Page 66 of Embrace

Greg drove the rental car back to the airport, and I rode in a hired car with Asher. Still, he didn’t say a word until I asked if he was going to speak to me.

“What do you want me to say, Penina?”

“Don’t you want to know how it went?”

“I know how it went. You didn’t see your mother.”

My chest felt tight. “How do you know?”

“If you were there, Penina, then I would’ve found you at her home.”

My mouth fell open. “You went to her house?”

“Yes.”

“Did you see her?”

“Yes.”

I had no idea what to say, even though I had a million questions to ask about her.

“She didn’t know who I was, though.” Finally, he looked at me. “You should’ve waited. We could’ve come together and arranged a more appropriate meeting between the two of you.”

“Did you tell her who you were?” I asked.

His eyes narrowed a pinch more. I could tell he was annoyed by me not addressing his last remark. There was nothing to say other than that he was right. I should’ve waited for him.

“No, I didn’t tell her who I was.” His tone was as icy as the energy he was filling the car with.

“And I know, Asher. Okay. I should’ve waited for you, but I wasn’t thinking clearly.”

“No, you were not.”

I heaved a sigh.Does he want me to fall on my sword? Gouge my eyes out? Kiss his ring? Cry at his feet?Well, I was not going to do any of those things, even though deep down inside, the fear of losing him made me want to do whatever it took to remain on his good side.

“I’m sorry, okay?” Then I shook my head.Why am I apologizing to him?He wasn’t my husband. Also, the last time I saw him, he was walking off with his ex-girlfriend. “But you know, Asher, I don’t owe you an apology.”

“I know you don’t,” he said, to my surprise. “Not yet, at least.”

My entire face collapsed into a severe frown. “What do you mean by ‘not yet’?”

“When I marry you, I’ll be your husband, and you’ll know to think twice before you go running off with Greg Carroll.”

I gulped, absorbing the part about marrying me.Is Asher proposing to me? Would I say yes if he was? Should I ask him if that’s what that was? A proposal?No, Penina. Don’t ask.

Instead, I turned to look out the window and watched the landscape roll by, though I didn’t really see anything at all, and allowed what was last spoken the opportunity to fizzle away into the vacuum of inconsequence.

“You mentioned Jerry Cartwright,” I said finally.

“What about him?”

I turned to face his burning blue eyes, and they nearly set my heart on fire. “The organization already knows how the supplements they gave him affected his memory?”

“Yes, they do.”

My shoulders curled forward. “I should’ve—”

“Don’t beat yourself up, Penina. What’s done is done.”