A tired smile pulls at his lips. “I asked your parents to keep him. Told them she left, and they didn’t ask a damn thing… just took him in.”
A quiet laugh leaves me. “Bet my mama’s loving that. She misses having little ones around. Always saw you as one of hers… Liam too.”
He nods. “She’s been more of a mother to me than my own.”
He finishes his second beer, and I slide another his way automatically.
“Don’t worry. I’m taking you home tonight. You’re not driving.”
“Thanks, man.”
He drinks again, and this time I catch the shine in his eyes.
“How the hell am I supposed to raise that boy on my own?”
I step closer, making sure he sees the truth in my eyes.
“Asher… I think you already are.”
He lets that sit for a moment.
“Divorced,” he mutters, like it’s a death sentence.
“Maybe one day you’ll meet someone,” I say, glancing at Lexy laughing with customers, “someone you actually love… and who’ll love Liam just as much.”
A small smile tugs at my mouth. “Love’s not that bad.”
He shakes his head. “No, man. Not for me. I’ll raise Liam, give him everything I’ve got… focus on the ranch.” His gaze drops again. “I’m not built for it.”
A quiet breath leaves me.
“Yeah… I used to think that too…”
His eyes lift. “But then…?”
I glance away from Lexy, but it’s already too late. He saw.
A slow smile spreads across his face. “Dexter Hawthorne falling for a woman. Didn’t see that coming.”
He shakes his head. “Times are changing.”
I nod once. “Yeah… they sure are.”
Asher stayed until closing, and I drove him home. He wasn’t wasted, switched to sodas after a few beers, but he needed the company.
When I step back into the bar, the quiet hits first, heavier than it should be.
I never understood why he married Leona, especially if he didn’t love her, but Asher is the kind of man who will always do what’s right, even if it costs him everything.
I exhale slowly, scrubbing a hand over my jaw before I look up.
And stop dead in my tracks.
Tinker is dancing to the music, hips swaying, head nodding as she lifts chairs and sets them onto the tables. I lean against the doorframe and watch.
She smiles at the song, mouthing the lyrics, lost in the rhythm, and there’s something weightless about her like this. Happy. Free. And I hate how much it twists something deep in my chest.
Those lips, fuck… those lips make me want to take a bite. I stay right where I am, unable to look away.
