Page 36 (2/2)

“Sure” I close my eyes and let out a slow breath as soon as my back is turned I walk to my bed, where my phone lays on top of the co the picture wit

hin a few seconds, and send it to him via text

“Are you pregnant?” Asher whispers, his breath tickling my ear

“What?” I ju my phone at my feet I turn, not sure if I'm startled by the question or his proximity “No! Why would you think that?” I look down at uess the pants I have on today Maybe I should change “Do I look pregnant?”

Asher's eyes widen as he shakes his head “No! I just… That’s what Fridays at Planned Parenthood are for” He looks down at his hands “Abortions”

I chew on my lip I’ve avoided the topic of Asher and his aborted baby since Liao It never seeood of a time as ever “Why do you know that?”

Asher exhales a heavy breath then lays back ontobeside hi down at hihbor, Marla, had one last year”

I sit beside hiing off the bed “Was it… was it yours?”

Asher tucks one hand under his head The other settles on“No Marla’s piece of shit step brother raped her and her n off on the procedure until she ad on her front steps and convinced her to tell h she o years younger, we used to hang out ere little Anyway, I was sick to my stomach when she told me what happened”

My heart sinks for the girl “I can’t believe her mother didn’t believe her”

“I can” He snorts "That woman is a piece of shit Anyway, I said the kid was mine”

I try to wrap my head around why Asher would claie with Lia a baby would throw a hts and cranky baby s you can't do when you're training five days a week, playing on Saturday nights, and going to class “Why would you do that?”

“Because Marla is a good kid with no one in her corner It’s not like the baby was actuallywould have happened to me if she decided to keep it”

“Did she?”

“No" Asher turns to look at me, his amethyst eyes dark and sorrowful "I drove her to Planned Parenthood a week later It’s kind of a scary place Whatever you’re doing there, you shouldn’t have to go alone”