Traded(56)
“Oh thank God,” my mother chanted. “What changed?”
I fiddled with the edge of the pillow. “I met a man—”
“You met someone?” Her voice was a little giddy. “Are you and Dominic separated?”
She had never been a fan of Dominic. When I’d called to tell her we’d eloped, she cried, but they hadn’t been tears of joy. That was when Dominic began whispering in my ear, telling me my mother didn’t want me to be happy; saying that if she did, she would have been as excited as I was. It was the first step down a very treacherous path that left me alone in the world, except for Dominic.
If I’d only known.
“Yes, we’ve been living apart for the last month or so.” My parents didn’t need any more information than that. “And I did. He’s charming and handsome.”
“Oh, honey,” her voice held a hint of sadness. “You thought Dominic was all of those things too.”
“Yes, but . . . ” Just the thought of Ashton brightened my day. “He’s so different. He cares about what I want, and what I need. He listens when I talk and refuses to let me help with dishes when we have dinner together. And you’ll never guess what else he did?”
She sniffed down the line.
“He helped me get an audition for an off Broadway show and I got one of the lead roles.”
My mother didn’t answer, but I could hear her sobbing when my father did. “Oh, Laney, that’s wonderful.”
“Mom, are you okay?” Why was she crying? She knew when I went to college this was what I wanted to do.
“I—” She drew in a sharp breath. “I . . . just never th-thought we’d hear from . . . you again,” she sobbed.
Tears sprang to my eyes faster than I could stop them and I let them run, unchecked, down my face. “Oh, Mom, I’m so sorry.”
“Baby girl, you have nothing to be sorry for,” Mom argued. “He warped all of your views.”
“That’s one thing I’m learning. Ashton is a good teacher.”
“When do we get to meet this mysterious man?” Mom asked, and I could almost hear her smile.
Shit.
That was something I hadn’t thought about. Obviously, I could explain to my parents that the situation was temporary—how I ended up here in the first place—but that was something I’d rather they not know. But Ashton had already done so much for me. Could I really ask more and ask him to meet them?
“I don’t know. But I’ll work on finding time to come and see you both. I miss you so much,” I cried.
“We miss you too, sweetheart.”
The conversation continued. My parents asked questions about what I’d been doing but, afraid of their reaction to just how bad my life had been, I left out many of the details. They, in turn, filled me in on what was going on with my family back East. Eventually, I noticed the time and knew Ashton would be home from work soon. As a surprise I wanted to have dinner ready when he got here. He might be annoyed that I was cooking but tough, it was my choice. Something I wanted to do.
“Okay, Mom. I promise I’ll try and call at least once a week.”
“You better, otherwise your mother will drive me nuts,” Dad said with a laugh.
“Okay, okay.”
“Laney?” Mom piped up.
“Yeah?”
“I’m so happy you called.”
“Me too, Mom. Me too.”
We said our good-byes and I was just hurrying into the kitchen when Ashton walked through the door from the garage.
“Damn,” I cursed.
“Language,” he mock reprimanded me. Reaching up, he gently took my bottom lip between his thumb and forefinger. “Want to tell me what this pout is for?”
“I was going to make you dinner, but I ran late.”
I barely had time to finish my sentence before I found myself in his embrace, the taste of his lips on mine. We were breathless when the kiss ended.
“Now that’s better,” he said.
“What is?”
He ran his thumb along my lip again. “No more pouts. Now go upstairs and change. We’re going out tonight. You can cook tomorrow.” He winked.
And that was what I loved about Ashton.
Loved?
Shit
shit
shit.
How could I be letting myself fall again? I couldn’t do it. No way. Whatever I was feeling would need to be pushed way down deep. My life had finally become something to enjoy.
I wouldn’t let anything ruin that.
CHAPTER 18
Ashton
Something flashed through Elena’s eyes, but just as quickly, it was gone. She pasted a smile on her face and asked, “What should I wear?”
“Semi-casual.”