Esperanza (Brides Dock On Portum Island!) #1

Untitled Part 11

Chapter 10

Asher strolled out of the administration building, his head aching. They had a boring, productive day. Most of the council members were over a hundred years old, so they looked down on someone as young as Asher. That meant that while they were getting drinks at a local pub, he was walking home to see his Esperanza. As he crossed the busy street, he saw Marcus up ahead. He jogged towards him, wanting to catch up with his brother.

"Marcus, wait up," he called.

Marcus turned to see his brother. "Hey man, you went to the barbershop?" his brother asked in disbelief.

"Nope. Apparently, the wife knows how to cut hair."

"She does it well, too. Do you think she would cut my hair?" Marcus asked.

"You could ask her during dinner," he suggested as they headed to his house.

"Dinner?" his brother asked.

"Mom and Dad are coming to our house for dinner. I'm sure that Esperanza won't mind if you come too."

"You might want to send her a text," Marcus suggested.

Asher pulled his phone from his pocket and noticed that it was dead. "It's dead. But I'm sure that she will have room for one more," Asher insisted.

Marcus nodded. "You don't have to ask me twice. I love free food."

When Asher walked into his home, followed by his brother, the smell of good food smacked him in the face. Esperanza was setting the table, a brow arched.

"Esperanza, this is my brother, Marcus," Asher said.

"Hi, Marcus," Esperanza greeted.

"Hi, Esperanza. I heard a lot of good things about you," his charming brother said.

"Really?"

"Yup. You are apparently a good cook that can cut hair," Marcus said, before slapping Asher on the back.

"Marcus, are you joining us for dinner?" she asked hopefully.

"Yes," he responded. Her eyes lit up and she grabbed an extra plate. Before Asher could kiss his beautiful wife, the doorbell rang.

"Can you get that?" Esperanza asked.

"Sure," Asher said before opening the door, to find his ex-fiancé standing in front of him.

"Wow, Brad does some great work. When Lidia told me that you had gotten a haircut, I didn't believe that you went back to the barbershop. I'm sorry I missed you. I was so tired today."

Asher rubbed the back of his neck, uncomfortable with the situation. "Emma, I didn't go to the barbershop," he said.

She scowled at him. "You went to another barber? I can't believe—"

"Esperanza cut my hair," he responded, which surprised Emma.

"Well, no wonder it looks kind of uneven. The next time you want a haircut, please go to a professional," Emma huffed, before storming off. Asher closed the door and rubbed his face.

"Not my parents," he announced, before sitting at the table.

Esperanza scowled at him. "Don't you think you should talk to her about boundaries?" Esperanza demanded.

"He could, but then Brad and his other six brothers would beat him up," Marcus said, which annoyed Asher. His brother made it sound like Asher was afraid of those guys.

"Oh," Esperanza said. "Well, hopefully her baby will become too distracting for her to bother with you." It took ten minutes for Asher's parents to stroll in. His mother wore a black dress, while his father wore khakis and a button-down shirt.