Damn. That’s a shame. I slowly drawl, “Okay? I’m not sure where I come into this.”
He holds up a palm. “Getting to that.” He paces some more. “I know you didn’t see me, but I saw you with Ceecee today. I saw you help her.”
Oh. I see. Here it comes.
“I was hoping you’d be able to do a session or two a week with Ceecee. I know you’re not her PT. I mean, I still want her to have Whit, but she needs more than him. I want to do this privately, away from the center.”
I start, “Max, I don’t know. I don’t think I can.”
His face falls. “Why not? I’d pay you, of course. And because it would be after hours, I’d pay bonus rates.” His eyes plead with me. “She needs help, Lena.”
But I’m already shaking my head. “I’m too close to the situation. It would be a conflict of interest. I know you. Our families are all twisted together. I see Ceecee as more than just a client.”
He raises his arms to say what’s the problem? “That’s great! You’d be awesome!”
I bit my lip. I hate this so much. “I’m sorry, Max. I have to decline.” The sincerity in my voice must alert him to the fact I mean it. His shoulders slump and he looks down at the counter. I tell him, “There are other trainers at the center. We’ll find another—”
He looks into my eyes and cuts me off with, “You’re the first person I’ve seen her react to in a positive way in over a year.” Neither of us looks away. It’s becoming awkward, quickly. He straightens with a nod. “You’re right. We’ll find someone. I’m sorry I dragged you into this. I never wanted to force you into anything. I’m just worried about my girl.”
I stand. “I know.” I feel he needs something right now, something I can provide. Moving slowly, I walk around the counter towards him. He looks down at me questionably. Swallowing hard, I step closer, wrapping my arms around his waist. He doesn’t wait to respond; his arms wrap around my shoulders, holding me tight. I breathe him in and mumble, “You’re a good dad, Max. I’m sorry I can’t help.”
He kisses the top of my head. “Thanks, cupcake.” He releases his hold on me. My hold on him lingers a second longer before I let him go. He smiles down at me. “Let’s get back. Dinners probably gone by now.”
We leave his house and head back across the street.
After we eat our weight in BBQ ribs, Tina takes the little ones for a bath while Ash and I glare holes into each other’s heads. Before I snap at him again, I take it upon myself to clear the dishes and load the dishwasher. Mimi helps. We get the job done in less than five minutes and make our way back to the living area to find everyone has moved over to the three three-seater sofas surrounding the TV in a U-shape. The only two seats free are the ones next to Nik and Max. I have a feeling Nik will want to sit with his wife, so I seat myself next to Max.
Nik puts on a DVD, and soon Tina joins us, baby monitor in hand. She tells us, “Okay, the kids are sleeping and Ceecee is playing her Gameboy.”
Max chuckles. “Her 3DS, babe.”
Tina sighs. “Whatever.”
Ash looks over at me and utters, “Pass the popcorn, Lena.”
But I lean back into the sofa. “Get it yourself.”
Nat looks between us before laughing uncertainly. “What’s going on, you two?”
We stare, and glare, and glower, and stare some more before I lose my shit. It all comes out with a bang. “He attacked my boss!”
Ash sits taller and returns, “Yeah, well, the guy was feeling her up in the parking lot in his car.”
All the guys growl, the women gasp in shock, and Nat yells happily, clapping, “Oh yeah, baby!”
“It was just a hug!” I quickly explain.
Tina asks giddily with a smile, “He hugged you?” while Max asks in disbelief, “He hugged you?”
A whole explosion of conversation breaks out, and while this is happening, I quickly realize I’m done. I slip out the back door onto the patio. Silence is bliss.
The back sliding door opens and I close my eyes with a sigh. I feel someone standing by my side. Nik rests his arms on the balcony and mutters, “I gotta admit, Lena. I don’t like that. Doesn’t sound good.”
I’m officially exasperated. “It was just a hug, Niki. I like him. He’s my friend.” I add quietly through the thickness in my throat, “Sometimes you just need a hug, you know?”
Without a word, Nik leaves. I turn back to the yard, taking in the stillness. The door slides open again. Arms wrap around my middle, pulling my back into their front. I know that scent. “What are you doing?”
Max responds a hushed, “I don’t know. Nik came inside and said you needed a hug. I figured, I can do that.” Ridiculously sweet Max.
I turn and wrap my arms around his middle, burying my nose into his throat. I mumble, “Stop doing that.”
“Doing what?”
I whisper, “Winning me over.”
Chapter Seventeen
Max
I wish I could let it go. But I can’t. As I sit behind my desk, I think hard before making a decision, reaching into my pocket¸ and pulling out my cell phone. I dial the number. It rings only a moment before someone answers. “Good morning, Icing on the Cake Bakery. How can I help you?”
I smile. “Verna. How’re you doing? It’s Max.”
Her smile can be heard from the other end. “Max, sweetie, I’m good. How are you?”
“I’m great. Listen, I need you to do me a favor.”
She doesn’t need time to think about this. “Anything for you. What do you need?”
A smile tilts my lips.
I never said I wouldn’t fight dirty.
***
Helena
The wrapper peels away easily, unveiling the vanilla crème cupcake. I salivate and say a hushed, “Oh God. I need you.” I propel it into my mouth and chew, shaking my head in ultimate satisfaction. “Sweet Jesus, that’s good.” Standing from my position at the breakfast bar, I walk over to the trash to dump the empty wrapper and now-empty sample box.
I ate eight cupcakes.
I ate eight cupcakes in one day.
Am I ashamed of myself? Nope. Not even a little.
This is one of the reasons Nat bought me a baby pink tee with The Cupcakeinator written across the front. It was my workout tee for a long time. It has since been retired to be one of my bedtime tees.
I sit on the sofa, where Tedwood sleeps rolled up into a little fuzzy ball. I’ve come to find that when he’s sleeping, he doesn’t mind being cuddled. Lowering my face to his head, I nuzzle him with my nose. His purring exaggerates and I smile. I reach down to slide on my sneakers when someone knocks at the door.
Ted and I both look up at the door, then at each other. I mutter under my breath, “I wonder who that could be.” When I move to pat Ted on the rump, he hisses. And I mock-cower. “Ooooh, sorry, your highness. I forgot; you’re awake and that shit doesn’t fly.” I stand and walk over to the door, still talking to my cat. “God forbid someone would show you some love.” I throw my hands in the air and exclaim, “The absolute horror!”
I chuckle and answer the door. My lips thin. “What?”
Ash stands in the doorway, leaning on the frame, looking freshly showered. “C’mon. I’m taking you to work.”
I roll my eyes. “No. You aren’t. Don’t you think you’ve caused enough trouble?”
His jaw tics and he swallows hard. He speaks through gritted teeth. “I would really like to take you to work, Helena.”
My arms lift to cross over my chest. “Why?”
Avoiding my eyes, he scratches his chin and utters a bored, “So I can apologize to your asshole boss.”
My eyes narrow at him. “Nat put you up to this, didn’t she?”
He sighs in exasperation. “You want me to apologize to the douchebag or not?”
My head tilts slightly. I consider this. I walk over to the breakfast bar to grab my purse, work ID, and cell phone. I shove them in my pockets and walk past Ash through th
e open door. “Let’s go.”
“Fuck,” he mutters as he follows behind me.
Just as we enter the center, Ash opens his mouth. But I’m quicker than he is. I raise my hand, palm up, and shake my head slowly. “Nuh uh. Don’t you say a damn thing to me. I’m still pissed at you. You save your words, buddy. You save ‘em for James.”
He follows me down to reception, where I make him sign in and wear a stupid-looking visitor’s badge. He pulls at his shirt and grumbles, “Woman, if I didn’t love you…”
I screech to a halt and spin to face him. “You love me?” He makes a face. One of torture. As though I’m pulling teeth. My feet still firmly attached to the ground, I put a hand to my chest as warmth fills me. “Nawww, Ash.”
“You know what? Fuck this. I’m leaving.”
Poor Ash. I should let him leave. I mean, I won’t. But I should.
He turns and takes a single step away from me before I snag the back of his shirt and pull him backwards. Smiling, I link my arm through his and drag him down the hall toward my office. “Don’t be so dramatic. There’s no shame in loving family. I love you too, by the way. I’ve just never heard you say it. It shocked me.”
He lifts his head heavenward and mumbles, “Hold it together, man.”
Grinning, I utter, “Drama queen.”
As I reach my desk, I sit quickly to log into my computer, when Felicity approaches, quiet as a cat. I don’t even look up when she says, “I thought you said you didn’t have a boyfriend.”
I just know she’s got a firm eye on Asher. “I don’t,” I tell her distractedly, keying in my passwords and opening up the programs I need for the day.
Her tone changes immediately. It becomes deeper, smoother, and sultrier. “Well, hi there, friend of Helena. I’m Felicity.”
Still not looking up, I snort. “Yeah, he’s married. To my sister.”
Exasperation lines her voice. She huffs out, “Well, shit. Figures. All the hot ones are taken, stupid, or gay.” That’s when I look up.
Ash looks so uncomfortable it makes me chuckle. “Felicity, stop eyeing the man like a piece of meat. He’s going to get hives any second now.”
She pauses, looks him up and down, and then breaks out into a million dollar smile. “Sorry. A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do. I’m not getting any younger now.”
A pffft noise leaves my mouth. “Oh, puh-leeze. How old are you? Twenty-nine or something.”
Suddenly, I’m being wrapped in a warm hug with plenty of boobage. Felicity states on a squeeze, “God, I love you.” As she releases me, she asks Ash, “Don’t you just love her?” Before he can answer, she tells me, “I’m thirty-five, sweetie.”
I open my mouth to tell her I never would’ve guessed, when James walks towards us from down the hall. He looks to be in bad shape. Firstly, he hasn’t shaved. Secondly, he has bags under his eyes. When he spots Ash, he stops in the middle of the hall. I look up at Felicity. “Mind if I catch up with you later?”
She smiles warmly. “Of course,” she says, and then leaves the three of us to talk.
James approaches slowly, head lowered. When he reaches us, he utters quietly, “I’m resigning this morning. You don’t need to file the complaint. I’ve put all the reasons in my resignation letter.”
My mouth gapes a second before it snaps shut. My jaw sets. I nudge Ash with my shoulder. He steps forward. “You got an office?” James still won’t look up. It’s breaking my heart. But he nods. Ash asks, “You got a second? I gotta get to work.”
James sighs, running a hand over his bald head. “I don’t need a lecture—”
I see the moment when Ash has had enough of tiptoeing around. “Fuck. Stop feeling sorry for yourself and take me to your fuckin’ office, man.”
James finally looks up. At me. “You okay?”
Oh man. I could totally fall in love with this man. Thinking his world is falling apart around him, thinking he is about to lose his job, he looks over at the cause of all of his problems and asks if she is okay. I could so totally fall in love with this man. My smile is small, but genuine. “I think you should talk to Asher.”
Half-turning, he says, “If you say so.”
He starts to walk to his office, Asher in tow, and I wonder if—and hope that—James and I will be friends again before the day is out.
***
Asher
The guy looks ready to throw in the towel. I wish I felt bad about what I did and said yesterday, but I don’t. I got my reasons. He walks me into his office and sits, throwing out a hand in invitation to also sit. I do. We stare at each other for a minute. My eyes narrow. His don’t; he just blinks at me, looking like a man who’s accepted the worst. I should tell him now that I’m not filing anything. Instead, I tell him a little about myself.
“My name is Asher Collins. Most people call me Ghost. The only people who call me Ash are my mom, my wife, and her sisters. Natalie, Helena’s sister, is my wife, and that makes Helena one of my sisters. That makes her my responsibility.” I have his attention. He gives me all of it.
I can sort of see why Lena likes this guy. Even though he thinks I’m about to fuck him over, he’s showing me respect. I continue, “I have a mother, three brothers, and nine sisters.” I pause to let that sink in before I reveal, “None of them are blood relatives.”
He looks confused. I don’t give him anymore about me. I’d rather tell him why I did what I did. “This isn’t my story to tell, but I know my wife won’t mind.” Leaning back in my chair, I look him in the eye. “You got siblings?”
He nods. “Yeah.”
I look to the ceiling. “Make you want to rip your fuckin’ hair out sometimes, right?”
He huffs out a quiet laugh. “Yeah. Sometimes.”
My eyes meet his. “But you’d do anything to keep ‘em safe, yeah?”
He’s quiet a moment before he reveals, “Fuck yeah.”
“You have no idea.” I look at him and shrug. “Or maybe you do. I don’t know you.” I start again, “You have no idea what it’s like to see the battered face of a loved one. More accurately, of the woman you love, knowing a man put his hands on her. I do. I saw bruises, a black eye, and handprints on my woman’s body, put there by the guy she was dating at the time. True, if he didn’t do what he did, I’d probably not have her right now, but I’d sacrifice everything to make sure she’d be safe from anything and anyone.”
James nods in agreement, and I realize I’m warming up to him.
“I’ve got a lot of sisters, but Helena…” I look towards the open door, my voice quiet. “Helena is special. So when I thought some asshole was taking advantage of her, I did what I needed to do. I will always do what I need to do to keep my girls safe. Understand?”
He utters, “Yeah, man. I get that. But I swear, it was nothing. She hugged me. I hugged her back. That was it.”
I huff out a laugh. “Hard to say no to her, ain’t it?”
A small smile tugs at his lips. “She’s something else.”
I smile at that. “She is, and that’s why I need to protect her. She’s got something good inside of her. Something trusting and pure. If I ever saw that broken, I’d fuckin’ kill the person who stole that from her.” Not allowing him to respond, I stand. “Listen, I know she’s not a kid, but she’s family. Time’s gonna come when she meets a guy and falls in love.” I tell him honestly, “I don’t know if I’m ready for that to happen, but I know I have to trust her to make her own decisions.”
I walk towards the door. He looks at me in confusion. “Wait. What does this mean?”
“It means your job is safe. And I’m sorry for calling you a jerkoff, even though you probably are a jerkoff. As long as you’re good to Lena, we’re okay.” I turn the nob, opening the door. I pause a moment and tell him seriously, “But if you hurt her, in any way, I will tie cement blocks to your legs and throw you in a river. Oh, and I’ll make it look like an accident.”
His face loses a bit of color. I smirk
. “See ya around, boss.”
As I leave, I jerk my chin to Helena with a small smile. She smiles back and waves enthusiastically, not caring who sees.
Just another reason to love the dipshit.
***
Helena
The second Ash leaves, I make my way over to James’s office and knock gently. “Come in,” is called out, and I can hear relief sound out through his voice. That makes me happy. I smile and poke my head in. “Mind if I have a word?”
His eyes soften. “Sure, of course. Come on in.”
As I sit in the visitor chair, I wring my hands together. “I’m hoping you’re going to say you aren’t going to hand in that resignation letter today.”
He rubs at his naked scalp, looking sheepish. “No. Not today anyways.”
My shoulders slump in relief. “Thank God. James, I am so sorry. So sorry.”
He waves a hand out at me. “No, don’t be. I caused this, not you. And I understand why Asher did what he did. If it were my sister, I would’ve done it too. Maybe worse.”
I nod and bite my lip. “Does that mean…I mean…are we still friends?”
He looks into my eyes. “You couldn’t get rid of me if you tried.”
Dipping my chin to hide my smile, I breathe, “Cool.”
When I raise my head, he looks like he wants to say something, but he’s hesitating. I tell him honestly, “I would feel so much better if you’d just tell me what’s on your mind.”
He nods. “Okay, I just don’t want you to get offended or anything.” I raise my brows expectantly. He starts, “I don’t think it’s a good idea for us to hug or anything anymore.”
Quite frankly, I am a little offended. Or is that embarrassed? Maybe it’s shame. But I don’t let it show. “I agree. I’d hate for someone to cause problems like this again.” I shoot him a smile and stand. “I’m so glad things are back to normal.”