Page 50 of Trusting You

I swallow a sigh. “Like I told my sister a few hours ago, totally and completely fine.”

“You saw Astor? I wonder if Ben knows she was in the area.”

“Don’t remind me.” I shake the bottle, heading back over and handing it to Lily, who accepts it with grabby hands.

“Fuck, she’s cute,” Asher says.

“Don’t swear.”

“Right. Sorry.”

I’m about to sit by Ash, but since there’s no room on the couch with him on it, I drag a chair over from my table and sit.

“I’m still trying to accept the idea you’re a dad.”

“Join the club, man.” I wish I had a beer in hand so I could guzzle the cool liquid for something to do. But I made a promise to Lily when I signed an affidavit saying I wanted her. I’d become the dad she deserves.

“Which is why I’m worried about you.”

“Ah.” I lean back in my chair. “Finally, the reason why you’ve dropped by.”

“Look, I know it’s an adjustment. Hell, I wouldn’t be adjusting near as well. I think you’d still be finding me at the bottom of a bourbon barrel.”

“Get to the point, Ash.”

Ash rests his elbows on his knees and gives me the serious eye. He’s not one to be grave, but when he wants to, his dark blue eyes, framed by the multiple tattoos on his neck, arms, and chest, create a sinister effect. “Figuring out how to raise a kid is difficult enough. But now you have a girl living with you, someone you don’t really know but who’s obsessed with Lily.”

I scoff. “Obsessed? Dude, she raised her for the first nine months of her life.”

“What’s stopping her from kidnapping Lily and taking her to a country with no extradition?”

My brows jump. “Money, for one.”

“Maybe she’s staying with you to steal your savings and then go.”

I point in the general direction of the hallway. “Remember seeing all that shit out there? Is that the sign of a woman making plans to steal from me?”

Ash falls back against the couch and crosses his arms. “You don’t know her.”

“I don’t know a lot of women I get involved with.”

“So you admit you’re getting involved with her?”

“Oh, come on.” I’m close to standing and walking off the static energy Ash has caused. “She was Lily’s second parent for almost a year, then suddenly, after losing Paige, she’s told she no longer has rights to the kid. I felt sorry for her, okay? You didn’t see the way she was saying good-bye to Lily. What man am I for deliberately ripping a child away from the only other person they’ve ever known? Not to mention,” I add when Ash opens his mouth, “I have no idea about Lily’s habits, her wants, needs. Carter’s been essential in helping out with that.”

“You’re giving her too much credit.”

“This is stupid.” I stand and pick Lily up. She drops the empty bottle with a clatter. “I’m putting her down for a nap. Whether you’re here or not when I come out, I don’t give a shit.”

“Don’t be like that, Locke.”

I pause near Lily’s door. “You come into my home, questioning my decisions, questioning how I’m choosing to raise my kid, Ash. How do you expect me to react?”

“I’m watching your back.”

“No, you’re waiting for me to fuck up, just like you always do.”

“Not fair. And don’t swear in front of the baby.”

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