Page 26 of Keeping Promises

“But I haven’t heard from you.” I know I’m a hypocrite since the phone works both ways. I could have easily reached out.

“You’re right, but I was giving you space after the incident at the doctor’s office.”

I step back from his grasp, but he doesn’t retreat; he steps closer. “I’m surprised that you’re here and not hanging out with what’s her name at whatever bar she invited you to.” I know damn well that her name was Jill and the bar was Lawson’s Tavern, but I don’t want to admit that to him.

“Damnit, Hadley, I didn’t come here to fight with you.”

“Then why did you come here?”

“Look, I know you’re upset about the other day, but if you had stuck around instead of storming off, you would have heard me tell her off before I threw away the card with her number on it.”

He did? I swallow the lump in my throat. “I’m sorry, but she was blatantly flirting with you.” My voice is now quivering. I hate showing my emotions to him and feeling vulnerable.

“Yeah, but I didn’t flirt back. As I said, I shut that shit down. Just like tonight—I didn’t flirt back with the bartender. Women are going to flirt with me—I mean, look at me.” He smirks and extends his hand up and down his body.

“Ever so modest,” I snort, rolling my eyes but thankful of the reprieve in tension his arrogance gave us.

“Hey, never said I was. But Hadley.” He reaches for my hand and links our fingers. I stare down at the perfect way they fit together. He gives my hand a light squeeze and draws my attention back to him. His blue eyes are twinkling with emotion. “I need you to trust me. Can you do that?”

I nibble on my bottom lip. Using his hand not still linked with mine, Asher tugs my lip from the grasp of my teeth with a flick and runs his thumb back and forth. I lock my gaze with him as I ponder my response. Trusting others doesn’t always come easy to me.

“I don’t know, but I want to,” I answer honestly. How do I know this isn’t just an act or that he’s still on a “baby high” and will change his mind at the first chance of a better opportunity? I need to open myself to him in a way I have never done before, not even with Josh, and maybe that was our downfall, but I need to at least try—for our baby’s sake.

“I can work with that.” The smile on his face is genuine, not cocky like the usual smile he greets everyone with. I don’t think I’ve seen this smile often, if at all, and I like seeing a side of Asher that is only for me. “I’m in this with you, Hadley. Got it?”

I nod. The apartment temperature suddenly increases by ten degrees, or maybe it’s from Asher’s proximity at this moment.

“But this doesn’t mean we’re together, like a couple. It means we’re a team. I think the correct term is co-parenting. But I swear to God, Asher, if at any moment you don’t want this, want us—” I place my free hand on my stomach. “—you tell me.”

I know it might be strange to think I’m willing to give co-parenting a chance but not us being together, but I don’t want him to want to be with me only because I’m having his baby. That’s no reason to start a relationship. People have babies together all the time, doesn’t mean that we need to fake something.

“Okay.” He nods.

“Promise me.”

“I promise, Hadley.”

Silence fills the air but doesn’t diminish the tension between us. “Well, I should go.” He releases my hand and runs his hand through his perfectly styled hair.

I quickly move and wrap my hand around his bicep, stopping him. “I mean, you don’t have to. You could stay.”

“I’m not imposing, am I?”

“No, I mean I have all these snacks.” I point toward the coffee table where there is a bowl of popcorn, Doritos, and a pack of half-eaten red Twizzlers. I do notice that the bag of Sour Patch Kids is gone. How did I miss Cal sneaking those out?Bastard.I shouldn’t be surprised, though, since they’re his favorite.

“Okay, I think I’d like to stay.”

“Me too.” I lead him over to the couch, and I take a seat, pulling my feet underneath me as he toes off his dress shoes and removes his tie, tossing it on the table. He reaches for the sonogram photo on the table as he takes a seat beside me.

“It’s crazy. Like we made that?” He runs his fingers over the image, and I think I feel my ovaries burst at the swooniness of the moment.

A flush creeps up my neck at the memory of how we made that baby. My hormones have started getting out of control, and even the smallest things get me horny. Like the other day, I saw a movie trailer that included Chris Evans, andbam, I needed release. My posse has been working overtime to satisfy my needs.

“You okay?” Asher asks as the corners of his mouth tip upward like the Cheshire cat.

I reach up, twisting my hair between my fingers, and run my palm along my chest, trying to hide the newfound color. “Oh yeah.” I lean over and rest my chin on his shoulder, glancing down at the black-and-white image.

The scent of cypress and cedar invades my senses, and my hormones begin to go haywire. I want to think that I have an overactive sex drive on a typical day, but holy fuck has it been crazy since I got pregnant. Just having Asher this close is dampening my panties.

---