Page 120 of Don't Let Me Fall (Don't Let Me 1)

“You deserve to be happy. And to be treated fairly. I think they just needed the reminder.”

He said that?

And lived to tell the tale?

If I was ever unsure about his feelings for me, they’re officially debunked. Colt Thorne really is the sweetest, most thoughtful man I’ve ever met, and I don’t even know how to handle it.

Blinking back tears, I kiss his cheek and whisper, “Why did you say those things?”

He looks down at me like he’s confused I even have to ask. “Because I love you, Ashlyn.”

There it is again. So matter of fact. So black and white. Like saying––and feeling–– those three short syllables are as easy as breathing. And with Colt, I guess they are.

In fact, loving Colt is the most natural thing in the world.

Biting back my watery grin, I murmur, “I love you, too.”

I can feel his smile against my skin as he drops a quick kiss to my forehead, his muscles melting beside me. And I love it. How confident, yet vulnerable he is around me. Like he assumed I love him back but couldn’t fully relax until he heard me say it out loud.

Silly, arrogant man.

A breath of laughter slips out of me before I rest my head on his shoulder, and ask, “So…did you say anything else to my parents?”

He chuckles. “Nosy much, Ash?”

I smack his chest. “Come on, I wanna know!”

“All right, all right,” he concedes. “Let me think.” Mindlessly toying with a few strands of my hair, he adds, “I also told them that even though they know you can tackle anything on your own, you deserve to have your parents be there for you, so you don’t have to tackle it on your own.”

My heart swells.

This man knows me too well. He hit the nail on the head.

I do try to handle things by myself. I do try to take care of my own shit while usually carrying a few extra things while I’m at it for the people I love. I rarely ask for anything. Honestly, I probably wouldn’t know what to do with someone’s help if they gave it to me in the first place. Even when Colt showed up in the pouring rain when my car broke down, I didn’t know how to handle it. He practically had to force me into his truck.

But support would be nice. And it’s so hard doing it alone. Tackling projects, and school, and my future all by myself. It’s exhausting. Or at least, it was until I found Colt. He’s given me the support I crave without asking for anything in return.

Going to battle against my parents is a perfect example of exactly that. It’s the most flattering, thoughtful thing anyone has ever done for me. Pretty sure I couldn’t love him for it.

“How ‘bout you?” I ask, touching his thigh. “Will you be here for me too?”

He tilts my head toward him, making sure he has my full attention before leaning in for another kiss. But he doesn’t brush his lips against mine. Nope. The bastard enjoys teasing me too much to put me out of my misery. “For as long as you’ll have me, Sunshine.”

“Such a gentleman,” I quip.

With a dry laugh, he tangles his fingers into my hair and drags me even closer, kissing me until I’m a panting mess in the back of a freaking Uber.

And even though I should probably be embarrassed, I’m not. Because it’s Colt Thorne.

Colt.

Thorne.

The man who loves me and isn’t afraid to stand up for me no matter what.

I kiss him harder, dragging my tongue against his before he pulls away, and growls against my lips. “Always.”

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