by C. A. Harms
“A beautiful city, a handsome man, seems like such a waste to have you spend your time here alone.” Tilting her head to the side, she looked at me once more and a smile stretched out over her lips. “But there is someone, isn’t there?”
“There was.” I looked away from her intense eyes and back at the Towers ahead. “Just not sure there is anymore.”
For a moment we stood in silence, about a foot of space between us, the breeze whisking the scent of her delicate perfume in my direction. Again I found myself comparing the aroma to that of Ashlynn.
“Love is never easy.” She had that right. “So my newfound friend, how would you like to get a coffee with me? I know the perfect place.”
When I hesitated, she laughed. “It’s only coffee, and having a friend in the city would be nicer than spending the entire trip alone. Wouldn’t it?”
“Sure,” I agreed as I turned completely around and held out my hand to the left.
Aurora lifted her own hand and grabbed for mine, pulling to the right instead. “Nice try, but it’s this way.”
Chapter Eighteen
Ashlynn
I stood in the restroom at the office, my hands gripping the counter before me as I tried to breathe through the next round of nausea. My throat burned from the amount of times I had thrown up over the last fifteen minutes and my head was pounding. One deep breath after another, at this point it was all I could do in an attempt to remain calm.
I had spent the morning trying to get through meetings, and it was torture. Sweat beading on my forehead, my stomach rolling over and over, it was all too much.
But even that didn’t compare to what looking through Kyler’s Facebook page did to me. It wasn’t even the picture he put up, it was those he was tagged in.
I learned a few days ago that he was in Italy, Bologna to be exact. He was being presented with the opportunity of a lifetime. The face of a new line of sportster bikes being released later this year and they wanted him. I couldn’t stay that I blamed him because he did have the ability to catch one’s eye. It was the woman in the photos that continuously showed on his feed that made my stomach heave. She was beautiful, as in breathtakingly striking.
The worst part about it all was he looked happy. There were ones of them walking through the city, or lying by a pool. There were even a couple where he was sleeping on a bed, his body curled around a pillow as he squeezed it close.
My mind wandered to the worst possible places and then it only caused my heart to ache a little more.
Lifting my head, I looked at my reflection in the mirror and found myself comparing what I saw looking back to the woman in the pictures.
The door to the restroom creeped open and I looked over, expecting to see another woman from the office entering, but instead only saw a man’s hand extended through the opening. It remained still on the door and I continued to stand in the same place, wondering what on earth was going on.
“Ashlynn?” It was my father, and suddenly my heart began to race all over again. “It’s not really appropriate for me to enter the ladies’ room but I’ve been informed that you are in here alone. Is that correct?”
I laughed, not sure why, but it was the reaction that rippled through me.
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
Before I got the chance to respond he poked his head inside and again I laughed, only this time harder.
“That is a welcome sound compared to the one I heard only moments ago.” He stepped inside, allowing the door to close behind him. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” I could already see by the look on his face he suspected I was lying. “Maybe not fine, but better.”
When he reached me, he rested his hip against the sink and I turned around myself, leaning back against the countertop.
“Last week I assumed you were still fighting that flu that was going around.” I lowered my chin and looked toward the floor. “It seems to have affected everyone in the office, but then today hearing you through the door…” he paused, as if expecting me to finish his sentence only I didn’t. Instead I found myself wishing he would just forget what he heard.
No chance.
“Now, I’m not an expert, but I do remember at one point, your mother sounding almost the same.” I swallowed hard, and the reaction in my throat felt like it echoed throughout the quiet bathroom. “I also realize that there are certain things a daughter may not feel comfortable sharing with her father.”
If I thought my pulse was racing and my palms were sweating earlier, it had nothing on the way I felt then.
“Really, Dad, I’m—”
“Fine, I know.” Suddenly I felt guilty. “I do, however, think you should take the rest of the day off. Pop in one of those older movies you like, curl up in bed, and take the remainder of the day easy.”
“Older movies.” I gave him a questioning glance.
“I know that I may not have paid as close attention as I should have while you were growing up but I do remember some things. Your love for older movies is something you and I share.” He leaned in, pressed a kiss to my forehead, and suddenly I felt like a little girl again. A little girl who missed all these types of moments while growing up.
When he stepped back and began moving toward the door I don’t know what possessed me but I called out to him. The moment he turned back I fell apart.
I don’t care how old a woman is, how independent she wishes to be, when a father takes his daughter into his strong embrace, you are an innocent child all over again.
“We’ll get through this,” he assured me as he held me close. “No matter what, we will get through it.”
I wasn’t even sure he knew exactly what was going on, but I was sure he had the general idea. I knew he meant it too; they would stand by me. But the one person I wanted was in another country, with another woman, and that was the hardest part of all.
I never even got the chance yet to tell him he was going to be a father.
Calling him to share the news just somehow felt wrong. I wanted to see his face, hear his reaction. If I’m being honest, I just wanted to have him there holding me, much like my father was, and telling me that we’d be okay.
***
“You are about seven weeks.” The doctor removed the wand from inside me but it did nothing to ease the discomfort. Nothing like lying on a bed, your legs in stirrups as you’re spread wide. As if reading my mind, he pressed my knees together and applied just enough pressure to indicate I could slide back.
Once I was sitting up, with a paper blanket of some sort lying over my lap, a small amount of the discomfort faded.
“Everything looks good, heartbeat is strong.” He turned around to the counter at his side. He pulled off a strip of paper and held it out to me, “Here is your little one’s first photograph. This puts you at a due date of May twelfth.”
I could hear him speaking, but instead focused on the pictures I held. Black and white images that looked more like a blob in the center of the paper.
“I’ve had the nurses gather you some information of the do’s and don’ts during pregnancy, as well as enough vitamins to get you through the next four weeks.” I looked up when I realized he was holding out his hand for me to shake. “Congratulations, Ms. Prescott, and I’d like to see you again this time next month.”
“Thank you.” I offered him my hand and he gave it a firm shake before exiting the room and leaving me alone with my thoughts.
I’m going to be a mother.
There was no longer any denying it, no way to ignore it. There my baby was.
Tears pooled in my eyes as I continued to focus on the image before me.
Chapter Nineteen
Kyler
“It’s a deal, then.” Quinton looked at me with wide eyes. “As in you’re doing it.”
“We signed the contract on Monday.”
“Holy hell, man, you’re gonna be a superstar.” He slapped me on the back and I chuckled.
“I wo
uld hardly call being in a commercial and having a few photo shoots a super star. During ninety percent of the commercial I’ll have a helmet on.” This was the part that made me question the entire thing from the beginning. I didn’t want to be treated differently.
“Whatever, man, we’ll all know it’s you.”
“I’m doing it mainly for the bike.” It was true, because that in itself made it all worth it. “It’s a fucking beauty, man.” Even the thought of it sitting in my garage gave me the chills.
I gathered my gym bag and tossed it over my shoulder as I moved toward the exit. I’d been back in California for less than twenty-four hours and I still found it a challenge to function. When I wanted to sleep it was time to be up and vice versa. The only reason I came back was to grab some things and satisfy my mother who, as my father put it, was in a near panic when she realized I’d be taking a deal that had me spending most of my time in another country.
I pushed through the front door and squinted up at the sun.
“When are you scheduled to start?” Quinton caught up and tossed his bag in the trunk of my car next to my own.
“Scheduled to be back in Italy the first thing tomorrow.” I shut the trunk and fisted my keys in my hand. “I fly out at six a.m., then its two weeks there before I’ve got a few days off again. I’ll be gone for about a month or two while the shoot takes place. After that it will be sporadic, there’s a whole schedule of times and locations.”
“You ever gonna tell me about that fine woman all over your Facebook page?” I paused near the driver’s door and looked over the top of the car at him. “Because your feed is crawling with pictures of you and her, and damn, brother, let me just say, you work fast.”
“What do you mean work fast?”
My stomach knotted in discomfort.
“Pictures of the two of you poolside, in your hotel, or maybe it was her room, who knows.” He wagged his brows. “I thought you’d be hung up on Ash forever after what went down, but then I saw those and I was—”
“Nothing happened.”
“Okay,” he chuckled, “if you say so.”
“I say so.” I clicked the unlock button on my key fob. “Aurora and I are just friends, nothing more.”
“Aurora, huh?”
The way he said her name only enhanced the tension in my gut. “What are you doing stalking my feed, anyway?”
“Don’t look at me, I mean you are kinda my idol after the deal you just scored, but it was Hayley who told me.”
“And why is your girl stalking my page?” I placed the key into the ignition. “You should be concerned she feels the need to check up on me and my life.”
When he didn’t say anything I looked over to find him avoiding eye contact. Then it hit me. “It was Ashlynn, wasn’t it?”
He simply nodded, and I hung my head in defeat. She must think the same thing Quinton did.
“So they think I went off to Italy and hooked up with some random girl?” He only shrugged in response. “Is that what they say?”
“It was more like, ‘Can you believe that asshole? He is almost as bad as Beau.’” That stung. “But I came to your defense and told Hayley that it was Ashlynn who pushed you away. I told her if you wanted to hook up with some gorgeous woman in Italy that was your business.”
“Again, there was no hooking up.”
Quinton shrugged. “Okay fine, but like I said, if you wanted to—”
“I didn’t.”
Without another word I put my car in drive and floored it, causing my tires to squeal just a little. I was done with this shit, done with the fucking games. Ashlynn may not want to talk to me, but she was gonna listen. It was she who wanted me to leave, she said it. I was only doing as she asked, and none of it, not a fucking moment of it, was easy.
“Where’s Hayley now?” I asked as I drove in the opposite direction of my place.
“Haven’t seen her since last night.”
I pointed toward his lap and his own gaze followed that direction. “Call her,” I directed. “Find out where I can find Ashlynn without actually telling Hayley I’m the one looking. I have a feeling that she’s got me on the same level as Beau, and if that’s true, Hayley sure as shit isn’t gonna allow me near Ashlynn.”
“So you’re gonna get me in trouble with my girl?”
“Call.” At that point I didn’t give a shit, and that may have been an asshole move on my part but I needed his help.
***
Her laughter was the first thing I heard and I found myself stopping near the fence just to listen. I closed my eyes, just imagining the way her head tilted back, the way her mouth fell open, and that dimple in her left cheek became more noticeable.
I’d thought of those things many times during my time away. One week led to another, and before I knew it three weeks had passed. Three weeks of not seeing her, talking to her, yet here I was still feeling all the same things I felt when I left, only now I think they were even stronger.
“This is nice, isn’t it?”
My eyes shot open and involuntarily my body moved forward on its own accord as I peered through the gap in the fence. Beau stood near the edge of the pool, wearing swim trunks and nothing more. He was staring at something to the left and at this angle the only thing I could see were two bare feet.
“This was supposed to be me relaxing near the pool, alone.”
“Yeah, but admit it, having me here is much more entertaining.”
Just the sound of his voice grated on my nerves. It took all I had to remain where I was, when the only thing I wanted to do was break his fucking nose. I should have known he’d move back in, instead of giving her space.
“Being alone is overrated.”
“It’s actually peaceful,” Ashlynn added.
“It is,” Beau agreed, and his flirtatious tone made me cringe.
“I meant being alone was peaceful.”
My hands shook as I gripped my keys tighter.
“We used to be good together, Ashlynn.” I moved to the left, fully intending to drown his fucking ass in the pool until I heard her response.
“We were, yes. But you do understand that we’ll never be an us again, don’t you?” There was a pause, a passing silence that had me waiting. “You and I had our chance, Beau, but I think I knew long before you did what you did that we weren’t meant to be.”
“I think I could have fixed us, had I not—”
“There’s no point in playing what ifs, it’s over. That part of us is over anyway, but friends is good.”
“Friends.” Displeasure oozed from his voice as he repeated the word. “Would you be placing me in that category if what took place between you and Kyler hadn’t happened?”
At the mention of my name I’d heard enough. Stepping around the side of the fence, I saw Beau look in the direction of my movement and his back stiffened instantly. I stared straight ahead at him, unaware of Ashlynn’s reaction to my presence.
“Well, if it isn’t Mr. Hollywood himself,” he sneered. “Those bigwig Italian gods let you off for a visit, I see.”
“Something like that.”
“Where’s your new girl?” He smirked. “Have you tossed her aside already too?”
He wanted me to bite, and believe me I wanted to, but this wasn’t between him and me. I choose to ignore his comments and sought out Ashlynn instead, who was sitting almost frozen on the lounger. I noticed she was wearing shorts and a t-shirt, and it was then I realized the little swim party I imagined them having wasn’t what was taking place.
“Hi Ash.” I could almost feel my anger melt when she offered a smile. It wasn’t that full on knock you on your ass smile, but it was a smile nonetheless.
“I thought you were in Italy?”
“I was.” I stepped toward her. “I will be.” Disappointment filled her eyes and she looked down toward her lap. “I leave tomorrow, but I was hoping we could talk.”
“Classic,” Beau said, and both Ashlynn and I looked i
n his direction. A smug look was on his face as he stood there with his arms crossed over his chest.
“Why are you even here, anyway?” I asked, feeling myself once again vibrate with irritation. “This has nothing to fucking do with you.”
“Nothing to do with me.” He lowered his hands and fisted them at his side. “She was my girl and you fucking slept with her. You were my best friend and you knew how I felt, how I’d regretted doing what I’d done, yet you still went after her.”
This wasn’t how I’d planned this day. Yet here he was challenging me and something inside me snapped.
“I went after her?” My voice echoed across the space as I moved toward Beau. “What about when you first approached her, huh? Back at that party that led to your relationship. You went after her only after I expressed an interest. So who’s the fucking douche, Beau? Who is the prick that didn’t even take our friendship seriously?”
He stared at me, saying nothing in response.
“Exactly,” I said once I was standing only a few feet from him. “I saw her, I remember telling you how gorgeous I thought she was. I turned my head for five minutes and the next thing I know you’re across the yard hitting on the very girl I’d just told you had caught my eye.”
“You should’ve moved faster.”
“You should have held on tighter.”
“Stop.” I looked back over my shoulder to see Ashlynn standing with a pissed off look on her face. “Enough, both of you. I am not some fucking prize to be won after a battle. What the hell is wrong with the two of you?”
She started moving toward the path that led to her house and I spun around with every intention of slowing her. Beau grabbed my arm, and without warning, I turned back to face him and gripped him around the neck. “Let go.”
“Leave her alone.” He winced the words as I squeezed just a little tighter. “You don’t deserve her.”
“Neither of us do.” I pushed against him, releasing my hold and he stumbled back. I took off in a jog, gaining on Ashlynn just as she reached her back door.
