“Daddy, please. I’ll be quick.” I need to get out of here before I blurt out that I love him and freak him out.
“You better be talking about you going to drop crap off.”
I laugh against his mouth. “I just need to make sure my loans and stuff are good.” Asher’s phone starts to ring, and we both glance over and see Samuel’s name light up the screen. “Take it.” I give him another quick kiss before I hop up from the bed.
“All right, but give me your phone for a second.” I pull it out of my back pocket, not thinking about it until it’s in his hand. It dawns on me as his fingers click on the screen that he could see Sugar Daddy, and my heart starts to pound. Oh god. I’d kind of forgotten about him. A second later he hands me my phone back, and I almost fall over in relief. If he had seen those texts, he would have spanked my ass, and then I’m not sure what.
We actually haven’t texted at all today, and yesterday all he did was check that I was eating and paid me to wear a sweater again when I streamed. He must be growing bored of me. Good, that will make what I do next easier.
“I shared your location with me.”
Parker and I do that with each other, so I nod. “What about—”
“I shared mine back.” He pulls me in for another kiss, and his phone rings again. “Go and get back to me.”
“I will. I already miss you,” I say as he answers the phone and I slip out the door. The second it closes behind me, I pull up my texts to Sugar Daddy and change his name to SD.
Me: I’m sorry but we can’t speak anymore. I want to thank you. The money you sent me will go to my education. It meant a lot.
I quickly make my way across campus and over to the admin building. I read the giant board on the first floor to check which office belongs to Mr. Grant on the Finance Services floor. I check my phone, but there’s no response from SD. He might have lost interest too. I’m not sure how I feel about that, but it doesn’t matter at this point. It’s over.
I snag the stairs up to the third floor to be quicker. I want to get back to Asher as fast as possible. I was so scared when I thought he might find those messages so I know I need to come clean. I’m going to lay everything out on the table for him because I have to. I won’t have this popping back up at some point. I want him to know everything about me and not have any secrets between us.
Asher will be pissed, mainly because my daddy is really jealous, something I probably shouldn’t enjoy, but I do. I’ve gone my whole life feeling unwanted and unloved. Asher craves me, and one day he might even love me. I could see a whole life with him that includes babies and marriage. It was never something I thought I’d want, but I’ve seen things differently since meeting him.
Before him, I’d run my mouth that I didn’t want those things because I didn’t think I could have them. I hoped if I said it enough, that I might start to believe it myself. I’d tell the world I’m Miss Independent, but with Asher, I want to be Mrs. Matthews and to have his babies. For all I know, I might have one already. A swarm of butterflies explodes in my stomach as I think about not only having Asher’s baby but of Parker and me being pregnant together.
My phone dings a few times when I get to the third floor. I see two alerts, and I click on Asher’s.
My Knight: I miss you
Gah, this man kills me. When I programmed his number into my phone, I’d labeled it My Knight because Parker always said that my own romance knight in shining armor would find and claim me one day. I’d rolled my eyes at her, but Parker was right. At the time I couldn’t fathom that a man like the ones I read about in her books could ever be real.
Me: I miss you too.
I respond instantly, then click on the next.
SD: Why?
Simple and to the point. I go with the truth.
Me: I’m in love.
SD: But can he take care of you? Afford you?
Me: He takes care of me. He can afford me but even if he couldn’t I’d pick him over college. He’s my future.
SD: He’s a lucky man.
I’m about to tell him I’m the lucky one, but someone calls my name. “Lexi, I’ve been waiting.” I snap my head up and see a man in his late forties standing in a doorway a few more doors down. He’s not much taller than me, but that’s not saying much.