“Asha?”
“Yeah?” She turned to look at Tate.
“I’m sorry I bullshitted you. I like you, and I shouldn’t have lied. I feel pretty guilty since you’ve gone out of your way to look after me while I’ve had my cast on.” He moved forward and brushed his lips against her forehead in a gesture of apology.
Tate looked so sincere that Asha smiled. “I don’t do anything I don’t want to do anymore. You shouldn’t have lied, but I understand why you did. I’m not sure I would have befriended you at the time, had you not said you were gay.”
“Bad relationship?” he asked in a concerned voice.
“A few years ago, yes. My trust in men isn’t all that great.”
“Not all men suck,” Tate answered with a grin.
“I know. I’ve met some good ones now,” Asha answered as she opened the door.
“Am I included in that group?” Tate asked hopefully.
“Time will tell,” Asha said nonchalantly. “I guess that depends on whether or not you keep stringing along that nice brunette and break her heart.”
Asha heard an exaggerated groan from Tate as she closed the door and went back to her own apartment with a cheeky smile.
Asha tried to keep her nervousness under control as she pulled her vehicle to the front gate of Maddie’s home, asking the security guard to let Maddie know she was here. She’d wanted to come visit her sister so many times, but she hadn’t been able to bring herself to do it.
Security opened the gate for her, and Maddie met her on the steps of her house. Her older sister didn’t say a word as Asha approached. Maddie simply pulled Asha into her arms and held her tightly, comfortingly. They stayed like that for a while, Asha hugging Maddie back and savoring the comfort of her sibling’s embrace.
Finally, Maddie spoke in a tremulous voice, “I was afraid I wasn’t going to see you again.”
“I’m sorry, Maddie. I should have contacted you. I just…couldn’t.” Listening to her sister’s concerned voice, Asha realized she should have at least called. But she wasn’t used to someone caring about whether or not she was okay.
“Something happened with Kade.” It was a statement from Maddie, not a question.
Asha backed slowly out of Maddie’s arms and let her lead her into the kitchen. “It wasn’t him. It was me. I fell in love with him. So I had to leave.”
Maddie stopped at the coffee pot and poured them both some coffee before turning to Asha and raising a questioning brow. “You had to leave him because you love him?” Nodding to the cups of coffee, she mentioned, “Sorry…it’s decaf. I’m banned from caffeine until the babies come.”
The women sat, each with a mug of coffee in front of them. Asha added cream and sugar to hers. “I drink a lot of herbal chai, so I don’t drink much caffeine either.”
“I was so afraid you weren’t going to contact me. The DNA test came back and was a positive match, just the way I knew it would be. We’re sisters, Asha. Officially,” Maddie said, her voice emotional. Tears started to flow from her eyes as she looked across the table at Asha.
Asha lowered her head. “I know. I think I’ve always known. I was just afraid, Maddie. I’m sorry.” Seeing her sister crying nearly undid her. Maddie was upset. About her. It was more than clear that her older sister cared, and it made Asha’s chest ache with longing. “I needed some time. I’ve never really been on my own, made my own decisions without anyone making them for me. I’m messed up, Maddie. I need to get my head on straight, learn to make my own decisions and be independent. I never meant to hurt you. I’m not used to anyone caring about me.”
Maddie’s face softened. “Oh, Asha. Of course people care. Max and I love you, and you have friends. I think you’re going to have to get used to people caring.” She hesitated before adding, “Kade loves you, too. He’s been torn up since you left. He doesn’t talk about it a lot, but he’s not doing well. He told Max that you didn’t want to be with him.”
“He’s not well? What’s wrong with him?” Asha asked anxiously, worried that something was wrong with Kade. And his assumption that she didn’t want to be with him couldn’t be further from the real truth.
“Max sees him more than I do, but he says Kade is walking around in a daze, like he doesn’t care about anything.”
Asha took a sip of her coffee, her mind racing. “Is he still working with Travis at Harrison every day?”
Maddie nodded. “Yeah. But even Travis is worried about him, and Travis rarely talks about or shows that he’s concerned, even if he is.”