Page 28 of Suddenly Single

Asher blushed. He always did when I mentioned money. “I’m not asking for expensive gifts, or trips. What I want is to feel valued and loved. Hell, you could give me a handwritten love letter and that would mean more to me than any material possessions you could buy.”

“Oh.” I sighed. “Do you feel like I don’t love you, because if that’s the case, you’re so wrong. I value you and our relationship more than anything else in the world.”

“If that’s the case, why did you abandon me so easily?” Asher let go of my hand, and blood raced up my neck. How dare he think I was at fault for the sad state of our marriage. Cracker’s advice came to me, so I closed my eyes and began taking deep breaths. “What are you doing?”

Calm washed through me, so I opened my eyes and smiled. “Calming myself. First, it took a lot to get me upset enough to leave you. Second, our original marriage not being real was neither of our faults.” God, I couldn’t believe I saw it so clearly now. “I overreacted without thinking everything through, and for that, I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry too.” Asher murmured. “Mom told me not to tell you about the marriage fiasco, and like an idiot, I obeyed her.”

“Marjorie?” My eyebrows shot up, and Asher nodded. Then I realized Asher wasn’t the only one who’d taken terrible advice. “My mother told me the same thing.” I scratched my chin. “Why didn't they want us to work through this problem with honesty?”

“We are talking about our mothers.” Asher chuckled. “Mom always views problems through the lens of the law. She said that my assets were better protected if I didn’t tell you our marriage wasn’t legal.”

“Really?” My eyes rolled. “I’m kind of disappointed in her. But then, my mother wasn’t any better. She didn’t want me to lose the money and status of being a Yates. Mom is such a snob.”

“I’m not surprised.” Asher stated. “Our families are insane. All they think about is money.” Asher’s face darkened. “You didn’t marry me for my…”

“No, oh God, no.” I picked up his hand and brought it to my lips. “I would’ve fallen in love with you regardless of your wealth. Or perhaps, maybe not?”

Asher’s face lost all color.

“Wait, don’t get upset. Let me explain.” I kissed his hand, and he snatched it away. “Asher, you wouldn’t be the man you are if you hadn’t grown up a Yates, with all the prestige and money. Life experiences mold us, shape us into the men we are. For example, if you hadn’t been rich, you probably wouldn’t have gone to UVA and become one of the best lawyers in the state. Face it, sweetie. If you’d been born into a poor family, you might still have become a lawyer, but do you truly believe you’d be a full partner in the state’s biggest law firm at thirty-two? Without the privilege you were born with, you would have a very different life.”

Asher’s shoulders relaxed. “I guess you’ve got a point. So would you have loved me if I’d been a construction worker, or a cop? I could have been a firefighter, or…”

“Darling, if you say an Indian or a cowboy next, I’ll know you secretly want to be a member of the Village People.” I bit my lip to keep from laughing at my silly joke.

“And that’s one of the reasons I love you so much. The wittiest man alive, and the sexiest.” Asher stood up, then sat next to me on my side of the booth. “With all my heart, I love you, Carter. Maybe we shouldn’t listen to our families so much.”

“Most of them are certifiable.” I murmured, unable to take my eyes off of him.

“What’s that old statistic?” Asher put his arm over my shoulders. “I think it’s one out of every four people has a mental illness. Take a close look at your friends and family, and if they’re all normal, look in the mirror.”

“Honey, everyone we know is loony.” I giggled, “Including us.”

“Gentlemen, the kitchen is about to close. Would you care for anything else?” The server asked, breaking the cozy spell that had fallen over us. We were the only people left in the restaurant.

“No, thank you.” I replied. “Check please.”

“I don’t want the night to end just yet.” Asher said when we left L’Opossum. “The river’s only a couple of blocks from here. I want to see it with you in the moonlight.”

I held my hand out, and he took it. “You can see the river from our backyard, but if you insist.” I grinned, and we strolled down China Street. “The moon is full, and there’s not a cloud in the sky.”

“It’s gorgeous.” Asher remarked, and it was. Neither of us said a word until we came along a little park overlooking the river. There was a tiny yellow gazebo in the center, and I led us to it. “I love the reflection of the moon on the water.”

“Me too.” Asher put his arm around my waist and I melted into him. His woodsy scent filled my nose, and I turned and held him in my arms. “I’ve missed this, Carter. Just holding you makes all of my problems seem a million miles away.”

“I don’t want to fight anymore.” My voice sounded thick, and a tear slid down the side of my nose. Asher gripped me tight against him, then he lifted my face with his finger under my chin. He swiped my tears away with his thumb. “It’s been awful. I can’t sleep or concentrate on anything. We can’t let this ever happen again.”

“No baby, we can’t.” Asher kissed my forehead, then my cheeks. “I need to kiss you, Carter.”

“You never have to ask.” I swallowed, then tilted my head up. “Please, kiss me like you mean it, Asher.”

His lips hovered over mine for a long moment, and Asher’s blue eyes twinkled.

“Please, what are you waiting for?”

Asher’s lips brushed over mine, and I trembled in his arms, then he tightened his grip on me, and his warm, wet lips crashed into mine. I groaned, and my knees felt weak. Asher’s tongue dipped into my mouth, and our noses bumped into each other’s. I loved the scrape of his five-o’clock shadow on the skin around my lips. His warm hands spread across the back of my neck, then his fingers gripped my hair and the kiss deepened further. Asher was the love of my life, an undeniable fact made even more real by the way my heart pounded in my chest. Nothing or no one had ever made me feel so passionate, so loved.

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