The Love of Lies

Promises

Ashton’s POV

Cori isn’t the kind of girl to think short term. So, the fact that she hasn’t checked in on the baby means that she’s worked out some sort of money saving plan, but I’m financially stable, so she doesn’t have to do that anymore.

“We’ll need to get you on a regular checkup schedule, and before you start arguing about cost, I will cover anything that wasn’t already in your budget.” I made that statement as we pulled in front of the garage, and it clearly confused Cori who tensed.

“Why did you stop here?”

“We don’t park our cars in front of the house at night.” I can tell that Cori is wondering how the cars get outside every morning, so I offer the information, not wanting her to think that we pompously have someone come out and do it for us.

“So, your mother moves the cars for everyone?”

“It’s not as bad as it sounds. We can, and want to do it ourselves, but it’s part of her morning routine. She’s recently retired, but she likes to stay busy, and keeping our schedules is something she enjoys.”

“Where did she work?”

“She was my father’s personal assistant; by choice of course.” Cori goes quiet, but not for long.

“Didn’t she feel unfulfilled? She told me that she studied finance in school.”

“Do you really think that my mother allowed my father to do anything without her approval first?” Cori chuckles, understanding that my mother has been my father’s boss since day one.

The woman and I enter the house through the garage entrance, but I take my time going back and forth to bring the bags of snacks inside.

She keeps herself busy by putting the things away, and when I’m done, I find a snack bag and fill it with the popcorn that I intentionally brought in last.

I hand it to the woman, who looks semi annoyed by the fact that I’ve given her a single portion size, but I turn the blame onto someone else.

“Like I said, my parents are already harassing me, and if my mother finds out that I let you eat a whole bag of popcorn, she won’t be happy.”

“Who's going to tell her?” I wasn’t expecting Cori to say that, but she must be having a strong craving right now, so I try to tread lightly.

“How about you taste it first?” The woman rolls her eyes and pops a kernel into her mouth. It takes about five seconds for her to make a weird face before confirming if I gave her the right snack. “Is it no good?”

“I’m not sure.” I open my hand, and Cori places a few kernels in it, but my reaction is to spit it out mid-chew.

“I think it’s stale…”

“But… we just opened it,” she whines, eyeing the snack bag suspiciously.

Cori is clearly disappointed, and when her nose turns red, I say the first thing that comes to mind, not wanting her to start crying.

“Let’s throw it away and I’ll take you to the bakery that you like in the morning.”

“First thing?”

“That was an oddly specific response…”

“They sell fresh baked cookies between 7AM and 9AM.”

“You want to wake up that early to buy cook-”

“Never mind,” Cori disappointedly interjects, moving to walk away, but I stop her by resting my hand on her shoulder, pulling it away quickly because I don’t want her to get the wrong idea.

“Okay, we’ll go. I just don’t want to wake you up.”

“I’ll be awake,” she excitedly says, moving away from me with an extra hop in her step that’s a little worrying.

I don’t know if the way she’s eating is normal or healthy, but I’ll make sure to ask her doctor about her sugar intake.

I retreat to my room, happy that the trip home was mostly uneventful, but it's clear that my family thinks otherwise, because just as sleep was beginning to overtake me, I received a text to meet in my father’s study.

“I’ve obviously done something wrong,” I say to the man, plopping in the chair and closing my eyes as I prepare for an argument.

“How’s Cori?”

“She’s probably asleep. We have a date in the morning.” My father makes a face, and because I don’t want him to misunderstand, I explain the entire arrangement.

“Well then… I won’t keep you for long. I just wanted to make sure that Cori was still alive.” I glare at the man, who’s laughter lets me know that he’s joking. “Actually, I just wanted to talk to you about how you were feeling. It took me a while to process that Cori’s slap humiliated you.”

“True, but I kind of feel like I deserved it. Also, don’t be surprised if you start hearing rumors about me forcing Vanessa into having an abortion.”

“But is it true?”

“Absolutely not. I’d never want a baby with that woman, but we were a couple for a while. If it happened, I would’ve done the right thing. Aside from that, she and I always used protection.”

“And you’re sure that it didn’t break?” My father is being antagonistic right now, but I’m not about to slip up.

“I told you that I was drunk.”

“And you’ve never had drunk s*x with Vanessa?”

“No, we did not.” That’s a true statement, but only because I didn’t go out much when I was with the woman. In part because of work commitments, and also because I wasn’t getting invites.

Vanessa and I spent a lot of time at random socialite events, and drinking was limited. By the time we would leave, I would be mentally drained from all the passive aggressive conversations, so all I wanted to do was eat and sleep.

“I’ll warn your mother, but you have to warn Cori.”

“Why? She has nothing to do with my personal life. I don’t want to give her added stress.”

“You just told me that Vanessa lied, and if what your brother tells me is true, then she can and will use that excuse to further drive a wedge between you two.”

“How much do you know?” My father seems like he’s been filled in a lot more about my ‘relationship’ with Cori, but he admits to nothing.

“Listen… Cori is a good girl. She’s honest, kind, a little jaded from her life experiences, but overall, she’s not a bad investment. I’m not asking you to love or marry her, but for the sake of the baby you made together, communication is going to be absolutely crucial.”

“I’m not seeing how that has anything to do with my ex-girlfriend.”

“So, you’d prefer Cori to be blindsided and guilted?” I do not prefer that, so with a huff, I agree, and leave the man’s office.

Cori’s POV

I woke at exactly 5AM, eager to get warm cookies. I’ve never tasted them before, but I can only imagine that they are twice as delicious as they are when I warm them in the microwave.

I really hope that Ashton keeps his promise, and wanting to show him how appreciative I am in advance, I make a full breakfast for us, including Julia and Troy.

After 6AM, I start to get nervous because Ashton isn’t awake, or maybe worse, he already went to work and forgot all about me.

“Good morning!” Julia sings, raising a brow when she notices the full spread I’ve put together. I can admit that I went overboard, but I haven’t made a large breakfast in a long time, and I got carried away. “Did you have a good night or something?”

It takes me all of a few seconds to work out where the woman’s mind went, and I playfully slap a sausage out of her hand, annoyed that she could even go there.

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“I mean… given this beautiful arrangement, it’s a valid question.”

“Why are you awake so early?” I sarcastically reply.

“To check on you, but from the looks of things…” Julia lets her sentence hang, and I swat at her, making the woman giggle before she gets serious. “But for real… what’s the occasion?”

“I’m going to get fresh cookies from Miranda’s.” I smile brightly, but Julia’s face goes flat.

“I hope I didn’t promise to take you… Troy kind of sprung plans on me.”

“I’m taking her.” Julia and I jump at the sound of Ashton’s voice, and based on the way he’s leaning against the wall; he’s been listening to us talk for a while.

“What are on your feet?” Julia questions while laughing, pulling out her phone to get a picture of Ashton’s chimp slippers.

“Ask Cori.” Ashton lazily steps forward, picking up an empty plate I set out and filling it with enough pancakes, eggs, and sausage for two people. “Who did you order from?”

“I didn’t… Cori cooked.” Ashton has no reaction, but he asks me a question instead of responding to Julia.

“We still on for the bakery?" The man takes a seat at the kitchen island where I’ve set out fresh brewed coffee for everyone.

“If it’s not too much trouble…” Julia is silent, but the way she’s looking at me has made me self-conscious, and now, I don’t want to go. “You know what… It’s probably better for me to rest before work.”

Ashton’s POV

Cori cooked breakfast, and based on the amount, it wasn’t just for her and Julia.

I heard my brother’s girlfriend teasing her, and while I wouldn’t mind having s*x with Cori again, I'm definitely not why she decided to highlight her skills this morning.

She's just excited about going to buy cookies, and I’m glad that I don’t have to work, otherwise I may have had to disappoint.

“We still on for the bakery? I stupidly ask, nervous about tasting the woman’s cooking for the first time.

It smells amazing, but if she’s anything like Julia, I’ll have to force it down to avoid hurt feelings.

“If it’s not too much trouble…” I don’t even get to reply because Cori’s face literally changes color, and she cancels the plans without warning. “You know what… It’s probably better for me to rest before work.”

The woman is gone in an instant, and I turn to Julia, who’s wearing a guilty expression.

“You know that she doesn’t like me like that. So, why tease her?”

“I didn’t think she would get angry.”

“Let’s give her time to compose herself,” I reply, feeling like Julia was about to go hound Cori with an apology.

While I wait, I put a spoonful of egg in my mouth, nodding at the flavor, and when I get to the pancakes, I’m baffled.

“Why the hell does she want cookies? She could just eat these. They’re amazing.” Julia isn’t the kind of woman to skip meals, so she quickly makes herself a plate, and when Troy joins, she shoves it at him to try.

“Mom or catering?”

“Cori,” Julia replies with a full mouth.

“Then why isn’t she eating with us?” Using a napkin, I clean my face, and stand, worrying my brother who misreads my reaction. “I don’t think she’d poison us.”

“They have a date,” Julia corrects, causing Troy to look mind boggled.

I ignore the pair, and head straight for Cori’s room.

“Yes,” Cori asks, cracking the door just enough for me to see a small portion of her face. “Are you ready to go? It’s after seven.”

“And you’re sure that you don’t mind?”

“I’m awake and fully dressed.” Cori looks down at my feet and I wiggle one. “I’ll change them before we go.” I’m rewarded with a smile, but it's clear that she was crying, another thing I have to ask the doctor about.

“And you’re sure?”

“Consider it repayment for those pancakes.” Cori’s smile returns, and she quickly grabs her shoes before darting toward the front door.