AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Not here. And I have a shift in…” I check my watch. “Less than three fucking hours. There are a few things I need you to do for me while I’m at work,” I say, reeling them off quickly before sneaking away to see Kennedy.
I find her in a small private room alone. As I scan the corridor, I see her mom talking to one of the doctors a little way down. Knowing I don’t have long but not wanting to leave without checking on her, I slip inside.
I leave the door open slightly, so that I can hear anyone coming, not that it’ll make any difference as there’s no other exit.
Kennedy is propped up with her eyes closed. The small cut to her temple, just above her brow, has been dressed but a bruise is already forming.
“Kennedy?” I half whisper as I step up to the bedside.
“I thought you’d left?” she questions, keeping her eyes closed. And we’re back to this again.
“Not this time,” I bite back, although it’s far from what I really want to say. “I don’t have long. I need to know what happened tonight?” When she doesn’t answer and continues to lie there with her eyes shut, I say, “I know you were being followed.” That works and her eyes open as she turns my way.
“Fucking Everly,” she mumbles. “It’s no big deal. I don’t even know if they were following me.”
“They rammed you off the damn road, Kennedy. Don’t be so fucking naive.”
She glares at me, and I can hear the words before they leave her mouth. “Fuck you, Asher! Don’t talk to me about naive. Naive was believing I meant anything to you six years ago. Naive was trusting yo—”
“Hold the fuck on, trusting me?” I bark, cutting her off and forgetting where we are. “Trusting me, Kennedy, is the one thing you have always been able to do. You didn’t exactly give me a chance to prove myself though, did you?” Damn, this has gone south fast. This is not what I hand in mind when I came in here. But as always, she has a way of putting me off my game and making me crazy.
Now the glare has turned to daggers that I feel pricking at my vital organs. Needing to calm the situation, I take a deep breath and try again.
“Look, I didn’t come here to argue with you. And, yeah, I have no right to ask, but I’d like to know that you’re not in any trouble, that you’re safe, Kennedy.”
“Well, I’m fine. Thank you for tonight, but I don’t need anything from you other than for you to leave me alone.”
Before I can reply, the door opens fully and in walks Maria, coming to halt as her eyes land on me.
“Asher.”
“I just came to check on Kennedy, but I can see she’sfine. I’ll leave you both to it.”
Maria looks to Kennedy, who refuses to even look my way now, then back to me. “Thank you, Asher.”
“No need to thank me. I’m just glad she’s okay.” Stepping into the corridor, Maria’s voice stops me, and I shamelessly eavesdrop.
“Are you ever going to forgive him, Kennedy?”
“There’s nothing to forgive, Mom.”
“Really? If that’s true, then why are you pushing him away.” I don’t hear Kennedy’s response this time, but I sure hear Maria’s next words. “I know there’s more between you two, or at least there was.”
I can just picture the look on Kennedy’s face at her mom’s revelation. “I…I don’t know what you think, but your wrong,” Kennedy stutters out, completely giving it away now.
“I’m not wrong. I see the way he looks at you, and you him. You can deny it all you like but I’m your mother and know these things. Perhaps even before you do. Now…”
Maria’s words trail off as I move away from the door. I’m not surprised in the slightest. Maria is a very astute woman. And despite Kennedy being gone all this time, she still knows her daughter. What does surprise me is that she seems to be okay with the idea of me and her daughter. While I don’t shout about my conquests, I don’t exactly hide them either. It’s a small town, people talk, see things—clearly, or how else would Maria know about Kennedy and me.
I pass Jackson and Everly on their way to see Kennedy, and we chat for a couple of minutes. There’s no sign of Stu or Deputy Peters when I reach the waiting area, and I exit the hospital and head home.
ChapterTwelve
‘Ican see she’s fine’he fucking says, and what’s worse is my mom falls for his shit. But there is something in my mom’s eyes that tells me she isn’t as convinced as she is making out. As Asher leaves, I wait, counting down the seconds till she says something.
“Are you ever going to forgive him, Kennedy?” And there it is.
“There’s nothing to forgive, Mom.”
