19
As Asher drove through Hope Falls’small downtown area he couldn’t stop smiling. It was a beautiful morning. The sky was a bright shade of blue, dotted with fluffy white clouds. The green pines and orange aspens that covered the mountainside looked like they’d been color corrected in Photoshop and were hyper pigmented. The fresh mountain air was a brisk sixty degrees, which to him, was a perfect temperature.
But it wasn’t the morning’s idyllic setting that had him grinning like a fool. No, the person responsible for his perma-grin was the pinup angel that he’d just left sound asleep in her bed. Asher hadn’t stopped smiling since he woke up this morning with Ava draped across him.
It was technically his day off, but he’d been woken up by his phone vibrating with a message from work saying that he’d been chosen for a special assignment. He was now headed back to his cabin for a quick shower before reporting for duty. The sheriff’s office had requested backup for a bust on a network of meth labs and the chief had asked if Asher would step in since he had several years under his belt in the narcotics division back home.
When he’d received the text, he’d been sound asleep with Ava using his chest as a pillow. After managing to slide out from under her and get out of bed without waking her up, he decided it would be best not to say goodbye and just let her sleep. His decision was two-fold. For one thing, she looked so damn peaceful he didn’t have the heart to disturb her. The second reason was much more selfish. He didn’t trust himself to wake her up and still get out the door. He knew that if her eyes fluttered open and her lips turned into that smile that he couldn’t resist, the chance of him being able to leave without kissing her, which would most likely lead to round four, was slim to none.
Last night, they’d had sex three times. That was a personal record for him. He’d never had sex more than twice in one night, but when it came to Ava, he was insatiable and his recovery time was less than when he was a teenager at his sexual peak. There was something so different about what he shared with Ava. It was so much more than physical. Being with her was the true definition of intimacy, which he’d always just thought meant sex. But it was deeper than that. Last night, the act, or acts plural, had been incredibly satisfying, not just physically, but on a soul level.
Which was amazing. But the flip side of that coin was that he wanted more. Even now, after being with her three times last night, he was craving her in the most primal way. Just like he needed food, water, and oxygen, his brain was telling him he needed Ava to survive.
Which should scare the shit out of him, but it didn’t. He felt happy. Free. Light. Like the weight of the world had been taken off his shoulders.
Before he’d left, he hadn’t been able to resist kissing her lightly on her forehead. He also left a note telling her that she looked too cute to wake up and explaining that he’d been called into work and promising he’d reach out as soon as he could. And that’s exactly what he planned to do. He was counting the minutes until he could see her again.
His phone rang and Blake’s name lit up on his dashboard.
When he saw it a twinge of guilt stung in his chest. He knew that if there was actually going to be something real with Ava, he’d have to come clean to Blake about who Ava was. He wasn’t looking forward to that conversation, but at this point it had to happen. Unfortunately, it wasn’t going to happen today. His daughter was still over at Dorsey’s. The plan had been for her to get dropped off this afternoon but he might call to see if she could hang out longer depending on how much time this bust took.
He answered the call, “Hello.”
“Hey, Dad, is it okay if I go down to the river with Drew and our friends?”
Asher knew exactly what friend would be there. Noah Barnes. The kid had gotten nothing but glowing reviews from Ava, Logan, Logan’s wife Emma and every other person in town that commented about him, but Blake was still his little girl. And he saw the way that she looked at him.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea with your ankle.”
“My ankle’s fine and plus, next week is my birthday.”
She’d been playing the “birthday” card for a couple of weeks so it didn’t surprise him that she was pulling it out now. Every road of negotiation led back to But It’s My Birthday Ave.
“Who all is going?”
“Dad.”
“Blake,” he mimicked the way she’d said his name.
Asher wasn’t sure when his name had become an answer to questions he asked, but it was her response at least fifty percent of the time these days.
With a loud sigh, she rattled off, “Me, Drew, Angel, Rayna, Rueben, Monica, and Noah.” Her voice dropped off as she said the last name.
Asher didn’t know if it was just because he was in such a good mood after last night, or if it was because he was starting to drink the Noah Barnes Kool-Aid, or if he just didn’t want Blake hanging out at the house by herself giving her the opportunity to break the rules and invite Noah over but whatever the reason, he found himself saying, “Okay. But keep your phone on you. Text me later. I have to go to work, and I don’t know when I’ll be home but I’ll keep you updated as much as I can.”
“Thanks, Daddy. Love you.”
The phone call disconnected.
As he turned onto his street, he couldn’t help but be amazed at how fast she could go from an irritated Dad to a chipper Daddy. He wondered if her emotional swings were going to continue through her teenage years. She would be fourteen next week, which meant, if that was the case, the next few years were going to be long ones.
When he got closer to the cabin he was renting he saw that there was a car in the driveway. He wondered who might be stopping by. The first week they’d been there, they’d had a few visitors, all single and female which Blake was quick to point out, who had dropped off welcome dinners and baked goods.
But they’d been there over a month. Now that the newness of their arrival had worn off, he was surprised to see that he had a visitor.
As he pulled up into the driveway, he noticed a blonde sitting on his porch. And not just any blonde, it was his ex-wife. And she had two suitcases beside her.
Jenna had mentioned the possibility of coming out for Blake’s birthday but that was still a week away. He also knew that she’d been concerned about Blake’s injury, but that had happened ten days ago. So, the timing of her showing up unannounced was odd to him.
