“If I had told you, we wouldn’t have had our fun.”
“Then I guess I should thank you.”
She puffs up her breasts and steps closer to me, a glint of victory shining in her eyes.
How wrong her assumption is.
“Not for the fun. That was fine.” I shrug. “Something to pass the time. I should thank you because it’s what brought me to Ella. Without our affair, the board wouldn’t have forced my hand. And in . . . a twist of fate, shall we say, that forced situation brought me true happiness.”
Charlotte’s eyes narrow. “So the board gets its happily ever after story, how sweet. I’ll give you this, you’re much better at pretending now, Asher.”
I let out a humorless laugh. “I’m not pretending, and this isn’t a story for the fucking board. The PR contract was terminated, or didn’t your husband divulge that to you with hispillow talk?I am with Ella because I want to be and because she’s the only woman who’s ever made me happy. The only womanworthy of being the future Mrs. Langford. Good night, Charlotte. Have the life you deserve.”
I brush past her shocked face and head straight for Ella. I’ve pledged my money, and I’ve made my appearance. I had to force my way through a conversation with Charlotte. I’m done. I just want to get Ella home and in our bed so that I can worship her like the future Mrs. Langford she is.
“Hey, you, what’s wrong?” Ella asks as I march up to her. She’s getting good at reading me; she can clearly see the tension I feel after my conversation with Charlotte.
I tug her to me and surprise her with a kiss. Declan chuckles beside us and my mom clears her throat after a moment.
“We’re in public, Asher,” my mom reminds me under her breath.
“I don’t give a fuck,” I mumble as I reluctantly pull away from Ella’s lips. It’s probably becoming unhealthy, but I feel like Ella is the only thing that grounds me anymore. She’s the only person and place that truly makes me feel at ease. I need her like a drug, and I have no intention of getting clean. “We’re leaving.”
“There’s still two hours left,” my mom admonishes.
“Asher needs some downtime,” Ella says, curling up to my side. “I’d better get him home before he starts a riot.”
My mom sighs. “You’re probably right. Goodnight, darling.” She gives me a peck on my cheek. “And goodnight, Ella.”
We say the rest of our quick goodbyes as we make our way outside. The relief I feel when we’re in the car is palpable. I don’t like being exposed like this with Yegor on the loose and with the wildcard of Sergei. His feelings toward me must be beyond volatile. His son is dead, his daughter was publicly humiliated, he was brought in by the NYPD and questioned about Alan’s murder, and his company is failing by the minute. It’s only a matter of time before he strikes back.
But I want to forget about all of that tonight. I want to get Ella home and just spend time with her. I want to pretend we’re normal for one goddamn minute.
“Do you picture yourself having kids?” I blurt out to Ella just after the car pulls away from the event. “I know I’ve mentioned it, but we haven’t actually talked about it.”
She flashes me a quizzical look and a half smile as she buckles her seatbelt. “What’s brought on that question?”
I take her hand in mine. “Because I’m curious what our future looks like.”
“And . . . you want to have kids with me?” Her voice is low and cautious.
“Of course I do—if you’re willing. I sure as fuck don’t want to have them with anyone else.”
She bites her lip, hiding a smile. “Yes, I want to have kids. I can’t say how many, though. I don’t think I’ll know that until I start having them. You seem even more upset than you were earlier, is everything okay, Asher?”
“I just ran into Charlotte Edwards, and it got me thinking.” Ella seems to curl in on herself. “Not anything like that. Stop thinking so little of yourself.” I lift her hand to my lips and give it a little chastising nip, then a kiss. I hate that she immediately assumes that my seeing Charlotte means I want anything to do with her.
“There’s no other woman on this planet, or any other, who holds any interest for me. You’re it, Ella. But seeing Charlotte got me thinking that I’m happy to leave my old life behind. For the first time, I’m excited for the next chapter. For marriage, children, all of it. I’m not trying to rush you, I know this is a lot to throw at you, and we’ll take things as fast or as slow as you want. I just want . . . more. I want all the things, and I want them with you.”
Ella’s lower lip trembles. “I want that too,” she whispers.
I lean in to kiss her, but before I can, the car swerves sharply, and I’m thrown back in my seat.
“What the fuck was that?” I demand of Andrew.
Robert, Jenkins, Flores, and Wilkins all shift to alert, looking out the windows.
“We have a tail,” Andrew says. “Fuck,” he curses a second later. “We have three tails.”
