Page 64 of Exactly What I Needed
“Hell yes.” He kissed me again. This time a little deeper, and I wrapped my fingers around his cut-off, pulling him closer to me.
Once we broke apart, he brushed some hair from my face. “What about Sydney?” he asked.
“I’ll figure that out when the time comes.” I sighed. “By the way, were my parents waiting out there when you decided to come find me?”
He shook his head. “No, they turned in maybe an hour or so ago. Why?”
My shoulders sagged, and I turned away from him. His hands fell toward his lap. “Nothing. It’s no big deal.”
“Doesn’t seem like it’s nothing to you,” he replied, and I shook my head. “Why do you do that?”
I furrowed my brows. “Do what?”
“Take care of everyone else but yourself.”
“I don’t do that.”
He rolled his eyes. “Yes, you do. Since your parents found a way to start a career for you at eleven years old, your money has been their money. They literally depend on you. And now, even as an adult on your own, who just so happened to get elbowed in the nose by your douchebag of an ex, you’re asking if they’re okay when they should’ve been waiting patiently for you, no matter how long it took.”
“In fact, where were they when everything went down? And then Sydney. You don’t ever drink because you’re in charge of taking care of her at pretty much any point in time. Yeah, she threw you this birthday party, and you live in a house that her parents bought for her, but still. You’re practically her mom too. And you’re a teacher, which means you take care of all those students as well.”
Asher paused and swung one leg on the other side of the bench, scooting closer to me. “When was the last time you didn’t have to worry about taking care of anyone besides yourself?” he tenderly asked. I smiled, shaking my head, knowing that part of why he asked was to feed his own ego.
But I answered anyway. “When I was with you.”
He grinned. “Besides then.”
“Oh,” I muttered and paused.
“See, you can’t even think of it.” He wrapped his hands around my waist and pulled me toward him.
“Don’t let that go to your head,” I grumbled, and he chuckled, resting his chin on top of my head. I leaned my cheek against his chest and closed my eyes.
He simply held me.
But he was right. I couldn’t remember the last time that I wasn’t responsible for more than myself. Excluding this weekend when Sydney did step up to the plate to put together a birthday party for me. And the only outlet that I’d had growing up had been my music, which inevitably had still been used to take care of someone else. I wasn’t going to change that; my parents could keep that money.
But maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to be a bit more selfish. To put myself first for a while. To be less of the Cinderella still stuck serving her stepmother and stepsisters and more the Cinderella who became a queen.
“By the way, I have a present for you,” he whispered against my hair.
“You got me a present? I thought you were mad at me.”
“I wasn’t mad—hurt, but not mad.”
“So, why did you ignore me until now?”
“Actually, that wasn’t entirely on purpose. One of the fangirls from the lobby found a way up the elevator and discovered what floor we were on. So, we had to pack up and immediately move.”
I leaned my head back, looking up at his face. He lifted a brow. “Where are you staying now?”
“We rented a house for the time being. Jaxon’s and Drake’s girlfriends are coming tomorrow or Monday to stay for a while.”
“Somebody will find out at some point,” I stated, and he nodded.
“You’re right.”
I gasped. “Did you just say I was right?”
