My stomach lurches. I try to tug my hand away, but he holds tight.
"It's a precautionary move, Falon. She followed you and Eli from my studio to your apartment. She was outside the next morning and she followed you to your studio. Your name is on the building's master list by the buzzers. She put two and two together and found your site which has your number listed."
My head spins with all that information. "Why would she do that? You ended things years ago."
"She's recently divorced. She saw that picture of the two of us online and it triggered something in her."
This is what I don't want. I don't want my entire life upended because he's famous. I like to be hidden away, in a safe corner of New York, doing work that I'm proud of.
I shake my head as I look down at my laptop's screen. "Your life is so different than mine. I felt that at the concert in Philadelphia too. It's a lot, Asher. This is all a lot for me."
He moves to the coffee table, sitting on it as he pulls on my knees to separate them. He tugs on my hips so I'm close to the edge, almost in his lap.
"You have every right to want to protect yourself. I will never let anyone hurt you. I won't let you doubt how much I care for you."
I want to believe him but there's this nagging voice in the back of my mind that says that he's a hot rock star and that alone, complicates life in ways I can't imagine.
"I know you care about me." I rest my hands on his knees. "I also know that your music is your passion. That comes with a lot of bullshit. I'm going to need you to help me deal with all that."
"We'll deal with it together." He squeezes my hands. "I'm going to do the twenty-two dates on this tour and then switch it up. I've always wanted to do small venues. I dream of doing intimate shows with just me, my guitar and the songs I love."
It's a leap of faith but he's Asher, my Asher now. "I have a lot of work coming up over the next few months. I landed a contract with Bishop Hotels. I have to travel for that and you have to travel for the tour."
"I have a phone, you have a phone and my brother owns a private jet." He rolls his eyes. "The family company does. I can use it to come to wherever you are when I have a break. When I can't come to you, we'll talk on the phone as much as we can."
"I want to try." I rest my hands on his broad shoulders. "I want to try and make this work."
"No trying, Falon. We'll make it work. I know we will."
CHAPTER 44
Asher
The knocking at the door startles both Falon and me. I was kissing that sweet mouth and was just about to carry her to my bed when someone decided that now would be the perfect time to fuck up my plan.
"You should get it," she whispers into my mouth. "I can go get naked on the bed."
"Fuck, Falon." I look down at my sweatpants. "I'm popping a tent right now. How can I answer the door like this?"
She laughs, the sound loud and throaty. "I'll get the door. You adjust that thing before you scare anyone."
I watch as she bounces to her feet, adjusting the hem of the long blue sundress she's wearing. Her hair is tied up in a tight ponytail. She's a dream come true. This is my dream come true.
"Have we met?" Caleb's voice fills the space. I can't see the door from here but I suspect my brother was headed out for a night run and needs another bottle of water. It looks like Falon is going to meet at least one member of my family tonight.
"You're Falon, aren't you? Noah told me a lot about you when you were working for him." Make that two. That's Gabriel's voice.
"Where is my son?"
My world stalls then. That's the voice of the man who I made Father's Day cards for in grade school. He's the man who told me he'd die if I did. That's my dad.
All three of them come into view at the same time. They're almost all the same height with the same dark features. That's where the similarities end. My brothers are massive, both strong men who work hard to stay in shape. My dad was the same at one point, but that's changed now. He's let retirement eat away at him in more ways than one. His hair has grayed; he's sporting a belly now. He looks exactly like a grandfather should, if a man actually wanted to be one.
"You were right, Junior," Caleb rounds the table to pull me into a hug. "She's beautiful."
I wrap my arms around him, patting him on the back. "I told you. I took your advice."
He looks back to where Falon is standing next to Gabriel. She's fidgeting from one of her bare feet to the other.