Aspen was his, and he’d go toe-to-toe with anyone about her. Family included.
“Aspen, did you hear me?”
Looking up from her phone, Aspen tugged at her bottom lip from Mahari’s intense glare. They were sitting in the girls’ room, looking at different paint colors so the painters could get started. Aspen had been torn between doing pink or purple with the pastel yellow, and Mahari was trying to help her.
Lance had her distracted.
For over a week, he’d been texting her nonstop, pleading his love for her. While Aspen hadn’t responded, she couldn’t act as if he wasn’t slowly wearing her down. She wanted to hear him out. Each day, he’d asked her to meet with him so they could talk about everything. Aspen felt an explanation was owed to her. The way Lance moved during the last year or so of theirrelationship didn’t sit well with her. She needed clarification and closure.
“I’m sorry.” Aspen locked her phone and set it to the side. “What did you say?”
Mahari raised a brow. “Who has you distracted?”
“Oh, it was something about work. I let my boss know I’d be going on maternity leave soon, and she was fine with it.”
The half lie slipped through Aspen’s lips so slyly. Before she read Lance’s text, she did reach out to her boss, so it wasn’t a flat-out lie. Still, she couldn’t shake the guilt. Slowly, Mahari ran his tongue over his top teeth while studying Aspen. To get the heat off herself, Aspen stood up and observed the sample colors on the wall.
“I’m thinking the purple. What do you think?”
“Well, if you were listening earlier, you would’ve heard me suggest all three. You can have yellow incorporated in the pink and purple. I think that’ll look good.”
“That is a good idea. It’ll bring a pop to the room.”
“Exactly.” Mahari wrapped his arms around Aspen’s waist and kissed her temple. “What’s been on your mind, Bunny?”
“Why you ask that?”
“I know you. You get a little distant when you’re deep in your thoughts, and you’ve been like this for some time now. I’ve been trying to wait it out and let you tell me on your own, but it’s been bothering me.”
Tilting her head back to rest on Mahari’s shoulder, Aspen deeply inhaled a breath. She wanted to be honest with Mahari about Lance. It had never been easy keeping anything from him because he knew her so well. Telling him the truth meant her conscience would be clear, and Mahari could help her navigate everything.
“It’s Lance,” she blurted before she lost the courage. Behind her, she felt Mahari’s body stiffen. Her heart dropped, feelingMahari free her. Aspen turned on her heels to see him walk over to the window. “Mahari.”
“What about Lance?”
“He’s been texting me, asking for us to talk.”
“And you want to, huh?”
Aspen didn’t miss the hint of pain and disbelief in Mahari’s tone. He side-eyed her, waiting for her to answer. Making her way over to him, Aspen grabbed Mahari’s hand. The sweatiness of his palms was a clear indicator he was trying to hold it together, but Aspen knew he was nervous about her answer.
Truthfully, she answered, “I do. I feel like he owes me an explanation on everything. I need closure.”
“I can’t say you don’t because you do, but . . .”
“But what?”
Mahari finally faced Aspen, and she wanted to wither from the pain in his eyes. It was as if she’d snatched the joy from his body, exposing her to his insecurities. A knot formed in the pit of her abdomen when Mahari cupped her chin, kissed her lips, and walked away without uttering a word.
“Mahari,” Aspen called out, voice cracking. Never had he walked away from her like that. Usually, they could talk things out, but Aspen was seeing a different side of him. He stopped in his tracks but didn’t turn around. “Where are you going?”
“I’m leaving, Aspen.”
“Why?”
“From what you just told me, you have some things you need to sort out, and I don’t want to stand in your way.”
It felt like Aspen was floating with how quickly she wobbled over to Mahari. The thought of him leaving made her nauseous. She palmed the side of his face and swayed her head. “You’re not in my way. You’re by my side, right?”
