"You can't be serious," I muttered as I sat on the toilet in Asher's home, staring at the pregnancy test.

"What does it say?" Asher asked as he walked up and leaned against the doorway.

I couldn't take my eyes off it. There were two, very distinct lines on the test. I sat there frozen, just staring at the test.

Asher stepped into the bathroom and crouched down in front of me. He gently took the test from my hands to read it for himself.

"Oh my god," he murmured. I finally forced myself to look at him, tears starting to stream down my face.

I'm pregnant.

"What now?" I whispered, failing to hide my fear.

Asher met my eyes, and I could see my fear mirrored in his. He wrapped his hands around my shaking ones and gently squeezed them.

"I don't know. But we'll figure it out." The way he said we made my heart swell. He wasn't going to abandon me.

He stood up and pulled me up with him. He wrapped his arms around me, and I buried my face in his chest. It felt natural and right. He smelled good, too. Like vanilla and teakwood.

I don't know how long he held me, but by the time he let me go, I had stopped shaking.

"Are you going to be ok?" He asked, holding my shoulders and looking me dead in the eye.

I nodded and sniffled. What else was I supposed to say?

Asher gently wiped the tears from my face, then led me out of the bathroom to the kitchen, where he sat me down at the island as he bustled around, making something on the stove.

"My dad is going to kill me when he finds out," I murmured, looking at the white marble countertop.
"He won't." Asher said, making me look up. He was pouring stuff into two tumblers with his back turned to me.

I shook my head. He didn't understand. He didn't know my dad. Just the thought of my dad finding out made my stomach clench.

Asher sat down next to me and handed me one of the tumblers. I took a sip of the dark liquid inside, and felt a calming feeling wash over me as the warm tea traveled down my throat.

"Thank you, Asher," I said, wrapping my hands around the tumbler, the warmth radiating through the metal.

"For what? The tea? That's no problem." He said, taking a sip of his own tea.

"No, for everything." I met his eyes, and I could see the understanding in his clear blue eyes.

He nodded, and just then, a barrage of barks and clicking nails filled the house. I turned to see a woman who looked exactly like Asher, just older and with laughter lines on her face, struggling to hold back a big black dog.

"Charlie!" Asher cried out, and leaped out his chair and kneeling in front of the dog, just as the woman let go of the leash, and the dog bounded toward Asher. He laughed and hugged the dog, letting it lick his face all over.

I had to smile at the scene. The woman stepped around the two and came to the island. She breathed out a sigh, and then smiled at me.

"And who might you be?" She said with a gleam in her eye.

I couldn't help but return her smile. It was infectious. "I'm Brooklynn Jones, Asher's classmate."

She raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Asher, how did you end up with such a pretty classmate?"

Asher looked up from the floor, where the dog was playing tug of war with Ashers arm. "Huh?" he asked as he yanked his arm free from the dog's grip.

Asher's mom and I howled with laughter. Asher stood up and wiped the slobber off his arm, and sat back down at the island, looking embarrassed.

"By the way, I'm Asher's mom," the woman said, holding out her hand. I grasped it firmly, and gave it a little shake.

"Pleased to meet you, Mrs. McLean." I said with a smile. I really liked this woman.

"Oh please, just call me Jesse," she said, her eyes gleaming.

"Jesse McLean. I like it." I said, making a mock judging face.

"Brooklynn Jones. Not bad," She said, copying my expression.

Asher laughed at the exchange, and the dog, Charlie, barked in agreement.

"Brooklynn, this is Charlie, my dog," Asher said as Charlie put her front paws on Asher's leg, tail wagging.

"She's beautiful," I said. Now that Charlie had calmed down a bit, I could tell that she was a German Shepherd, which happened to be on one of my top favorite dog breeds.

Charlie hopped off Asher and jumped up on me.

"Oh hello!" I said with a laugh as Charlie licked my face. "You're just a pretty girl, aren't you?" I gushed.

"I take it you like dogs," Jesse said with a smile.

"I love them, especially big dogs," I replied.

Once Charlie let me go, I stood up to leave.

"I should probably get going," I said. I walked into the living room to grab my backpack. Asher stood up and followed me.

"Hey," he said as he gently grabbed my arm and spun me around to face him. "If you ever need a place to stay, you're always welcome here."

I blinked, stunned at this offer. "What about your mom? Would she care?"

Asher snorted. "She loves you. You don't have to worry about it."

I nodded, but one question still bothered me.

"Why are you so willing to help me?" I asked softly, looking up to meet Asher's eyes.

"Because you're special," he said, his clear blue eyes softening. "You have this light about you that refuses to be extinguished. I want to try and protect that light as best I can, so that you can continue to shine."

My eyes started to water at his words. He was the first person who truly believed in me since my mom died. Granted, I had Bailey, Oliver, Ruben, and Devon, but they were more like big brothers to me.

Asher pulled me into his embrace once again, and once again, I melted into it. Something about the way he held onto me, like he was scared to let me go, made me feel comforted. It felt right.

When he finally let me go, he cupped his hand on my cheek and wiped my tears with his thumb.

I didn"t want to leave. I didn't want to go home to my dad. I didn't want to leave the safety I felt whenever I was with Asher.

But Asher dropped his hand and stepped back. I picked up my bag and slung it over my shoulder, just as Jesse came into the room.

"Why don't you stay for dinner, Brooklyn?" She asked as she walked up and leaned against Asher. Seeing them side by side made my head spin. Asher looked like a younger male version of his mom, so much so I would honestly think they could have been siblings.

"Ah, I probably shouldn't, my dad is gonna be expecting me," I said, trying to inch closer to the door.

"No, stay." Asher said, his eyes full of understanding of what waited for me at home.

I mulled it over for a moment before giving in. Jesse grinned and turned to go start on making food, while Asher offered me his hand. I dumped my bag on the ground before accepting. He led me into the kitchen where Jesse bustled around, opening the fridge, pulling stuff out, and opening cabinets for spices.

About ten minutes later, we were sitting at the family's table with a pot of steaming alfredo pasta and a big bowl of salad.

Jesse started dishing out the food, and when I took a bite of the pasta, my taste buds exploded.

"This is really good!" I said through a mouthful. Jesse smiled proudly.

"It's an old family recipe, passed down from my grandmother to my mom and eventually to me. I'm glad you enjoy it," She said as she took a bite of her own food.

The rest of the meal went by with lots of laughter and jokes. I felt like I was right at home with the McLeans, more at home than I had ever felt in my own family. My mom was an only child who had abandoned the family farm at the age of 18, and headed for the city to make a living for herself. My dad had two older brothers, both of which I had never met. My dad always had issues with his family, and he cut ties with them years ago. My mom and dad had met up at a college party thrown by a mutual friend, and had quite the whirlwind relationship, getting married after only a few months of dating. They had me about five years after, and it seriously put a strain on my parents' relationship. When they went in for the ultrasound to see what gender I would be, my dad was not happy. As soon as the finished at the hospital, my dad drove my mom to an abortion clinic, and forced her to get an abortion. But my mom refused, and the nurses there couldn't go through with the abortion because my mom wouldn't agree to it.

My mom always tried to do her best to make my childhood the best it could be, but it was always overshadowed by my dad's resentment toward me. I would always see kids laughing and playing with their dads at the park, and I would wonder why my dad didn't want to play with me. Over the years, my parents tried to have another child. Well, my dad tried to. He would force my mom to have sex with him every single night for years, until it became evident that she couldn't have another child. After that, I became the object of my father's hatred. No matter what I did growing up, it was never enough to please him.

After dinner, I helped Jesse clean up in an effort to avoid going home for as long as possible. I played with Charlie and Asher in the backyard till I got a text from my dad saying that I needed to come home right then.

Asher must've noticed the fear in my face, because he tossed the rope for Charlie across the backyard, and came over and hugged me.

"You'll be ok," He said softly. "If you need me, just give me a text, and I'll be there, ok?" He pulled me away to arms length so he could look me in the face.

I nodded, and stepped away.

"I need to get going." I said as I started walking toward the big sliding glass door that led into the dining room.

I said bye to Jesse, and promised that I would come back soon before grabbing my bag and walking out the front door.

Little did I know how soon that would be.