He tried to gather me close, but I pulled out of his arms.
“Aston, please. I’m begging you, just go home. Go home to your other kids. They need you right now. Take a shower, get a good night’s sleep, and deal with this drug shit. I don’t need anyone to rescue me. First, Milly sent Mike here, then Piper called Seth over here, and then you showed up. For God’s sake, I’m a big girl. I can handle myself.”
“Can you?”
“Screw you, Aston. Yes, I can. I want you to go. Really.”
“Not until I at least set my eyes on Piper.”
He crossed his arms in front of his chest, his expression formidable, and I knew I wasn’t getting rid of him until he got what he wanted.
“Come on and be quiet. And then you’re going,” I said firmly, then turned to pad my way toward Piper’s bedroom.
Gently, I opened the door and motioned for him to peer inside. Piper was in a much-needed deep sleep, burrowed under the covers, her hair tangled all around her face. As quickly as I allowed him to look, I swiftly shut the door and stalked back toward the kitchen.
“Don’t do this.” Aston came up behind me and slid his arms around my middle.
“Aston,” I said, turning and finding myself caught in his sneaky embrace.
“Please, Bex. I have a plan. My dad was messing with it, and I can’t let him do that.”
“Oh, you and your mysterious plan. I meant what I said, that I loved you. Love you, Aston. But this can’t go on.”
“It can’t be over,” he begged, pleading with his eyes.
So typical when it came to Aston, I found I couldn’t say no to him.
“It’s on hold,” I told him.
I didn’t move away from his arms. I couldn’t. Aston was home to me, but I had to separate myself from him. I needed space. We needed a breather.
“This will be over in a couple of days. Please, Bexley.”
I pulled out of his hold. “Go. Go to Mara and Aston Junior. This isn’t fair to them. Relieve Denise, and take care of them.”
His head hung low, and I was desperate to comfort him.
Shoving that need away, I pointed to the door. “Go.”
“Will you have Piper call me tomorrow?”
I nodded. “If she wants to. Remember, Aston, this isn’t about you.”
I pulled the door open, and he walked out without another word.
Bexley
After a mostly sleepless night, I sat in the kitchen, drinking coffee.
“Morning, sweetie,” I said to Piper when she came into the kitchen, and swiped her messy hair out of her eyes with my free hand.
“Are you okay, Mom?”
She’s asking me?
“You don’t have to worry about me, Piper. I’m the mom. Let me do the worrying for both of us.” Setting my coffee mug down on the counter, I gathered her in for a hug.
“I was scared,” she said into my chest. “But I’m not now.”
“That’s good. You don’t have any reason to be scared. Peter’s just a lot of hot air and mean words.”
“Yeah, he’s not so nice. I’m glad I don’t have to be close with him,” she said, pulling back from me.
“Do you want to stay home from school?” I asked as she opened the fridge and pulled out the juice.
“No. We’re doing a project in history class, and I don’t want to have to make it up.”
I nodded. I didn’t know where I got this levelheaded kid, but she was amazing. “I’d better go wake Tyler.”
Moving across the kitchen, mug in hand, I wasn’t looking forward to going to work. I needed a martini instead of coffee.
“I’ll be ready,” Piper called after me.
“Oh,” I said, turning toward her, trying to act nonchalant. “Aston wants you to call him. Only if you want.”
She simply nodded, and I let it be. It wasn’t my job to force him on her or push their relationship.
I went through the motions—dragging Tyler from bed, getting myself ready, and taking the kids to school.
Finally settled at my desk, I texted Seth.
bexley: Thanks for helping with Piper. She went to school this morning. I thought you’d want to know.
He didn’t respond other than to thumbs-up my text.
I knew better than to beg him for more. Honestly, I didn’t want to get tangled up with him again, any more than I already was.
Of course, as soon as I started to do some charting and look at the day’s agenda, my phone pinged. Thinking it was Seth again, I looked at the screen.
aston: How is she? When does she want to talk with me? I want to be available. I’m spending the day at Aidan’s office, prepping for tomorrow. Then this will all be over.
Cocky as always, Aston never considered Piper might not be up for talking, or that he might not have this whole case-being-dropped thing in the bag.
I didn’t feel like getting tangled up with his rhetoric either, so I left the text unanswered.
The rest of my workday went by relatively quickly and easily. At three o’clock, I went to get a coffee down the street, and was met on the sidewalk by Peter Prescott as I pushed open the door to the coffee shop.
“Bexley,” he said, his tone stern.
“No, don’t talk to me. Go away.”
“You know me better than to think I will walk away from what I want, and what I want is to talk with you right now.”
With his hand on my back, he guided me to a table inside the coffee shop. He was that much of a bully, and confident to boot.
“Get your hand off of me,” I said through gritted teeth, then added in a hushed tone, “Screw off.”
“Not until I get what I want,” he said, his voice slightly over a whisper but firm. He had the nerve to motion to a chair.
“What is it you want, Peter? Or should I say Mr. Prescott, sir? You ruined
