“An hour studying her case file, a week following her, and two days of interacting with her, and I can see how much remorse she has for what she’s done. Do you know she’s waiting for Cecilia to do something to get back at her for all the pain she’s caused her?”
Shock has their eyes widening.
“Ash knows she’d never do such a thing, but she believes she deserves it.”
Neither respond, and I’m left wondering if they believe she does, too. “Is that what you both think as well?”
They look at each other before her father speaks. “Of course not!”
I’m not sure I believe him.
“I wish we’d paid more attention. Listened better when Cecilia’s parents tried to contact us. But you know how it is, girls get catty. They fight and do things like that.” I can see Landon getting pissed that he’s making excuses for her. “We never dreamed she got physical. We thought it best to let them work it out.”
“And by then it was too late,” I say matter-of-factly. I’m not trying to be a dick and make them feel like they did anything wrong—maybe they did, maybe they didn’t. My point is that they failed her as much as she failed herself.
“Why were you hired?” Landon finally asks me.
“Zach’s an old buddy of mine, and from the minute he met Ashley, he knew she was different than any other ward he’s had. She wasn’t cocky and stupid, looking to blame everyone else for her mistakes. He’s had his suspicions for a while now that something was off, and with your constant bitching, he knew he had to act.”
“So he hired you?” Ashley’s father asks.
“He hired me. I wasn’t supposed to do anything but befriend her, but that girl is smart as a fucking whip. She saw right through me. Slipped out of the coffee shop I followed her into.” I couldn’t help laughing at the memory of the cocky look on her face as I searched for her.
“Yet, you’re fucking her,” Landon lashes out aggressively. All amusement leaves my body at his careless comment.
“Landon!” his father scolds.
Sizing her brother up as a
man she looks up to, I wonder how pissed she’d be if I laid his ass out?
“You know…,” I start calmly, even though I feel anything but. “No, forget it. If you can speak about her like that, then you are part of the fucking problem.” I can feel my anger unleashing. “There is something very fucking wrong with that woman. She’s holding it as close to the vest as possible, and I can see the way it consumes her. So yeah, I’m getting as close as I fucking can to her. If that means fucking my life into her, you better believe I will. She is mine, and there is nothing you can say or do to stop it from happening.”
My breathing is harsh as I tell this privileged fucker off. “You remember this moment when Ashley has her fall because she’s going to. She doesn’t trust me right now. I’ve got my work cut out for me, but Landon,” his angry gaze meets mine, “you ever fucking disrespect your sister again, and I’ll make sure you hurt every bit as much as she does.”
Walking away before I kill the son of a bitch, I head inside to hear laughter from the kitchen. Entering the room, I see my woman standing off to the side watching her mother and soon to be sister-in-law interact, remaining apart from them and looking lost. I cozy up to her. Her startled blue eyes meet mine, and in them, I see everything she feels. Sadness because she doesn’t think she fits in, hope that I’ll stick around, and pain from the secrets she’s hiding.
Wrapping my arms around her, I pay no attention to the noise around us and lean down to kiss her. Devour her emotions. Our tongues meet, and she wilts in my arms like a rose heavy with rain.
Pulling her as close to me as possible, I whisper in her ear, “You’re my fucking queen, don’t ever forget that.”
A throat clearing has us pulling apart, and a blush crawls up her neck and cheeks. Burying her face in my chest, she hums in what I hope is pleasure.
My own grip doesn’t loosen on her as her father walks over to her.
“How you doing, kiddo?” he asks, placing his hand on her head, freezing when she flinches. Pain crosses his features, and for a moment, I feel bad. I don’t doubt her parents love for her, but their lack of understanding has jaded how she feels about it.
Ashley
I stand in the kitchen for what feels like forever as I wait for Declan to come in. It takes so long, that for a brief moment, I wonder if Landon and Dad might have scared him off. So, I watch as Mom and Cec get things ready for lunch. Jealousy courses through me every so often at the easy way my mom interacts with her. I want that. We’ve never cooked together, never planned a meal. Nothing.
Of course, as soon as the jealousy hits, shame follows close on its heels because it’s on me for why we never bonded that way. I was always too busy causing more problems than anything. I forced myself to be happy because even though I wanted to join in, I knew Cecilia loved having a mom again after losing hers the way she did.
Standing in Declan’s arms now, having him call me his queen, that soft yet blistering kiss has me feeling almost whole again.
Flinching as my father tries to touch me, I can see the flash of pain in his eyes. “I’m sorry, Daddy,” I cry out to him. Tears clog my throat. I am sorry. They’ll never know just how much so.
When he opens his arms, I soar into his embrace. The warmth from his love envelopes me in a tight hold, and I can’t contain my emotions any longer. Silent tears slide down my cheeks as he whispers his own apologies in my ear.