“Haiden likes Ashton too. He just doesn’t want to say it out loud. He feels really bad about the fair. He told me so.”
“Honey, do you understand how wrong that was? To lie about something so serious?”
“Yes. I’m so sorry. Please forgive me.”
“I’m not the one who has to forgive you, baby.”
“Mama—”
The doorbell rang, cutting her off.
“I’ll get it,” Aspyn stated, walking out of the bedroom.
“We’re not done here, Haven. I want you to stay in your room for the rest of the day. No watching TV, and you get no dessert for dinner.”
“Okay.” She bowed her head again.
“Haven, I love you very much, and I’m extremely disappointed in both of you, but that doesn’t change my love for you. For either of you.”
“Are you going to get back together with Ashton? Because I really like him, Mama. A lot.”
Breathing deeply, I replied, “You have a funny way of showing it.”
“You want to know why I really, really like him?”
“Yes.”
“Because he makes you happy.”
I smiled. “You’re still grounded, Haven.”
“I know. You want to know what else?”
“What?”
“He makes me happy too.”
Wiping away all her tears, I kissed her nose. “Let’s see if we can get your brother on the same page.”
“We can. I know he likes Ashton; he just doesn’t want to lose you. I told him that we wouldn’t, and I think in the last couple of weeks he started to believe me.”
“He was still torturing him.”
“Yeah, but Haiden likes to be a bully. He is with me, and I know he still loves me.”
I narrowed my eyes at her. “You’re too smart for your own good.”
“Hey, Sage,” Aspyn interrupted, standing by the door. “There’s something you need to see.”
“What’s going on?”
“Someone is here to see you.”
“Who?”
I never expected who she divulged, “Leo.”
I jerked back, confused.
“He’s waiting in the living room.”
Kissing Haven on the nose one more time, I made my way downstairs to Ashton’s best friend.
What was he doing here?
Question after question tore through my mind at rapid speed when I locked eyes with him.
“Hey,” he greeted.
“Hi, how did you know where I live?”
“Ashton doesn’t know I’m here. I found it on his phone while he was in the shower last night, washing away the blood from his fists.”
My ass fell on the couch from the shock of that statement. “I’m sorry, what? Did he get into a fight?”
“I don’t think you can consider what he did as fighting, more like kicking someone’s ass.”
I arched an eyebrow. “And you came here to tell me this why?”
“I was debating on texting you this, but I figured it would be best if I came here and showed you myself.”
In four strides, he was handing me his phone as I heard Memphis’s voice on the speaker, “No one asked you! I don’t know what you think you’re doing, but you need to back the fuck off! I heard she was with someone, and I’m guessing it’s you?”
“You’d be right.”
With wide eyes, I watched Ashton shove Memphis on the screen of Leo’s iPhone.
“And let me tell you, Memphis, knocking her up doesn’t change the fact that she’s always been mine.”
My heart exploded. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, hearing.
“That’s for knocking my girl up!”
He right hooked him.
“That’s for abandoning your twins. You’re the reason Haiden can’t trust me! You’re the reason he won’t let me in!”
I didn’t know what was worse—seeing Ashton kick Memphis’s ass, or hearing what he was spewing at him.
“That’s for being a shitty ass fucking father to two little humans who deserve to have a real one!”
Another kick to his chest.
“That’s for all the times you cheated on Sage when she’s the best thing you ever had!”
I wasn’t surprised that Memphis cheated on me. He always had a wandering eye. But it wasn’t until Ashton yanked him up off the ground that my heart truly melted.
“You’ll never get to see how sweet Haven is, how adorable and funny with half the shit that comes out of her mouth. She’s brave, witty, going to do big things one day. You’re never going to see how smart Haiden is, how clever and strong. How he protects and looks out for Sage like it’s his fucking job!”
What truly blew my mind was the way he was talking about Haiden and Haven. Even with everything they'd put him through—the pranks, the setting him up—
he was still defending and speaking up for them.
Almost as if he were their father.
“Despite the fact you abandoned him, he already knows what it takes to be a real man. He’s loyal, genuine, and loves his mother and sister with everything he has. Everything that Haiden and Haven are is because they have the love of that woman. They don’t even miss you. They don’t even need you. You mean nothing to them. Do you understand me? Fucking nothing!”