Tempted by Her Innocent Kiss (Pregnancy & Passion #3)(31)

“Well, like cooking. You seem good at that. I just wanted to know something you aren’t good at. You seemed to me to be one of those people who have a natural ability to pick up on things. You know, like sports. You ever see kids who just pick up a ball and know how to play? I bet you were one of those.”

He groaned. “Oh, man. Clearly you’ve never watched me try to play basketball. And I say try, but that’s probably not even an accurate word to use. Rafael, Ryan and Cam like to torture me at least once a year when they drag me down to play a ‘friendly’ game of basketball. What it really is is an opportunity for them to pay me back for every imagined slight. And then they don’t let me forget it for the next six months.”

“So you aren’t good at basketball? Is that what you’re saying?”

“Yeah. That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

She smiled. “Oh. Well, that’s okay because I’m terrible at it, too.”

He smiled back at her and then tossed the vegetables into the pan he’d taken the meat out of. “We can be terrible together then.”

“Yeah,” she said quietly.

He busied himself finishing up the meal and five minutes later, he set a plate in front of her while he stood on the other side of the bar, leaning back against the sink while he held his plate.

She looked up and frowned. “Not going to sit down?”

“I like watching you,” he said as his gaze slid over her face. “I’d prefer to be across from you.”

Her cheeks warmed and she quickly looked back down at her plate. She had no response for that. It puzzled her that he’d say such a thing.

But maybe he was trying. Like she was trying. Just as she would be trying as she embarked on her to do list the next day.

It wouldn’t happen overnight, but maybe…one day.

Thirteen

Ashley woke with a muggy hangover feeling but then who wouldn’t after two days in a medication-induced coma?

Today was the first day in her bid to take over the world. Well, sort of. Or rather it was her attempt to not take on the world quite so much. Reserve and caution were her two new friends.

There would be no more lying around and feeling sorry for herself.

Devon had exited the apartment early. The previous night had been a study in awkwardness.

He’d crawled into bed next to her and they’d lain quietly in the dark until finally she’d drifted off to a troubled sleep. Sometime during the night, he’d drifted toward her, or maybe she’d attacked him in her sleep. Either way, she’d ended up in his arms and had awakened when he’d gotten up early to shower.

He’d kissed her on the head and murmured for her to go back to sleep before leaving her alone.

“Welcome to your new reality,” she murmured as she pushed herself out of bed.

She spent her entire time in the shower lecturing herself on how her situation was what she made of it. It could be horrible or she could salvage it. It was just according to how much effort she wanted to invest in her own happiness. Put that way, she could hardly say to hell with it and stomp off.

She winced when she caught sight of herself in the mirror. She looked bad. Not in one of those ways where she really didn’t look so bad but said so anyway. She honestly looked like death warmed over. There were dark circles under her eyes. There was a line around her mouth from having her jaw set so firmly. Her unhappiness was etched on her face for the world to see. She’d never been good at hiding any kind of emotion. She was as transparent as plastic wrap.

Thank goodness for Carly and her never-ending list of tips for any type of makeup emergency. This definitely called for the full treatment.

When she was finished with her hair and makeup she was satisfied to see that at least she didn’t look quite so haggard. Tired, yes, but that could easily be explained away by the headache. Surely an ecstatic new bride would smile her way through even the worst of migraines.

First stop was her mother’s, since if Gloria Copeland didn’t soon hear from her chick, she’d move Manhattan to get there to make sure all was well. After that was tackled, she had work to do. A lot of work.

She took a cab over to her former apartment building and smiled when Alex hurried to greet her.

“How are you, Miss Ashley? How is married life treating you?”

It was a standard question that would likely be asked of her a hundred more times before the week was out. Right after the one where most people would ask her why the hell she was back home after only two nights on her honeymoon.

“I’m good, Alex. Here to see my mother. Will you ring up and let her know I’m on my way?”

A moment later, Ashley stepped off the elevator and into the spacious apartment that very nearly occupied an entire floor. It was where she had spent a large portion of her childhood and it still felt like home to her no matter that she’d moved out on her own some time ago.

“Ashley, darling!” her mother cried as she hurried to greet her daughter. “Oh, you poor, poor darling. Come here and let me see you. Is your headache better? I knew there was simply too much excitement going on with the wedding and your moving and all the other plans. I worried it would prove to be too much for you. We should have spaced out the arrangements better.”

Her mom enveloped her in a hug and for a long moment, Ashley clung to the comfort that only a mother could offer when her world was otherwise crap.