“What’s going on?” I turn, looking at Asher as he walks through the door. The last time I called a meeting at the barn was the day I broke up with Lilly and my life changed forever. I can’t help thinking that this time the meeting is no less serious but I am praying that the outcome will lead me to my own happiness.
“No clue,” Nico says, frowning down at his phone.
“Is everything okay?” Trevor asks Nico, who puts his cell phone away before sitting back in his chair.
“Work stuff.” He shrugs before looking at me. “So why are we here?” he asks. Since he started working for Kenton, his whole persona has changed. There is an edge to him that wasn’t there before. Now, he doesn’t just look like a bad ass with tattoos; he is a badass with tattoos.
“I saw Lilly today,” I say.
“That’s good, right?” Trevor says, looking slightly confused.
“Well, she has a daughter.” I clear my throat, running my hand down the back of my neck. “I…have a daughter,” I say the words that I still can’t believe myself.
“What do you mean you have a daughter?” Asher asks.
“Seems that when we were together, she got pregnant. I didn’t know this, and she says that she tried to tell me, but someone sent her messages from my phone telling her to get an abortion.”
“What?” Trevor asks loudly.
“I really don’t know what the f**k happened.” I scrub my hands down my face. The image of Lilly and the look of pain in her eyes feels like a weight against my chest. “All I can think is that Jules somehow got my phone and told her. She also told her that we were getting married, and this was long before I had even agreed to marry her.”
“Dude, what the f**k?” Nico growls, and I look at him. “So why didn’t Lilly try harder to contact you?”
“She Googled me at some point and saw my wedding announcement. That, coupled with the fact that I had supposedly told her to have an abortion was the final straw.”
“So you have a daughter with Lilly, and what, she finally called you after all these years asking you for support or something?” Nico asks.
I shake my head. “No, I took Jax to Jumping Bean in Nashville and saw her there. When she saw me, she looked surprised, then a little girl came up to her calling her Mommy. The little girl knew exactly who I was when she saw me, and asked me if I was her daddy.”
“Holy shit.”
“Yeah, her name is Ashlyn Alexandra.”
“Fuck me,” Asher whispers.
“She is beautiful, and could be Jax’s twin,” I continue.
“So what are you going to do?”
“Get to know my daughter…and get my girl back.”
“Dude, the last time that you came to us with a problem, you ended up married to Jules, who, by the way, is a f**king bitch to end all bitches,” Nico says, standing.
“Look, I am going to bring her to Mom and Dad’s this weekend. You will all see for yourselves the kind of person she is.” Nico shakes his head, walking to the door. He has seen all the damage that Jules as has caused, and how much I’ve had to do in order to protect my son from her insanity.
“You know, I get that you want to get to know your daughter, but dude, no way should you try to get back with your ex. You have enough problems already,” Nico says. I look at Trevor; he is the only one who knows that Lilly was mine. She is my one, and I gave her up thinking I was doing the right thing, Not that I regret for one second what I went through. If I didn’t do what I did, Jax more than likely wouldn’t be here, and I cannot imagine life without him.
“Lilly was my one—is my one,” I state firmly, watching Nico’s face fall. He rubs his forehead.
“Fuck me. I guess I will see you guys this weekend then.” With that, he lifts his chin and is out the door.
“Have you explained what’s going on to Jax?” Trevor asks.
“Yeah, I talked to him about it. Well, I tried; he doesn’t quite understand what’s going on, but he knows that Ashlyn is his sister.”
“This is like a bad soap opera,” Asher says, standing. “But I gotta say that if things work out, I will be happy for you, brother.”
“Thanks,” I say, and he pats me on the back before walking out the door. I look over at Trevor, who is still sitting with his elbows on his knees.
“So…when is she moving in?” He smiles, and I can’t help but smile back.
“Not sure. I hope it will be soon, but it’s a little harder than your or Asher’s situations. We have to think about Jax and Ashlyn.”
“You want some advice?”
“What’s that?”
“It’s something Asher told me when I was starting out with Liz.” My eyebrows draw together.
“Push her,” he says, nodding his head like he just told me where to find a million dollars.
“Push her? That’s your advice?” I ask, shaking my head.
“Yep, if she’s yours, it will work out. Push her into a corner so she doesn’t have a chance to retreat.”
“And Asher gave you this advice?” I do not doubt this, but seriously, what the f**k does that even mean?
“He did. And it worked, so there you go.” He pats my back shaking his head, leaving me standing in the middle of the barn wondering how the f**k he and Asher ended up married.
My GPS tells me I have reached my destination, and I look around the apartment complex. I come to realize that they live in an area known as ‘High Row’; the whole areas is infamous for its easy access to drugs…and my daughter and woman are living here. I shake my head when Trevor’s advice comes to mind. After parking, I get out of my truck and slam the door. The doll I got for Ashlyn is in my hand as I walk up the two flights of stairs and knock on their door. I can hear laughter coming from the other side. When the door opens, Lilly takes a step back.
“Sorry, we just got up so were making pancakes,” she says as I close the door behind me. She’s wearing a black tank top that is completely form fitting, and her legs are covered in tight, black spandex. I growl when she turns away from me; her perfect ass is on full display. She might as well be wearing nothing with how much her pants show off. She looks over her shoulder and my eyes fly up; I can’t help but smile at the look on her face.
“It’s no problem.” I shrug, and her eyes narrow slightly. We walk around the corner into the living room/kitchen; the space is small, and most of the items in it have seen better days. Ashlyn is sitting on a barstool stirring a bowl of pancake batter. She is still in her pajamas, her hair is all over the place, and when she sees me she smiles, showing off one little dimple in her right cheek.