Page 83 of The Last Strike

“Really?” Asher asked, his eyes dropping to Abi’s stomach like the baby would suddenly reveal its gender. “What makes you say that?”

“Gut feeling,” she said with a shrug.

Asher grinned. “I’m a girl dad.”

Abi pressed up onto her tiptoes, brushing her lips over his. “You’re the best dad.”

Now that they’d had Charlotte, Asher wanted five children, but he was almost certain that was a negotiation he wasn’t going to win. Two would be good—perfect.

“How was your day, Your Majesty?” Abi asked with a smile.

“Good,” Asher said with a nod. “Adani’s finances have been sorted, finally. Samuel, God bless him, found a few trillion dollars in offshore accounts that Khalil had been hoarding,” Asher said with disgust. “I can’t fathom what he planned to do with it.” He shook his head. “Anyway, we distributed each kingdom’s share this morning, so they should all be very happy. I paid all Santina’s debts today, and I can’t tell you how good that felt. I repaid your father for every last cent he’d loaned me, plus interest. I even paid James Thomas’s eleven-million-dollar bill. The palace build has been paid in full, and tomorrow I’m going to announce a new infrastructure plan and a new welfare package, which will ensure no one in Santina, or Adani, will starve again.”

Abi’s eyes shone with pride. “That has never been done in history. I am so proud of you, Asher.”

Asher pressed his lips to hers, savoring the moment.

“The sad thing is that Khalil could’ve done all of that, but he chose not to. Never let my ego and pride take control of me like that,” he said.

Abi scoffed. “Don’t worry. Your daughter will take your head off if you do.”

Asher tipped his head back, laughing. “Did she decapitate the doll by accident?”

Abi rolled her eyes playfully. “Truthfully, I didn’t see. I turned my back for a minute and when I looked she had the head in one hand and the body in the other. She did say, ‘Oops,’ though.”

They looked at each other and laughed.

“I’m going to choose to believe it was an accident,” Asher said. “Are you hungry? Otherwise, I have a surprise for you and it’s good timing, seeing as your father is babysitting.”

“A surprise?” Abi questioned, her eyes lighting up. “I’m not hungry at all.”

“Perfect,” he said, holding out his hand.

Abi looked around like the surprise might jump out at her, then took his hand.

Asher nodded at Jesse as they stepped into the hallway and were escorted to the car garage.

Only when they drove through the outskirts of Patmos did Abi ask where they were going. As she turned to look at him, she missed the sign for the newly renovated—yet preserved—Lithe Ruins.

Asher clasped her hand in his lap and gave it a gentle squeeze as he looked into her eyes.

“We’re going back to the beginning,” he said.

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