Page 73 of Love Me Gently

“When you say it’s bad.” Ashley’s voice quaked as she spoke. “Do you mean bad, like the things you know that go on in this town you won’t talk about, bad?”

We had domestic violence and all the other kinds of violence that all other towns in the world had, but still, yeah. “Worse,” I confirmed. “But she’s here. She’s safe, and tonight, Robbie and I were going to go out and watch the game, but I thought maybe the two of you would want to come over. Pizza and drinks and football at my place.”

Maybe not the football part. Not with Trina around. At least Georgia wasn’t playing, not like I ever watched them anyway. One glance at Trina next to her husband in the owner’s box had been enough for me to ban those games from my presence.

“She’s there,” Ashley whispered and wiped tears from her eyes. “Your girls?”

“They’ve been with Marie.”

“Dang. How’d you keep this all quiet?”

Carefully. She didn’t need to know it all. “I can’t stay, Ash, I’ve gotta pick up the girls to see them for a minute, but I just needed you to know what’s going on. And to see if someone can watch your kids. That is, if you want to see her.”

“Wow. Of all the things I thought you’d tell me when I saw you, this isn’t it, at all.”

“I know.”

“We’ll be there. I’ll call Robbie when I can. You okay? I mean…”

I scrubbed a hand through my hair. “It’s Trina, and she’s in my home.” Where I hoped she’d stay, and that hope kept growing even while I tried to strangle it. “I’m good, minefields I have to sidestep around, but I’m better than I’ve been in a long time.”

She blinked, and the sweet, caring friend I’d known almost my entire life reappeared. “I know, you know…Robbie told me.”

“Don’t bring it up. Don’t even let her think you know.”

Ash’s chin wobbled again, and she sniffed. “I’ve missed her. Been really mad at her, and then angry, but mostly I’ve just missed her.”

“And tonight, you’ll get to see her.”

She scrubbed her eyes, and I gave her that time to collect herself. Get it out. Eventually, she stopped, opened her eyes and smiled. “Tonight. I get to see her. Finally.”

I leaned in and kissed her cheek. “You’re the best, Ash. Have Robbie text me your pizza order.”

“We’ll pick it up and bring it with us. Think she’d still like Scalecki’s?”

Scalecki’s Pizza had been around as long as Deer Creek existed. Had to go up the mountain to the base of the ski slopes to get it, but it was worth the trip even in the snow and ice, it was that good.

Personally, I doubted Trina would eat something so heavy with carbs and crap from the way she ate like a bunny rabbit, but whatever. She had to get free of that, too, and Scalecki’s could probably help.

I never met anyone who could resist it.

“Get all her old favorites. We’ll see.”

“Thanks, Cole. You’re a good man. I hope she appreciates it more this time.”

“We’ll see.” I shrugged, like I wasn’t hoping for the same thing. Like I wasn’t hoping her eyes would be open and she’d finally see the life I could give her, the life I’d worked to earn and have but had always felt like something was missing even with my girls.

There werefew things brighter than the babbling of my girls in the back seat of my truck. I’d stopped at Mellie’s on the way to get them and set aside two of the dozen cookies I bought for my girls.

Ella’s face had melted chocolate on it, and June was still devouring her frosted and sprinkled sugar cookie.

Sending them back to Marie on a sugar high might not have been the nicest thing, but I was trying to soften the girls up to what was coming. There was no doubt Ella would be nice and roll with it.

June was the one I was worried about.

I pulled off into the parking lot of the town’s park and threw my arm over the passenger headrest.

“Girls. I need to talk to you about something.”

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