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“So they’re not even Nashes?”
“I mean, technically they are, but they go by their stepfather’s last name.”
“Which is…” I prompt.
“Banks.”
“Tanner and Miller Banks,” I say, and it dawns on me as I repeat the last name. “Holy shit, Tanner and MillerBanks? As in the twins from Arizona that the NFL started looking at when they were freshmen in high school?”
She clears her throat. “Yep. That’s them. Your half-brothers.”
Whoa. I didnotsee that one coming.
Chapter 45: Desiree Dixon
Comfort Food
Asher looks like he’s seen a ghost when I wake up and pad into the living room. He’s sitting on the couch, staring at his phone.
“You okay?” I ask.
He nods as he glances up at me. “Yeah. I, uh, found out some news…” He trails off, leaving it at that.
“Is everything okay?”
He glances back at his phone and then at me again. “I’m not sure.”
“Want to talk about it?” I plop down beside him.
“I do, but not yet. I need to figure out a few things, and I need to head over to see my brother.”
“Okay,” I say instead of voicing the anxieties in my head.
“You can come with. He’s not far from here, and he has the day off.”
“No, it’s fine,” I say softly. “I’m tired anyway. Go see your brother.”
He glances over at Addy, who’s at the counter grading papers, and then he angles his head toward the balcony as if to ask if we can have this conversation in private. I nod and follow him out there.
“What’s going on?” I ask.
He clears his throat. “Long story short, I just talked to my dad and found out I have twin half-brothers none of us ever knew about.”
My jaw drops open. “What?” I breathe.
He nods as he walks over to the railing and looks out over the view. “My dad apparently had an affair thirty years ago, and my twin half-brothers are also pro football players.” He turns back toward me. “They’re phenomenal athletes…I’ve heard of them. I know them. Fuck, I’ve played against them. I’vemetthem. I just…” He shakes his head as words fail him.
“What are you going to do?” I ask.
He grips onto his hair with both hands before he lets it go, and it sticks up. “I don’t know. I’m going to start by talking to my brothers and seeing what they want to do, and I guess we’ll devise a plan together.”
“Yes, of course. Go. Be with your brothers, and call me if I can do anything.”
He nods, and then he takes a few steps to close the gap between us. “I’ll never be far, okay?” He drops his lips down to mine, and I feel the familiar warmth and comfort I’ve always felt in his arms. It’s safe here, and I’m protected from the craziness of our lives and the world surrounding us.
“You need to go,” I say.
“I know. But I don’t want to.”
