Deep Burn (Burned Duet 2)

“Oh, sweetie.” Her voice cracked. “Let me help you?” It was a question, one I answered with a blink of my eyes and a sob. I could see the pain reflected in her eyes. I could sense the knowingness she felt. And I remembered her telling me what had happened to her. I remembered her telling me how her own brother had abused her. She could relate to me, but not fully. She hadn’t had this taken from her. She hadn’t had the one sacred part she held closest to her invaded. But she knew pain. She knew pain in the same way I did.

“I’m sorry,” I managed to croak out.

“Don’t ever be sorry for the way you feel, Elodie.” She pulled her jacket off, leaving her in just her T-shirt and jeans. “You never have to apologize for that. You hear me?” I did hear her. Loud and clear. She stepped into the shower and held her hand out to me. “Stand up.”

I swallowed and slowly placed my palm against hers. She gripped it and pulled me into a standing position. I was naked in front of Asher’s mom, yet I felt just as safe as I had when Asher had held me all night long. I wasn’t scared, not right then. If anything, I felt more protected than I ever had.

She grabbed a bottle of shampoo, squirted some onto her hand, and reached for my head. And for the first time I could ever remember, I let som

eone take care of me. I wanted to tell her I was fine. I wanted to tell her I could do it myself, but every time I opened my mouth, another sob would rip through me and I couldn’t quite find the words.

It was only a matter of moments until she was declaring I was done and stepping out. But I couldn’t get myself to move as she held a towel out for me. I couldn’t get my legs to step forward. I couldn’t overcome the fear.

A door slammed shut somewhere in the house, and I squealed, pushing myself into the corner of the shower and out from under the water.

“It’s okay, it’s just—”

“No,” I breathed out, throwing my hands over my ears as footsteps pounded up the stairs. The door wasn’t locked. She hadn’t locked the door, and I had no idea who—

“Elodie? Mom?”

“It’s just Asher,” Lola murmured. “It’s just Asher.”

I shook my head and tried to back away even farther, but it was no use. I heard what Lola was saying, but it didn’t mean my brain could fully compute it. I was naked, and vulnerable. I couldn’t let myself be vulnerable again. Not after Knox. Not after—

“Mom? Where are you?”

“He’s worried.” Lola stepped toward the door.

“No! Don’t open it!” I held my arm in the air and goose bumps danced over my skin. “Please, please don’t open it.”

“Elodie? You in there?” Knocking reverberated through the door. “Mom?”

“We’re in here, Asher.”

“I’m coming in.”

“No!” I screamed, as loud as I could, and dropped down to the floor, curling in on myself and not taking my gaze off the door. I’d been fine this morning. I’d been okay with Lola helping me. But I couldn’t let him see me like this. I couldn’t let him witness the bruises. I couldn’t.

I just couldn’t.

ASHER

Jez and Lara were standing in front of the shop as Dad pulled up outside. The last time I’d looked at this door was that night. The night that changed everything for Elodie and me. If I’d known then what I knew now, I would have done exactly the same thing. I had no regrets about that night. Nothing I wished I would have done differently—apart from not leaving in the first place.

The front door was covered with plywood where it had been smashed, and even though I knew I should have stayed here to fix it up and make sure everything was in order, I couldn’t. Elodie needed me more than anyone else right then, and I wasn’t prepared to walk away and let her deal with it alone. I would be by her side every step of the way. Helping as much as she’d let me.

“You’re making the right choice, son,” Dad said as he turned the engine off.

I turned my head to face him, my stomach churning. I didn’t want to leave Elodie this morning, but I had to make sure we could go away for as long as we needed to. And Dad hadn’t hesitated to hand me the key to the lake house. “I know, I just…” I scrubbed my hand over my face. “I should be making sure this is fixed and—”

“I’ll make sure it gets fixed. I’ll come here every day if I need to.” He tilted his head to the side. “Only once in your lifetime will a single person come into your life and change the way you see everything. A person who will have you questioning anything you’ve ever done. A person who makes you feel whole. A person who has you grinning just at the thought of them. Someone who you can’t see yourself living without.” He paused. “When that person comes into your life, you hold on to them as tight as you damn well can and never let go—no matter what faces you. You hear me, son? Never let it go.”

I nodded, understanding what he was saying. He hadn’t let Mom go when she’d come into his life. He hadn’t let anything get in the way of them being together. He’d sacrificed what he thought he should have been to become the man he was today. Not only did I admire him for the strength that took, but I understood it now. I understood why he risked everything to follow his heart.

He knew without me having to say a single word that Elodie was that for me. So, if it meant I had to take months away from the business I’d built, then I’d do it without a second thought. It was all for her, everything would be for her.

“I hear you.” My gaze didn’t move off his, and I opened my mouth, about to thank him for everything he and Mom were doing, but knocking at my window interrupted me. I turned my head, my gaze clashing with Lara’s, and huffed out a breath. “Let’s get this over with,” I ground out, pushing out of the car. I wasn’t sure how much Jez and Lara knew, but from the somber looks on their faces, I was guessing most of it.