I sat up, covered in sweat as I felt sick to my stomach. Reliving what happened made my entire body ache. Every inch of me felt foreign, like it wasn't mine but his to destroy. Tears were flowing before I could get up and I rushed to the bathroom. I went into the shower and sat down so that the water fell down on me. I hugged myself tightly as I shook and continued to cry.
I have to see him again, in person, after all he did. I barely made it through seeing him on FaceTime. How do I make it through him being close to me? He might touch me....touch the kids....hurt us. How can I do this?
I sighed deeply; just the thought of him was going to ruin my last day without seeing him. I got up and showered quickly before going to dress in the room.
As I turned around I paused when I saw something on the bed. A rose with a small note.
'Come to the porch when you're ready.'
I chuckled as I recognized the handwriting and felt my heart speed up. My face was hot so I took a few deep breaths before heading to the front door. From the small windows on either side of the door, I saw Archer and Ashley running in the yard with Asher and Hunter. I came out the door to see Shannon holding Addie. When she turned towards me, she smiled and yelled down to the yard, "he's here!"
Asher quickly stopped and rushed over. He picked up a bouquet of roses as he hustled up the stairs to me. I laughed as he tried to catch his breath while handing the flowers to me.
"Getting old?" I joked and he laughed also.
"Do you have plans today?" Asher asked while smiling to me.
"No, not yet it sounds like."
He gently took my hand in his, "Let's go on a date."
I laughed slight, "what?"
"A date, you and me."
I fought not to blush again, "okay."
"Momma!" the twins cheered before rushing up the stairs and hugging me. "Where are you going with Asher?" Ashley asked.
"It's a surprise," Asher replied while still looking to me with a giant smile. I couldn't help but copy that smile as I felt light headed. "Let me go get my keys." He said while rushing inside.
I took a moment to look at the bouquet and sighed. Clearly, he spent a lot on such a beautiful bouquet. I smiled to the twins, "can you two work together to put these in a vase with water?"
Ashley stood with Addie, "I'll help," she said with a smile before leading the kids inside. Hunter came up the stairs and signed.
"He's been planning this date for a long time, ya know." I looked to him with confusion, "he planned it before you disappeared and has been waiting for this to happen."
I looked to Hunter, "that's a lie."
He smirked, "he hasn't even been on a date since then. He hasn't even thought about anyone else." He signed again, "he only wants you."
I felt flustered, "he's not going to..."
Hunter laughed, "he knows you're not ready for that."
We both shut up as the door opened and Asher smiled, "ready?"
I nodded and was startled when he took my hand and led me to the car. He opened my door before getting in the car on his side.
We drove to a local place we used to go to and enjoyed a meal together. What surprised me was how comfortable and easy it was to be with Asher. With Jayden, I was always cautious and on edge. I felt uncomfortable in the fancy places he was accustomed to, the secrets he had, and his dominating presence. I am beginning to realize that Jayden's alpha traits were in every aspect of his life. He chose what we did, where we went, who we saw, what we could say, how we could act. And on top of it all, he used his pheromones to control me and others. He's a classic alpha, obsessed with control and power.
As we finished our meal, I just watched Asher's interaction with the staff of the restaurant. They are night and day, even though they are both Alphas. Asher doesn't control people, takes measures to keep his pheromones in check, and is considerate. Even his smile to the young Omega female waitress was gentle and genuine. He glanced to me, likely feeling my gaze and winked with a smirk. My entire body shivered slightly as I felt his leg accidentally brush against mine and my body reacted slightly.
Asher stood and held his hand out towards me. I took it and followed him outside to the waterfront of a small lake beside the restaurant. He kept my hand as we slowly walked along the sidewalk beside the water.
"How'd you like the food?"
I couldn't help but smile as I looked to him, "It was amazing. I don't know why I had to move away to actually get a chance to try that place."
He nodded, "we should go there again next time we're both in the area." He paused, "I wanted to ask you..."
"What?"
"Are you sure you feel safe going to see him tomorrow?" Asher sighed deeply, "I don't feel like you'll be safe near that psycho." He looked to me and sighed again, "sorry, I know he's someone you still love and he's the kid's father..... I just..."
"It's okay, you have a lot of reasons to feel that way." I squeezed his hand slightly before looking in front of us, "I won't lie, I'm scared."
"Then...!"
I stopped walking and shook my head, "but I have to do this. I have to end it properly. If I don't, he will never stop. I also need it for myself, I need to face him and tell him personally that I can never forgive him. Otherwise I can't fully move on either." I squeezed his hand as my face felt hot, "then I can start the next part of my life." I gulped as felt myself shaking slightly, "our part....together."