Chapter 102 Part 102
Asher
He could see the panic in Emerson’s eyes and he clenched his jaw. He hadn’t heard from Mark and he wouldn’t. Not until Grover Balducci had been caught and was behind bars again.
“It’s fine, Emerson. The picture looks nothing like you. As long as everyone calls you Emma, there’s no need to panic.”
She took the page from Asher and looked at it. She nodded her head, closed her eyes briefly, and took a deep breath. “You’re right. There’s nobody that would report me missing though. My best friend knows I’m in protective custody, so it wasn’t her. It has to be him, but he sent it here. How does he know I’m here?”
“It’s standard. They send it to every station. The description said that they had no idea where in the country you might be, so this was sent everywhere,” Finn said.
“Okay,” she said. Her hands shook a little, the fear that he’d find her evident on her face. It made Asher mad and the need to protect her just grew more.
“It’ll be fine,” Asher said.
Finn nodded his head. “It’s a good thing we got this. This just means that they really don’t know where you are.”
“Thanks, Finn, I appreciate you keeping an eye out,” Asher said.
“Anytime. I better get back. Eden didn’t cook, says she’s not feeling too well, so Blair’s got the grill going, and Colt and Dylan are making some sort of salad,” he said.
“Before you go, McRoy called me. We’re all invited to his engagement party tomorrow night. I already said we’d go.”
Emerson coughed, and cleared her throat, sounding like she had choked for a second or two. Both men looked at her, but Finn turned his attention back to Asher.
“Can I bring a date?”
“Who the hell is stupid enough to date you?” Asher asked, with a grin.
“Don’t be an asswipe, Asher. You’re not the only eligible Fitzgerald around here.”
“So, who is it?”
“If you have to know, it’s Ashley from the diner,” he said.
“It’s you? You’re the Fitzgerald she’s interested in?” Asher started laughing.
“What’s so funny?”
“Blair and I were convinced it was Colt,” he said.
“That hurts, Asher.” Finn shook his head, and walked out of the kitchen. Asher was still laughing when the front door closed behind his brother. His laughter died down to chuckles and Emerson frowned at him.
“Why would you laugh at him like that?” she asked.
“I’m not laughing at him, not really. I just didn’t see this coming. Finn’s always been reserved when it comes to girls, and Ashley is more like…you. She’s outspoken, and funny, and she’s going to eat Finn alive,” he said.
“Maybe he’ll surprise you. The right woman might just be what Finn needs to crawl out of his shell.”
“Yeah, that’s probably true,” he said.
Emerson placed the food on the table, and sat down. She dished up for Asher, then for herself. Their silence was comfortable, and near the end, she finally remembered what she’d wanted to ask him.
“Is there a dress code for this barbecue? What do I wear? I’ve never been to a ranch engagement party before,” she said.
“I’d say jeans and boots, but Eden might have some better ideas,” Asher said. “Was she not feeling well when you were with her in the office? She looked fine to me earlier.”
Emerson blinked and looked at Asher. Her mind was working overtime and Asher could see it. “She did say she had a headache.”
“Uh huh.”
“I don’t know, Asher. Maybe her headache turned into a migraine,” she said. Emerson stood up and gathered their dishes and utensils. “You look like you’ve had a hard day. You should go relax while I clean the kitchen.”
“I’m beat. I can help though.” His offer made her smile. He really was a good man.
“It’s fine. I’ll join you in a minute.”
Asher headed upstairs and yawned as he reached his bedroom. Emerson had lied to him; he could see it in her eyes, and on her face. Something was going on with Eden, and Emerson knew what it was.
He got into bed and tucked his arms behind his head, but the thought of what it could be disappeared as he fell asleep almost instantly. He stirred when Emerson shifted on the bed and rolled to his side. He moved up behind her, and wrapped his arm around her waist.
“I know you lied to me in the kitchen about Eden,” he whispered, and her whole body stiffened.
“No, I didn’t,” she said, softly.
“I’ll figure it out, you know. I always do.”
His arm tightened around her waist, and he closed his eyes again, sleep overtaking him once again. He woke up hours later, still in the same position, and he smiled.
Damn. Eden had been right. He did have hearts in his eyes. He was in love with Emerson. The thought didn’t scare him, but the idea that she might not feel the same did scare him.
His hand moved over her stomach, and she shifted, pushing against him. Her breathing changed as his hand moved upward, and he forgot all about his fears from earlier.
“You should wake me up like this every morning,” she whispered, and Asher turned them both so she straddled him.
“Do you have hearts in your eyes?” he asked her.
“What?” She frowned slightly.
“Eden said I have hearts in my eyes when I look at you. I want to know if you have them, too.”
“You’re admitting you have hearts in your eyes for me?” Her smile spoke volumes.
“Yeah, I do.”
“I have hearts in my eyes, too, Asher.”
“Then I guess we both have hearts in our eyes.” He smiled up at her, flipping them over again so he hovered on top of her. “I think we should brush our teeth, and get in the shower, then maybe you’ll see the hearts more clearly.”
Emerson laughed, but nodded her head. “That sounds like the best idea you’ve had today.”