Page 123 of Exactly What I Needed
Emily giggled. “Probably not. Asher Stone is not only the embodiment of a bad boy, but he’s also famous. And here we are, living in one of the smallest towns in the middle of nowhere. At least nobody can accuse you of trying to baby trap him for money or some shit like that.”
Xander crawled out of Emily’s lap and over to Sophie. Her green eyes sparkled as the toddler cuddled up against her oversized, blue T-shirt. “Though, if you’d shown us that ring you’re playing with, it would’ve made things harder to deny,” Sophie nonchalantly added.
My eyes widened, and I quickly tucked it back into my dress.
Emily wiggled her brows. “His fans have gone mad trying to figure out where it went the past three years.”
“Well, neither of you ever mentioned being fans of Void,” I snipped in response with a raised brow and widening smile.
“Your layers run deep, Cosi. So deep.” Emily grinned and leaned back against the couch. “So, what are you going to do?”
I glanced out the window, staring at the setting sun in the sky. “Wait,” I whispered. That was all I could do, unless I went back to the stadium like some obsessed fangirl.
“What does ‘wait’ even mean?” Sophie asked as she drew her brows together.
The ball was in Asher’s court. He could text me, call me, or show up at my apartment’s front door at this point. He had my phone number and address. He knew about Xander, and so all I could do now was wait for Asher to decide what he wanted to do next.
Or maybe whatever Asher was wrestling with was something else entirely. I’d always subconsciously imagined he’d make a great dad someday. I slid my bare toe against the beige hardwood and stared at the ground.
“Asher knows where to find me,” I finally said.
Sophie continued to quietly play with a truck Xander offered her as she spoke. “Give him some time. He just found out he’s got a kid.”
“True true…” I mumbled and watched Xander for a moment. He was blissfully unaware just how much his life had changed if Asher wanted to be his dad. Apprehension filled my soul as I could only imagine just what Asher was trying to wrestle with. Forgiveness for me because I kept this a secret? Maybe coming to terms with the shift in responsibility Xander brought? Was he mourning the fact that he missed out on over two years of being in his son’s life? Was he unsure if he even wanted to be a dad? Though that last question seemed like the weakest one.
“What are all the articles saying about this?” I asked, wanting to fill the silence to drown out the impatient thoughts tumbling in my mind.
Emily tightened her messy bun, her brown eyes meeting mine. “They’ve not really been focused on you much, other than how you’re some random nobody from nowhere. They’re more focused on Asher and the shocking reveal that he’s a dad. They want to know what he’s going to do, how this will affect his career, and things like that.” She dug into her jeans pocket and pulled out her phone, quickly tapping away on the screen. Emily tipped her head, and then a grin widened on her face.
“These pictures were of you, weren’t they?” She flipped her cell around and showed me the very article that had once been the source of a headache for me three years ago but now offered me a little bit of hope.
“What pictures?” Sophie asked and grabbed Emily’s arm. She turned the screen toward Sophie, and I watched green eyes nearly bug out of her head. “I remember that! The entire internet was up in arms about that girl.” She whipped her eyes up at me. “Oh, he’s gooood,” she dragged out.
“Good?” I questioned.
“The way he handled things in your classroom. You could’ve ended up being hated on again, but instead, despite knowing who you are, everyone is focused on the fact that Asher is a dad and there’s hardly anything about you being some sort of…” Her voice trailed off.
“Slut? Whore?” I exhaled and shook my head.
“Well, I mean, isn’t that what the fangirls were calling you when this article came out?” Emily locked her phone and slipped it back into her pocket. She pulled her plump lips into a thin line and shared a knowing glance with Sophie.
“Yeah, that’s what they said. Even a couple of my students back at my old school were cursing out this ‘mysterious woman’ of Asher’s.” I couldn’t stop my smile as flashes of Asher and his absolute obvious hunger danced in my mind. No matter what happened, despite the best efforts of someone as horrible as Danny, at least those memories and moments would always be mine. Nobody could take them away.
“Speaking of students, what are you going to say to your kids tomorrow?” Sophie asked, breaking through the bliss of brief solitude.
I shook my head as Xander yawned. “Honestly, I have no idea. I can imagine all the questions, but I doubt I’ll be able to answer most of them.”
“Maybe you should get a sub. Besides, any update from daycare? If the power isn’t back on, then who will watch him? We both work tomorrow,” Emily added.
Honestly, a day off from work to spend some time alone with Xander and my thoughts didn’t sound half bad. Especially as an itch played beneath my fingers. A desire to play a simple note on the piano. To at least hear a note out loud that came from my own head before the inevitable answer came from Asher—an answer that could absolutely destroy me if he chose to leave both Xander and me behind.
He had every right to do so.
I slowly turned around and slid my hand across the ivory keys. One note wouldn’t hurt? Even right now, right? Maybe it would make the music louder. But something held my fingers still, pressed against the piano but unable to tap it hard enough to produce sound.
The last time someone had seen me play was Asher at my birthday party. And then the music was stolen from me by Danny. Anger roared hot through me. Asher had unlocked the prison that the notes had been caged in, but it wasn’t his responsibility to open the door. I had to do that. And up until now, I’d refused to even try.
Just press the key. Any noise, any sound, any note.
