Southern Secrets by Natasha Madison

Chapter 16

Amelia

"What the fuckare you doing here?" I hear growled and look up to see Quinn standing in my office at the barn.

"It’s been three days. I’m fine," I say, and he shakes his head. "And I’m bored," I admit. "The last three days have been going at a snail’s pace. I can’t watch television; I can’t get on my phone. I can’t go to the bar because my father has guys stationed outside, and people are constantly hovering all over me." I throw my hands up in frustration.

"Who are these people?" He leans against the door, crossing his arms and his legs. He tries to hide the smile fighting to come out.

"Well, for one, Mother." I put my finger up. "She is there every single morning to make sure I wake up okay."

"That’s her job," he reminds me, making me glare at him.

"Then there is Asher." I put my second finger up, and I can see his eyes are going just a touch lighter as he listens to me. "Guy sleeps on the couch every night, and he wakes me up every fucking two hours."

"He’s making sure you are okay." He shrugs.

"I’m fine!" I shout out. "I don’t have headaches. I don’t have dizziness. I’m fine. One hundred percent fine."

"Hey, what are you doing here?" I look over and see Ethan standing there.

"This is where I work," I say. "That is my name on the door." I point at the door I added my name to last year when I got into a fight with Quinn.

Ethan looks at Quinn. "I know you work here, smart-ass. What I’m asking is why are you here? Chelsea said you have to be off work for seven days."

"Five days," I say, holding up my hand. "Not seven."

"Well, I don’t know about you," Ethan says. "But Sunday." He sticks out his thumb. "Monday." His other finger comes out. "Tuesday."

I hold up my hand. "I get it. You know how to count and the days of the week." I glare at him.

"Come on," he says to me. "Let’s go for a ride."

"I have a ton of work to do here," I say, looking at my desk and seeing that there is actually nothing for me to do. "Who did my work?"

"Willow," Quinn says. "She was worried you would be a basket case when you came back."

"I don’t know why everyone thinks I’m grouchy." I get up and walk to them. "I’m perfectly happy." I force the smile. "And chipper."

"You look like the Joker in Batman," Quinn says, and I punch his arm. "I’m telling your mom on you."

I’m about to punch him again when Ethan pulls my arm out of the office. "Come on," he says, pulling me out of the barn. "Let’s go visit Grandpa and get your horse."

"Ugh, fine," I say, getting in the truck with him. "You're annoying, by the way."

"That’s my job as an older brother," he says, smirking. "Literally my only job."

"Really?" I look over at him. "I thought Dad said it was to protect me."

"And bother you," he adds in. "You know, to make up for all the times you woke me up in the middle of the night."

"I was a child," I say, shaking my head as we get to the barn. I get out laughing. "I had no way of knowing it was wrong."

"What about when you came into my room when you were seven and painted my nails when I was sleeping?"

I roll my eyes when I look up and see my grandfather coming to us. His face fills with a smile, and I can’t help the smile that comes on my face. "There she is." His voice is soft, and I walk to him, hugging him.

"Hi, Grandpa," I say, smiling up at him. His big white cowboy hat is on his head.

"What are you doing out of bed?" he asks me. I roll my eyes, and he shakes his head, laughing. "Just like her momma."

"We are going to go for a ride," Ethan says. "I’m not saddling your horse," he says as we walk to the barn with my grandfather's arm around my shoulder.

"Don’t touch my horse," I tell Ethan, and we walk into the barn as I walk to my stall and saddle my horse.

"Be careful with her," my grandfather tells Ethan. "If she gets hurt, I’ll tan your hide."

"Grandpa, I’m almost thirty." He laughs at him, and my grandfather stands there with his hands on his hips. "Fine, I’ll make sure she is okay."

We ride side by side, the sun high in the sky as we go into the forest. "Don’t you work?" I ask Ethan, and he laughs.

"I am working," he says, looking at me.

"Am I your work?" I shriek. "You guys are all assholes."

He laughs. "We just want to make sure you’re okay."

"Yeah, well, still," I say as we ride slowly through the woods, neither of us saying anything. Both of us are lost in our own thoughts.

"So what’s the deal with you and Asher?" I look over at him.

"There is no deal with Asher and me. His place burned down, and I offered him a place to sleep."

"I did," Ethan says, not looking at me. "We all did. But he didn’t take anyone else up on their offer."

I shrug, not wanting to think about it anymore. "I guess you have to ask him why he said yes to me and not to you."

Ethan must sense my mood because the rest of the ride is quiet, and when we finally get back to the barn and leave the horses, he says, "Mom wants us to have dinner at her house."

"Oh, that sounds good," I say because for the past three days, I’ve been sitting on the couch trying not to think about why Asher was coming home later than usual. The only answer that I had was that he was seeing someone. The thought made me fucking sick to my stomach, and I hate that it makes me feel this way. I wish I felt nothing.

We pull up to my parents' house, and I see Emily out with Gabriel and Aubrey on her hip. "Daddy," Gabriel says, jumping up and down while Aubrey claps her hands together. I look over and see that Ethan’s whole face lights up. He gets out of the truck and walks to them, and I watch for a second as I wait for the sadness to pass. It’s what I thought I would have. I wait for the moment to pass like it always does before I get out.

"Look who is here," Ethan says, and Gabriel runs over to me, smashing his face into my chest.

"Auntie Amelia," he says, looking up at me. I kiss his head and scrunch my nose at him, something I used to do to him ever since he was young. "Daddy said you fell and hit your head."

"I did," I say, walking into the house.

"You should wear a helmet," he says, and I laugh at him. I walk into our childhood home, the smell of cooking filling the air.

"Momma," I say when I get inside and make my way to the kitchen. Her eyes light up when she sees me.

"Look at you," she says. "You have color in your cheeks."

"I did that," Ethan says, coming in and going straight to the fridge.

"Did you wash your hands?" my mother asks him, and he rolls his eyes.

"He did not," I tell my mother as I walk to the sink and start to wash my hands.

“Tattletale,” Ethan mumbles under his breath as he comes up and pushes me over, making me laugh.

"What is all this noise?" I hear my father say, coming in the side door. I turn my head, smiling, and then I see Asher behind him.

"Now this is what I like to see," my father says. "The family all under one roof." My heart speeds up, and my stomach sinks when Asher looks at me and then turns his eyes right away to my mother as she talks to him. I dry my hands on the towel and avoid looking at him.

"What can I do to help?" I ask my mother quietly as Ethan, Asher, and my father stand in the kitchen looking around.

"You can wash the salad," my mother says, and I bend my head, going over to the sink and grabbing the bowl to place the salad in.

The noise around me goes up just a notch, but I keep my head down, trying not to think about where he is. My mother works around me, and Emily also comes in to help. I feel so out of sorts, and it’s crazy.

"Mom, is there any ginger ale?" I ask, and she nods her head.

"In the garage fridge." I nod at her and walk toward the garage. Opening the door and walking down the four steps, I’m about to pull open the fridge when I feel eyes on me.

I turn my head, seeing Asher there leaning against my mother’s parked car with his phone in his hand. "Hey," he says when I look at him.

"Hi," I mumble and then turn to grab my drink and get out of there. My stomach feels like it’s spinning around and around.

"Are you okay?" Asher asks, pushing himself off the car and walking over to me.

"I’m fine, why?" I avoid looking at him as I duck my head. I feel him right beside me. His hand comes up, going under my chin. He lifts my head, and my eyes meet his. "What?" I ask, the sounds of my heart beating echoing so loud in my ears I can’t even hear myself talk.

"Ever since I walked into the house, you’ve become quiet," he says, his voice soft, and he steps in even closer as his hand falls from under my chin.

"I was just surprised to see you here," I answer honestly.

"Yeah, and why is that?" His voice goes low as he steps up even closer to me, and I feel the fridge against my back.

"I don’t know," I answer, frustrated. "You’re fucking everywhere I turn."

"And that bothers you?" His eyes go a deep brown to where they look almost black. "Why?" he whispers. He is so close I can feel his breath on me. His hand comes up as he takes a piece of my hair in his fingers. My whole body is on high alert, and my body braces itself. "Why does me being here bother you, Amelia?" He says my name, and I lick my lips as I feel his head get even close to me. I want to put my hands on his hips. I want to tilt my head back just a touch more and ask him for the kiss I’ve been dying for. "I’ve gotten under your skin," he says, and I want to tell him that he’s wrong. I want to tell him that he hasn’t gotten under anything. "Good," he says, and his head moves in close. "Because you’ve gotten under mine," he says, and I feel like I’m in a trance. The whole world could be crumbling around me, and I wouldn’t think twice. I also wouldn’t care. The only thing that I want is for him to kiss me.

"Asher," I say his name in a whisper, or a plea, even I don’t know anymore.

"What, baby?" he says, and my heart surges to my throat, and my hands are finally moving to his chest. His heart beats under my hand as much as mine is beating. I tilt my head to the side, and I can taste his lips on mine.

"Auntie Amelia!" Gabriel yells, and we both jump apart, the both of us panting. "Grandma wants you."

I look at Asher, who stands there, his eyes never leaving me. "Coming," I say, turning and walking away from him.