Ice Cream And Talk
Rowan pulled up in front of the hotel, the soft glow of the streetlights casting long shadows across the empty road. For a moment, he sat silently, his gaze flicking toward me, as if there was something left unsaid. But when he noticed Asher waiting outside, he gave a curt nod, understanding our goodbyes didn’t need words tonight.
“Get some rest,” he murmured. Then, without another word, he pulled away, leaving me in the quiet warmth of Asher’s steady presence.
Asher stepped forward, pulling me into his arms, and the warmth of his hug nearly undid me. I buried my face in his shoulder, finally letting myself sink into the kind of comfort I hadn’t let myself feel all day. His hand gently rubbed my back, and for the first time since the accident, I didn’t have to hold anything back.
I don’t know how long I stood there, just breathing, just letting myself feel the weight of the day. Finally, I pulled back, exhaustion weighing down on me as I looked up at him, grateful beyond words.
“Thank you,” I whispered, my voice breaking. “For being here.”
He gave me a soft smile. “Always. You don’t even have to ask.”
I glanced toward the room where the kids were sleeping, the faint light visible through the curtains. “I just… I needed to see them. Needed to know they’re safe.”
“They’re sound asleep,” Asher said gently, guiding me toward the room. “I’ll keep an eye on things. You just take a minute to breathe.”
Inside, the room was filled with the soft, even breaths of my kids, their tiny bodies sprawled across the bed, innocent and peaceful. Just seeing them, knowing they were here, safe and unaware of the nightmare I’d been through, felt like a lifeline.
I sighed, sinking onto the couch as Asher disappeared into the kitchenette. Moments later, he returned with a pint of ice cream, the sight of which made me almost laugh despite myself.
“Seriously?” I said, managing a smile as I looked up at him. “You’re a mafia lord and your solution is… ice cream?”
He smirked, settling beside me. “Not a mafia lord. More of a… cuddly big teddy bear with resources.”
I chuckled weakly, wiping my eyes. “Well, thank you, teddy bear.”
He handed me a spoon, and I took a bite, letting the cold sweetness melt on my tongue. It was such a small comfort, but it helped, grounding me as I sat there, the reality of everything starting to hit me.
“Asher…” My voice faltered, but he just nodded, his gaze steady, encouraging me to continue.
“Claire was… she was everything to me,” I said softly, my voice thick with emotion. “When I had nothing and no one, she was there. She helped me with everything. College, my dreams, even my kids… I don’t know who I’d be without her.”
Asher listened in silence, his hand resting on my shoulder, grounding me as I spoke.
“When I was struggling in college,” I continued, my gaze distant, “she was the one who got me through. I didn’t have family, not really, and she took me in like I was hers. And with the kids… she loved them like they were her own. She was their auntie.”
My voice broke, and the tears started to flow, all the grief and fear spilling out in waves. “She didn’t deserve this, Asher. She deserved to be happy, to have everything she dreamed of. And now… now she’s lying in that hospital, fighting to survive because of someone else’s choices.”
Asher wrapped an arm around me, his warmth and strength anchoring me as I let the tears come. “I know, Remi,” he murmured softly. “I know. And it’s not fair. None of it is.”
I took a shaky breath, struggling to pull myself together. “I keep thinking… what if I had seen it sooner? What if I had said something, or done something to stop it?”
Asher’s hand squeezed my shoulder, his voice firm. “Don’t do that to yourself. You did everything you could, more than anyone else would have. Claire is fighting because of you, because you refused to give up on her. That’s what matters now.”
I leaned into him, letting his words sink in, though they didn’t erase the guilt that clawed at me. “I just… I keep thinking of all the times she was there for me, all the ways she saved me. And now… I don’t know how to save her from this.”
Asher reached up, brushing a strand of hair from my face, his gaze steady. “You’re here for her now, just like she was for you. And that’s enough. It has to be.”
I looked down, the ice cream forgotten in my hands, my heart breaking all over again. “I don’t know if I can do this without her, Asher. She was… she was my family.”
He pulled me close, his embrace warm and steady, and I let myself sink into it, feeling the weight of the day finally settle. “You’re not alone, Remi. You have me. You have the kids. And you have the strength to get through this. I know you do.”
We sat there in silence, the only sound the soft hum of the air conditioner, as I let the comfort
of his presence fill the hollow ache in my chest.
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