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Dad got out of the hospital a week later and was put on bed rest. Mom had canceled all her trips for the rest of the year. The police were working with Canadian forces to track down Duncan Fitzgerald and Trent, as well as working on all the evidence discovered at The Cove. Police thought they’d fled over the border.
Apparently, they uncovered CCTV footage of plenty of rich and wealthy men from all over the East Coast who had frequented the business. There were a lot of legal offices and government agencies busy with the fallout from The Cove. It dominated national and even international news cycles for weeks. The one day that was conspicuously missing was the day that The Cove came crashing down. Funny that.
My childhood home was full. It was unsettling at first. My mom was always puttering around, and babying my father, popping up out of nowhere. It was odd to get used to at first, but then I liked it. I liked it a lot.
Now that Dad was taking time away from work, he was appreciating the small things again. A walk in the garden with his wife, and dinner with his daughter. All the ordinary, everyday things that made life worth living. Things that Melly Martino had understood the importance of, even as a single mom to twins.
Unconditional love, applied consistently over time without end.
Asher stayed in touch with his dad, traveling up to the farm in New York every few months and taking Eve with him. His dad sometimes came to his games. I sat beside him when he did. I never thought I’d see someone tear up with joy at a college hockey game, but Brett often did. I also learned that parents came in all shapes and forms. There wasn’t some perfect ideal. There were just people, trying their best.
Both my parents were sitting in the restaurant at The Dunes when I came in from my tennis lesson. I’d thought about stopping them now that I was in college, but I couldn’t afford to let my skills slip.
“Here she is,” Dad announced with a smile. “Sit down, sweetheart, I wanted to talk to you about something.”
“What’s up?” I asked, gulping down a glass of water.
Dad swallowed hard and then started. “You know that the company’s bottom line suffers the less I show my face at work. According to my doctor, and your mother, that’s what has to happen, however. Our lives might change a little, or a lot. I hope you can accept that. I’m sorry?—”
“I don’t need lavish things.” I rushed to reassure him. “I don’t need new Amex cards or trips to Paris for shopping.”
“I suppose since we’ll be home more from now on, we’ll need some new hobbies.”
“You’ll also be home more? Long-term?” I pressed.
Both my parents nodded.
“Then I’ll be richer than I’ve ever been. I don’t care where we live, as long as we’re together and healthy.”
A deep voice cut in from behind us. “I’ll take care of Winter from now on, sir. You don’t have to worry; she’ll never want for anything as long as I’m here.” Asher rested a hand on my shoulder, standing behind me.
I passed him my glass of water. The man had barely broken a sweat, despite being in the same demanding tennis lesson as I just had. I had to say, having classes with Asher made it miles more fun.
Dad smiled and tapped the table. “That’s what I’m talking about. A responsible man. They’re not easy to find, you know, especially at your age, son.”
We hung out with my parents for a while before heading toward the locker room to change.
“So,” I drawled, sauntering along beside Asher. “You’ll take care of everything?”
“Damn right, Ice Queen.”
“Buy me anything I want?” I pressed. It felt good to joke around like this, in the bright and sunny days of spring. It felt like my life was just starting, after being on pause for so long. If I slept alone, the nightmares still came, but when Asher slept with me, I felt safe. Luckily, I’d pretty much moved into his single room in the Hellions’ dorm, so I didn’t have to worry about it anymore. The one thing I couldn’t forget was the feeling of the brand sinking into Trent’s eye. It haunted me. But then stories came out little by little from the women who had been rescued from there. They were mostly homeless teens who had run away from home. An international charity had stepped in to help their recovery, funded by a hefty anonymous donation.
Asher’s arm brushed mine, sending shocks of awareness through me. Would I ever get over the effect this man had on me? I was starting to doubt it.
“Hmm, why, are you going to put it to the test right away? Wait until I get into the NHL for that new black card. Then I’ll buy my queen anything she wants.”
I stopped right where we had after the first time we’d played tennis together. I put my hands on his chest and leaned up on my tiptoes.
“There’s only one thing I want right now…” I whispered.
“Is that right?” he asked, cocking his head to the side.
I nodded, biting my lip coyly.
I waited until it seemed his guard was down before shoving him in the chest. The competition never stopped between us. It kept me on my toes. I lived to clash with this man.
He fell back, but his grin as he fastened his hand around my wrist was nothing short of wicked.
