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The Ashfords were full of love. They didn’t judge others. They watched over each other. Once they considered someone family, they were their allies for life.
I caught Reed’s gaze. He watched me with Elic and Rich. I saw the way his eyes got misty before he looked away. There was so much in those hazel depths. Reed didn’t need to speak for me to know how he felt. I could easily read him. And right now, he was waiting for me to run like I always did when we got home. Little did he know, I was staying with him for the foreseeable future.
4
REED
Casper was sleeping in my house. Not because we had a night in the studio and were exhausted. No, he was asleep down the hall because he refused to leave. I tried to get him to go. I told him we didn’t need his help and he should get back on the bus.
Did that work?
Hell no.
Casper did as he’d always done—whatever he wanted.
In the end, I sighed and turned away from him. Having him here was fucking with my head and my heart. I was used to him avoiding me for at least a week after we got home. Elic changed that. Casper thought Elic was an enormous threat or some shit.
For a brief second, I wondered if Casper was using Elic as an excuse to stay close to me. The reality was, he didn’t need an excuse. The farm was his home as much as it was mine. We still had rooms in the main house, even though we hadn’t slept in them in years. So, Casper stayed here, not because of how much he wanted to be near me. He was down the hall to keep an eye on me.
What I had to do was keep reminding myself I couldn’t get wrapped up in him. He was here until he knew Elic was safe, then he’d be on his way, right?
“Fuck,” I muttered low.
The curtains were still drawn, though the sun peeked in around the edges. Tapping my phone on the nightstand, I saw it was eight thirty. I should get out of bed. I hadn’t heard Elic get up yet. Hopefully, he had a good night’s sleep. If anyone needed it, it was him. Mom said Aunt Nora would be by this morning to check Elic’s foot. Just the thought of how long he’d been in pain had tears springing to my eyes. When was the last time he’d had a hot meal or shower? When had he last felt safe?
I rose and went to my dresser for a pair of sweatpants and a comfortable T-shirt, pocketing my phone once I was dressed. I wasn’t a guy who liked high end-labels or cared about what I wore unless I was on stage. At home, comfort was key. If I went to the restaurant my family owned to play or to a family dinner at the main house, I’d throw on shorts or jeans, depending on the time of year.
It was early May, and we were getting decent weather here in eastern Pennsylvania. The city of Dremest was north of Philadelphia, giving it access to major highways. The farm was about twenty minutes north of Dremest, where there was more land, no city bullshit, and a lot less noise. Well, except for the cows on the farm. They got loud sometimes. Luckily, my house was far enough away they didn’t bother me.
When I opened the curtains, I saw my aunt’s dark blue BMW sedan coming down the driveway. I ran my fingers through my hair quickly and left the room to wake Elic. Only, I didn’t have to. His door was open and there was no one inside. How did he get up without me hearing him? I was usually a light sleeper. Farther down the hall I saw Casper's door was open too. Wow, I must have been dead to the world last night.
It wasn’t surprising, given how after we showered and ate the meal Mom had made, we each headed to our rooms. It was lights out for me within minutes. Usually, I’d toss and turn, missing the pair of arms that held me close for months. Maybe it was because he was in my home and not in his penthouse. I also wasn’t on the verge of a depressive episode from missing him, which helped. With Casper here, my mood didn’t plummet like normal.
That had me pausing at the top of the stairs. So, all I needed to do was have him in my home and I’d sleep hard? No, that couldn’t be right. Or was it that my mind was focusing on someone else? Elic was here, and I had to make sure he was all right.
I descended the stairs in time for my aunt to knock on the door. I opened it before Casper could get there.
“Reed.” She grinned when she saw me.
Aunt Nora was my dad’s sister. Her light brown hair had zero gray, unlike his. I knew she dyed it. Sometimes we’d get our hair done together at the same salon. She had the same brown eyes as him, ones I didn’t inherit. I got mine from my mom. Not Casper’s mom, though I considered her mine too.
“Thanks for coming,” I said and stepped forward to hug her.
Nora stood five inches shorter than me, and I swore she smelled like sunshine. She was the kind of doctor a patient would want at their bedside. She was calm, always in control, and was one of the friendliest people out there. “I hear I have a patient to evaluate.”
“Yeah, he’s here somewhere. I just got up.”
She gripped my chin gently to tip my face toward hers, giving me her assessing gaze. “You need more sleep, but you’ll get that. Are you feeling okay? No drugs or heavy drinking?”
I had to resist rolling my eyes. “You know I don’t do that.”
“I do, but things change, Reed. It’s stressful on you two being on the road so much. That takes its toll on your body.” She didn’t need to bring up the few years Casper drank more than he ate. That coincided with the years I wasn’t letting him anywhere near my body.
“I’m all right. I promise.” My mind might be a mess, but my body was good.
“Call me if anything changes. I expect both you and Cas in the office soon for a checkup.” She didn’t do our physicals. She had another doctor in the practice who handled them for us.
“Of course.”
