Page 84 of Defending You

She crumpled the sandwich wrapper into a tight ball. “That’s the understatement of the century.”

“It also sounds like you’ve let your father’s deficiencies define how you think about yourself.” It felt weird, talking about this. He believed in God, but he didn’t go around sermonizing. But Cici needed to hear the truth, so he’d speak it, even if it felt uncomfortable. “Your dad wasn’t great at loving you, so you don’t think you’re lovable. What would God say about that, hmm?”

Her eyes narrowed. She lifted one shoulder and let it drop.

“You do know what He’d say. That you’re the person He created you to be, and He adores you. So…not that it’s easy or anything, but I guess my point is, who cares what Gavin Wright thinks when you have the King of the whole universe pleased with you?”

That brought a hint of a smile. “When you put it that way…”

“It’s the only way to look at it.” He loved this window into Cici’s heart, but time was ticking, and they needed to get back on the road. Reaching for her trash, he asked, “You’re finished?”

“Yeah.”

He dumped the trash, and they headed for the door.

In an hour and a half, they’d be in Shadow Cove. At that point…at that point, he’d have to figure out what to do next, because the last thing he wanted was to walk away from Cici again.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

The warmth spreading through Cici’s chest had nothing to do with the restaurant’s temperature and everything to do with Asher’s words.

“Thank you.”

He held the door open, and she stepped back into the cool night air.

“For what you said in there about how God sees me,” she clarified. “I needed the reminder.”

He stepped into the shadow of the building and gazed down at her, his eyes serious. “I meant every word.”

Of course he did. He wasn’t the kind of man to say what he didn’t believe. That was why it had affected her so. “I need to stop letting my father’s opinion define my worth. Maybe I’m just the middle child who never quite measured up in the Wright family, but God thinks I’m special.”

“He’s not the only one who does.” The intensity in his voice made her breath catch. He stepped closer, holding her eye contact. “Cici, if I had every Wright sister to choose from—heck, if I had every woman in the world to choose from—I’d still choose you.”

She inhaled sharply. His words were a shock…and a balm. “Asher…”

“I know. It’s crazy and…probably feels sudden to you, but it isn’t, not for me.” He shifted his hands to her waist, his voice dropping to that low rumble that made her pulse quicken. “I knew back in high school that you were special. I’ve been trying to get you out of my head for a decade, but when I saw you in that hotel room the other day…” He shook his head, a rueful smile playing at his lips. “All those years of telling myself I’d imagined how incredible you were, and then there you were, beautiful and…a little flustered to see me.” His lips tipped up in a small smile. “No matter what I’ve been telling myself, I knew I was in trouble all over again.”

“I’ve thought about you, too,” she whispered. “I used to wonder what would have happened if I’d been smart enough to accept your invitation to the prom.”

His whole life might’ve been different. They could have found each other years earlier. “Maybe it was better this way. If I’d had you, I wouldn’t have gone into the Navy, and…” He shrugged. “It was good for me, getting away from Maine, becoming someone I never imagined I could be.”

Though he wouldn’t say it to her, as a SEAL, he had made a difference. He’d saved lives. He was a different man now, a better man.

His thumbs traced gentle circles on her waist. “But now I’m back, and while so many things have changed, how I feel about you… You matter to me, Cici. More now than you did back then, because now I know who you really are. Your courage, your heart, the way you see the best in people.”

She reached up, her fingers grazing his jaw. “I care about you too. More than makes sense, considering we’ve only been together a few days.”

“Feels like longer.”

“In the best way.” She tipped toward him, but reality crashed back in. “What happens when we get back to Shadow Cove? You live in Boston, and my work takes me all over the East Coast.”

“We’ll figure it out.” He leaned his forehead against hers. “I’m not giving up on this. On you. Not again.”

The certainty in his voice made her chest tighten with hope and fear. “Promise?”

“Promise.”

She stood on her toes and kissed him, soft and quick, tasting the future in that brief contact. When she pulled back, his eyes were dark with emotion.