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No longer afraid of commitment, he could move forward with his life, not trapped by his father’s mistakes. His heart hammered in his chest. How could that be? How could he be better even if she ultimately rejected him?
But the truth whispered in his ear. If she didn’t marry him, it was because of her own past, her own hurts. And even if Lily didn’t love him or want him, she’d never hurt him the way he’d been hurt in the past. He could trust her to treat his newfound feelings with gentle hands regardless of her ultimate choice.
Some people left a man better for knowing them. Lily was one of those people.
That was powerful. “Of course you can. Anything you need, Lily. You know that.”
She gave him a glowing smile before she leaned close, placing a quick kiss on his cheek. Then she looked around to see if anyone had noticed. “You’re a good man, Ash. The best.”
He reached for hand. “You’re pretty spectacular yourself.”
A blush stained her cheeks as she smiled up at him.
They’d travel through the night again and hopefully reach the cities limits tomorrow. What happened then, Ash didn’t know, but he was committed to protecting her. She deserved nothing less. “When we reach London—” he started, but the thunder of hooves stopped him from finishing.
She heard it too and turned toward the noise. “What’s that?”
“In the carriage,” he growled, half lifting her off the horse and sprinting toward the vehicle with her in his arms.
He no more got the door closed than a lone rider appeared. Even from a distance, he recognized Lockton. Releasing a breath, he snapped open the door again. “It’s all right.”
She peeked out, easily finding the giant Scot on the horizon. “I’m not so certain.”
That was a fair point. He rode like the hounds of hell chased him.
Ash helped her down again, holding her close. “Whatever comes next, we’ll face it together.”
Lily held Ash, her heart pounding in her chest as Lockton rode closer.
Whatever the man had come to say, Lily knew Ash would remain by her side. She looked up at him then, repeating the words he’d just uttered.
Whatever comes next, we’ll face it together.
She’d been asking herself the same question over and over since before she’d met Ash…. Could she face danger on her own or did she only know how to run and hide?
But she’d been so busy trying to decide who she was deep down that she’d forgotten to ask a different question…. Did she want to face life alone?
All this time, she’d been trying to prove she was strong enough when really, remaining apart from people actually meant she was too afraid to trust. But Ash was a man a woman could count on with everything: her life, her love, her future, and her past. If only she were brave enough to open up and give herself to him.
And that’s why they would face this together.
“Are you scared?”
“A little,” she answered. “If Lockton’s riding like that, my guess is more danger is on the way.”
“I think you’re right. The questions that follow are how big is the threat and what do we do about it.”
She winced as she considered how she usually dealt with problems that frightened her. “I’ve made a habit of hiding like the doe you accused me of being.”
He shook his head. “I did not. I suggested we both hide because the two of us weren’t strong enough to face an entire group of men on our own.”
“I guess.”
He tilted her chin so he could look down into her eyes. “That wasn’t being afraid, that was being smart. You have to know when to fight and when not to.”
That was true and it gave her further insight into her own actions and fears. “If that’s true, it has yet to be the proper time for me to fight.”
“You’ll have your turn,” he answered as Lockton thundered closer, about to reach their group.
