Fighting Shadows (On the Ropes #2)(53)

“We have a big problem. Mine’s April eighteenth. Gemini and Aries are not compatible at all. It would be a disaster.”

I rested my hand on top of hers, intertwining our fingers. “I’m willing to chance it.”

“Disaster,” she whispered to herself.

We sat in silence for several minutes until I asked, “Anything else you want to know?”

“Yeah. Tell me about your first step? Was it amazing?”

“Meh, not really.”

“What?” she shrieked in disbelief.

“Seriously, the first one wasn’t a big deal. I was at physical therapy. No one except the therapist was even there to witness it.”

“That’s depressing.”

“It was just a step, Ash. Then it became two steps. Then it became ten. It was cool, but it was still a long way from my goal of functionally walking again.”

“Well, that’s a lame story. You should never become an inspirational speaker.”

I barked out a laugh. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“I’m serious. My version is so much better.”

“You have a version of my first steps?” I questioned.

She cleared her throat dramatically. “It was a warm day, and you were out picking strawberries.”

I tucked a stray hair behind her ear. “Picking strawberries in my wheelchair?”

“Yep, and you weren’t wearing a shirt.”

“Where exactly was my shirt?”

“I don’t know. Maybe some of the strawberry juice dripped onto it.”

“Oh, well, that makes sense. Can’t have that poison touching my skin,” I teased.

“Agreed,” she answered seriously, making me laugh all over again. “So there was a small kitten who suddenly came limping past.”

“There was a kitten in a strawberry field?”

“Shh . . . My version. Anyway, you leaned down and picked up the kitten only to notice that his legs were badly damaged.”

“Was I at all concerned that it would be rabid and claw up my beautiful naked chest?”

“Nah. You were more worried about your manly bits.”

I choked on my laugh. “My manly bits? Where were my pants?”

She shrugged. “Strawberry juice.”

“Ah, yes. Please continue.”

“You were inspecting that poor kitten when you realized that it had to have walked hundreds of miles to get to such an isolated area. As you stared deep into that tiger-striped kitten’s eyes, trying to figure out where he had come from, words filtered through your head that affected you so profoundly it sent sensation back to your legs. So much so that you were able to rise up and rush the kitten to a vet.”

“Sweet Jesus,” I whispered when I realized where she was going with the story.

Suddenly, she sat up and asked, “Do you know what those magical words were?”

“I’m gonna go out on a limb and guess the lyrics from the song ‘Eye of the Tiger’?”

“Exactly,” she breathed before bursting out into hysterical laughter.

“That was quite possibly the worst version ever.”

“Did you miss the part where you were naked? That alone was better than your pitiful story.”

She rolled around, laughing, and I watched intently, drinking it in.

I had missed that crazy woman so f*cking much.

As much as I hated and regretted all the time apart, I couldn’t even find it in myself to be angry anymore.

I just wanted to be with her. To show her who I truly was—not the jaded * she probably remembered. I wanted to find out who she had become and, even more than that, who she wanted to be. And then I wanted to be the one to give her that.

I draped an arm across her hips then pulled, forcing her to roll over on top of me. Her laughter abruptly stopped when I grazed a soft kiss over her lips.

“No more running. Give me time to fix this.”

“I already—”

“And not two days. I’ve spent years dreaming about having you back. Swear to me you’ll give me a shot to make that a reality.”

“You dreamed about me?”

“Ash, you tortured me on a regular basis. I didn’t even have to be asleep.”

She smiled. “You too.”

“Good. Then we’re even.” I kissed her again, letting it linger.

After pulling away, she whispered, “I’m scared. I don’t know how to trust anyone in my life, much less you.”

“Then I’ll fix that too.”

“I just don’t understand why you’re trying so hard. It was a really long time ago.”

“Because, when I was nineteen years old, I fell in love with a girl who changed my life by showing me that even the darkest nights still had stars and it didn’t matter one bit that you had to lie in the weeds to see them. We were kids and I barely knew her, but I loved her. I should have been there while she grew up, but I was a fool. Now, I have the woman back and I have every intention of making her fall in love with me again, and this time . . . I’m never letting go.” I took her mouth again, but it wasn’t gentle.

It was deep and needy.

Strong and firm.

Bold and assuming.

It was the way Ash had always kissed me.