Page 34 of Keeping Promises

His laughter sends a spark through my veins, igniting my heart to beat faster.

* * *

I sit back in the booth. I am so full, but I couldn’t stop eating. I inhaled my entire burger before Asher even finished three-quarters of his. I couldn’t help it—he was right, this is the best burger around.

“So, what are your parents like? Have you told them about the baby?” Asher asks, wiping his mouth with his napkin.

My back stiffens, and a sense of worry washes over me. Are we going to have this conversation now? Well, I guess no time like the present. It used to bother me talking about my parents, but it got better in time. But now, it’s a different feeling because I can’t help but wonder what life would have been like had I had two loving parents and I told them the news.

“My mom died when I was younger, and my dad was never in the picture.” I leave out that I had once sought him out and the shitshow that was. I figure this is a heavy enough topic of discussion without that bonus.

“Oh, shit. I’m sorry. I knew your parents weren’t around growing up, but I didn’t know—wow, I feel like an asshole.”

I reach across the table and place my hand on his. “It’s okay. My Grams raised me. I didn’t grow up the lavish lifestyle that Brynn and Cal did or know what it was like to be loved unconditionally by at least one parent like Lexi.” Sometimes I felt a certain jealously toward my friends’ upbringings, but I never expressed that to them. They all had their own struggles. “She did the best she could. I know she sacrificed a lot for me, and I’m forever grateful. She died when I was in college, so it’s just me. I mean, Lexi and Brynn and even Cal became my family after that.”

Something passes between Asher and me in this moment—a somberness coating the mood of the table. Asher and I share our bond of loss. I know that Asher’s parents died when he was younger, and Ben, just like my Grams, did what he had to, to keep Asher out of the system. Both Grams and Ben are their own breed of people. I wish people were as selfless as them.

I go to open my mouth to ask if Asher is okay when the waitress returns.

“Everything okay?” she asks, and I smile, nodding.

“Yup.” Asher’s voice is terse, as if he’s putting his walls up, blocking me out instead of encasing us together as a team. “We’ll take the check.”

She drops the ticket on the table, and we both reach for it at the same time.

“I’ve got it,” he offers.

“No, I asked you to hang out, so let me get it.”

He places his hand over mine and gives a squeeze. “Let me do this for my baby mama. It’s my duty to help with the cravings and all. Be at your beck and call.” His tone goes from serious to teasing, so I join in the fun.

“Ooo, like my own personal butler. I could get down with that.”

His eyes narrow as he slides his credit card into the folder and holds it up for the waitress. She quickly returns and takes it with a smile.

“Now, let’s not get ahead of ourselves there, Kincaid.” He winks, and I draw my bottom lip between my teeth.

“Thank you,” I say once we’re outside.

“Hadley, I said it was no big deal—”

I cut him off. “No, for tonight. For this.” Before I realize what I’m doing, I’m wrapping my arm around Asher’s waist in the middle of the sidewalk. He freezes for a moment, caught off guard by my assault. He finally relaxes and wraps his arms around me. He trails his fingers up and down my back, and I start to get butterflies in my stomach, or maybe it’s the heartburn already making an appearance.

I’m having trouble disguising my labored breathing the longer we stand in each other’s arms.

“What was that for?” Asher looks down, still keeping me in his embrace.

“I thought you needed a hug after that serious talk, and this is my sorry excuse for a thank-you.” My eyes drop to his full lips, and I wonder what he would do if I pressed up on my toes and kissed him. Would it be wrong to ask him to come home so we can relive last night’s dry humping session, maybe this time with fewer clothes?

Okay, seriously, what is wrong with me?I need to figure out a way to get my hormones under control, or I’m going to lose my mind. But he did say that he was at my beck and call; maybe orgasms fall under the “all” category.

I pull back from his embrace, needing to put a distance between us before I say those four words that changed everything for us—come home with me.

Instead, I decide it’s time to call it a night. “Well, I should go.” I walk toward the curb and raise my hand to hail a taxi. I can sense him hot on my heels, but he remains silent. In a matter of moments, one slows down in front of us. “Thanks again.” I turn and lift up on my toes and press my lips to his cheek. “Good night, Asher.” I don’t give him a chance to respond and just climb into the cab and close the door. Once the driver has my address and we pull off the curb, I sink in the seat, covering my face in my hands to keep from looking back.Way to may it awkward, Had.I seem to be making it a habit of running away from Asher Harrington.

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