15. Chapter 15

Asking Aspen to stay with me last night had been spontaneous on my part. When he walked off to his room, I grabbed him and told him not to go, yet it felt like such a natural thing to do. That right there was fucking concerning. Now that I was more sober, my mind was clearer. But the most worrying part was that my attraction to him from last night hadn't changed. I didn't know what to make of that.

I curled up on my side in bed, watching Aspen sleep as the late morning light streamed in through my curtains. He lay on his stomach on top of my covers, resting his head on his arms, facing me, and still completely naked. We both were. Dark locks of hair fell in his face, with only the tip of his nose and his lips showing. Patchy dark scruff filled in along his jaw, and he'd shave it off later, determined to grow it thicker. Yeah, I definitely found him attractive.

My eyes wandered over the expanse of his back and to the deep curve before they met his bubbly ass. I raised my hand and hovered it over his soft-as-silk skin and outlined his body without touching him before I curled my fingers and moved my hand away.

I quickly squashed the first niggling of feelings for him. I allowed them to come out last night because I'd been so wrapped up in all things Aspen, but there couldn't be feelings. I had no room in my life for a man. It was too risky.

I'd made us promise each other we'd talk about things should we start to have feelings, but there was no point in talking about something I couldn't pursue. And I refused to acknowledge that maybe I wasn't as straight as I had assumed. Strangely, that part didn't freak me out, but the direction of my life would squash whatever I wanted. Regardless, if my feelings grew too much, we'd have to deal with it.

God, last night was… amazing. Aspen rimming me just like those two porn guys did in that video we watched the first time we did this was unfuckingreal. Who knew I'd like my ass touched, licked, and have a finger shoved up in there? As soon as my thoughts had drifted to Aspen drilling me last night, that was it. I came into his mouth out of nowhere. Yeah, I enjoyed my time with Aspen more than I should.

But it wasn't just sexual with him. His upbeat life gave me hope that I could have that and finally claim what I wanted and not be so damn afraid—one day.

Before he woke up and caught me staring at him like a creep, I eased out of bed, careful not to wake him. I picked my shorts up off the floor and pulled them on before tossing on a gym shirt. After taking a piss and washing my hands, I headed into the kitchen to make some coffee before I stopped in my tracks.

What in the ever-loving fuck?

"Who are you? And what the hell are you doing in our apartment?" I demanded at the woman with her back to me.

She turned with wide brown eyes and a hand pressed to her chest. Her long blonde hair was straight and woven into a single braid, resting loosely around her shoulder. She must have been in her fifties, so I could only assume she was Aspen's mother.

"Oh, dear. You startled me."

Before I could react, she rushed at me and pulled me into a tight hug, her head barely coming up to my shoulders. I held my arms out at my sides as my sleepy brain tried to wrap itself around logic and common sense. What was happening here? I suddenly tensed, worried she'd be able to notice the sex still lingering on my skin, sex with her son.

"I'm sorry," she said, blushing and pulling away. "I forget that not everyone is a hugger." She held out her hand for me to shake. "I'm Poppy, Aspen's mother. You must be Cooper. What a pleasure to meet you finally."

"Uhm, hi."

"Sorry to barge in, but I've been dying to meet you."

Okay.

"I have a key." She dug into the pocket of her billowy pants and held it up for me to see.

Now I understood Aspen's personality. He was exactly like his mother, adopted or not. They just went wherever the river took them.

She whisked away back into the living room before grabbing a wrapped canvas. Ah, she came by to drop off more art for Aspen.

"I'll call next time. I'm used to coming over whenever."

"It's fine," I said, rubbing my neck.

Suddenly, she thrust the large wrapped canvas my way, looking uncertain with pleading eyes. "This is for you."

My heart stopped for a second. "Me?"

She nodded and smiled. "If you don't like it, it won't hurt my feelings. It's not like I know your taste or anything. But Aspen said you didn't have anything on your walls… was it too presumptuous of me? I'm sorry."

I took the proffered art and unwrapped the brown paper protecting it. The style was similar to the rest of the art in the house, but this one had a touch of dark blues and splashes of gold paint. The subject was of a male abstract figure, sitting down with his back to us and his body twisted. It was as emotive as the rest of her art. She created passion. And it was stunning.

"I… this is too much."

She frowned and fidgeted with the hem of her shirt hanging over her long pants. "Oh, I see." Then she beamed a smile at me. "No worries. I can find a place for it. I knew I was being presumptuous."

Shit, what I said came out all wrong. "No, I should've started by saying how beautiful it is. I meant to say that you don't even know me, yet you worked so hard for me. Sorry, words aren't working out too well for me since I haven't had my coffee yet. Anyway, I love it. I only feel… a little unworthy of it. I haven't earned it."

And just like Aspen, she vibrated with energy and excitement. "I'm so happy! Aspen told me a lot about you, so I tried to create something that would fit your personality."

I smiled at her. "It's perfect, thank you."

God, what a contrast to my own mother. Poppy was sweet, energetic, and thoughtful. She radiated motherly love, whereas my mother was standoffish. If Mom hugged me, it was brief. A peck on my cheek was mostly air. My parents weren't known for their affection, which made me a little envious of Aspen, being free to do what he wanted and be the man he chose to be while I stuck to the rigid rules and plans made for me since I'd been born.

Poppy quickly snatched the painting from me. "Go make your coffee, and I'll hang this up in your room. I'll find the perfect spot for it."

"Wait…" I called out as she rushed to my room.

Fuck. Too late. Aspen was still naked in my bed.

Shit. My stomach dropped, filled with a sudden panic, as I ran into my room to find Poppy staring at her son, rubbing his tired eyes and yawning. At least he had the decency to cover himself up.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Aspen. I didn't mean to intrude."

"It's okay, Mom."

With a sheet wrapped around him, he pulled her into a tight hug while yawning again.

"You didn't tell me you're seeing each other."

He smirked with sleepy, hooded eyes at me before focusing on his mom. "We're not seeing each other. I ended up crashing in his bed."

"It's okay if you are, honey."

"I know, Mom." He kissed her cheek and walked out straight into his room.

Well, he told the truth without elaborating on anything else. He did it. Aspen stuck with our rules. The stress melted off me as his mother busied herself in my room, figuring out where to hang the art.

"I'll put on some coffee."

She turned to smile at me. "Thank you."

After we all got cleaned up and at Poppy's insistence, I drove us to South Congress Avenue to grab some ramen noodles. There was this little joint that had grown in popularity, along with the rest of the businesses on SoCo. The place was a gentrified hotspot these days.

Parking could be rough on the weekends, so I spent twenty minutes in search of a spot on the street in a quiet neighborhood away from the main drag. It was several blocks away from the restaurant, but what could you do?

Once inside, we placed our order at the counter, and we didn't have to wait too long to snag a table. I scanned the restaurant, people-watching as Aspen and his mom yammered non-stop, talking about Aspen's dad, the farm, and his sisters.

My growing envy for Aspen swelled, wishing I'd had a relationship like this with my own mother. I tried to imagine myself being able to talk to her about anything that bothered me, and she'd respond with sage advice and understanding. I could talk to her about my growing feelings for Aspen, and she'd guide me in what to do. Then maybe I wouldn't feel so alone and uncertain about decision-making. Perhaps she'd even hug me after. Honestly, I hadn't realized how much I needed something like that until now. Poppy was instantly more of a mother to me than my own. How sad was that?

Before I got too pensive, Aspen sat closer to me on the bench, pressing our legs together, putting me instantly at ease when it should've stressed me out. We sat so close together that to outsiders, we probably looked like we were together. But I'd grown accustomed to Aspen and his eccentricities. It was like him to sit close. While I didn't want anyone to assume we were together, I also liked him touching me a little, too. He grounded me somehow. I enjoyed Aspen's attention and friendship. He was unlike anyone I'd ever known.

"So, Cooper, what do your parents do?"

The question startled me out of my thoughts. "Oh, they run a vineyard."

Her dark eyes glittered in excitement as she clasped her hands. "How exciting! I love growing things, but Aspen's father and I haven't tried our hands at wine-making yet. Only beer, which is Joshua's hobby… that's Aspen's father."

"I guess. I only help out over the summers."

"What got them into winemaking?"

I shrugged. "Who knows? They got tired of being doctors, I guess, and wanted to move to the country and be pretentious."

She giggled and waved a hand at me. "Oh, stop. What they're doing is hard work, no doubt about it."

"Yeah, they don't do the actual work, though. They have an entire staff and workers to do it all for them."

"Oh, well, lucky them!"

Soon, a server came out with a tray full of steaming soup, setting the bowls in front of us with condiments and herbs. "Enjoy," he said before walking away.

I squirted some Sriracha into my broth, which was full of noodles, chicken, vegetables, and a whole hard-boiled egg. With a soup spoon, I slurped the tasty broth. "This is so good."

"It really is," she said.

Instead of saying anything, Aspen pressed his thigh against mine, but I didn't look over at him.

This was the first time it had grown quiet, with Aspen and his mom eating away.

As Poppy gathered some noodles with her chopsticks, she eyed us both. "Are you sure you're not seeing each other?" Damn parents. Sometimes, they could see through anything.

"I'm sure, Mom."

After slurping her noodles, she pointed her sticks at me. "You know, you need to come to the farm. Please say you will," she asked with the eagerness of a puppy. "Tell him to come, Aspen." His mother was adorable. How could anyone ever say no to her?

"It would be my pleasure," I said before taking a bite of the egg.

And like Aspen, she beamed at me. It was honestly surprising they weren't related by blood at all.

"Excellent! You need to come to San Marcos in early November. We do the farmer's markets on Sundays, but this one will be special with pumpkins and autumn goodies. Joshua and I sell our organic goods then."

"Sounds fun, but it's hard for me to get away on the weekends with football and all."

"Oh, then we'll think of a good time for you to visit that doesn't interfere."

I smiled and nodded. "Sure, I'd like that." I would've said yes, even if I didn't want to, simply to keep Poppy happy.

After lunch, we drove back to our apartment, and his mom headed home. Once she was gone, Aspen pulled me to the side, looking at me like I'd found his lost puppy or something. "Thanks, Coop."

"Uh, I didn't do anything."

"You were so nice to Mom. She's really special to me."

"How can anyone not be nice to her? You have a good mother, Asp."

He pulled me into a hug, but quickly let go. "She's the best."