Page 94 of Rejected By My Stepbrother Alpha
His sentence made me breathless, and I picked up my fork, continuing to eat because I was afraid of the intense emotions his words made me feel.
We were quiet for a few moments as we finished our dessert.
After we were done eating, we stood by the large glass window and looked down at the quiet forest below us. Asher took both of my hands in his, and the mood between us changed. He looked right into my eyes and tucked a lock of hair behind my ear.
The serious expression on his face made my heart race. It was beating so hard that he could probably feel it against his own chest.
“Ivy, I want to talk about us.”
Chapter 36
The Tie
Asher
Ivy's blue eyes widened, and she sucked in a sharp breath.
I squeezed her hands and drew her closer to me. My heightened senses could hear how fast her heart was beating. In a strange way, it was a relief to know that she was as nervous as I was for this conversation.
But we had to talk about where we stood as a couple. Wondering how she felt about me was driving me crazy.
I cupped her beautiful face in my hands and breathed in her scent that managed to excite and calm me in the span of one heartbeat.
“I love you, Ivy,” I whispered.
Her hands clutched me tightly, and I could tell that she wasn’t breathing.
I threaded my fingers through her hair, gripped the back of her head, and looked deep into those bottomless eyes.
“I’ve always loved you,” I continued. “My soul recognized you as my Fated Mate the first time I laid eyes on you.” Our mating bond thrummed with pleasure. “You’re everything that I could ever want ina Mate and more. You’re compassionate, smart, driven, and loyal. You’re the most amazing mother to Adrian. And it doesn’t hurt that you’re the most beautiful woman on this planet.”
She let out a little chuckle. It was one of the cutest sounds I’d ever heard.
“I want to be a real family with Adrian and you,” I said. “I want you to be my Luna, ruling the BloodMoon Pack by my side. There’s nothing in this world that I want more than you and Adrian in my life. After we find your mother, I want you guys to live in Sun Fire.”
Ivy swallowed, then let out a slow breath.
But didn’t immediately respond.
As the seconds ticked by, my anxiety rose. After our romantic night together, would she tell me that she didn’t feel the same?
“Asher, I want to be completely honest with you because I think that our problem in the past started with a lack of communication,” Ivy said and then paused as if she were organizing her thoughts.
My stomach turned. That wasn’t a good start.
I nodded for her to continue.
“I’m not ready to say the ‘L’ word yet,” she said with an apologetic tone in her voice. “But this past week has made me realize how much I do want a relationship with you. We can talk about our living situation after we aren’t in lockdown in this hotel, but I can say with one hundred percent certainty that I want to be with you.” She pulled my face down until our lips were inches away. “How could I not? You’re the best man that I know. You’re such a good father to Adrian, and you’re a natural protector. You’ve been protecting me since my twentieth birthday, and you’ve never stopped.”
My heart rate lowered slightly because she hadn’t said she loved me back. But she did want to be with me. That was enough to fill me with joy.
Ivy trailed her hand gently down my cheek, and her soft touch made my hands tighten in her hair.
“I want you to know that I forgive you for rejecting me,” Ivy said with sincerity shining in her eyes. “I can see the situation from your point of view, and I forgive you. I promise that I won’t hold it againstyou. I want to enter into our new relationship without any baggage. I don’t want either of us to use past mistakes as weapons.”
I froze as I ran her words repeatedly through my head. When I finally processed them, a giant smile bloomed across my face. My mind spun with intense relief. Ivy’s forgiveness felt like someone lifting off a huge boulder that had been sitting on my chest for seven years. It was an indescribable kind of release.
My body was light, happy, and free.
