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He sighs and moves away letting me into the building. I walk to the living room and my eyes roam over the empty beer bottles and the trash lying around.
“I like what you’ve done with the place,” I say sarcastically.
Asher crosses his arms over his bare chest. “Are you here to give me a lesson on neatness?”
I shake my head. “I’ll call someone to help you clean this place up.”
“I don’t need you to do that for me. I’m not a damn child,” he says through gritted teeth.
“Calm down, Asher. I didn’t come here to fight,” I tell him as I push away a bottle of beer from the sofa and take a seat.
“Do you even care about her?” he asks and I look up at him.
“I do,” I reply firmly. “I care about her a lot. And although I hate having to hurt you like this, I just can’t let her go, Ash.”
He lets out a breath and some of the tension goes out of his posture. “That’s good, then. Juliette deserves so much more than being used for sex. She deserves everything.”
“I know,” I say on a nod. “I’ll do my best to take care of her.”
Asher falls silent for a beat and I raise an eyebrow, waiting for him to talk. “I’m sorry I punched you.”
That makes me smile. “It’s alright. Your puny arms didn’t even leave a bruise.”
Fortunately. It would have being a pain showing up at that meeting in France with a bruise.
He rolls his eyes before settling down beside me. “I guess it’s a good thing she ended up with you. You’re ten times the man I am.”
“Don’t belittle yourself like that,” I tell him.
“It’s fine. We both know how immature I can be. I run from my problems and I’ve been leeching off you for so long.”
“You aren’t leeching off me.”
“I am. And I know you want to take care of me because of my mom, but I’m an adult now. I can take care of myself.”
I watch as he grabs his wallet from the table and pulls out his credit card.
“Here,” he says, handing it to me.
I raise an eyebrow. “You don’t have to, Asher.”
“I actually do. I can’t be a man if I have to depend on you for everything. I’m going to make something of myself. I’ll get a job and I’ll be okay on my own.”
My mouth curves into a smile. “You’re all grown up, Asher Blake.”
“Yeah and it’s all thanks to you,” he says with a nod of acknowledgment. “I’m keeping the condo, though. I need a place to live. Oh, and my car, as well.”
I grin. “They’re yours, man.”
“Thanks.”
He looks away and I slap his shoulder affectionately. “Your mom would be so proud of you.”
* * *
“What are you thinking about, Juliette?”I ask my girlfriend.
We’re currently at a gym in the neighborhood with the kids. It took a lot of convincing before Juliette agreed to come in the first place. According to her, exercising is not her forte, but I’m determined to change that. There’s no one else here which I expected considering it’s a Sunday morning. I wanted to come here with her alone but Mason and Madison wouldn’t take no for an answer.
