Page 65 of Give Me Strength

“I like you, Ashlynn Crane,” I say softly, my heart pounding in my chest. “I really, really like you. And I’m not just saying that because I know how it feels to be inside your perfect cunt.”

Her eyes fall to the water as a flush crawls up her chest and fills up her face. “Can you not?”

I hook a finger under her chin, bringing her gaze back to mine. “You are enough,” I whisper, my throat tight. “You’re more than enough. You’re the most gorgeous, stunning, breathtaking woman I’ve ever met. Being with you makes me feel like the luckiest man on the planet.

“You asked if I see Rachel in you, and the answer is sometimes. When you dance, I see in you the passion, grace, and fierce resilience Rachel had. I also see Hannah in you too. I see all of the above, plus the warrior she bought into this world. But more than that, I hear you. I feel you, in here,” I place a hand over her heart, “and I see you. All of you, even the parts you try to hide.”

Her breath hitches. “Gilbert…”

“I’m crazy about you.” I grip her jaw and stare into her eyes. “Absolutely, utterly crazy about you. So, ask me what you really want to know, Ash, because the one thing you can count on, is that I will never lie to you.”

Her green eyes search mine for the truth of that statement. I let her find it. I’ve spent the last few months trying to keep this attraction locked down, and I’m done hiding.

She takes a deep breath, her eyes never leaving mine. “Why did Dad hit you?”

That’s easy enough to answer. “Because I told that Hannah planned on leaving him.” A beat passes, then I add, “And that Rachel and I were getting a divorce.”

An odd glimmer crosses her eyes. “Oh.” her voice cracks, and she looks away.

“Don’t do that,” I tell her.

“Do what?”

“Ash, look at me.” A beat passes, and when she doesn’t, I nudge her gaze back to mine. “Ask me.”

She looks at me for a long moment, her expression softening. “They were having an affair… with each other.” It’s not a question, it’s a statement.

“I wouldn’t call it that. They were in love, yes, but it was more than that. They were soulmates.”

A ghost of a smile tugs her lips. “And you were okay with it?”

I nod. “I was. Your father wasn’t. Either he didn’t know, or pretended not to know. When we were picking out plots, I requested that they be buried side by side, and he vetoed it. I know Bonnie tried to convince him to see reason, and he hit her. So I snapped and told him the truth at their funeral. It wasn’t my finest moment and he almost broke my nose for that.”

Her eyes fall to the water.

“It wasn’t your fault, you know?” I continue, my throat tight. “Rachel and Hannah waited until you were old enough to understand. If they were still alive, you would have two moms.” And I’d still be traveling the world, taking on one classified assignment after the next.

Not sitting here in this bath, with my own soulmate.

It’s like she can read my thoughts. Her head shoots up, her eyes finding mine as those teeth sink into that plump, delicious bottom lip of hers. I want to taste her again. The need to have her lips on mine is overwhelming every single one of my thoughts.

“Dad hated you,” she admits. “But I could never bring myself to do the same.”

At her words, a wave of relief washes over me. I feel a lightness come over me. A lightness so pure and freeing, I feels like I’m floating on a cloud.

Still, I ask, “Why’s that?”

“Because I’ve always liked you.” Her confession is soft. Shy. “I liked you long before I understood what it truly meant to like someone that way.”

27

ASHLYNN

What’s a girl supposed to do, when the one thing she’s wanted all her life is finally within reach; and she feels indifferent? That’s how I’m feeling about Bayard at the moment, which strikes me as… odd, and not at all like me. I guess that’s what happens when everyone else’s excitement for the damn thing surpasses your own.

Early admission and rejection letters have finally begun to arrive this week. Some students got theirs, but ironically, it has mostly been early rejections. That’s been all the rage at Brookfield this week.

As far as I know, nobody has gotten anything from Bayard just yet. Still, it hasn’t stopped everyone from asking me if I got mine already, as if I have some inside contact at their Admissions department. I mean, I do, but that’s not something I’m readily advertising. Just because Wynter and I are friends doesn’t make everyone else privy to the nature of our relationship.

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