Page 55 of For Your Consideration

“This is a big step for you, Ash, but based on what I’ve seen, she might be more cautious about letting people in than you, and she has Sophie to think about. She said she wanted to be your friend, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, Ash…I think you have to keep being her friend.”

“Friends.” I nodded. I could be her friend. I was already her friend. “I can do that.” Both Quinn and Knight were watching me, smiling.

Being friends with Sutton Bennett wasn’t a bad place to be. Especially if I got her smiles and laughs. I was in no rush; we could take this at whatever pace she needed.

16

Sutton

Iyanked the door open, shocked to see Asher standing on the other side. I’d only opened it because I thought maybe Iris had come back early. He looked amazing, as always, with his shaved dark hair, sharp jaw covered in scruff, and wide imposing shoulders. He was in navy dress pants and a white button-up shirt, no jacket today.

The man was so handsome it hurt.

“Asher?” I asked, confused, as I wiped a self-conscious hand over my hair, which was falling out of its ponytail. I was in a pair of black leggings and an oversized white T-shirt. Thankfully Sophie hadn’t puked on this one. Yet.

He’d seen me with tears on my face two days ago and had seen my place literally falling apart but this felt significantly worse, puke or not.

I’d come home the night after he stayed, talking to him on the phone, fully expecting to rush him off so I could call the landlord, but then I saw the sink was fixed. When I’d asked him about it, he just said he hadn’t fixed it. When I asked if he paid someone else to fix it, he moved on to another topic.

“Hey, sweetheart, can I come in?”

I’d promised myself to try and build up a wall against the nickname but it wasn’t working considering I felt like putty whenever he used it. It was even more delicious in his beautiful, deep British accent.

“How did you—” I shook my head in confusion.

“I come bearing gifts.” He held up a bag in each hand. I frowned a little but stepped aside to let him in. I followed him into the kitchen and watched as he started pulling things out.

“What are you doing here, Asher?” I was overly aware of the messy space but almost too tired to care. Sophie had toys and clothes lying around, and there were dirty dishes in the sink. I was normally a clean person but the last thirty-six hours had really kicked my ass.

“Quinn told me Soph was sick.” He said it simply, as if it was an explanation for his sudden appearance. He turned and started putting things in the fridge before moving back to the counter to unpack the second paper bag. “How is she?”

“Umm…” The genuine concern in his voice was pulling at me. “It’s the flu. Her fever is still high but she’s sleeping now which is the first time in a while.”

He had stopped unpacking and locked eyes with me as I talked. “You should have called me.” He looked genuinely pissed off, his tone short. Well, shorter than normal.

“She’ll be okay. I had her checked by a doctor this morning at a walk-in clinic.”

“You went to the doctor alone?” He shot me an accusatory glare.

“Of course I did. I’ve been doing this on my own for a while, you know. She’s fine, Ash. Kids get sick, they’re little germ factories. It honestly might hit me worse than her.”

He let out a grunt as he moved around the kitchen, pulling a few more things out of the bag. “I got soup broth but then I wasn’t sure if she could eat it so I got some of those digestive cookies. Figured they would be gentle on her stomach if it was still bothering her.”

I blinked at him in shock. I felt like I was dreaming. I pinched my arm, the pain cluing me into the fact that this was indeed happening.

Asher kept talking like this was all no big deal. “I got us some burgers and fries because I assume you haven’t eaten much. I got a lot of options in case you don’t like something. And I picked this up just in case.”

My traitorous eyes began to blur with tears as I looked down at the box of baby Tylenol in his hands. I could blame it on the exhaustion and lack of sleep, but that wasn’t it.

Aside from Iris, no one had ever cared about me and Sophie before this quiet man. It wasn’t just the box of medicine, it was the little things. Late night wine and ice cream deliveries and bringing me food weren’t much in the grand scheme of things. But for someone who’d always had to take care of themselves, it was everything.

Asher acted like a sullen grump but with me he was different. Kind and thoughtful and attentive. As I took the box with shaky hands, I bit my lip, hoping to stop myself from crying.

“Sweetheart?”