Our room.

It felt weird to say, but if I was moving in then that’s what it was.

Ours.

My life was finally on the right track. The man I was with treated me like a princess, like I was the only person in the world who mattered. I had a wonderful new career. And I was weeks away from being free of the proverbial ball and chain that had been weighing me down.

Life was good.

Seeing as he was always looking after me, I decided to do something special for Ashton. Sneaking out of bed, I threw on the silk robe he bought me and tiptoed downstairs to start breakfast.

Once I’d started the coffee pot, I searched the pantry until I located all the necessary ingredients for my mother’s famous Belgian waffles. They went perfectly with bacon.

I was just pouring the coffee when two strong arms slipped around my waist, and Ashton began nibbling on my neck as I poured the batter for the last waffle into the iron.

“You don’t have to make me breakfast.”

Turning, I wrapped my arms around his waist. “I know, but I wanted to. You helped me work up such an appetite last night. I was starving this morning.”

I covered the waffles with strawberries, whipped cream, and powdered sugar, then took them over to the table. They smelled divine—even if I did say so myself. Ashton dived for the coffee the minute the mug touched the table.

“Mmm. This is exactly what I needed.” He took his first bite and moaned. “That’s absolutely delicious.”

“Thank you. It’s a recipe my mom used to make.”

“Just saying, you can make these anytime you like.”

I giggled and started on my own breakfast. That meant a lot coming from someone who owned three of his own restaurants.

A few minutes later he set his fork down, the look on his face somewhere between anxious and pensive. It was not a look I liked at any time, but especially not while he was eating my mom’s special waffles. These things were like heaven on a plate so whatever was on his mind could not be good. I waited, but when he remained silent I stopped eating to see what he wanted.

“You don’t have a show tonight, right?”

I shook my head. “No, we have rehearsal for a few hours this afternoon, but that’s it.”

“I’d like you to come to a drop with me.”

“A drop?” I had a feeling I knew what he meant, but I wanted to make sure.

“A payment. I have a client meeting me at the box tonight.”

The box.

It was one of the last places I wanted to go, and Ashton knew that. He had to. There had to be a reason he wanted me to go with him.

“Can I ask why?”

He leaned toward me taking one of my hands in his. “Last night you agreed to stay with me—to be mine. The only way I’ll know if you can accept the life I lead is if you come and see exactly what it is we do.”

My eyes dropped to the floor. “I’ve seen what you do—first hand, remember?”

A finger slid under my chin, forcing my gaze back up. “I know there are a lot of bad memories for you there, but if you hadn’t been there that night, we wouldn’t be together now. It’s different being on the other side. Trust me.”

I warred with myself, unsure of what to do. If I went, could I push away the bad memories long enough to observe objectively, or would it bother me too much?

Either way, sitting there, watching Ashton, I knew he wasn’t doing this just for me. He was doing it for us. This was my opportunity to show him that I trusted him.

“Okay.”

He smiled and all the tension left his body, and I knew I’d made the right call. Whether or not I would be completely cut out for this, I didn’t know. But I at least owed it to Ashton to give it a try.

* * *

A little bit after breakfast, Ashton left for The Bluewater Grill. He had a lot of work to do and not a lot of time to do it in. While he was at work, I spent the day on the phone with Arthur, trying to see if we could get the paperwork for a contested divorce expedited. I knew Dominic wouldn’t sign, but I guess somewhere in the back of my mind, I hoped he might make it easy on me for once.

Yeah right.

My stomach churned while I showered and got dressed for the day. From the moment I’d come to stay with Ashton, he’d taught me to be independent; to stand up for myself; to recognize that I was worth someone’s love. I had a hard time equating that man with the one who collected debts, threatening people who didn’t pay. I didn’t want seeing him in action to cloud my opinion of him.

When it was time to leave, Brock met me out front. I very nearly blanked him, my mind still lost in this morning’s conversation.

“Hey, Elena,” Brock called out when I reached the car.

His voice startled me out of my thoughts. “Hi, Brock.” Ashton had talked to me the night before about Brock staying with me when he wasn’t able to. After the events of the day before, he was worried what else Dominic might try. If he made bail, that was.

“You all right?” He opened the car door for me.

“Yeah. Just stuck in my head today.”

“Don’t worry, that piece of shit won’t get anywhere near you,” he said through clenched teeth.

I smiled at the harsh tone in his voice. It probably should have scared me, the menace radiating from him, but it didn’t. It filled me with relief. For the first time someone was willing to protect me.

“I know. It’s not him. I know you and Ashton won’t let him near me.” For some unknown reason, I felt like opening up to someone. Brock, who didn’t seem like the feeling type, happened to be the only one with me, besides Lewis, so he was my only option.

“I’m more worried about going with Ashton tonight.”

“To the game?” His brow creased.

“I’ve only ever seen Ashton like . . . that one time, and it was a day I prefer to forget.”

He shrugged. “It’s in the past. I know Mrs. Hawes went with Mr. Hawes one time. He swears it’s the main reason they’ve stayed married so long.”

“He did?”

Although it surprised me to hear, I could see his point.

Brock nodded once.

“Are you telling me that Ashton wants me to go so his business won’t interfere with our relationship?”

“Yeah. I know he wasn’t all that keen, but I’d be willing to bet Mr. Hawes or Miller talked him to it.”

A warmth spread through me at Brock’s reasoning, yet it wasn’t enough to alleviate the queasy feeling I’d had since breakfast.

“It’ll be fine,” he said, as we pulled up to the theater. “Ashton talked to Alan and he’s okay with me sitting in the back throughout rehearsals.

“Sounds good to me.”

Brock stepped out of the car first and helped me out. “Don’t worry, he’s still in jail. We’ll know if and when he gets out.”

“Okay.”

I had no idea what Dominic was capable of. He’d never put a hand on me before, but the crazed look in his eyes didn’t leave me with a whole lot of comfort. It was clear that he was far from stable; especially now the three months were up and I hadn’t returned home. But Brock’s presence made me feel safe, and I had to trust that he would look out for me.

For the next few hours I tried to push all of it from my mind. If my performance was affected, Alan didn’t mention anything. But when rehearsal ended, he pulled me aside.

“Is everything okay? I heard you and Ashton disappeared after the police let him go.”

I forced a smile. “It is. I’m still getting used to the idea of living with Ashton permanently. Obviously, the last time I agreed to live with a man things didn’t turn out so well.”

“Ashton is nothing like that piece of shit you were married to. Besides, he needs someone like you in his life.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Ashton is consumed by his work. He needs someone to remind him that life isn’t all about money.” He smiled.

I flung my arms around his neck and placed a quick kiss to his cheek. “Thank you. I needed to hear that today.”