Chapter 61

Returning from my dinner with Joseph, I moved my feet slower than before. The weight of his words, like the weight of this new pendant on my neck, dragged me down.

I had hoped to set things right between us. I supposed this necklace gift was a part of that. But more and more, I felt like I was the one making concessions for Joseph, while he did nothing but make demands.

What kind of family would we be, if I constantly had to tip-toe around his anger? Or would he change after the baby was born?

For now, I wasn’t sure he even liked me at all – at least, not as my own person. I think he enjoyed having me in his debt, constantly on the back foot.

No. I was being unfair. He had reasons to be distrustful of me. Constantly thinking of Asher, I hadn’t been giving our potential whatever-we-were my best effort either.

Maybe when the baby was born, both Joseph and I would change and want each other more than we did now, and for the right reasons.

When the time came, we would both do what was best for the baby.

…Right?

With the worries plaguing me, I barely paid any attention to my surroundings, until I finally arrived at my room. I reached for the knob.

Odd. The door was already unlocked. Had I forgotten to lock it before I left?

No, I was sure that I...

I pushed open the door. The overhead light was on, and Asher was sitting on the edge of my bed, casually leafing through one of my textbooks. He closed it when he saw me.

“I’m glad you’re back,” he said.

I stepped further into my room, closing the door behind me. “How long have you been waiting?”

“A while.”

“You could have called or texted me.”

“I didn’t want to interrupt.”

“Interrupt?” Did he know where I had been? How?

But then, I should have known better than to question Asher’s abilities. He was popular, anyone who had seen me and Joseph together could have told him.

He watched me with his blue, piercing gaze, while giving no hints away of his own emotions. But I was used to him by now. He only wore this mask when he felt he had something to hide.

He didn’t answer. He wouldn’t confirm that he knew where I had been.

But even without his confirmation, I knew the truth. I sighed. There was no point avoiding the topic, then.

“You don’t have to pretend with me,” I told him. “You can drop the façade and be mad at me. I’d rather you be yourself.”

“I’m not mad,” he said.

I gave him a flat look.

He held it with one of his own, until finally blinking and glancing away. Inside, my heart cheered in victory.

“Fine.” He crossed his arms. “I’m not… happy with your choice of dining partner, but I am trying very hard to respect your decision to keep Joseph in your baby’s life.”

Warmth spread through me. I knew this was difficult for him.

Joseph had sabotaged Asher’s hockey team. Asher had every reason not to like him. That he was trying to be civil for my sake meant a lot to me.

Asher looked at my face again. He didn’t smile but his mouth softened from the hard line it had been.

Until his gaze fell on my new necklace.

At once, his entire body tensed again. He shot from my bed like it had caught fire.

“Did he give you that?” Asher demanded, stepping toward me.

I stood straighter. Instinctively, I touched my fingers to the curve of the pendant.

Asher’s glance was so cold, I half-expected it to freeze over. When he spoke, his voice was rumbly and low. “Take. That. Off.”

My body itched to obey. I typically loved Asher’s demanding voice, all deep and sexy. And I had no lost love for this too-heavy necklace.

But I couldn’t just get rid of it. I needed it to help me keep a good relationship with Joseph.

So I lifted my chin, and told Asher, “No.”

His eyes narrowed, and his jaw locked. But he didn’t demand again.

His mask slipped for just a moment, and among the anger that furrowed his brow, I could have sworn I saw a dash of hurt in his eyes. But when I blinked, any trace of feeling had vanished again, safe behind his mask.

“I didn’t come here for this,” he grumbled, turning from me.

I exhaled. When had I started holding my breath?

“I only came here tonight to tell you what I heard about Brent,” Asher said.

Any lingering warm feelings in my body cooled. What had I expected? That he had sought me out of jealousy? To make sure I got home okay?

No, he just had things to tell me. Things I should be grateful to hear.

“You didn’t have to,” I said.

“I know you want to do this on your own. I promise all I did was ask around. I admit some things surprised me.”

“Such as?” I asked.

“When you told me who he is to Aimee, I thought he’d be a playboy like…” His voice trailed.

“Like Joseph,” I said.

Asher cleared his throat. “But he’s not. At one point, he seemed dedicated to her. He even complimented her to many of his friends.”

I frowned. “Why would he abandon her, then?”

Asher shrugged. “He’s a coward.”

Could it be that simple?

“Several months ago, presumably when he found out about the pregnancy, he totally changed his tune. Like flipping a light switch, he hated her. My guess is, he weighed his love for her against his thirst for power. Power won.”

“Couldn’t he have tried for both?”

“He could have,” Asher said. “But he would have had to split his effort between helping himself and helping Aimee and the baby. Possible, for the right kind of man. Too difficult for a weak one.”

A weak man. A coward. Those terms seemed to fit Brent perfectly.

We continued talking for a while, with Asher pointedly avoiding looking at my neck. Too soon, he said goodnight and left.

In Asher’s absence, I brought out my phone and messaged Aimee.

I’ve been thinking about Brent. Is there any chance at all that he’s not such a great person? Like, what if he had selfish reasons for what he did to you?

Aimee’s reply came a few minutes later.

Brent left me because I deserved it.

Her simple answer made me grip my phone tighter in my anger. I forced a calming breath, before sending another message.

If he was actually a good person, he would have stayed and helped you! Instead he helped everyone get the wrong idea about you!

I hit send.

Aimee’s response this time came quicker.

Stop. I will not listen to you disparage Brent like this! I don’t care what you say! I know him best, and he is brave and strong and kind. I was the one who ruined everything!

Her words deflated my anger into pity.

I wanted to keep pushing until I could manage to convince her to see Brent as he really was. But, seeing how she had morphed into a brick wall so quickly, unwilling to even entertain the hypothetical that Brent might not be the best, I decided to back off.

I didn’t want to push her away, so I sent a quick reply.

Sorry.

Then I tucked away my phone.

How frustrating! Aimee was so blindly dedicated to Brent, I bet she could witness his cowardly ways in person and still make up a fantasy that he was perfect.

I frowned at myself in the mirror.

How many times had I seen Joseph behave badly? Or experienced the whiplash of his anger firsthand?

…Was I so different from Aimee?

My gaze dropped to the moon pendant hanging low over my bosom.

Had Asher seen the similarities too?

He had such a visceral, furious reaction to the pendant. Was it because he was tired of seeing me return to Joseph again and again?

… Was Asher right, to want me to stay away?