Page 66 of Keeping Promises

Was it all an act? Was playing house just a front to cover up him still living his playboy lifestyle?

The emotion begins to build in my chest. All the what-ifs and whys play through my mind as Lexi tries to console me.

“I spoke to Ben, and he said that she showed up with friends to the bar drunk and came over to their table and had some drinks with them.”

“How did she end up on his lap or in his room?” I cry. That female voice had to be her.

“All Ben said was that when she went to leave to join her friends again, they were gone, and Asher offered her to sleep it off in his room. He told them he was going to crash in one of their rooms.”

Phew, okay. So maybe I’m overthinking this whole thing.When my gaze connects with Lexi again, she’s nibbling on the tip of her thumb, and I can instantly tell there is something she is holding on to.

“What aren’t you saying, Lex?”

She sighs. “I don’t know about Cal, but Ben said he never made it to his room.” My eyes widen at her confession. “But that doesn’t mean anything happened, Had.”

No, he wouldn’t, he couldn’t, I tell myself over and over.

Brynn finally appears with a mug of tea in her hands. Of course, my eyes dip down to realize she grabbed the cup that Asher gave me. It says, “You’re my favorite baby mama.” Seeing that makes my heart shatter into a million pieces.Was it all a lie? Am I his favorite because maybe he has more than one?

Brynn takes a seat beside me. “Sorry it took me so long. I was talking to Cal.” She offers me the mug, but I can’t stand the thought of touching something that Asher gave me right now, so I hold my hand up to say no, thanks. She gives a soft smile and places the mug on the coffee table in front of us. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but Cal’s story matches Ben, including that he didn’t sleep in his room either. He also doesn’t think anything happened. He said it was simply platonic and that he was the one who invited her to have a drink, not Asher.”

“That doesn’t mean anything. Of course Ben is going to protect him and stand by his brother. And Cal, well, maybe he’s finally discovering the phrase ‘bros before hos.’ No offense.” She shrugs it off.

My tone is bitter, the hurt and sadness quickly transforming into anger that I fell for Asher’s act.Did I do something to push him back into his old ways, straight into another woman’s arms?I am letting my raging hormones take the lead.

“No, I don’t think that’s the case.” Lexi straightens her back, her voice the complete opposite of mine.

“Jesus, whose side are you on? What, are you going to take his side now because he’s going to be your family?”

Lexi reaches for my hand, encasing mine with both of hers. “No, I’m always onyourside.Youwill always be my family, and you know that. But I’m just saying that you haven’t heard him out.”

All the good times we’ve had, now tainted with the what-ifs. That same feeling from the night I found out I was pregnant washes over me. I’m just another notch on his belt, a conquest he took too far.

“I don’t need to. I was a fool to think he actually changed.”

“Hadley,” Brynn tries to interrupt in an attempt to calm me, but I ignore her.

“You need to hear him out because I honestly do believe that he has.” Lexi squeezes the top of my hand.

I yank my hand back from her grasp and scoff. I guess it’s better than screaming, which is what I’m doing on the inside.

I clutch my stomach.I’m so sorry, baby girl, that I picked someone just like my father to be yours. I thought I could give you a better life.My mind is swirling as if I were trapped in a car spinning on ice.

“You do remember that he is the same guy responsible for bringing dickface around that not only almost cost you your relationship but also your career, right?”

I know it’s a low blow reminding Lexi of her past, especially when she could find it in herself to forgive him. Still, in my head, I’m replaying the words I always heard my mother say as a child but never fully understood till now: “Once a bachelor, always a bachelor.” Of course, I had no clue what she meant at the time, but I assumed that she was referring to him after meeting my father. What is the difference between Colin Maxwell and Asher Harrington? I knew Asher’s past; why did I think he would change, or more importantly, why did I think I could be the one to change him?

Her jaw tenses at the mention of the memory. “Yes, I do remember that, but I also remember that he is the same Asher who has been getting his shit together and working hard to provide for his growing family. The same Asher who ran out at two in the morning because you woke up craving a strawberry banana smoothie and didn’t have the ingredients, so he went to the 24/7 bodega for supplies.Andthe same Asher who went to a bookstore to buy baby books andhasread them.”

“Don’t forget catering to your every silly bacon and Twizzlers craving,” Brynn adds.

My breathing becomes erratic. I should never have trusted him, not when I have more than myself to think about.

“I think you need to talk to him before jumping to all these conclusions,” Lexi deadpans, staring at me.

“He’s a liar. He promised.” Just like my mother always did. “And he lied.”

Lexi tilts her head to the side, pursing her lips, obviously confused by what I mean, but when she opens her mouth to speak, I cut her off.

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