Return of the bad boy, p.17
Return of the Bad Boy, page 17
Fuck if he cared. Being in the spotlight since forever meant some people didn’t like him and some people did and there wasn’t a lot anyone could do to change their minds.
Which was why it perplexed him so much when he tipped Jack Daniel’s into a glass and held up the bottle in offering. “Whiskey?”
Landon met his eyes through a pair of sunglasses, mouth a flat line. “Sure.”
Well. This should be fun. Asher handed Landon the glass and then poured himself a double.
They each took seats on the upper deck, overlooking the water. Gloria was smiling at something Kimber said, her hands around Hawk. Seeing her helping him splash around in the water made Asher smile. And here he’d been worried about her wanting to meet him.
“She’s a natural with kids,” Landon commented, sipping his drink. He was squinting, his cheeks drawn up under his sunglasses. He wasn’t smiling, and Ash wasn’t sure if it was the drink he disapproved of or the company. Until Landon added, “You ain’t so bad yourself.”
Asher’s brows lifted. He hadn’t expected a compliment—especially one that casual—to exit Landon’s mouth. The guy was serious all the time.
“Yeah. Takes practice.” Practice that wasn’t easy to get with Jordan fighting him every step of the way. His lawyer wanted to draw up papers, but before Asher dropped those in her lap, he wanted to see if they could work out things amicably. Maybe with Emily involved, they’d be able to.
“Takes being there.”
Oh, here we go.
“Yeah.” Asher drank his whiskey and waited for a lecture. A lecture he wasn’t going to sit here and take. He didn’t owe Mr. Millionaire Ad Exec any explanation for—
“How’s the album going?”
Stunned again, he blinked over at Landon, who had stopped watching the water to look in Asher’s direction, brows up.
“It’s…uh…it’s fine. It’s good. It’s going.”
Landon chuckled. “Fine, good, and going. Sounds like my last campaign. Fucking Cheese Bitz redesign. Almost killed me.” He held up his hand and pointed out a shallow mark. “See that scar? Got that in the pitch meeting.”
In spite of himself, Asher laughed. Maybe he’d had this guy wrong. Landon, though the oldest and the most buttoned-up Downey, was still a Downey. And if he was ten percent of who Evan was, Ash should expect to like him.
“Creative process is a wily beast,” Landon said, lifting his drink again.
“I’ll drink to that,” Asher said, then did.
“Sometimes the ideas flow smoothly and other times you can’t figure out how to put one thought after the next.”
“Or one note after the next,” Asher said. “I have one song that’s working, but the band and I are butting heads on the rest. I don’t know. Maybe we’re sick of each other. We’ve been together a lot of years. Except for Broderick.”
“The new guy,” Landon said with a nod. He must not have missed Asher’s shocked expression. “I know my Knight Time. ‘Ballin’ by Summer’ is my favorite song.”
“Unchained” he would have expected. It was his biggest, most popular song. But “Ballin’ by Summer” was a song off their third album and hadn’t gotten any radio play.
“You’re blowing the idea of you being a stiff suit out of the water,” Ash admitted with a shake of his head.
“Yeah, well, you blew the one of you being a shallow dick out of the water, too.” It was a compliment and Asher took it as one.
“Thanks.”
Landon sat up in his chair. “Gloria tell you she’s a foster kid?”
That was a segue if he’d ever heard one.
“Sure.” In so many words. “I don’t think it’s a secret.”
“It’s not,” Landon stated simply. “Her mom was a drug addict. Heroin, mostly. Gloria was taken out of the house when she was sixteen. She never graduated high school.”
Asher shifted in his chair. He’d known about the high school thing because he’d asked. She’d attained a GED and then taken some business classes in college, only to become an agent and excel, first working for someone else, then for herself. But then, Gloria was a badass, so it didn’t surprise Asher that she excelled even with a stacked deck.
“She told Kimber to break things off with me when Kimber was pregnant.”
It was such a personal statement that Asher felt a sharp prick of shock at the confession. “Bet she’s not your favorite person.”
Landon shook his head. “Wrong. She’s pretty close to the top of my list.”
She was at the very top of Asher’s. Though right now, Hawk was vying for space and winning. Frankly, he’d like them both at the top. He could handle them both.
“I’m trying to figure out how to ask you your intentions without sounding like her father,” Landon admitted with a quirk of his lips.
“Too late.”
“She’s Kimber’s best friend, so I look out for her.”
Damn. Asher liked that. Liked that Gloria had people who were looking out for her. A thought sparked and before he could decide if he was being opportunistic or just smart, he said, “There’s a music agent nosing around her lately. He’s interested in a partnership with her back in Chicago.”
Landon grunted, brows lifting. He hadn’t known.
Asher debated asking, then figured what the hell and asked anyway. “Think she’ll move back?”
“Have you given her a reason not to?” Landon let the question hang, sipping his whiskey.
“A few.” They hadn’t breached that topic specifically. He was planning on returning to LA, so it wasn’t like he could ask Gloria to hang out here waiting for him when he came back every so often.
“Maybe give her a few more.” Landon finished his drink and rested the glass on the deck.
Asher did the same, then stood up and looked over the railing. Gloria was holding on to the straps of Hawk’s life jacket, letting him kick and splash but not letting him go too far. He liked the look of her with his son way too much.
She tilted her head back and blew him a kiss.
“That’s what I like!” he called down to her.
“Yeah? Come and get it.”
“You got it, Sarge.”
Her mouth dropped in surprise, but he saw the spark of admiration there, too. She should have expected it. He’d never turned down that offer from her yet and wasn’t starting now.
“Going over,” he informed Landon, but Landon was already pulling his T-shirt off.
“Race you to the bottom.” Landon put a foot on the railing.
Asher tugged his shirt off next and the two of them climbed over the railing and threw themselves over. He came up for air to find Landon already slicing through the water to Kimber.
“You lost,” Evan pointed out.
“Depends,” Asher said as he cut through the water to Gloria. He wrapped his arms around her and collected his reward.
“You’re crazy!” she told him after a kiss that ended too soon.
“Crazy!” Hawk parroted.
“That’s ‘Daddy’ to you, kid,” he joked.
“Daddy!” Hawk repeated.
Yeah, Landon may have won the race to the water, but it was Asher who won the day.
* * *
“Thank you so much for inviting us.” Kimber shouldered her bag. “I think the hotel is calling our name.”
“I wish my place was bigger. I totally would have asked you to stay with me.”
“No, you wouldn’t have,” Kimber said with a laugh. True. Glo didn’t let many people into her personal space. Kimber was an exception to that rule.
“But I would like to be the kind of person who would have offered,” Glo amended.
“You don’t want any part of this when he wakes up at six a.m., honey, trust me.” Kimber gestured to Caleb, currently in Landon’s arms, his head on his father’s shoulder, snoozing soundly.
“Yeah. Save yourself.” Landon winked behind his glasses, and Gloria smiled up at him.
“Thanks for bringing the entire family.” She hugged him, careful not to wake Caleb, and then embraced Kimber. When Landon started for the car, Glo pulled Kimber’s arm to keep her from going. Evan and family had already gone home, and Asher was inside with Hawk.
“You promise to keep me sane?” she asked her friend, taking advantage of their alone time.
Kimber hugged her again. “I know you, Gloria Renee Shields. I know you better than you know yourself some days. You feel like you’re losing ground by giving in, but the only way to trust him is going to require you giving in to him every once in a while. Take it from this old, married lady. The secret is—”
“Don’t you dare say compromise.”
“I was going to say fantastic sex.” Her red brows arched, her expression so sincere, Gloria held her stomach and laughed.
“Seriously, though.” Kimber blinked bright, green eyes. “No matter what hardships occur, you keep it hot in the sack and you’ll end up A-okay.”
“This is why I love you.”
“Well, duh.” With a wink and a wave as she walked away, Kimber headed around the deck to the driveway. Gloria stood outside until they pulled away, arms crossed, teeth on her bottom lip.
Through the windows at the back of Asher’s house, she watched him move away from a sleeping Hawk, stroking the boy’s hair gently and picking up Tank when he tried to jump on the couch. Dog in his arms, he came outside and Gloria let the moment freeze while she thought about how perfect this setting was.
The house she’d dreamed of living in. Asher. Hawk. Tank. What if this was her destiny? Being a part of something permanent and lasting and deeper than she’d ever experienced in her life…Could she accept that, as big and scary as it was?
“I hate to wake him up, but I promised to have him home by nine.” Asher put Tank down, who trotted off the deck and to the grass to do his business.
Asher palmed her jaw, lowering his lips to hers. She lifted an arm and held him, kissing him gently, and then not so gently when his tongue pushed past her lips. They made out for a few minutes until a surge of heat infused her every last nerve ending. He pulled away and gave her a wicked smile.
“Don’t leave,” he said.
“Unfair,” she breathed. How was she supposed to leave after the promise that kiss held?
His cell rang and the fire in his eyes flickered.
He answered his phone with, “Yeah.” A pause. “That works. See you in a minute.” He ended the call and thumbed Gloria’s chin, his eyes going to her lips. “Change of plans,” he said. “Emily was out this way, so she’s picking up Hawk.”
“She’s very involved in his life.”
“More involved than his mother.” He turned to check on his son, still zonked out. “Had a run-in with her today.” He shook his head. “She didn’t want Hawk to hang with you.”
Gloria bit her lip. Probably because she’d put Jordan in her place at the party. Which was not Gloria’s job no matter how justified her reasoning.
“My fault,” she admitted.
“No one’s fault, Glo. This is the deal. But I need you to do me a favor.”
Gloria cringed.
He only chuckled. “Just go out and say hi to Emily when she gets here. Show her what a class act you are.”
“Asher…”
A horn honked and Tank barked sharply.
“You can do it,” he assured her, then kissed her, palmed Tank, and carried him inside. “I’ll wake Hawk and bring him out in a few.”
Class act. Right.
Gloria had changed from her swimsuit/sarong pairing into a casual summer dress and heeled sandals. Her hair had air dried in thick waves, but she was presentable. Maybe not presentable enough for Emily Trudeau, but there was only so much she could do on short notice. She rounded the deck to the front of the house, where a maroon Cadillac was parked.
Emily had just turned off the car and was climbing out. The older woman wore a prim and proper black and tan dress, which made Gloria feel underdressed. By the look Emily ran down Gloria’s body, it was obvious the other woman wasn’t impressed.
“Asher is waking Hawk now. He’s pretty beat after a long day.”
“Oh.” Emily looked to the house.
“He had fun, though. We ate lunch and swam.”
Emily said nothing.
“He and Caleb played most of the day. I think they really hit it off.” Gloria cleared her throat, wondering what the heck was taking Asher so long.
“Caleb is one of your nephews?” Emily asked.
“Oh, well, honorary,” Gloria said, feeling badly about fudging the truth before. He’s my best friend’s son. I’ve known him since he was born.”
Emily assessed her again, staying quiet and making her feel uncomfortable. Gloria began resenting playing nice with this woman who was clearly going out of her way not to be nice to her. If Gloria was able to lay things out for everyone else, there was no reason for her to walk on eggshells around Jordan’s mother.
“Next time, maybe Hawk can stay overnight,” Gloria said. “He’s going to be a bear when he wakes up.” She didn’t know that, but it made sense. If she were fast asleep after the day they’d had and someone jostled her out of her nap, she’d be a monster.
“That would require me trusting that Mr. Knight is capable of handling him overnight,” Emily said. Which pissed Gloria right off.
“And I’m sure Jordan was a natural,” Gloria quipped.
Emily blinked, straightening her shoulders. “I’m not sure what you think your role is, Ms. Shields.” She narrowed her eyes. “But Hawk is not your child. It’s up to his parents to decide what’s best for him.”
“And you, apparently.” She was so sick of this back-and-forth. Of playing nice.
Emily stepped closer. The woman was Gloria’s height, so they stood eye to eye.
“I’m Hawk’s relation,” Emily stated. “His grandmother. Asher referred to you as…how did he put it this morning? Oh, right. His girl.”
His girl. Gloria liked that. But Emily saying it made it sound so…tawdry.
“I’m not sure what rights are afforded to you as his girl, but I’m guessing it does not include making decisions for my grandson.”
Stung, Gloria opened her mouth to retort, but no words came out.
“These so-called nephews of yours. Have you ever had them overnight?”
She felt her face go red. The answer was no, she’d never had Lyon or Caleb overnight. She wasn’t about to admit it, but her silence said more than she could have.
“Maybe you should ask yourself why you are not trusted with your nephews’ care before you insist on being trusted with Hawk’s?” Emily raised her eyebrows haughtily. She had the answer she needed.
The front door popped open and Asher came out, bag in hand. Hawk hung on to him much like Gloria noticed Caleb hanging on to Landon earlier. Asher and Hawk looked so natural together, her heart lurched.
Asher moved to Emily’s SUV and strapped a half-asleep Hawk into his car seat.
Emily spared a look over her shoulder. “Not such a bear after all, is he, Ms. Shields? Guess this worked out just fine.”
“Nah, he’s too tired to be grouchy.” Asher gave Emily a smile. And why wouldn’t he? He had no idea what had gone down just moments ago. “Thanks, Em.”
She hummed softly, probably trying to decide if she should tell him everything that had just transpired. She must have thought better of it, however, because even though she glared at Gloria before shutting the car door, she said nothing more.
Gloria and Asher watched the Cadillac reverse out of his driveway and vanish down the tree-lined road.
“What was that about?” he asked.
“It was her letting me know I have no business in Hawk’s life,” she answered. It sucked, and she wanted to bitch about it.
“That’s bullshit.”
Earlier she would’ve agreed. Now she wasn’t so sure.
“Is it? No one has ever asked me to so much as babysit. Not even Kimber and she’s my best friend.” Tall pines shrouded Asher’s cabin, looming and black in the nighttime sky. Gloria walked beneath the covered porch and sat on the bench by the front door. “What’s that say about me?”
“That you’re busy and your friends respect your time.” He sat next to her, elbows on his knees.
“Or maybe it says the runaway daughter of a drug addict isn’t a fit person to leave your children with.” She faced him.
“Sarge.” Anger seeped into his features.
“It’s the truth,” she whispered. This was the kind of crippling fear that crept in while she was sleeping. The thing that made her a dater rather than a settle-downer. The thing that was keeping her from getting too close to anyone. To Hawk…to Asher.
“You know I don’t think that.” He put his hand on her leg.
“I don’t want you to feel sorry for me.” She pushed his hand away and stood.
“I don’t.”
She shouldn’t have shared that with him. She shouldn’t have given her fear a voice. And now that she had, she was embarrassed. Uncomfortable. Before she could escape inside, he pulled her onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her waist.
“Stop struggling,” he said into her ear when she attempted to wiggle away. “I want you to listen very carefully.”
He released her waist and turned his hands over, silently asking for hers. Asher had great hands. Calluses decorated his fingers and palms from guitar playing, and on every other one, a silver ring. Tonight he wore a leather cuff on one wrist, a handful of hemp bracelets on the other one. She put her palms in his and watched as he threaded their fingers together.
“Deep breath, Sarge.”
She took one, feeling more relaxed and grounded in his arms, her hands laced with his.
“I trust you with Hawk as much as I trust myself.” His low voice rumbled down her spine. “You’re capable and smart. You’re honest and you care about everyone more than you’d dare admit.” He kept their hands linked as he wrapped his arms around her. “I don’t know what the fuck to say to you about this,” he mumbled into her hair. “Every part of me wants to apologize for putting you in this situation, but then that makes me feel like I’m apologizing for Hawk and I would never wish him away. No matter how difficult this is for you, I wouldn’t change it—because I want you here.”
