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I nod and shrug a shoulder. “If it helps, all of us had shitty parents. I mean, I told you about my mom and what she did to me. But we managed to come out of it okay—or okay enough that we each became something better. We weren’t defined by our parents and their shit.”
I can see her considering that, taking it all in. Finally, she nods, glancing up at me again.
“You’re right. My dad was a piece of shit, and my mom died when I was too young to really remember her or know what kind of parent she was.”
River’s skin is wet but warm when I reach up and cup her cheek, brushing my thumb over her cheekbone. There’s a small bruise forming there, and it’s a toss-up at this point what it’s even from. It’s been a hell of a day or so.
“See?” I tell her. “Despite all that, you turned out to be incredible.”
Her gaze softens at my words, but there’s a half grin on her face. “Yeah, but none of us are exactly great examples of people who turned out ‘good,’ you know?”
I laugh. “Okay, fair point. Maybe we’re not good. But we’re bad to the right people. That counts in my book.”
The water sputters a little, but even though we’ve been standing here for so long, it doesn’t start to go cold. We’re still wrapped up in the steam and the heat of it, like we’re in our own little sauna together. I pull River closer again, and she tucks her cheek against my chest, letting out a soft sigh. It sounds almost like contentment, but maybe that’s wishful thinking. At the very least, she doesn’t seem as lost as she did before.
I’ll take that.
I hold her while the water beats down around us, both of us naked, skin to skin.
It’s funny. I’m so used to physical touch, to having naked women in my arms. It’s basically a part of me at this point, the way it feels to have that softness against me. To know how to touch them and where.
But this isn’t about sex. It’s just about River.
We might both be naked, and she might be one of the sexiest women I’ve ever known, but in this moment, I’m not even thinking about any of that. All that’s on my mind is helping her feel better and letting her know I’m here for her.
And for me, that means a whole hell of a lot.
