“I told you already I won’t change my mind. I have already missed out on way too much.”

“All right, so let me give you my address.” I rattle it off to him quickly. “See you tomorrow,” I say, and before he can say anything more, I hang up. I pull the phone from my ear and it starts ringing again right away; this time my mom’s number is flashing across the screen.

“Hey, Mom.” I try to sound cheerful.

“What’s wrong?” Dammit, I didn’t want to have to tell her this. I moved home shortly after I had Ashlyn. I tried to make it on my own, but with a new baby, school, a job, and an apartment, it was just too difficult. My dad was ready to fly down and kill Cash, and my mom wasn’t much better.

“IranintoAshlyn’sdadtoday,andshewaswithme,” I say as quickly as verbally possible.

“You what?” she screeches.

“Oh, God, Mom, I don’t know. I took Ashlyn to the place she likes with all the trampolines and he was there with his son. I tried to leave and he stopped me. He knew right away that Ashlyn was his, and I swear, Mom, I swear he acted like he had no idea what I was talking about when I told him about the messages.”

“You need to come home.”

“Mom,” I sigh, sitting down on the couch.

“Honey, that prick told you to get rid of my granddaughter. He doesn’t get to come in now, filling your head with a bunch of bull-hocky, making you believe that he never told you those things.”

“I know, Mom, but what if he didn’t do it? I can’t keep Ashlyn away from him; she knew right away who he was. If he really does want to be in her life, I can’t keep him out.”

“I have a 12-gauge that says different.”

“I think that’s illegal, and I kinda love you, so I would hate to see you in jail.”

“Honey, just,” she pauses, “just promise me that you know what you’re doing.” I had not a clue what I was doing.

“I am thinking of Ashlyn, Mom. That’s my one thought.”

“How is my grandbaby taking this?”

“I haven’t really talked to her about it yet. She fell asleep in the car on the way home. I have no idea how to explain this to her.”

“Well,” she lets out a long breath, “don’t start off by saying that her dad is a good for nothing asshole.” I laugh. I can’t help it; my mom is funny.

“That’s sound advice.”

“Just tell her that he is ready to get to know her—that he missed her and is glad that you moved close so that they can see each other.”

“That’s even better advice.”

“Well, kiddo, you know I love you, and you know if you need anything—even an alibi—me and your dad will be here for you.”

“Thanks, Mom. I love you,” I whisper, laying down on the couch. “Tell Daddy I love him.”

“I will, honey. If you need us, you call.”

“I will, Mom. Don’t worry about me; everything will be all right.” I hang up, staring at the ceiling, knowing I need to get up, but I don’t move until I see Ashlyn standing in the hall rubbing her eyes. I call her over, pulling her into my lap. I explain as best as I can about Cash and why he wasn’t around before, and how that was now going to change. Then I tell her about him coming over the next day, and she is very excited about that. My dad was the only man who she’s had in her life, so having her dad would be huge for her. After Cash, I only dated one guy. He was sweet and good friends with my dad. We didn’t get serious—I wasn’t ready for that. When I got the job here in Tennessee, he was a little upset I was leaving, but understood why. Plus I never wanted to feel the loss of someone that I loved again like I felt when Cash left me. So it was easier to get out before we got too involved.

Ashlyn jumped off my lap and ran to her room, yelling over her shoulder that she wanted it to be perfect for when her daddy came to play tomorrow. I snorted to myself; maybe there was a bright side to this after all.

*~*~*

Cash

“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 fuck?” 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.

“You came!” she says happily, looking at me, then her mom.

“I told you I would.” I smile.

“I know, but...” She pauses, looking back at her mom.

“I told you he would be here,” Lilly reassures her, and Ashlyn shrugs, going back to mixing.

“Is it time to add eggs?” Lilly asks her.

“Yes, can I crack them?”

“How about if Cash helps you crack them while I start the bacon?”

“Okay.” She smiles, and all I can think is how much I love her already. “Is that for me?” she asks, pointing to the doll that’s still in my hand.

“It is,” I tell her, sitting the doll on the counter. “How about if she watches while we make breakfast?”

“Okay,” she says, looking at the doll as I place it on the counter in front of her.

“Here you go.” Lilly hands me three eggs and a bowl. “We don’t want to eat egg shells, so this is easier,” she says quietly before walking back to the fridge, bending over. I have to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from groaning. I haven’t been with anyone since my divorce; I learned a hard lesson when that shit went down. It wouldn’t matter though; even if I had been f**king everything that walked, Lilly had always done it for me. She is the perfect package of sweet and sexy. Watching her with our daughter is completely different than watching Jules with Jax. When we lived together, I may as well have been a single father. The only time Jules had anything to do with Jax was when it was time to show him off like a new handbag, but the minute he served his purpose, she would hand him back to me. I shake my head and turn, just as I see Lilly’s head come up.

“You ready to do this?” I set down the bowl, hand Ashlyn one egg, watch as she taps it lightly to the countertop, and when she gets it to crack, she lifts it over the bowl. Both of her small hands wrap around the egg and her hands squeeze, crushing it. I laugh, looking at the bowl that is now full of shells and egg.

“I did it!” She smiles, and it’s just like her mom’s, bright and blinding.

“You did.” I nod, handing her another egg. She follows the same steps two more times; I take the bowl away from her, along with one of the egg shells so that I can fish all the broken pieces out of the bowl. I feel the weight hit my chest and look up to see Lilly watching us. She’s smiling, but she also looks sad. I reach over, running my finger down her arm; she shakes her head, looks away and puts more bacon into the pan.

“Now we hab to mix it.” I finish removing the shells and hand her the eggs so she can dump them into the mixing bowl.

“Here.” Lilly hands me a measuring cup full of milk, and I dump it in while Ashlyn stirs.

“Where are the pans?” I ask Lilly, my hand at her waist. I feel her shiver as my fingers flex against her.