Page 83 of The Wish List
“I don’t think so. Tell me what you meant.”
She thought about getting up from the table, taking her baby and walking back to her mother’s house. She didn’t owe this man an explanation or a window into her weakness or the stupid choices she’d previously made.
He took a step closer. “I will keep you safe. Both you and Thomas.”
A nearly irresistible offer. But part of starting fresh was learning to stand on her own two feet. To take care of herself, no matter what that entailed.
And she knew that to do that, she had to stop blaming herself for what happened with Dave. Ash continued to study her, his gaze unreadable in the soft light of the kitchen.
“I left my ex-boyfriend because he...” She swallowed against the bile rising in her throat. “He was abusive, and I wouldn’t allow Thomas to be raised by someone like that.”
“Do you think he’ll come after you?” Ash asked, his tone deceptively gentle. Trinity could see by his rigid posture and the muscle ticking in his jaw that there was nothing gentle about this man at the moment, but it didn’t scare her.
“He doesn’t know where I am,” she explained. “He also doesn’t know about Thomas. I’m sure he’s moved on from me at this point. I was never truly important to him.”
“I doubt that,” Ash muttered.
“It doesn’t matter. He’s my past.”
“What if he comes looking for you?”
“I’ll leave,” she said automatically.
“Running isn’t an option forever, Trinity. Not for you or Thomas.”
“I don’t think it will come to that,” she said, trying to sound more confident than she felt. “I was in Colorado for most of the summer and fall, and he didn’t come after me.”
“Did he know where you were or have a way to reach you?”
She shook her head. “But there’s no reason to think he would track me down in Magnolia.”
“I need you to text me his full name, birth date, address, any information you have on him.”
“Ash, this isn’t your fight.”
“To serve and protect,” he said, repeating the words she’d spoken earlier. “That’s the vow I took. Even if it wasn’t, I would take care of you. I can’t explain it, Trinity, but you mean...” He blew out a soft laugh. “I’m going to embarrass myself if I say anything more.”
“I’m not weak and helpless.”
“I don’t think you are.”
“My mom does. That’s why she wants Beth to go with her and Freya to stay with me. She doesn’t think I can handle being on my own with Thomas.”
“A baby is a lot of work no matter what. Wanting or needing help isn’t a bad thing.”
“I know.” She sighed. “In my rational mind, I understand that, but it feels like it means something about me. When I thought about staying in Magnolia, it was to raise my son and help my mom. I was going to be the strong one in my family. I don’t know what to do if she’s like before. She’s nice to you and Michaela and to Shauna and her boys. But she’s different with my sisters and me.”
“Maybe there’s a middle ground,” he suggested.
“I find that hard to believe with May, but I hope so. Because suddenly I feel needy and weak, like I came crawling back to my mother’s house to hide.”
“You’re talking to the guy who lives with his late wife’s mom.”
“I think it’s clear that you are supporting her.”
He looked down at Thomas, who was beginning to drift off to sleep in his arms. “That’s true to an extent. It’s also true that I was overwhelmed at the idea of being on my own with Michaela after Stacy died. She’d made it clear that the dedication to my career hurt my ability to be a good father. Suddenly, I’m a single dad with only that career to support my daughter. Helena and I have a mutually beneficial relationship, although Michaela and I will be moving to our own house after the first of the year. It’s time for all of us.”
“How do you feel about being on your own during the teenage years?”
