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Asher
I’m bringing breakfast for Lyric. Hope that’s okay?
If not…it’s okay…just wanted to see her this morning before school…
I can stop by…say hi, and then leave…
Fuck, I sound like a stalker…
Stalker. I squeeze my eyes shut, blowing out a big breath. He doesn’t know what he’s saying. They don’t even know I’ve been dealing with this for so damn long. When will I tell them? When it escalates too much? My skin crawls, begging me to scratch through it and relieve the persistent itch just out of reach.
What the fuck am I supposed to say? Stay the fuck away? You ruined my damn life? Fuck you, Asher Montgomery? I should say all those things and more. But I can’t. Asher isn’t stepping into my life for me. He’s here for Ly and genuinely putting forth the effort like a good father should.
I’m so damn torn. He’s the cause of all my problems. The man who put everything in motion. I hate him. But yet, I don’t. Not really. Why can’t I? Because I get it. His reasoning, that is. But it doesn’t excuse his behavior. Not one bit.
They left me behind because he was a coward. And now, he’s putting forth actual effort toward forgiveness.
My damn head throbs as I make my way out of the bedroom. Coffee, small whispers, and food greet my senses. Coffee. I need all the damn coffee in the world to make it through today like nothing happened last night. Or maybe it’s time to reveal to the boys what’s been going on. It’s not just my safety that’s at stake. It’s Ly’s and theirs, too. That maniac has only ramped up since they’ve come into the picture. Who knows what he’ll do to them?
Fuckkk. My head pounds even harder. Why is being an adult so damn hard?
Me
Breakfast is fine. But we aren’t home right now… Maybe in an hour? We can meet you there.
Asher
An hour is perfect…gives me time to make some stops… And coffee? Your usual?
My cheeks heat. Fuck. He’d really go to creepy Nathan, the ever-smiling barista with a knack for staring at me with lust-filled eyes, all for my perfect cup of coffee?
ME
If you insist.
Like fuck am I going to stop him. If this is Asher’s way of buttering me up in hopes of a sliver of forgiveness. Then so be it. But let it be known; I’m not persuaded by coffee, enticing words, or damn tattoos… Nope. I need something concrete to cling to before I even think about forgiving them for their transgressions. If I ever do.
Asher
Are…you guys okay?
I lick my lips, silently going through the list of shit they did to me and convincing myself that I shouldn’t fall for their traps again. Nope. Never will I jump headfirst into the deep end named Whispered Words. Not gonna happen.
Liar.
ME
I’ve been better…
Looks like we’re having a talk later, after all. Fuck being an adult.
Huffing a breath, I waltz down the stairs and into the sparse kitchen filled to the brim with children and half-naked men.
“Oh God, my eyes,” I hiss, playfully covering them as Kaycee snickers in her seat. “Put some clothes on!”
“Shut it,” Seger quips, rubbing at his stomach when I finally open my eyes. “You’re in our domain. And in this house, we don’t wear shirts.”
This isn’t the first or last time I’ve seen my brothers and their husband-in-laws—as Chase makes me say—half naked. It’s always in the morning when I’ve stayed over after drinking just a little too much wine on girls' nights. Sometimes, like before, they happily drive me home. Or Liv and I crash in the bedroom upstairs.
