Am I?
Tyler, worrying his lower lip, looked at me while Piper ran to the door. “What about my dad?”
“Like I said, this is a friendly dinner. Your dad is still your dad. I promise, no one is going to take that away from you,” I said, pulling him in for a hug.
“Do you love me?”
For a beat or two, I considered not going to dinner. This whole situation was ripping my son apart.
“Mom? I know you do. I just want to hear it, ’kay?”
“Baby boy, of course I love you. And you’d better know it. Never forget it. You hear me?”
He nodded.
“And you need a shower. Rosalie can smell you all the way at her house.” My neighbor from two doors down was going to come over as soon as she cleaned up from dinner.
“Mom, Aston’s here!” Piper yelled from the hallway.
“Wanna come say hi?” I asked Tyler, but he was already on his way.
“Hey, Aston,” I heard him say.
“Hey there, buddy. Little A said to ask when we can all go to the arcade again.”
“Really? Can we?”
“Of course. Maybe over the weekend . . . if your mom says it works.”
He put the last part in there for effect. I knew this because he looked up and winked while saying it. I also knew Aston and the way he loved to be in charge.
“Sunday. You’re staying with your dad on Saturday.”
Tyler nodded, looking somewhat disappointed. I’d have to talk with Aston about not trying to buy his affection.
“Ready?” This time it was me rushing to go.
“Where’s your neighbor?” Aston asked, looking around.
“Oh, she’s coming as soon as she cleans up from dinner.”
“When is that?” Aston’s eyes narrowed, a good sign he was about to dig in his heels.
“Soon. Five or ten minutes. She’s a nursing student, so she’s going to bring her work over. Kids don’t need too much.”
Aston blew by me and sat down on the sofa. “We’ll wait. Come on, Piper, tell me about school today. You too, Tyler.”
“We can stay by ourselves for five minutes,” Piper said, her gaze darting between me and her newly discovered natural father. My fierce little protector.
“We do it all the time,” Tyler said, not knowing he wasn’t helping.
“Well, not anymore,” Aston said sternly.
Lifting my palms, I tried to reason with him. “Aston—”
“No, this is unacceptable.”
“I’m thirteen. Old enough to babysit,” Piper said, undeterred by Aston’s firm tone.
“We’ll wait,” Aston said, digging in. “Tyler, do you have a game system? I want to get a new one for Little A to keep at my place. Do you have a favorite?”
Out of nowhere, Piper said, “Aston, you’re my dad, right?”
“Yes, but can I ask Tyler a question?” Aston took off the sport coat he had on and laid it over the back of the chair behind him. Most people looked uncomfortable in a crisp white shirt, but not Aston. He looked comfortable as fuck.
“That’s not what I meant.” Piper dug in equally as hard, crossing her arms stubbornly over her chest. “Well, I know you just met me, but I’m old enough to babysit. I passed my certification at school. Mom has Rosalie come over for her own peace of mind, but you don’t have to worry too. I’m good.”
Sometimes in the past when I looked at Piper, I’d find myself thinking, Where the hell did she come from? Now I knew.
Nodding thoughtfully, Aston said, “Okay, if you say so.” Then he stood and put his jacket back on.
Pretty certain he would have debated the issue with anyone but his own daughter, I picked up my purse as Aston turned back to my son.
“Tyler? Do you want to think about it some more?”
Tyler shook his head. “No. Xbox. Definitely Xbox.”
“Thanks, buddy. Let’s go, Bex. Piper, you’ll call if there are any problems?”
“We have a landline,” I said, answering for her.
“She needs a phone.”
Giving him a warning look, I said, “Later, Aston.” I kissed both kids on their foreheads and walked toward the front door. “Okay, ’bye.”
This isn’t awkward or anything.
“You look gorgeous,” Aston whispered for my ears only as I started to lock the door.
“I’m here, Bexley,” Rosalie called from behind us.
We both turned and found my neighbor making her way up the walkway.
“Oh, hi,” she said as she took in Aston.
“Aston Prescott,” he said, and then he went and did it. As soon as he extended his hand to Rosalie, she was Jell-O for him. The guy got everyone with his charm.
Including me, even watching him give it to my neighbor. I was such a goner.
“Okay, we shouldn’t be late,” I told Rosalie. “Tyler has to shower. You just need to remind him.”
“Have fun.” She took in the two of us, her gaze darting between Aston and me as if she were trying to put the puzzle together.
Certain she recognized him from his recent bout of publicity, I tried not to squirm. In my heart, I didn’t think Aston could do what they said he did. He might be power- or money-hungry, but drugs had never played a role with him. But there wasn’t time to dwell on that.
There we were—me in a red sundress, sleeveless, but not spaghetti straps. I needed a bra these days. Aston in jeans, white shirt, sport coat, and loafers. He looked like money, and smelled like it too.
“Rosalie,” Aston said, “can I give you my number? In case you need us.”
“She has mine—”
“Well, I’d feel better if she had both,” Aston said, interrupting me.
“Sure.” Rosalie gave in, which wasn’t a shocker. She whipped out her phone and was ready to input the number before I could protest again.
“’Bye,” she said a few seconds later, running up to the house with new digits in her phone and a big smile plastered on her face.
“Shall we?” Aston’s hand was on my lower back as he led the way to his car.
“We can just do something casual,” I said. “You don’t need to impress me.”
“No and yes,” he said while opening the car door.
“Aston . . .”
