Page 195 of Second Sets Omnibus

“Yeah, I still did. My fear led me down that road to do what I did. I was so desperate and scared that I let it get to me. Idestroyed something so fucking beautiful because I was a selfish fucking bastard.”

River blinks at me a few times, processing my words as silence engulfs us. “You can stay here tonight,” she says, getting up and walking toward the freezer again. “Here, take another ice pack so your face doesn’t swell too much.”

“But why?” I whisper, holding tight to her wrist as she sets the new pack on my eye. “I don’t understand.”

She gives me a tight smile, takes her hand back, and sighs. “I’m not your karma, Asher. You have to face down what you’ve done. Do I forgive you for breaking my trust and putting a dangerous guy in my path? No. Not by a long shot. You’ll have to earn that. Somehow… But it’s not me you have to get the most forgiveness from. It’s them. They were your family—your brothers. But by the look on your face, you already know that. You’ve probably tortured yourself. Honestly, I don’t understand how you’ve lived with yourself.” She shakes her head, crossing her arms over her chest.

I snort. “Not very well. Sleepless nights. The heartburn. My fucking guilt ate away at every inch of me and having to face the guys I deceived so cruelly… Yeah, I fucking hate myself for what I did.”

“It’s a start,” she says with a small shrug, taking a few steps away but stopping abruptly in the doorway. “It’s for Lyric.” Her tiny voice carries through the room, leaving a crater in my chest. “You’re staying because she knows who you are, and I can’t drag my kid away from her daddy. She already loves you, and I won’t destroy that love by forcing you to leave.”

“Thank you,” I breathe in relief. “I know I’m a big fucking disappointment, but I want to…I want to be there for her for everything. Now that I know… River, thank you for giving me a chance to prove myself to her.”

She nods a few times. “Just don’t break her heart like you broke mine,” she whispers, leaving the living room altogether.

“I won’t,” I vow to no one, sinking further into the couch and trying to get comfortable despite the pain pulsating through my body.

From this day forward, I’ll be the best version of myself for Lyric. For a chance to fix things with River and the guys. I’ll never keep another secret again.

For a chance to prove I’m not the Asher Montgomery from five years ago. No more lies. No more secrets.

Just me.

The following morning, I startle awake at the sound of a sweet little voice in my ear. Her little fingers sweep down my broken face, tracing what I can only assume are bruises darkening my skin.

“Daddy. Oh, no,” Lyrics mumbles softly, laying her head on my aching chest. “What happened? Did you get beat up?” her little voice shakes when I finally crack my eyes open and run a hand through her hair.

The darkness of the room greets me with the first hints of the sun rising in the sky. A heavy sigh rocks through me when I look at the clock on the wall, noting it’s only six-thirty in the morning. Fuck. Way too damn early to be awake.

“I’m okay,” I mumble, bracing her head against my chest in a soft hug. “Why’re you up so early?” She hums in response to my question.

“But you’re hurt,” she mumbles through a crack in her voice. “You got a bruise right here,” she says, poking my face and making me flinch away from her touch.

“I do,” I say through a breathy laugh. “But I’ll be okay,” I whisper, kissing her head. Bringing myself into the seated position, I pull her into my lap, wrapping my arms around her. Despite the pain spearing through me, I settle her securely against me until she hugs me back with a relaxed sigh.

“What happened to you, Daddy?” she asks, blinking up at me.

“Just grown-up stuff. It’s nothing, Little One,” I say with a tight smile. “How are you this morning? Did you have good dreams?” She grins big and nods in response.

“I dreamed of pancakes. Daddy, I want pancakes,” she whispers, batting her eyelashes at me. Well, who can deny those puppy dog eyes?

A laugh spills from my lips, and I nod. “Of course. Should we look? See if we have anything to make pancakes?” She beams, jumps off my lap, and drags me into the spacious kitchen.

“Here!” She points to an upper cabinet storing the pancake mix and grins when I pull it down with a pained groan.

“All right let’s get to work,” I say, smiling down at her beaming face.

Over the next thirty minutes, Lyric helps me mix the batter and oil the pan. She giggles with me, getting the mix all over her face and fingers. Our pancakes morph into weirdly shaped blobs rather than round.

“Taste good?” I ask when we sit together at the island on stools with plates in front of us.

“The bestest,” she says, shoving a big piece of pancake into her mouth, sticky syrup hanging from her chin and sticking to her fingers.

“Well, looks like you made a big breakfast,” River says, eyeing Lyric affectionately. A smile grows across her lips when she kisses Lyric’s head as she walks by.

“Me and Daddy made yummy pancakes!” She giggles around another bite, humming with satisfaction.

Whenever she says Daddy to me, I swear joyous butterflies burst in my damn soul. A smile creeps across my lips when Lyric side-eyes me with a giddy giggle, tearing into another misshapen pancake.