“Thanks for tonight,” I said as I pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear. “I had fun.”
“You’re welcome. Good night, Asher.”
“Good night, Everly.” I sighed.
Everly
After I brushed my teeth, I walked to my bedroom and saw Asher’s father sitting in the chair by the window.
“You’re making him suffer, you know. But I understand why, and I admire you for that.”
“What are you doing here? I thought you were gone.”
“I will be soon. I just need to make sure my son is okay.”
“He’s fine, and I really need you to stay out of my bedroom.”
“Okay. Okay. I’m going. Be good to him, Everly. He’s been waiting a long time for someone like you.”
I gave him a small smile and he was gone.
The next morning, I awoke to the smell of something burning. Climbing out of bed, I slipped my feet into my slippers and went downstairs.
“What is that smell?” I asked Asher when I walked into the kitchen.
“That would be eggs and burnt toast. I opened the windows to air the place out. I was attempting to cook you breakfast, and I failed.” He held up his cup of coffee.
“It was a nice gesture.” I smiled. “You better get your stuff together.”
“Why?” He frowned at me.
“You need to go to Key West,” I spoke as I brewed a cup of coffee.
“Why do I need to do that?”
Suddenly, his phone rang, and as I stood there waiting for my coffee, I listened to the irritation in his voice.
“No. It’s okay, Levi. I’ll go. Looks like I’m going to Key West.” He sighed.
“I know.” I gave him a smile as I turned around with the coffee cup in my hand as his muscular chest and chiseled abs stared me in the face.
“I want you to come with me.” The corners of his mouth curved upward.
“Asher, I —”
“Yes. You can. I just got here, and I don’t want to leave you. Come with me, Everly. It’ll be fun. After I settle everything with the property, we can tour Key West, go to the beach, eat amazing food and have some fun.” He winked. “Separate hotel rooms, of course. I promise. I did a lot of thinking last night when I went to bed, and I knew what you were talking about when you said that sex is a band-aid. The truth is, we really don’t know each other very well. Like, I don’t know your favorite color, your favorite food, what kind of music you like to listen to, what hobbies you like to do. I want to know all those things about you. What I do know is that you’re kind, caring, selfless and incredibly beautiful. That’s why I’m falling in love with you.” He reached up and softly stroked my cheek.”
“Asher.” I slowly closed my eyes for a moment.
“I know I told you that I didn’t feel anything for you when you told me you loved me. I lied, Everly. I lied because I was scared. I couldn’t allow myself to feel anything for anyone. But after talking to Brianna, I realized how pathetic and stupid I was being.”
“You’re not saying all this just to get me to have sex with you, are you?”
He let out a chuckle.
“No. I’m telling you because you deserve to know how I really feel, and I want you to know. Please say you’ll come to Key West with me. The private jet will be here in about an hour.”
“Then I guess I better start packing.” I grinned as I reached up and kissed his cheek.
“Thank you. I’ll call my secretary and have her book us two rooms at a 5-star hotel.”
I took my coffee and went up to my room. It made me happy he asked me to go with him. But the fears inside me were still there. Could we ever have a normal relationship? I was far from normal, so I had my doubts.
33
Everly
We took a limo to the airport and boarded the Boeing 747-8 private jet that was waiting in the hanger. I’d never been on one and was blown away at the luxury of it all. The entire plane was done in beige and wood with two couches, a desk, a couple of chairs, an elongated table that sat ten people, a large screen TV that hung on the wall, a fancy bathroom and a bedroom with a king size bed, a couple of nightstands, a dresser and a TV.
“Wow. This is fancy, Mr. Remington.”
“It’s nice, isn’t it?” He smiled.
“Nice is too mild of a word,” I spoke as I took a seat in one of the comfy oversized chairs next to the window. Asher took the seat across from me.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Remington. Can I get the two of you something to drink? A mimosa perhaps?” The flight attendant asked.
“I’ll have a bourbon,” he spoke. “Everly?”
“A mimosa sounds great. Thank you.”
“I’m happy you decided to join me,” Asher spoke.
“How long are we staying? Because honestly, I didn’t bring that much.”
“Then we’ll have to go shopping.” The corners of his mouth curved upward.
“You know I have clients I still have to take care of.”
“I know. And that’s the beauty of your job. You can work from anywhere,” he said.
The flight attendant brought our drinks as the pilot came on and told us to fasten our seatbelts. In a matter of a few moments, we were up in the air and it was the smoothest take off I’d ever experienced.
“You never talk about your mom,” I said as I sipped my drink.
“It’s hard sometimes. She was an amazing woman and God took her from us way too soon. She had uterine cancer and it wasn’t caught in time. Even though we had servants and chefs, she always made me my favorite meatloaf dinner. As far as I was concerned it was better than what any chef could make.”
“That’s because it was made
