Rock Him (12 page)

“It is.”

“And I’ll have that plan long after you guys don’t need me anymore.”

But she didn’t even want to think about that. Living with them was fulfilling needs
she wasn’t even aware she had. That ridiculous mansion even seemed like home now,
but long term?

“Asher — ”

“Can you please just stop worrying about the money? It’s getting old.”

“I’m sorry if my relative poverty makes you uncomfortable. I was raised by a single
mother in a small town. I learned early in life to be conservative with money, Asher.
This isn’t something I can switch on and off. It’s who I am.”

“You should have told me you were booking a flight. I could easily send you in the
jet.”

“Are you even listening to me?”

“I’m tuning you out,” he replied.

Two rapid steps took her around and in front of him, and he walked into her upraised
arm. “Damn it. This is what I’m talking about! Between scheduling my doctor appointments,
getting me a car, a new phone … even my own mother is not this controlling! You
need to stop doing this stuff without checking with me. I moved three thousand miles
to get away from one overprotective person. I don’t need you as a replacement.”

He scoffed at this. “You’re stubborn, unreasonable, and miserly to a fault.”

What an asshole! This from the son of a billionaire who had never known a moment’s
concern about bills or loans or any of it.

“Go on, Asher, tell me how you really feel!”

He walked around her arm.

She wrapped her arms around herself, stomach twisted into a knot. Should she go back
to the house? Screw that. Putting her shoulders back, she continued on to the bus
stop, a few steps behind him.

Once they arrived, Asher stood next to her arms folded across his chest.

She avoided his glances, her body stiff.

“Maddy, I’m sorry, but you push every button with that ‘silver spoon’ crap. I grew
up with money and affluence, so, yeah, I’ve had more than my share of advantages,
a great education and a last name that opens doors. But I’ve been on my own since
I turned eighteen. I’ve never taken a penny of his money and I never will.”

She turned to face him. “Oh.”

“Being
his
son has been equal parts handicap and asset in my life.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

He put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her toward him, giving her a brief hug.
She cudgeled her body’s traitorous reaction to his heat, his casual touch.

One long, callused finger trailed down her cheek, lingered under her chin and lifted
it, forcing her gaze to meet his. “I’m sorry,” he said, again. “I’ll check with you,
okay? But can you try not to be so high handed?”

“That’s the pot calling the kettle black!”

He laughed, perfect white teeth flashing.

She tried to calm her racing heart.

“I’ll try, Maddy, but I’ve had a lifetime of getting my way.”

Screaming woke Asher from a dead sleep in the wee hours of the morning. He stumbled
out of bed in his boxer briefs and was halfway to the door before the origin of the
horrible noise registered.

My God. Ella.

He hit the hallway at a dead run and burst into Ella’s room. It took him a second
to find her amid masses of pink and blue pillows and what must’ve been fifty stuffed
animals. He gathered her shrieking figure into his arms. The therapist warned him
he might be in for a few rough nights as she adjusted to Maddy’s absence.

He switched on the bedside lamp and dug her blanket out from beneath the covers, offering
it to her. Scooting back he positioned himself against the headboard. Sadie, the cat,
hopped up on the bed and curled herself into a ball.

Ella lay sobbing in his arms, trying to find comfort with her thumb, but the tears
made it impossible. Her eyes glittered in the dark room. She finally fitted her thumb
in, her body jerking against his with the occasional hiccough. After a few minutes
she tilted her head back to gaze up at him. “Why did Maddy leave me?”

“Christmas is coming, sweetie, and she has her own family.”

“But I want her.”

“I know, honey but she has a mommy who misses her and friends — ”

“Does my mommy miss me?”

Asher’s gut churned, a hollow emptiness in his core. Every time this kid asked about
Dee it was some question he didn’t know how to answer.

“What does Maddy tell you when you ask that question?”

“She tells me my mommy is watching over me so she doesn’t miss me, but I can’t see
her so I miss her.”

Sounded reasonable. “Well, that’s right.”

“Is Maddy watching over me?”

“No. She’s in Virginia, not … not dead.”

“Will she come back?”

“Yes, honey, she’ll come back to us.”

“Tomorrow?”

“Uh … no.”

The tears started flowing again and Asher handed her the little satin blanket.

“She’s never coming back to me, is she?” Ella said around her thumb.

“She is, Ella. I promise.”

“When?”

“In a few days.”

“Can I see her?”

“Sure, we’ll FaceTime with her in the morning.”

“Is it morning now?”

He checked the clock on the dresser. “Honey, she’s still sleeping.”

“Please?”

“I don’t want to wake her. In a few hours, we’ll call her on my phone where we can
see her too, okay?”

He settled her back against the pillow and rolled out of the bed.

“Uncle Asher?”

“Yes?”

Solemn, brown, tired eyes looked up into his. “Are you going to leave me, too?”

The hollow pit in his stomach burgeoned.

God
.

“No, Ella. I’ll always be here for you,” he choked out.

But despite a call to Maddy the next morning and Asher’s best efforts to wear Ella
out with a trip to the beach, the same scenario repeated itself the next night.

The next afternoon, he sat on the couch with his laptop, eavesdropping on Ella’s play
with her ponies. Sure enough, the animals were enacting concerns about the missing
Maddy.

Asher put his laptop down and went into the next room to call the therapist.

The woman sighed. “Yes. We discussed this possibility. She’s bonded with Maddy and
she’s afraid of losing her. It’s normal.”

“What can I do?”

“Not much, I’m afraid.”

“Then what’s the best thing at this point?” he asked.

“Well, obviously the best thing for Ella would be for Maddy to come back but — ”

“I can’t do that to her. She has Christmas plans — ”

“ — or for you to go to her.”

He hadn’t considered that. He stared at the tree with all the presents Justin had
wrapped lying under it. Pack all that up and fly to D.C.? He smiled. “I’ll give her
a call.” Moments later he dialed Maddy’s cell phone.

“Asher? How’s Ella?”

“Up the last two nights, having some trouble. Therapist thinks — ”

“I’ll come back. Can you get me a flight today?”

“How about we come to you?”

There was a long pause.

“Oh. Okay.”

“We can rent a house.”

She laughed. “Asher, I live in Podunk. There aren’t houses for rent here and the only
motel is a dump. You’ll stay with us.”

“Oh, no. We couldn’t do that.”

“My mom will insist. I insist.”

“Really, Maddy, I don’t think — ”

“Asher, please, there’s a spare bedroom and Maddy can bunk with me.”

He ignored the traitorous leap in his chest.

“Well, just … check with her, okay?”

“Don’t need to. She’ll be thrilled.”

“Okay. We’ll be there later today, I’ll arrange the flight.”

He hung up the phone as Justin walked in. “Asher, I’m headed out in a few hours. Any
last minute stuff you need?”

Asher grinned. “As a matter of fact, there is.”

• • •

“Let’s go out for breakfast.” Asher rubbed his hands together and playfully winked
at Maddy. She looked good in her mother’s cheerful kitchen. Relaxed and happy. He
was glad to be here and Ella was beyond excited. It was the right thing.

“Yeah!” Ella answered.

Maddy leaned against the kitchen counter. Her mother waved her hands. “Not me, I have
too much to do this morning.”

“Please, Mrs. Anderson.” Ella begged.

Maddy’s mom laughed. “No, little monkey,” she replied. “I’ll see you when you get
home and we’ll play Candyland with candy, okay?”

Ella squealed.

There were only two breakfast places in town, so Maddy directed him to her favorite.
Asher glanced around the place. Spade had eaten a lot of meals in small town diners
like this one when they were starting out and touring in a bus.

He glanced up as a weathered, bottle blonde approached the table. She made eye contact
and smiled coquettishly.

“Incoming,” he whispered.

He never expected the expression of loathing that crossed her face, quickly masked
by a polite smile.

What have we here
?

“Kimberly Klaus, Asher and Ella Lowe,” Maddy said, tonelessly.

The woman slid into the booth next to Maddy, across from Asher and extended her hand
to him with barely a glance in Maddy’s direction.

“Pleased to meet you both, and welcome to Pembrook,” Kimberly drawled, showing all
of her perfect white teeth to Asher.

Ella went back to her coloring.

“Coffee, Deirdre,” Kimberly called over to the woman behind the counter.

“I understand congratulations are in order,” Maddy said, softly.

Kimberly glanced at Maddy, her cold eyes assessing, finally coming to rest on Maddy’s
hand gripping her coffee cup. The woman wrinkled her nose and her mouth turned down
in distaste.

Asher clenched his hand into a fist under the table. What a bitch.

Maddy straightened her spine and turned her attention to Ella’s drawing.

“Thanks,” the woman replied, her attention already back on Asher.

“For?” Asher asked idly, taking a sip of his coffee.

Maddy gave a little negative shake of her head and ducked her head to hide a smile.

“I just got married,” the woman said, breezily.

“Congratulations,” Asher said. “Now,” he said, leaning toward her. “Get your bony
ass out of my booth,” he whispered, expression deadly.

Kimberly reared back, hand to her throat, already scooting out off the cushion with
her purse clutched to her side. With a glare at a dumbfounded Maddy, she flounced
down the aisle and out of the diner.

Deirdre came over, orthopedic shoes squeaking as she walked. “Whatever you’re having,
it’s on the house.” She winked at Asher, pen hovering over her pad. “I don’t know
what you said, mister, but we’re always glad to see the back of that one. Good to
have you home, Maddy. You know your momma likes to make sure you’re takin’ good care
of yourself.”

The two women exchanged smiles.

Ella glanced at the adults from her study of the laminated menu. “I like this restaurant,”
she confided. “It’s got crayons, coloring pages and a menu with pictures.”

Deirdre nodded. “Thank you, little lady. What’ll ya’ have?”

Ella turned to Asher once the waitress walked away.

“Was that a mean woman?”

Asher frowned. “No honey, she seems like a perfectly nice woman.”

Maddy merely lifted her shoulders and deliberately widened her eyes.

“Not the waitress, Uncle Asher, the woman who sat next to Maddy.”

Ah, his niece saw more than he thought.

“She is a mean woman, and I don’t want her sour face interfering with my breakfast
and giving me indigestion.”

“Oh,” Ella considered this. “What’s ingestion?”

“An upset stomach.”

“Can people make your tummy upset?” Ella queried.

Maddy responded with a heartfelt affirmative.

Ella went back to her picture.

Asher sized up Maddy, who met his gaze evenly.

“Queen of the mean girls,” Maddy stated.

Ella’s crayon stilled.

“New husband?”

“Everyone likes the first Mrs. Klaus,” she replied, nodding at Deirdre. “Case in point.”

Ella seemed completely disinterested in the adult conversation, but he noticed Maddy
was keeping a watchful eye.

Maddy gave him a small smile. “I don’t approve you know.”

Asher gave her his best innocent expression.

“Word travels fast in a small town,” she warned.

“So?” He shrugged, picking up his mug. “People will give me a wide berth.”

She almost spit out her coffee. “Ha! You wish. That wasn’t what I meant. Handing Kimberly
her walking papers? She’ll blab to whoever will listen. They’re probably building
a statue of you in the square as we speak.”

“It’s that bad?”

“It’s only been a few months, but Kimberly is definitely the villain.”

“Not Mr. Klaus?” he asked.

“Most people just think there’s no fool like an old fool and give him a pass.”

“What’s your issue with the Queen of Mean?”

Ella’s gaze came up from her coloring, hopeful.

“It’s just an expression, sweetie, there’s no queen,” Maddy confessed.

Ella went back to her drawing.

“I don’t want to get into it,” she stated firmly, meeting Asher’s gaze directly.

His eyes dropped to her scarred hands.

Her expression turned rueful. “Yeah, not so nice about these.” She shook her hands.
“Character building,” she stated. “Besides, most people were incredibly supportive
and kind.”

“But not your peers, led by
that
.”

“There were some tough times, but that was long ago.”

He could tell she was downplaying the bullying she’d been subjected to because of
her rheumatoid arthritis. The idea of her being taunted while in pain made his stomach
churn. He forced himself to relax his fists.

“Damn, this place is a pain in the ass to get to,” Shane complained, rubbing his freezing
hands together and stepping over the threshold with a shiver.

“Come on in,” Asher responded drily.

“Seriously man, three connecting flights, the ride from hell over a mountain pass
in a crappy rental. It was harrowing, I tell you. Still, it beats going back to LA
for the holidays and being holed up avoiding the paparazzi. Got any Scotch?”