Southern Secrets by Natasha Madison

Chapter 31

Asher

I waitfor Quinn to come out of the house, carrying two huge garbage bags. He walks right over to me. "Here," he says, dropping the bags at my feet.

"What are those?" I ask, looking down at the two bags.

"The bedding and some stuff she didn’t want," he says, and if my heart wasn’t shattered before, it’s definitely shattered now.

"How is she doing?" I ask, looking back at the house and seeing that all the lights are off.

"She went from laughing to crying to throwing shit," he answers honestly. "Chelsea put something in her tea."

"Fuck." I shake my head. "Is Chelsea staying?" I ask and then hear a car coming. Looking up I see that it’s Mayson. He gets out of the truck, opening the door in the back and grabbing a bag out of it.

He comes over to us. "Figured you would still be here," he says. "Are you going anywhere?"

"As long as Liam is out there, I’m not going anywhere," I say, and he nods at me. "I’ll be out here if you need me."

"Why don’t you go to my place?" Mayson says. "I don’t know how she is going to react if she sees you here."

"I can’t leave her," I say, looking at them. "What would you do?" They both share a look. "Would you leave Willow?" I ask Quinn.

"I didn’t even know her name, and I wouldn’t leave her," Quinn says, folding his arms over his chest.

"And you," I say to Mayson. "Would you leave Chelsea?"

"Not in this lifetime," he says. "But …" he says, and I say something, and he holds up his hand. "Hear me out. If she comes out here and sees you’re here, it might push her over the edge, and she might never come back."

"He’s right," Quinn says. "And I never say Mayson is right. It actually physically pains me to say he’s right."

"I don’t want to hurt her," I say, and they both get it. "What if she wants to see me and I’m not here?"

"Then I’ll call you, and you can get here in under four minutes," Mayson says and tosses me his keys. "Go, and I swear if anything, and I mean anything, happens, I’ll call you."

"I can’t go,” I tell them the truth. “I just can’t.”

“At least hide the truck,” he says, and I nod at him. Quinn turns and goes to his truck and leaves, and I pack the two bags into the truck.

I spend the night watching the house, wondering if she is okay. I spend the night sitting on the porch, hoping I can get a glimpse of her if she wakes up. When the sun comes up, the front door opens, and I spring out of my chair, my heart beating out of my chest and my hand itching to hold her.

The door opens, and Chelsea comes out with two cups of coffee in her hand. "Figured you would still be here," she says, handing me a cup.

"How is she?" I ask, looking over her shoulder, hoping to see her. Hoping to talk to her and tell her how sorry I am. Hoping like fuck she can forgive me somehow.

"She just went to bed," she says. "She was up all night looking at the ceiling in her bedroom, and then she decided she didn’t want to sleep in her bed. So she got up and tried to sleep on the couch and then didn’t want to lie there." She takes a sip of her coffee. "I’ve never seen her like this. She’s usually the strong one." The burning in my stomach starts to form.

"The last thing I want to do is hurt her," I tell Chelsea, and she smiles at me sadly.

"I don’t know how you are going to make her forgive you," she answers me honestly. "But if it matters, I’m rooting for you." I smile sadly. "Not for you but for her. She deserves to be happy. She deserves to have a man by her side who isn’t going to fuck her over. She deserves for someone to carry her burden for once and not that she carries it on her own."

The lump in my throat forms again, and I know that I’m that man. I’m the man she needs. I want to be that man for her. I would do anything for her. "I’ll die fighting," I say, handing her back the coffee. "I have to go, but I’ll be back."

"We got her," she says, and her words hurt me more than I can describe, more than I can say.

I make a pit stop before heading to Jacob’s house. Pulling up at the barn, I can see the light on inside, and I know he’s already here. I get out of the truck, and the tightness in my neck is just as bad as the tightness in my stomach.

He walks out of the barn with a cup of coffee in his hand. His jeans and plaid shirt are like a uniform with his cowboy hat.

“Hey, Billy,” I say, and I can see from the way he looks at me that he knows. “I was wondering if you had a minute,” I say, and he just nods his head. “I’m sorry,” I tell him, “for not being honest with you about who I was.”

“You had your reasons,” Billy says, bringing the cup to his mouth. “Knew you were hiding something.” My eyes search his. “Knew the minute I looked in your eyes. I just didn’t know what it was.”

“I should have just come out and told you right away,” I admit. “You guys accepted me and gave me more than anyone has ever given to me, and I should have done things differently.”

“I knew you would tell me eventually.” He smirks. “I didn’t think it would be this.” He takes a sip of his coffee.

“Go big or go home,” I joke with him and shake my head.

“You’re a good man, Asher,” he tells me. “Regardless of who shares your blood.”

“Thank you,” I tell him. “Coming from you, it means everything. She’ll never forgive me.” I wait now, and he takes a deep breath.

“I reckon with time she will,” he says, but his tone is not convincing. “She didn’t shoot you. That’s a good sign.”

I shake my head now, knowing I needed this moment right here. “Thank you,” I say. “I don’t think I could ever repay you.”

“Make it right with her, and we can call it even.” He turns now and walks back into the barn, leaving me looking up at the sky.

“I’ll die trying,” I say to myself.

I get in the truck and make my way over to Jacob's house. Ethan is already there sitting on the step, waiting. He gets up when he sees my truck and walks over to me. "You look like shit, brother," he says, and I stop and look at him. "My dad is coming, but um …" he says, and the door opens, and Kallie comes out. I can see that she spent the night pretty much crying because her eyes are puffy and red, and it kills me to know I did that to her. I did it to her daughter. She comes down the stairs with Jacob beside her. "Brace yourself."

I brace myself for the slap that is going to come. I brace myself for the harsh and vicious words. I brace myself for the wrath of a mother. I’m waiting for it to happen, and she just walks up to me and slowly hugs me. "I’m so so sorry," she whispers and tries not to cry. "No one deserves what happened to you." I’m shocked by her reaction. Not used to anyone caring about me.

I look over at Ethan and Jacob, who just rubs her back. "He’s fine," Jacob says to her. "Look, he’s healthy and strong."

She lets me go. "I’m sorry for getting your shirt wet."

"It’s fine," I say softly.

"We have to go, Mom, or else we’ll get back late," Ethan says, opening the back of the truck and getting in.

"Did you sleep last night?" Jacob asks, and I shake my head. "Looks like I’m driving," he says, turning to Kallie. "I’ll see you later."

I’m turning to get into the truck when I hear the sound of another car. I look up to see Beau arriving. He gets out of his car and comes over to us. "Sorry I’m late," he says, and I just look at him. "Why do you look surprised that I’m here?"

"I just figured," I say, and he slaps my shoulder with his hand, and he squeezes. "I lied to you guys, and you’d want me gone?"

"We owe you more than you know," Beau says. "My brother doesn’t know his ass from his elbow, but know that from this day on, you have family.” He smiles at me. “We take care of our own.”

I don’t say anything to him. Instead, I just nod and walk to the back of the truck. Jacob and Beau get into the truck, and I look out the window. A lone tear runs down my cheek as I watch Kallie wave goodbye.

When we arrive at the bank, Jacob looks around to make sure that nothing seems out of the norm. We walk into the bank, and the girl at the counter smiles at me. "How can I help you?"

"I have a safety-deposit box here I’d like to get into," I say, and she asks for my name and then tells me it will just be a minute. She comes back and tells us to follow her. My whole body feels numb. This whole thing is something out of a movie, yet it’s my real life. I step into the room with her, walking to the wall of boxes. She sticks her key in mine, and I take the key out and turn. The long beige box comes out, almost like Pandora’s box. She points me over to a room with a table and four chairs.

Placing the box on the table, I flip the lid open, and the only thing in there is the envelope. When Ethan sees it, he pulls out a chair and sits down. "Just seeing it again," he says. "Fucks with my head."

Jacob stands next to him. "He doesn’t have the power," he tells him, and I take the envelope out and hand it to Beau.

He pulls the letter out that I got. "Is this like yours?" he asks Ethan, and he just scans it and then nods. "I mean, mine said my parents were liars. You didn’t get that part." He continues to read it.

"What else is in there?" Beau asks, and he opens the letter and looks at the paper and gasps out. The three of us just look at him.

"Holy fuck," he says and then looks at me. "Did you read this?" He holds up the paper, and I just shake my head.

“It was all a blur. There was the DNA proof and all that, and I didn’t really look at that one. Why?"

"Because according to this paper." He reads it. "You are rightfully heir to his money as soon as you turn thirty." I look at him, confused. "Liam’s allowance will be stopped as soon as you turn thirty."

"Oh my God," Jacob says, looking at the paper.

"And if you are not around to collect it," he continues, "Liam’s allowance will continue as usual."

"What about Ethan?" I ask, looking at him, hoping he doesn’t feel left out.

"Ethan gets control after Liam dies." He laughs. "Apparently, I’ve got my inheritances, which is the mayor’s office." He shakes his head. "What a fucking idiot." He continues to read the paper "You’re loaded," Beau says. "Really loaded." He flips over the papers.

"We need to make sure that nothing happens to these papers," Jacob says, and Beau puts the papers on the desk and takes pictures of them and then emails them to Casey.

Who calls him right away. "What is this?" he asks.

"That is the whole reason Liam is trying to get rid of Asher," Beau says and fills him in.

"I’m going to send this to my lawyer and make sure it’s filed with the court," Casey says. "He’s going to make sure that everything is put into place."

I sit at the table, not knowing what the hell is going on. My head spins around and around. "I don’t understand any of this," I admit, and Beau smiles.

"For once, the good guy is going to win," he says, turning his attention back to the phone.

"I had everything I ever wanted or needed," I admit. "I had a woman who I loved with everything I had and who loved me back." I shake my head, the pain of not seeing her today too much to bear. "I had a job I loved. I was finally fucking happy. The money meant fucking nothing to me."

"And then it’s ripped away from you, and all you can do is watch it slip away," Ethan says, his hand going to my arm. "You are going to get her back," he says, but even I know how Amelia is. I know how stuck in her ways she is. If she has written me off, I’m written off, and nothing anyone can say or do will change her mind.

"If Liam is looking for me," I say. "I won’t stay here and wait for him like a sitting duck." I swallow, knowing what I have to do. "I have to leave and go as far away from you guys as I can go."

"Or," Ethan says, looking at Jacob. "We lead him to us."

Here, in the middle of a bank, the four of us put together a plan that I can either walk out alive or walk out dead.