I. Was. Fucked.
Simply expressing, “Just call me Daddy, baby.”
Chapter 20
—Sage—
“I knew this was a bad idea! I never should have listened to you and my mom. Now look, Aspyn, he thinks I’m a liar. How am I going to come back from that?”
She’d knocked on my door shortly after Ashton left, saying she already knew what had happened since he’d gone to their suite looking for Sawyer.
“I told you. I think it’s going to be fine, Sage. He really likes you; he told me so.”
“I don’t doubt he really likes me. I doubt what he’s going to do about it and how he’s going to trust me after I lied to him about two of the most important people in my life.”
She shrugged. “You were just trying to protect you and your kids.”
“I know that, and you know that, but he doesn’t. How do I come back from this?”
“He knows the truth now, so it’s all out in the open. You have nothing else to hide.”
“That’s super reassuring, Aspyn.”
There was a knock on the door, and for a second I thought it was you know who until I opened it and Lively was standing there with her arms full of stuff.
She smiled. “I heard, and it didn’t feel right not coming here and seeing if you were okay.”
I smiled back. “That’s really nice of you. Come in.”
She did, and I closed the door behind her.
“Is Cain here too?”
“He told me what was going on and drove over here to man chat with Ashton and Sawyer. I’m assuming their conversation includes a bottle of Jack and calling each other motherfucker and asshole.”
We laughed.
“Okay so I didn’t know what ice cream flavor you guys liked, so I got vanilla, double chocolate, and mint chocolate. I also grabbed tissues. I didn’t know if this was going to be a crying kind of thing or not. Twizzlers, Skittles, oh and I brought tequila!”
“Wow,” Aspyn rasped. “This is how to cure a heartbreak 101. Snacks and booze.”
“Exactly.” She nodded.
See, she was the best. I couldn’t imagine Cain wasn’t falling in love with her or had already.
After a couple of shots, things started looking clearer, or maybe that was blurry; either way, I began feeling better.
Thank God for Don Julio.
“Men are so stupid,” Lively spoke, taking down another shot.
“Tell me about it,” Aspyn agreed, chugging down hers as well.
“Have you ever been in a serious relationship?” I asked Lively, clinking my glass with hers and swallowing my shot whole.
“Define serious?”
“A boyfriend?”
“Oh, I’ve had many.”
“You ever been in love?”
“Hmm…” She thought about it for a moment. “I’m not sure. I think I’ve been in lust.”
“With Cain?”
“Can you keep a secret?”
We nodded.
“I’m not sure what I feel for Cain, but it’s more than lust.”
I opened my mouth to reply, but all of a sudden, the door flew open, and Ashton appeared, exclaiming, “Just call me Daddy, baby.”
We all looked over at him as if he were crazy. It was obvious he’d been drinking, and I assumed it was the liquor talking.
Doesn’t alcohol make you say the truth?
“If you ladies can excuse us, I’d like to talk to this lying mama alone.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow at the airport.” Aspyn kissed my cheek and Lively hugged me.
“So great meeting you. Come back anytime.”
I really liked her. I could only hope Cain wouldn’t mess it up. He was never going to find a chick like her, even if he tried.
Once they left, the nervousness I felt in my belly resurfaced as Ashton walked toward me in that demanding sort of way that drove me wild.
Taking a seat on the accent chair in front of me, he leaned forward and set his elbows on his knees like I was in trouble.
Why did that pose turn me on so much?
“Before we address this any further, is there anything else you need to tell me? An ex-husband? Another boyfriend? Sixth toe?”
“No. You know it all.”
“You lied. I hate liars. I always have. I didn’t leave because I don’t care. I do care. I just hate when people lie to me.”
“But—”
“But nothing. You hid the fact that you have kids. That’s a big fucking deal, Sage.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
“And look at that—I got an ‘I’m sorry’ and I didn’t even have to put you over my knee.”
“Ashton—”
“Don't Ashton me.”
“Okay, screw this!” I stood. “First of all, stop interrupting me. Second of all, I was protecting myself against men like you.”
“Men like me?”
“Yeah. The ones who swoop in like a knight and shining armor and leave the second something gets difficult. I wasn’t mending another broken heart because of a guy who couldn’t commit. Been there, done that. I could write the book. I needed to make sure you could handle me. That you could handle my kids.”
“Are you done?”
“Done?”
“Yes, going all mama bear on me.”
“What do you expect from me? You hurt my feelings. My kids are the best, and you’ll be lucky if you ever get to meet them.”