Ash's Marriage Trigger - 2. Chapter 2- Dangerous Dimples

“Our relationship can be anything you want, no strings attached if that’s what you prefer,” Cove suggested.

His response reminded Ash why he broke things off with him in the first place. Cove was the kind of person that gave 150% in everything, especially when it came to relationships. Ash, on the other hand, gave less than 25% in his current-day relationships. When the two of them had first gotten together, the copper eyed man had surely given more of himself to the relationship. But it still hadn't been enough for Ash to sacrifice the vision he had for his life in order to fix things between them.

A younger Ash would have taken Cove up on his offer. When they were in their 20s, the two of them painted the town red for four and a half years. However, the 38-year-old shook his head. He needed to think. That meant increasing the distance between them. Ash had been responsible for breaking both their hearts. Cove was the first person who had sincerely proposed to him and he panicked and immediately broke things off, only to later feel traces of regret when he heard of Cove getting hitched some three years later. All of it had been consequences of his own doing. Someone that was busy raising a kid didn't deserve Ash’s brand of bullshit.

“Cove, I’m not in a very balanced state right now.” Ash confessed. “Hell, I think Siena thinks I’m all kinds of unhinged these days. I shouldn’t be around impressionable children, let alone jump into any kind of relationship.”

Cove was surprised Ash gave him any kind of explanation at all. In the past, he had to pry or pay very close attention to his body language to get so much as an inkling as to what was going on in the other man’s head. He was already subconsciously doing just that. Ash wasn’t looking at him. His gaze was lowered and off to the side as if he was ashamed to admit even that much. He was pouting slightly and his hands were in his pockets. To Cove, that meant that while Ash was being honest, his words didn’t carry his full conviction. And that meant Cove had a chance. They both seemed to have matured a good deal in the last decade. To him, Ash was the one that got away. The silver-eyed man never thought he’d see the day he’d be happy for Ash to give him such an uncertain answer that was neither a yes nor a no.

“I’ve waited this long,” Cove replied. Ash’s eyes immediately lifted to look at him with as much surprise as Cove had felt a moment ago. Instead of patting the top of his shoulder like when they had first reunited, he cupped the side of Ash’s shoulder. The shorter man showed no reaction to that area of his body. He’d have to remember that. “Just don’t expect me to wait until we’re both 60.”

The smile that Cove gave him before walking back out towards the kitchen made Ash’s heart skip a beat. The fuck? No! For a moment, he was torn between chastising himself for reacting like some kind of lovelorn teenager and replaying their conversation in his head over and over again to find out where he had fucked up in his word choices. Cove was not supposed to walk out of his room with a smile full of hope.

“Mister bigger-me! Lunch is ready!”

The fearless child did not hesitate to take hold of Ash’s hand and drag him around. Heh. She kind of reminded him of her dad when he was younger. When they were in their 20s, Cove was a force to reckon with. No. Damn it! He had to stop thinking about those days! Cove was a father figure now. He had enough on his hands as a single dad. Ash refused to toss a wrench into all of that.

Before he realized it, Ash had meekly allowed the little girl to lead him all the way to the table and sit down right next to her. He felt before he saw Cove sit down to his other side. Great. He was sandwiched between two silver-eyed people that were far too pretty for their own good.

Everyone at the table had a sandwich with an olive pinned to it with a toothpick. They all seemed to be making small talk, but Ash tuned it out. When he glanced to his side, he saw Ashley rolling the olive towards the furthest edge of her plate with the toothpick in disgust. Her eyes lit up, however, when she noticed the pickles in the sandwich. Ash didn’t even know when he reached out to take the olive off her plate and eat it. But, the awestruck gaze she gave him made him uncomfortable.

“Well, Cove, we’re glad your ex-wife is finally doing better,” Ash’s father commented.

“Mmm,” Cove agreed. “There was a time she couldn’t be in the same room with Ashy. But, any kind of physical touch is still too much for her.”

What? There was something going on with Ashley’s mother? Ash frowned up at Cove.

The taller man leaned down to whisper into his ear. “Postpartum depression.”

Ash’s eyes went wide. Wasn’t Ashley four years old already? Had her mother been receiving treatment all this time? And just when had the two of them divorced?

“Are you going to eat your pickles, bigger-me?”

Ash welcomed the distraction and immediately handed over the pickles in his sandwich to the little one. From the look in her eyes, he was now regaled as some kind of hero. The copper-eyed man wanted to smack himself in the face. Just what kind of delusions was he giving to an innocent kid? He was supposed to be keeping both Mitchells at an arm's length.

Siena was quick to change the subject to something else and the chatter picked back up again. Ash finally tore into his sandwich like a savage in his frustration. When he felt a tug on his sleeve, he peered down at Ashley again.

“If you don’t slow down you’ll get a stomachache!” She warned.

Shit. The kid had a point. He nodded and slowed it down, which prompted a wide smile to form on her face. Those were the most dangerous dimples he had ever seen. She was worse than her own father.

Damn Mitchells and their innate ungodly charm.