She had to stop thinking. She had to stop coming up with excuses and reasons they shouldn’t be doing this because the more she did that the more she wanted it. Chris parted her lips and tilted her head up, capturing more of Ash’s mouth with her own. She wrapped her fingers in the back of Ash’s hair, pulling her in closer and melding their fronts together.

  This was everything.

  Whatever this was, Ash had been right. They just needed to test the waters and find out. Chris pulled away enough to nip at Ash’s lower lip and dive back in. Everything was like that second kiss they had had only better. This time it wasn’t two strangers fucking in the middle of the night. This was actual happiness, with barriers down, with vulnerabilities out in the open. This was joy.

  Chris’ eyes teared up, watering in the corners as she snaked her free hand around Ash’s back. Heaven had to be this. Everything was so different even though they had already done this. Honesty and truth were the words that came to mind, dragging Chris deeper into the embrace. Their tongues touched, tangling together and heating up even more.

  She didn’t want to let go. The idea struck her harder than she expected, and Chris doubled down on her efforts to keep Ash against her. She moved a hand around to Ash’s front, against her hip bone, sliding her fingers upward and under Ash’s shirt. If they didn’t stop now, Chris wasn’t sure she was going to be able to.

  The clearing throat froze her.

  Chris broke away, her heart racing and her breathing shallow. She looked into Ash’s eyes and feared who she would see next.

  “Sorry for interrupting.”

  No she isn’t. Chris stopped that line of thought. She had to give Andry the benefit of the doubt. Chris straightened her shoulders and faced her ex-wife down.

  “What’s up?”

  “Katie just texted that she’s coming home for spring break. She asked me to tell you.”

  “Sounds good. I’ll see if we can get together when she’s here.”

  Andry nodded, her lips curling up in the corners in a beautiful, true smile. “Enjoy your night, you two. You deserve it.”

  Andry walked away without another word. Chris’ cheeks were on fire. Nope, that was a lie. Her entire body was on fire. How much more embarrassed could she possibly be?

  Leaning in, Ash kissed Chris’ cheek tenderly and squeezed her hand. “It’s probably a good thing she stopped us, because I was just about to fuck you against the wall.”

  Chris groaned, her eyes closing as heat licked its way through her again. “Do you ever stop?”

  “You know, this is the first time I’ve been interested in sex in a long time. You should be proud it’s all because of you.”

  Chris faced Ash, the sincerity in her gaze sure. “You have to stop keeping so many secrets.”

  “That goes both ways, Chris.” Ash kissed her on the lips, lingering but not deepening. “I’ll see you at drop off on Monday.”

  With that, Ash was gone, and all Chris could think about was being fucked against a wall by her former student and one hot MILF.

  Chapter Twelve

  Ash had masturbated. Not only was that an amazing step in and of itself, but she’d thought about Chris while she’d done it, the way Chris’ body moved against hers, the heat, the passion, the pleasure. And on Monday morning at drop off, Chris was waiting outside with her coffee cup and a sexy smirk on her lips that Ash definitely wanted to test out.

  She shuddered out a breath when she dropped the girls off for the day, waved to Chris who gave her a small wave back, and then left for work. Was she ready for more than one night with Chris? Ash wasn’t sure, but that kiss had been enjoyable, probably one of the best she’d had in a very long time. Their relationship was something new and exciting, which meant that she couldn’t stop thinking about it.

  The entire morning she was in a good mood. Jack even commented on it a couple times, but Ash wouldn’t tell him why. She hid in her office for the first few hours, trying to power through a lot of the work that had been missed because of so many people being out sick.

  It was just before lunch when her phone rang again.

  The school.

  Her stomach sank.

  One call last week was enough, wasn’t it? Ash snagged the phone, and her hands shook when she answered it. “Hello?”

  Maybe it was as simple as they ran out of lunch money or something. Or maybe one of the girls was sick. Except somewhere deep inside her, she knew that wasn’t possible. This wasn’t going to be one of those conversations, as much as she wanted it to be.

  “Ash, it’s Chris.”

  She wanted to cry. Tears prickled her eyes, and she dropped her head into her free hand. “What happened?”

  “I think you better come down here.”

  Ash groaned. Her mind spun with all the possibilities. Avonlee was forever getting herself into trouble. The number of times she’d been called down to the school in the last couple years were too many to count. Ash had been foolish to think that moving there would change that. “What happened?”

  “She’s not being suspended, but I’m not sure she’s going to want to be here the rest of the day.”

  “Not suspended?” Her heart thudded loudly. “Chris, quit being vague.”

  “There was an incident in the classroom, nothing major. But if it continues to happen it’ll lead to suspension.”

  Ash bit her lip hard, pain searing its way through her skin and reminding herself that she had to be the parent. There wasn’t another option. The old bitterness she had managed to push to the side in the last few months came rushing over her. She hadn’t missed it.

  “Is this something I can deal with at the end of the day when I pick her up?” Ash was trying to find any excuse to avoid going down there, avoid the role she knew she had to play but didn’t want to. Her support was gone, and she hated having to be the only one everyone relied on.

  “No, it’s really not. I’m so sorry to call you in on this. If it could wait, I would say it could.”

  Ash knew that. But she still didn’t want to have to drive all the way back to the school in the middle of the day if it wasn’t something that could be dealt with over the phone. “I can be there within the hour.”

  “Okay. I’ll see you soon.”

  Racing to finish up everything as quickly as possible, Ash then made her way back to the school after taking a half day at work. Her stomach was in a bundle of knots as she parked in front of the school and got out of the car. She wanted to break down and cry, but she couldn’t. This was the time she had to be strong for Avonlee because she had a feeling she knew exactly what was setting her off. And Chris wouldn’t have a clue.

  Ash pressed the button to be buzzed into the school. As soon as she stepped around the corner in the hall toward the office, she was met by Chris, who had a pained expression on her face. Ash melted, however. Chris might not be Mari, but if there was anything about the last few days and observing Chris at Hope in Action, Ash had a sense that Chris was on Avonlee’s side, which was exactly what her daughter needed right then. Ash needed it too, for that matter.

  “She’s not in trouble, mostly,” Chris started.

  Resisting the urge to wrap her arms around Chris in a hug that would set her right was harder than she anticipated. Ash clenched her fists against her sides and schooled her features. Everything in this moment was about her daughter, not about what Ash wanted.

  “What happened?” Ash felt like she was on repeat. No one had told her anything yet, and she desperately wanted to know what was going on with her baby.

  “Let’s talk in my office.”

  The last thing Ash wanted right now was to be in a confined space with Chris. Her veins were still alive with electricity from the weekend and that kiss. Ash said nothing as she walked alongside Chris to the offices. Avonlee sat at a small table in the corner of the office, Ms. Linda watching her. Avonlee didn’t get up. She looked at Ash and shook her head slowly before dropping her gaze back to the floor.

  Ash’s heart broke for her.

  “Your mom and I are going to talk for a few minutes, and then you can come in and talk with us, okay?” Chris explained.

  Avonlee didn’t even move to recognize that she’d been spoken to. Ash frowned deeply. Was she despondent because she was guilty or was there something else going on? Ash was going to have to figure that out. Bending down next to Avonlee, Ash put a hand on her daughter’s arm and squeezed.

  “You okay, baby?”

  “Yeah, Mama.”

  “Okay. You going to be good to sit out here for a few more minutes?” Ash kept her voice as calm and comforting as humanly possible. She didn’t want Avonlee to be in any more dire straits than she already was.

  Avonlee nodded her response but stayed silent.

  Ash squeezed her arm lightly and stood back up, indicating to Chris that they could go to her office now. Stepping inside this time was vastly different than the last. Ash was far more comfortable, even though this brought back the memory of what it was like to be in Chris’ gaze as a teenager. It was tolerable now when it wasn’t before.

  “You need to tell me what happened.”

  Chris sighed and sat at the small table in the corner of her office, clearly a place where she met with many people since her desk was a standing one. Ash hesitated only for a moment before sitting down and crossing her legs. Tension strained through her shoulders and up into her neck and head. She’d be lucky if she didn’t get a migraine from this.

  “With the incident the other week and this, Ms. Dunja is concerned about Avonlee’s mental wellness.”

  Who isn’t? Ash certainly was, and she’d meant to find a therapist in town, but they were hard to come by and those who were accepting new patients? Impossible to find. Not to mention the last one didn’t exactly help any.

  “The class had a project about family lineage. They’re studying some genetic traits and genealogy.”

  Ash hadn’t known about that. Then again, Avonlee rarely talked to her about anything. If she asked how school was, then she was given a standard fine, in response. Getting answers to actual studies was impossible. But she could already see where this problem was going.

  “The assignment was to draw out a family tree, starting with immediate family and moving beyond that, then list some basic traits and characteristics and trace those back.”

  “So what happened?” Ash was getting tired of asking that question.

  “There were some girls who made fun of Avonlee for her family tree.”

  Ash jerked her head back. “Made fun of?”

  Chris rubbed her lips together, looking very uncomfortable. “Cheyenne isn’t as progressive as Seattle.”

  “They made fun of her because she has two moms?” Ash’s eyebrows rose to her hairline. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

  “I’m not, unfortunately.”

  “And what are you doing about them?”

  Chris canted her head to the side. “I can’t tell you that, or who they were, though I’m sure Avonlee will tell you who they are. I can tell you that the situation is being handled on all sides.”

  “What do you mean all sides?” Ash hissed the last part of her question, anger simmering to a boil. “My daughter is the victim.”

  “Well, she would have been.”

  “Would have? Chris stop talking in riddles.”

  Chris touched Ash’s hands gently, and as much Ash didn’t want to admit it, the caress calmed her. “Avonlee retaliated very quickly. She hit one of the girls and shoved another one. She didn’t talk to Ms. Dunja about it, so the initial report that came in was that Avonlee had started a fight.”

  “In response to being bullied.”

  Chris shook her head slowly. “I’m not convinced this is a case of bullying, not yet. But yes, they were trying to get her in trouble.”

  “And where are they?” Ash looked around the office, as if trying to make her point.

  “In the classroom, and yes, I already talked to their parents.” Chris retreated.

  Ash knew it was because she was essentially attacking Chris—again—for her ability to do her job, and the bully word had already come between them before. “And why isn’t my daughter there?”

  “She’s upset, Ash, and she asked not to go back today. I was respecting what she wanted, and I’d hoped you would have some compassion for her.”

  “You’re the principal here.” Ash’s voice lowered. “How can you stand for hatred like that?”

  Chris jerked her head back, her eyes wide. “I don’t.”

  “They’re still here. In school.”

  “Yes, because everyone has a right to an education. If it continues, more drastic measures will be taken, but as it stands, this is the first incident—”

  “First hate crime of many.” Those words would sting, she knew it. But she said them anyway, not caring how much harm she caused Chris if it meant protecting her daughter.

  “Ash.” Chris’ voice was full of power and command. “I don’t allow any kind of hatred, against sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, race or anything else in my school.”

  “Clearly, you do.” Ash grasped at straws. She needed to be angry. It was the easiest emotion to feel right now, and she clung onto it with everything she had.

  “No, I don’t.” Chris glared. “And don’t you of all people accuse me of that.”

  Ash dragged in a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart. She wasn’t mad at Chris. She really wasn’t. She was ticked because she’d brought her kids to a place where they wouldn’t be fully accepted, and she was really ticked at Mari. Because Ash was left cleaning up all the messes that were left behind because of Mari’s stupid, stupid decisions.

  “What kind of project is that even? Is there just the assumption that everyone has a traditional nuclear family in this school?”

  “Quite the opposite, actually.” Chris leaned back in the chair. “Ms. Dunja is very adept at navigating non-traditional families, and that’s part of the point of the project. She adds in a concept on nature and nurture, what we learn and pick up from others.”

  Ash pursed her lips at being proven wrong. “I’d like to take Avonlee home.”

  “She’s all yours, and she’s not in trouble just to make that abundantly clear. But if she continues to react rashly and violently, there will be consequences next time.” Chris stood up and called Avonlee into her office, shutting the door as soon as she was inside.

  “Avonlee, I was talking to your mom about what happened today.” Chris sat back down and pulled out a chair for Avonlee to sit in.

  Avonlee looked so tense and scared. Ash wanted to gather her up in her arms and hold her tight.

  “What the other girls did wasn’t right, and we all know that in this room.” Chris eyed Avonlee carefully. “I want you to know that you can always come talk to me if you need to, okay? If the girls start up that kind of talk again, you go to Ms. Dunja and you tell her you need to talk to me.”

  Ash stared directly at Chris, confused with how soft she was being with Avonlee, yet how harsh she had been with Ash just moments before. Still, knowing that Avonlee would have a safe space with Chris was exactly what Avonlee needed. Ash faced her daughter and did the unthinkable. “Baby, if anyone starts to give you a hard time about mom or me or how our family is built, you come talk to Dr. Murphey, okay? She’s…” Ash paused, trying to figure out how to say this so everyone in the room would understand. “…Dr. Murphey is part of the family, okay?”

  Avonlee’s face pinched in confusion.

  Chris immediately jumped in. “I’m like your moms, Avonlee. Do you understand?”

  “Yeah. I think so.” Avonlee nodded, and suddenly she looked so much more at ease. “So, are you married to a girl?”

  Chris shook her head. “No, but I was.”

  “Mama was too.” Avonlee sniffled, her entire face going red. “But Mom died.”

  Ash’s world rocked hard. The issue with the family project hadn’t been the fact that Avonlee had two moms. It might have been that for the other girls, but every moment of that project was a stark reminder that Mari was dead. Ash crashed, cold washing over her instantly. She should have figured that out as soon as the project was laid out in front of her.

  When she finally gathered the courage to look up, Chris was staring directly at her. Shock. Disgrace. Secrets laid out flat in front of everyone. Chris barely moved her gaze over to Avonlee. “I’m so sorry, Avonlee. No one should ever have to go through that.”

  Avonlee swallowed hard and wrinkled her nose, but that was it. “Can I go home now?”

  “I want to talk to your mom alone again for a quick second, is that okay?”

  “Yeah.” Avonlee stepped outside of the office.

  As soon as the door clicked shut, Ash’s discomfort snapped. “Don’t say anything. Please.”

  Chris sighed heavily, reaching for Ash’s hand. As much as Ash didn’t want the touch, she welcomed it. She flipped her hand and curled their fingers together. Chris slid forward on the chair and wrapped her arms around Ash’s shoulders and pulled her into a tight hug. Ash buried herself into Chris’ strength. She held on tightly, not wanting to move away. Ash couldn’t let go.

  Running hands up and down Ash’s back, Chris held on. She stayed silent as Ash craved the touch and familiarity. She stayed there, breathing in Chris’ scent and using it to comfort herself, using the gentle touch, the rhythmic motion to center herself. Ash took her time pulling away.

  Chris brushed her fingers across Ash’s cheeks, wiping away her silent tears. “I’m sorry your secret came out this way.”

  Ash gave a hint of a smile. “I have to remember that it’s not only my secret to share. I just don’t want to always be seen as the grieving widow. And to be fair, Mari isn’t a secret. She is the love of my life, always and forever.”

  “I understand.” And Chris looked like she did too.

  Gathering herself, Ash stood. How could Chris possibly begin to understand? “Thank you for all you’ve done today. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.”