Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 68743 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 344(@200wpm)___ 275(@250wpm)___ 229(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68743 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 344(@200wpm)___ 275(@250wpm)___ 229(@300wpm)
“I think that’s our cue,” Michael said. “We’ll talk in the morning, son,” he said, his gaze on Asher.
Asher nodded back, the lump in his throat huge. “Serenity, I’m really–”
She touched his shoulder. “It’s fine. We’re fine.”
Michael took her hand and led her in the direction the others had gone.
Asher shook his head. Jesus. How the hell had that come out of his mouth? He heard their footsteps on the stairs.
Obviously so did Nikki as she turned to him, confusion in her eyes. “What did I interrupt?”
He let out a groan, knowing he had no choice but to explain. The truth would hurt her feelings, but it wasn’t like she didn’t already know he thought their age difference was an issue.
He reached for her hand and she placed her palm in his. “Come on. I’ll explain.”
Chapter Nine
Nikki didn’t like the look on Asher’s face or the sudden change in atmosphere. Something she’d noticed when she’d squashed her excitement over Harrison’s offer long enough to pay attention. This family was close. The chill in the room told her something had shaken them.
Nikki glanced at Lucky and patted her thigh. The dog rose to his feet and followed her as Asher led her to his room. Curiosity warred with concern.
He shut and locked the doors behind them. “Why don’t you sit?” He gestured to the bed and she hopped on, wanting answers. Lucky took that as an invitation and jumped up beside her. He walked to the edge of the mattress, stretched out, and watched the humans.
Asher didn’t say a word about the dog on his bed. That, along with the cloudiness in his eyes, had her stomach churning. “What’s going on?” she asked.
“Everything was fine. We were sitting around and talking, and my father said he liked you.”
She tilted her head, confused. “That’s a good thing, yes?”
Asher nodded. “It should have been but that wasn’t all he said.”
Her stomach twisted into a knot, and she drew her knees to her chest. “Was it the photos? Am I too much of an embarrassment?”
“No! That wasn’t it.” Asher stepped over and settled on the other side of the bed, causing the mattress to dip beside her. “He said he liked you but he also asked if you were too young for me.”
She swallowed hard. “I see.” So his father had reinforced an issue Asher already had about them. “And you agreed?” Her fingers curled into the material of the comforter, waiting for his reply.
Asher’s tension didn’t help. His jaw was tight, a muscle twitching there. “Actually, I snapped back that it was a hypocritical thing for him to say… considering I was the one who remembered the kids in school making fun of me because my father was fucking the nanny.”
“Oh God.” Nikki slapped a palm over her open mouth.
Asher dipped his head and groaned. “I know. Believe me, I know. It was a shitty thing to say.” He glanced up, a flush covering his cheekbones. “The words just came out, and I apologized to Serenity immediately.”
Nikki touched his shoulder. Not knowing what to say, she waited for him to go on.
“It’s just, you and I had been talking, and we’d admitted a lot of painful things. I think the suppressed hurt I’d never dealt with was waiting at the surface, ready to be triggered. And my father’s question did it.”
She blew out a long breath, gathering her thoughts. Her goal was to help him, not make him feel worse. “That makes sense and I’m sure it’ll all get smoothed over.” Serenity had already reassured him, and his father had said they’d talk tomorrow. “Are you okay?” Nikki asked.
He lifted his shoulders in a slight shrug. “I’m sure it’ll blow over like you said. I’ll be fine.”
Which brought them to the bigger issue for them. “Is my age still a problem for you?” She waited, praying for him to contradict her.
How could she hope for a chance in the future if he was still stuck on that point? And she needed that hope no matter what she’d verbally agreed to.
He closed his eyes for a brief moment, long enough to answer the question.
She turned to leave, sliding her legs off her side of the bed, but he grasped her wrist, stopping her. “Don’t go.”
She didn’t spin back to face him. Heart in her throat, she waited to hear what he had to say.
“There are different ways to look at it,” he said in a gruff voice. “On the one hand, you’re smart and know your own mind. On the other, at twenty-one, you’ve just begun to explore who you are, and I don’t want to get in the way of you being able to do that. God knows I’m not the same person I was at your age.”
At least he was thoughtful about the facts. And he’d acknowledged she could make her own choices.