We sat in three cars on the way back. Ashton and I naturally sat in the same one, and he kept playing with my fingers the whole way home. Somehow, I felt anger rise up in me at his nonchalant demeanor.
I pulled my hand out of his and sat up straight with my hands folded on my lap. I might as well have written the words, ‘Don’t touch me’ in marker pen on my face.
It may be true that he have gotten rid of his prejudices about Shaun, but he also tried to make me look like the bad guy. Solving one did not mean I could forgive the other issue.
Traditionally, women were known to be detailed and have a practically perfect memory, so there was no way he was going to fool me.
Ashton turned around instinctively at my harsh reaction and paused at my impatient expression. He smiled casually. “If you’re still angry about me making a decision about Shaun on my own, you can pretty much stop now.”
“Really? Go ahead then, what’s your excuse?” I said as I folded my arms over my chest. I was interested to see what arguments he had cooked up this time.
He had his own ups and downs when it came to business, but when faced with his wife’s temper, he knew exactly what to say and do to get me to forgive him.
“Haven’t you realized Audrey’s feelings?” Ashton asked me with a hint of a smile hovering on his lips.
“Feelings?” I asked, surprised.
Right as the word left my mouth, I discovered what Ashton was talking about.
Audrey clearly had some different feelings toward Shaun.
I had always been purposely avoiding the topic. For starters, I was under the impression that even though she had been influenced by media from other countries, that didn’t mean that she would mature so quickly. Secondly, since we were talking about Shaun right now, there were so many uncertainties that I had to take into account. If I didn’t think about it, it wouldn’t happen… or so I thought.
To me, a child’s idea of love was fickle and unstable. I knew she would eventually change her subject after her feelings reached their peak.
Obviously, the only exception was a kid’s love for their parents.
Ashton looked away without answering me. He shifted into a more comfortable position and said casually, “Being a father has taught me a lot of things, and I’ve been thinking about a lot more things as well. Audrey’s only six, but I’ve already thought about her marrying out of the family, of how she might meet a*sholes in the future. I haven’t been able to relax since thinking about the things she could go through. That’s why, when Shaun started becoming the target of her affection, I wasn’t willing to give him a chance even though he saved her. Even if I became the bad guy, I didn’t want to let anyone hurt my daughter.”
I felt like laughing as I wondered when Ashton had suddenly become such a sentimental person.
Still, I did relate with him when it came to worrying about Audrey.
“Then why did you change your mind, Mr. Fuller?” I asked jokingly.
Ashton looked at me and took a deep breath, displeasure evident on his face. “Haven’t we settled everything by now? You’ve been calling me ‘Mr. Fuller’ for a few days now. Is it really appropriate?”
“Why wouldn’t it be?” I shrugged with an innocent look on my face.
It had always been rather fun to mock Ashton a little from time to time. Appropriate or not, I felt like I should have been allowed to have some fun once in a while.
“So you’re saying I can stop calling you ‘honey’ and start calling you ‘Ms. Stovall’ then?” Ashton shot back huffily.
“Hmm…” I hummed, genuinely thinking about it. It sounded rather interesting, so I nodded. “Sure!”
Ashton fell back into his seat as he pinched his brow and unbuttoned the first button on his shirt. He then began taking big breaths as he pretended to feel faint.
I couldn’t believe how much of a jokester Ashton was becoming, what with the whole childish act even at his age. I burst out laughing and said, “What? Are you feeling sick?”
Ashton shook his head around, looking a bit helpless. “Oh, definitely. I think it’s pretty bad, too.”
For some reason, his simple joke scared me badly. My smile immediately froze on my face.
The car fell into an awkward silence and Ashton realized soon enough. He opened his eyes and turned toward me. At the sight of my pale face, he placed a hand over mine and said seriously, “I’m just kidding. Don’t take that seriously. I’m as fit as a fiddle. I haven’t paid you back for all I’ve done, remember? I’ll be fine.”
