I couldn’t help but look over at the silent Ashton. “It’s getting late. Shall we head home?” I asked.
Ashton gave a curt nod as he stood up to drag me away by arm.
“I go out of my way to invite you here, and you’re leaving before you’ve even finished your meal?” John said with obvious displeasure.
“We’re going back to take care of our kid. I’m sure she must be starting to get lonely by now!” Ashton said with a smile on his face.
John glanced between Ashton and me but decided to hold his tongue. “Fine, fine. You two can stop making a show of it and go back,” he finally uttered exasperatedly.
We didn’t wait for him to change his mind and left immediately. I helped Ashton to the passenger seat as he was in no condition to drive after the drinks that he had. After that, I sat in the driver’s seat. Ashton must have had a little too much to drink as he closed his eyes to rest right after settling down.
I started the car and couldn’t help but think of looking for Hannah one of these days to check up on her. I’d wager that she finally left John after all these years due to the disappointment building up over that period of time.
Ashton suddenly opened his eyes when we were at the traffic light. “You’re going the wrong way!” he exclaimed.
“What do you mean? We’re on the way home!” I replied with some confusion.
“Or are you heading to Moore Residence?” he said as he turned towards me.
I was stunned by the question for a moment before coming to my senses and remembering that I had promised to go back to his place earlier this afternoon. “We’re going to pick Summer up. Isn’t she still with my parents?” I answered.
He raised his eyebrows in response. “Let Summer stay at the Moore Residence then. With everything going on recently, I could use some time alone with you. Or would you not like that?”
He was obviously fishing for an answer with that last remark.
I could only nod in agreement as I didn’t really have a choice in the matter. The traffic light turned green, and I went against where I had initially wanted to go and headed back to Ashton’s villa.
It really had been a long time since I’d been to this villa, but it was still all too familiar. Ashton was obviously drunk and needed help to get on his feet, so I had to carry him all the way to the fingerprint lock to open the door. With Ashton slumped on my shoulder, it took quite some time and effort to make it to his bedroom, where I laid him on his bed before starting to leave. Suddenly, Ashton rolled over, pinning me under him. “Where are you going?” he asked drunkenly.
“We’re already home. You just lay down and rest while I go get some honeyed water,” I said with pursed lips.
The moment I tried to get up, Ashton shifted all his weight on me to stop me from leaving. “I don’t need any all that crap. I just need you here!” he said with a sly look on his face.
A sudden flash of anger rose through me. John could have gotten completely wasted for all I care, but he just had to drag Ashton into this. “Alright, I’ll be with you in a moment. Just drink some honeyed water, or you’ll just feel worse later, OK?” I sighed.
“OK!” he said while struggling to keep his eyes open.
Even though he had agreed to let me go, he was still holding onto me with the same amount of strength as before. I tried pushing him off but to no avail. “So, are we just going to stay like this all night?”
He got the hint after that and immediately let me up.
After pouring the agreed-upon beverage for him and feeding him it, Ashton closed his eyes and lay down. I wasn’t sure if he actually fell asleep by the time I got up, but seeing as it was getting late, I made a call to the Moore Residence.
The phone rang for a little bit before Cameron answered. “Scarlett! Are you coming back soon? Summer has a fever, and I was just about to call to tell you!” she said anxiously.
“Mom, we’re not heading back there tonight. Ashton and I are already at the villa, so we’ll have to leave Summer to you. She’s probably feeling ill from the changing of the seasons. She always gets a fever around this time due to the temperature difference throughout the day,” I reassured.
Summer is probably so frail due to being a premature infant. At least it’s fortunate that she always recovers after a few days into the new season.
Cameron could only give a little nod on the other end of the phone. “Yeah, I was thinking if it was because of the seasonal change as well. However, she has been getting recurrent fevers for a while, and the fever medicine only seems to help for a little. Even our family doctor has been here to prescribe some medicine for her, but she never fully recovers. Letty, are you two busy tomorrow? Why don’t you bring Summer over to the hospital for a check-up? Honestly, I’m a little worried,” she muttered quickly.
“Sure, Mom. I’ll go over first thing in the morning to take her to the hospital,” I said as I gave a nod. A little fever for children is no big deal usually. But I guess a recurrent fever that doesn’t go away is a little worrying.
I continued with some small talk before hanging up the phone.
Ashton seemed to have fallen asleep, so I went to wash up in the bathroom before getting a wet towel to wipe him down before going to bed. However, just as I was getting ready to do so, Ashton suddenly woke up and tugged on my hand with a serious expression on his face. “Scarlett, how about a kid?” he said.
I was stunned by the sudden question and couldn’t find the words to answer him. A twang of pain rose in my heart, and I could only furrow my brow and look on in silence. He must be thoroughly drunk if he’s asking me this.
Finishing his question, Ashton just closed his eyes and drifted to sleep.
I sat quietly by the bedside, unable to process what he just asked. Emery had asked me a similar question before, that if I wanted another child besides Summer. But all I wanted to say at that moment was that I wanted a child that was both mine and Ashton’s. But of course, it just wasn’t possible for my wish to come true, so I just stayed silent.
