Torn(55)

I shake my head as I look down at my laptop's screen. "Your life is so different than mine. I felt that at the concert in Philadelphia too. It's a lot, Asher. This is all a lot for me."

He moves to the coffee table, sitting on it as he pulls on my knees to separate them. He tugs on my hips so I'm close to the edge, almost in his lap.

"You have every right to want to protect yourself. I will never let anyone hurt you. I won't let you doubt how much I care for you."

I want to believe him but there's this nagging voice in the back of my mind that says that he's a hot rock star and that alone, complicates life in ways I can't imagine.

"I know you care about me." I rest my hands on his knees. "I also know that your music is your passion. That comes with a lot of bullshit. I'm going to need you to help me deal with all that."

"We'll deal with it together." He squeezes my hands. "I'm going to do the twenty-two dates on this tour and then switch it up. I've always wanted to do small venues. I dream of doing intimate shows with just me, my guitar and the songs I love."

It's a leap of faith but he's Asher, my Asher now. "I have a lot of work coming up over the next few months. I landed a contract with Bishop Hotels. I have to travel for that and you have to travel for the tour."

"I have a phone, you have a phone and my brother owns a private jet." He rolls his eyes. "The family company does. I can use it to come to wherever you are when I have a break. When I can't come to you, we'll talk on the phone as much as we can."

"I want to try." I rest my hands on his broad shoulders. "I want to try and make this work."

"No trying, Falon. We'll make it work. I know we will."





CHAPTER 44


Asher




The knocking at the door startles both Falon and me. I was kissing that sweet mouth and was just about to carry her to my bed when someone decided that now would be the perfect time to f*ck up my plan.

"You should get it," she whispers into my mouth. "I can go get naked on the bed."

"Fuck, Falon." I look down at my sweatpants. "I'm popping a tent right now. How can I answer the door like this?"

She laughs, the sound loud and throaty. "I'll get the door. You adjust that thing before you scare anyone."

I watch as she bounces to her feet, adjusting the hem of the long blue sundress she's wearing. Her hair is tied up in a tight ponytail. She's a dream come true. This is my dream come true.

"Have we met?" Caleb's voice fills the space. I can't see the door from here but I suspect my brother was headed out for a night run and needs another bottle of water. It looks like Falon is going to meet at least one member of my family tonight.

"You're Falon, aren't you? Noah told me a lot about you when you were working for him." Make that two. That's Gabriel's voice.

"Where is my son?"

My world stalls then. That's the voice of the man who I made Father's Day cards for in grade school. He's the man who told me he'd die if I did. That's my dad.

All three of them come into view at the same time. They're almost all the same height with the same dark features. That's where the similarities end. My brothers are massive, both strong men who work hard to stay in shape. My dad was the same at one point, but that's changed now. He's let retirement eat away at him in more ways than one. His hair has grayed; he's sporting a belly now. He looks exactly like a grandfather should, if a man actually wanted to be one.

"You were right, Junior," Caleb rounds the table to pull me into a hug. "She's beautiful."

I wrap my arms around him, patting him on the back. "I told you. I took your advice."

He looks back to where Falon is standing next to Gabriel. She's fidgeting from one of her bare feet to the other.

"Falon." I brush past Caleb to reach out my hand to her. She takes it easily. "These are my brothers."

"Gabriel." Gabriel turns and extends his hand. Falon looks down at our intertwined fingers before she lets go to take Gabriel's hand in hers for a quick shake.

"You and I met." Caleb walks up behind me. "Nar-Con meeting. It was years ago."

My jaw drops. I look at Falon's face before I turn to look at Caleb. "You've gone to a meeting?"

"Meetings," he replies. "Too many to count. Your beautiful friend wasn't at them all, but she was there, at a few."

"I usually go to the ones in Brooklyn," she offers in a small voice.

"Is there coffee any better than that shit they serve on Morningside Drive?"

She chuckles. "No, it's just as bad."

"I'm Roman." My dad moves so he's standing directly in front of us. "You're the girl who loves white roses."

Falon blushes but her eyes never leave my dad's face. "I do. How do you know that?"

"Asher's mother told me," he divulges. "There were white roses in his hotel room in Philadelphia. He told her they were for you, for his girlfriend."

She finally looks up at me. "You had roses in the room? I didn't know that."

"They're your favorite."