Ruthless Love (Ash and Innocence 1)

“I think your mom lied about your dad, too. He knew where you were, but your mom promised he’d regret it if he ever tried to make contact with you. He didn’t know what to do, so he has just been waiting for a chance. I want to take you to meet him. I can bring the guys, too, just in case I’m wrong on this.”

I sank down into the nearest chair, studying the floor. “What would I even say to him?”

“I don’t know,” Tristan said. “But you can meet him. Decide for yourself if you want to let him into your life. If he tries anything stupid, I already talked to the guys. We’ll make sure he doesn’t fuck with you.”

I grinned. “They all agreed to that? Even Cassian?”

“Believe it or not, they’ve all grown a little protective of you. Our little wheelchair bound wonder.”

I pointed to my lack of a wheelchair with a half-smile. “They’re going to need to come up with a new nickname for me.”

“So you want to do this? He was ready to meet you the first time I contacted him. He already got a hotel in town. We could set this up as soon as this afternoon.”

I blew out a slow breath. “I need a little bit to process all of this. But, Tristan?”

“Yeah?”

I stood up, slamming into him with a hug that probably would’ve sent an ordinary guy toppling to the ground. Being the rock he was, Tristan just absorbed the impact like he hardly noticed it. He wrapped his arms around me, softly at first and then he crushed me in a hug so tight I thought he might never let me go.

“I love you,” he said.

My eyes went wide. I happened to be staring at a group of girls who were watching us from a nearby table and whispering something, but I hardly noticed it. I pulled myself back, frowning up at him.

He was smiling without a hint of self-consciousness. “It’s alright if you don’t feel the same way. But I needed to tell you. I think I loved you way before I knew it. Since I first started sneaking in your window. You make me better. And just knowing you’re around makes me want to try for something more. Everything I’ve ever fought for has been out of anger or spite. I was always doing things to show my dad he was wrong, or to prove to people they didn’t know what I was capable of. You changed that. I want to be better because I want to deserve you, and even if I never do, I still love you for showing me there’s another way.”

“I love you, too,” I said.

He narrowed his eyes.

“What?” I asked, laughing a little. “You don’t believe me?”

“No,” he said. “I was just trying to remember that moment, so when I inevitably fuck this up, I can look back on it.”

I smirked. “You probably will screw it up, won’t you?”

“Absolutely,” he said. He pulled me to him, touching my cheek with one hand and placing a soft kiss on my lips.

I melted into it, wanting nothing more than to stay there forever—to pretend there wasn’t a storm waiting outside that was still going to test us.

Someone tapped me on the shoulder, forcing me away from Tristan. I looked and saw a teacher. “P.D.A.,” she said, glaring.

Tristan squeezed my ass, biting his lip and winking at the teacher.

“What’s that?” he asked. “A detention?”

Her face was bright red. “Yes,” she said tightly.

“Good. Go ahead and give me another one.” He grabbed me and kissed me hard this time, shoving his tongue in my mouth.

I kissed him back, then listened to the teacher scold me for the next minute about morality and respect. By the time she was done, we’d both earned detentions for the rest of the week, but I didn’t particularly care. Tristan’s hand was in mine, and in a few hours, I was going to be seeing my dad for the first time in over ten years.44TristanWe arranged to meet Kennedy’s dad in a park after school. It was a public place, and we weren’t taking any chances. I trusted my instincts after talking to him, but I still wasn’t about to put Kennedy in a situation that even had a one percent chance of risk without being there to be sure she was okay.

Gage, Cassian, and Logan all agreed to wait in the car in view of where the bench her dad was sitting at. I walked out with Kennedy.

Her dad was sitting by himself with his hands in his pockets. He kept glancing around nervously, and when he saw us coming, he stood, staring at Kennedy like he was transfixed. It looked like he wanted to run and hug her, but he was smart enough to stay where he was.