“Fuck,” he mutters, “I’ll sort this out with him. I don’t want you worrying about it.”
“I don’t want you to sort anything out for me. I’m just wondering what’s going on, because this was all news to me.”
He switches us across to FaceTime, which is good; being able to see his face makes me feel closer. “The deal I struck with Brentley involved Dad as well as you. I don’t want him developing Willow Street, so I made sure that wouldn’t happen. I don’t know why he assumes that is your fault.”
“Why do you and your father want Willow Street so much?”
“Willow Street was such a huge part of my Uncle Victor’s life. He owned the furniture shop you mentioned to me once, and taught me far more about life and business than my own father did. Victor went through a bad time and lost the business when I was seventeen. My drive to develop Willow Street comes from that. He had a vision for the area, and I want to bring that vision to life.”
Everything I’ve thought about Ashton bulldozing Willow Street comes into focus, most of it now being questioned. This is a whole other side to him that he’s not shown me before. A side I really like.
“Is that why your father wants it too?”
He shakes his head. “Fuck, no. He and Victor didn’t get on. They were complete opposites, and my father hated me having anything to do with his brother. But Mum encouraged it, thank God. Dad probably wants it so he can knock down the shitty memories he must have over Victor, and the fact he drove him to ruin.”
Goodness, Ashton’s father is worse than I thought. “How did he do that?”
I watch as he sits on a couch. Once he’s settled, he answers me. “I never knew that your grandmother’s Willow Street Fund helped struggling businesses until you told me about it. I didn’t know she’d helped Victor. I’d always assumed Dad had lent him cash and helped him in some way. Once you told me how the fund works, I realised Dad didn’t lift a finger to help his own brother. And when the business went south, Dad did nothing. Victor started drinking after that and eventually drank himself to death. And my father just stood by and let him.”
My heart hurts for Ashton; that he had to live through this. And I’m seeing things in a whole new light—the things he does that stem from what he’s lived through.
“I’m sorry that happened to your uncle and to you. Victor was an amazing man, and he touched my life in many ways.”
He rakes his fingers through his hair and exhales. “Yeah, he was.”
Watching him think about his uncle and what he went through makes me miss him a whole lot more than I already do. I just want to wrap my arms around him and comfort him, because this seems to have affected him. And it’s not often Ashton appears to be affected.
“I miss you,” I blurt, unable to stop myself.
His eyes lock with mine. “You need to get your ass on a plane to LA.” It’s one of his growly orders, and it hits my core.
God, how I need to do that.
“You’re busy with Jack,” I start, but he cuts me off.
“Jack wants you here, too.”
“Really?” That makes no sense to me.
“Yes, really. He thinks you’ll give him some breathing space by taking my attention away from him all the time.”
I laugh, understanding where Jack’s coming from. “Let me guess, you’re being Bossy Ashton, telling him what to do all the time.”
He ignores that. “I want you on the first flight out tomorrow morning.”
And there’s his bossy ways I can’t deny I love. “I might have things on that I can’t reschedule,” I throw out, just to draw more of his bossiness out. I have nothing I can’t or won’t reschedule for him.
“I’ll book the flight myself and send James over to drag you to the plane if I have to.”
I smile. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Good,” he growls, and I can tell from the way he says it and the way he’s looking at me that he needs to see me just as much as I need to see him.
63
Ashton
I fight the crowds at LAX on my way to wait for Lorelei. Fuck, I’m impatient today. I need her with me, by my side.