the hair stand up on the back of my neck.
“Are you trying to piss me off right now?” I asked Asher in an annoyed voice.
“Maybe. Or maybe I’m trying to make you see some sense.”
“It’s not like you to actually push me toward a relationship,” I grumbled.
“Probably because I’ve never seen you this hung up on a woman before,” he pointed out. “I’m also trying to make you realize that there are a lot worse men out there than somebody who just wants her to be happy. That doesn’t sound like an emotionally vacant guy to me.”
Fucking hell!
Asher knew exactly what he was doing, and it was working.
I was seriously considering whether or not Lauren would be better off being withme.
What if she did end up with a smooth-talking asshole who didn’t care about her?
