by Nikki Ash
This time, I voice the words I couldn’t earlier. “Yes, Kaden. I will marry you.”
He plucks the ring out of the cushion and places it onto my finger. It fits perfectly.
“It’s beautiful.”
“You’re beautiful. The ring simply complements your beauty.” He brings his lips to mine, making love to my mouth before he makes love to me for the third time tonight.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Ashley
“I want to go to see Lady Liberty!” Bella squeals.
“Yeah! Me, too!” Tristan agrees.
“Oh! And I want to go to American Girl!”
“No! I don’t want to go there. I want to go to the big Toys ‘R’ Us.” Tristan shakes his head in disagreement.
When we told Cooper and Liz we were going to spend the day checking out New York, they decided to join us. Hayley, Caleb, and Marco flew back this morning with Alex and his wife, Jessica. We’re all going to fly back tomorrow afternoon.
“How about we take the ferry around the statue of liberty, then while Bella goes to American girl, we can take you to the toy store?”
“Yes!” Tristan and Bella both yell in unison, jumping up and down.
“You and I are going to come back here, just the two of us, one day,” Kaden says into my ear. “I want to show you central park, take you shopping, and spoil you with fancy eating.”
“You already spoil me. I don’t need any of that. I just need you.” I give him a quick peck on the lips. He pouts when I pull away, pulling me toward him and deepening our kiss.
“Eww! Mom! Kaden! I thought you were just playing pretend for Grannie. That’s not pretend!” We both stop kissing, and see Tristan’s cute little face all scrunched up in disgust.
“Yeah, guys. Thought it was pretend…” Cooper adds with a laugh.
“Oh. My. God!” Liz shrieks, grabbing my left hand and narrowing in on my engagement ring. “This ring is most definitely not pretend!”
“Yeah, about that…” I begin to think of a way to explain to my almost seven-year-old about our engagement, but Kaden beats me to it.
“Remember you said it would be okay if I married your mom for real?”
“Yeah.”
“You still cool with that, bud?”
“Yes!” Tristan runs to Kaden and throws his arms around him. Kaden picks him up and hugs him back, before setting him back down.
“So, when’s the wedding?” Liz asks.
“We haven’t picked a day…” I say, but Kaden cuts me off. “As soon as possible.”
“I guess as soon as possible,” I repeat, laughing.
We spend the entire day experiencing New York. After we take the ferry around the statue of liberty, we go to the nine-eleven memorial site. Then, while Bella goes with her parents to American Girl, we take Tristan to the toy store. Kaden buys him tons of toys that Tristan swears are only available in New York. Afterward, we all meet up to eat dinner before heading back to the hotel for the night. It was a great day, one I won’t ever forget.
* * *
It’s Monday night and we’re back home and jetlagged, lying on the couch watching TV. Tristan passed out the minute we walked through the door. Kaden’s phone rings alerting him of a Facetime call. “It’s my grandmother.” He swipes accept, then her face comes onto the screen. “Hello, Grandmother. How are you?”
“I’m good, sweetie. I just wanted to check in… any news?”
Kaden chuckles. “Real subtle, Grandmother.” Taking my hand, he puts it up to the camera for her to see. “Oh! Yay! I am so glad you are wearing my ring.”
“It is gorgeous, Rose. Thank you for passing it down to us. I will always cherish it.”
“And when is the wedding?”
“We haven’t picked a date yet.”
“How about a spring wedding?” she suggests.
Kaden looks to me for my approval. A spring wedding in his hometown sounds beautiful.
“I think that would be wonderful.”
“Victor! Did you hear that?” Rose calls out, moving out of the line of the camera.
“Yes, Rose, honey. I heard. A spring wedding. Congratulations, you two.”
“Thank you, Victor.”
“Thank you, Grandfather.”
“I’m going to call Sandra and let her know we need to start planning a wedding. Ashley, dear, would it be possible for you to visit soon so we can go dress shopping?”
“I’ll have to look at my work schedule, but I should be able to make it work.” Kaden glares at me, and then it hits me, my work schedule. I’m engaged to be married to Kaden and I’m still a stripper.
After we say goodbye, I address the elephant in the room. “I’ll speak to Caleb about only managing the club. I’m still going to pay you back, though.”
“No, you aren’t. You’re my fiancée, soon to be my wife, and hopefully soon to be the mother of my children. You aren’t paying me back a damn dime. Part of being in a relationship means everything separate comes together as one.”
“Kaden, I can’t just take thousands from you and not pay you back.”
“It’s ours, everything is ours. And once we’re married, you will be an extremely wealthy woman so you better get used to it. I’m not going to stop you from managing the club, but once you’re pregnant, I hope you’ll consider taking some time off. You said before you had to work while Tristan was little. You don’t have to work, baby.” Kaden takes my hand in his, squeezing it lightly. “Just think about it, okay?”
“Okay, I will. Do you think we should wait until after we’re married for me to get off birth control?”
“Hell no. I researched it on the plane and it can take months for the hormones to leave your body. Tristan is already almost seven years old. No more pills, and if you get pregnant, great. We’ll be married soon anyway.” Kaden leans toward me, our lips meeting for a moment before he pulls back. “Let’s go to bed. I think we need to practice making a baby. Practice makes perfect, you know.” He shoots me a flirty wink before he stands up and, taking my hand in his, guides us to the bedroom where we practice making a baby… three times.
* * *
“No. No. No. No!” My foot presses the brake while my hands hold tightly onto the steering wheel. Cars are honking and flying around me as I try to steer my car to the side of the road. I finally get it out of traffic and turn it off. Stepping out of the car, I smell something burning, and before I can pop the hood, a loud booming sound goes off and my hood is in flames.
My phone, purse, and keys are all in the car, so calling nine-one-one is out of the question. It’s a busy street and luckily someone pulls over. A gentleman who looks to be in his mid-thirties gets out of his sports car and comes jogging over to me. I recognize him from somewhere, but I can’t put my finger on it.
“Your car is going to explode, you need to get back,” the gentleman screams at me. Grabbing my body, he drags me away from the car and, a few seconds later, my car does indeed explode. The entire car is in flames. Black smoke is rising from the hood, and the windows are shattering from the force of the heat.
The man who saved my life calls the fire department and gives them our location, then after he hangs up, hands me the phone. “I’m thinking you might need to call someone to let them know.”
“Thank you. How did you know my car was going to blow up like that?”
“My name is Benjamin Fields. Racing is a hobby of mine. Cars are my life. I saw the color of the smoke coming out of your hood and knew immediately it would blow. I’m just glad I got to you in time.”
“Thank you for saving me. My name is Ashley Myers. Do I know you from somewhere? You look so familiar.”
He gives me a sheepish smile before he says, “Yeah, I’m friends with Caleb, your boss. I’ve been to Assets a few times. I bought the one from him in Colorado and I’m interested in buying this one as well. I’ve seen you dance.”
Okay… and now it’s officially awkward.
We both stand at
a distance from the car in silence, watching the fire engines and police pull up and work together to put the fire out.
“I’m going to call my fiancé.” I hold up the phone he handed me a few minutes ago. He’s probably at the gym and doesn’t have his phone on him, but I try anyway.
After the third ring, Kaden answers. “Kaden Scott.”
“Hey… Kaden, it’s Ashley.”
“Ashley? What number are you calling from?”
“Umm… Well, it’s a long story, but I’m using Benjamin Fields’s phone…”
“Who the hell is Benjamin Fields?”
“A man.” I mean, really, how the heck else do I answer that?
“Ashley, why the fuck are you using another man’s phone to call me?”
“Kaden! If you would stop cutting me off, I can explain,” I whisper-yell, not wanting Benjamin to think Kaden is crazy.
When Kaden doesn’t say anything, I continue. “My car kind of had an issue, and I need you to come get me.” Benjamin chuckles next to me at my downplaying of the vehicle blowing up.
“What kind of issue, Ash? You were supposed to bring it to my mechanic.”
“I know, but we got busy with going to New York. I might have forgot… and umm… well… it may have caughtonfireandblewup.”
“It what?”
“It caught on fire and blew up.”
“What. The. Fuck. Woman! Where are you?”
I give Kaden the location of where I am, and he tells me he’s on his way before hanging up.
“Thank you,” I say softly, handing him back his phone. “You don’t have to stay. My fiancé will be here shortly.”
“That’s okay. I think I’ll wait here with you. He sounded kind of pissed on the phone,” Benjamin says worriedly.
“Okay, if you want.”
We both have a seat in the grass and watch the firemen continue to work on containing the flames that are still rising from my burnt hunk-of-junk.
“So, you want to buy Assets?” I ask, trying to make conversation.
“Yeah. I own several clubs. At the time when I bought Assets in Colorado, he told me he wasn’t interested in selling the one here, but he’s apparently changed his mind. I love the concept he’s created and would love to buy this one from him so I can trademark the name.”
Before I can respond, Kaden pulls up. “Oh, my fiancé is here.” I point to his car stopping right in front of Benjamin’s car.
“Your fiancé drives a fucking Aston Martin while you drive that piece of shit?” Benjamin looks from me to Kaden’s car incredulously.
“Yeah, well, I am a stripper, remember?” My hand goes to my mouth to stop the word vomit.
Benjamin shoots daggers at Kaden as he comes running over to us.
“Baby, are you okay?” Kaden pulls me into his arms, planting kisses all over my face and neck.
“She would’ve been killed by fire in that death trap if I hadn’t pulled up and gotten her away from the vehicle,” Benjamin barks.
Kaden stops kissing me and turns to Benjamin. “Thank you for saving my girl’s life. I owe you one for sure.” Kaden assesses Benjamin for a moment before extending his hand to offer a shake.
Benjamin glares at his hand. “Why the fuck is your girl driving around in that death trap while you’re driving that.” He points from the scraps of my burnt-to-crisp car to Kaden’s vehicle that I’m sure is worth more than most people’s homes.
“Trust me when I tell you she won’t be driving around in a piece of shit like that again.”
“She shouldn’t have been driving around in it in the first place, let alone working at a strip club.”
“I thanked you for saving my girl, but now I’m going to ask that you mind your own damn business.”
The guys stare each other down and I swear I can smell the metaphorical piss running down my leg as Kaden takes me into his arms.
“Okay, well, Benjamin, I appreciate you caring about my well-being, but since you don’t know us, you wouldn’t know that I chose to drive this car. I don’t accept help very well. So, let’s all calm down.”
“It looks like the fire is close to being put out. I’ll let them know I was here when it happened in case they have any questions. I’m sure I’ll see you around, Ashley.”
Benjamin gives Kaden a curt nod before walking toward the police officer.
“How the fuck does he know you work at a strip club?”
“He’s been in there before. He owns the club in Colorado and is looking to buy the one here from Caleb as well.”
“First, we’re going to go get Tristan from school, then we’re going to buy you a new car, and I don’t want to hear a single complaint out of your mouth.” Kaden grabs my hips and gives me a kiss that makes me want more.
“Okay.”
“And Ashley…”
“Yes?”
Kaden looks me in the eyes. “Please, baby. No. more. Stripping.”
“Okay.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Kaden
When Ashley told me her car had issues, I was pissed. At myself, for not forcing her to get a new car sooner. At her, for being so damn stubborn. Then, once I got there and saw her piece-of-shit car looked like a marshmallow placed over the bonfire for about ten hours too long, I just about flipped my lid. Ashley could have been killed. The car could have exploded with her in it.
The visual of the car on fire caused my anger to dissipate, fear taking its place. Visions of Gabrielle dying in my car all those years ago invaded my thoughts. Then to have that motherfucker insinuate I’m letting Ashley strip while putting her in danger by making her drive that shitty car while I’m driving a two hundred thousand dollar car made my blood boil. I don’t give a fuck what Ashley wants, she’s getting a new, expensive, top of the line, safe vehicle and she better not argue with me. I’ve let her run this show every step of the way, but I’m done.
After we pick Tristan up from school and go by the wireless store to get Ashley a new cell phone, we head to the Land Rover dealership.
“Oh, c’mon, Kaden. A Range Rover? Everybody always gets one of those. Don’t make me be a cliché, please.”
“Okay, so what do you want?”
“I don’t know… like a Toyota, maybe.”
“Ashley, you can be reasonable or I will get you whatever I want.”
She huffs loudly, annoyed with me. I don’t give a shit. She’s my queen. She should be driving something equivalent to me. I know it’s fucking petty, but that Benjamin guy pissed me off.
Using her phone, she searches through images of vehicles until she stops at one, showing it to me. “This one is cute.”
“A Maserati Levante? It’s more than cute, babe. That car is badass.” She has no idea she just picked out a car almost worth half of mine.
I pull up the directions to the Maserati dealership in our area and see it’s not too far from us.
With Tristan in tow, we park and enter the dealership. Without letting her see any prices, I ask the salesman if Ashley can test drive the car she wants. After giving them her proof of insurance and driver’s license, we all get into the SUV to check it out.
“I love this car!” Ashley is bouncing around in her seat like a little kid on a sugar high as she runs her fingers across the leather and messes with all the knobs. When she puts the vehicle into reverse, the view behind her pops up. “Oh, my God! It has a camera! Like Liz’s car!”
We pull out onto the main road and go for a quick test drive. The car drives smoothly and Ashley is in car heaven. Once we get back, we park and head back inside so we can purchase the car.
While I’m talking to the salesman, I hear Ashley screech. “Kaden! That SUV is like a hundred grand! I can’t get that!”
I laugh at her freak out. She test-drove the SUV and fell in love immediately. She’s getting the vehicle. I figured she had no idea of the kind of vehicle she showed me and her freak out right now confirms it, but it’s neither here nor there.
&n
bsp; “What color?”
“Kaden! How can you afford this car?”
“It’s just a payment, babe. It’s fine.”
“Yeah, a goddamned mortgage payment.”
“What color, Ash?”
Tristan is running around the dealership checking out all the cars, picking out his future car based on how many televisions are in the seats. Priorities.
“White, I guess.”
“White, really?”
“Well, I heard once white is cheaper than other colors.”
I laugh at that. “I’m pretty sure that’s not true. Paint is paint. They just usually have white in stock. Now, what color do you want?”
“Umm… well… I like the blue your car is.”
“Aww, babe, you want to have matching colored cars?” I throw my arm over her shoulder and give her cheek a kiss. “That’s such a couple thing to do.” I shoot her a wink.
After we have her car ordered and paid for, they send us off in a loaner so Ashley will have a car to drive until her new one comes in. The color and style she wants needs to be shipped from another location.
“I have to work tonight. Can you take Tristan, so I can go straight to work?”
“Sure,” I say, giving her a kiss tenderly. I’m so thankful today didn’t end up with her hurt or worse… dead.
“No stripping, Ash,” I whisper into her ear.
“I didn’t think about it, but I’m already on the schedule tonight.”
“I already texted with Caleb and he said it’s fine.”
“Kaden!”
“Love you, babe.” I smack her ass and walk to my car where Tristan is already in the back seat, Facetiming with my mother. They’ve grown close since our trip to visit them almost a month ago and she likes to Facetime him a few days a week.
“Hey, Kaden,” Ashley calls my name.
“Yeah?”
“Thank you. I love you.” She runs over to me and, throwing her arms around my neck, jumps up knowing I’ll catch her. I kiss her hard for a good minute before we need to break for air.
“You’re welcome.”
I watch her walk away, swaying her hips without even meaning to, and smile to myself. This woman and her son have fast become my entire world.
