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"Yeah, I get it I just didn’t want hiing him here"
"I understand, baby But here is where you should feel the safest bringing up shit fro out onto add was that your relationship with Michael was all sorts of fucked up And I’ll tell you why I think that I don’t want you thinking I’ with hi on what you and I have now"
God, she loved thishard and fast for hily awesome words, would have sealed the deal for her Where else would she ever find aand considerate So tender and gentle with her and yet rough and de when she needed it?
He was, in a word, perfect And she hadn’t thought perfect men existed except in fantasy land
She settled into his ar to hear what he’d say next
"Michael took froive shit back And I know this fros froive you anything back You said he was cold and distant He was never affectionate He didn’t give you the things you needed And he didn’t reward you when you did so that pleased him"
She pursed her lips in distaste because Ash had nailed it right on the head And the hell of it was she’d never seen it while she was in the relationship with Michael She’d wrongly assumed that all relationships like the one she had with Michael were that way Ash was fast proving her wrong
"He didn’t show you affection He didn’t do things for you because he knew you’d love the Your relationship with him was all about him Not about you It was about what he could take froive back And that’s ten sorts of fucked up It’s no way for a man to treat a woman he’s supposed to cherish and protect"
"You’re not like that," she whispered
His eyes flared "Thank fuck you feel that way, baby I wouldn’t be pleased at all if you thought I wasn’t giving you back what you needed from me And if it ever comes to that, I want you to let me know Because I’ll fix it I won’t ever consciously do it But if it does ever happen, I expect you to give rinned "No worries there, Ash Now that you’ve shown o back to the way it ith Michael You’ve spoiled me for any other ood da out what it’s like with anotheryou what you need, then you better be tellingto anotherYou’reher fingers down his fir you off the leash so to speak"
Her eyebrows shot up "Leash? Ash, that sounds horrible! Is that what you think you’ve done? Put a leash onwith you, darling Jace accusedyou all to ht rein on you this week It’sselfish I haven’t wanted to share you with anyone yet And that’s not fair to you You’ve only been out once this entire week"
"I haven’t minded, Ash I’ve loved this ith you And I’ve been working So it’s been fine"
"Yeah, but it’ll get old after a while I just wanted to rimaced and broke off
"Make sure of what?"
"Not iruffly "The point is that I want you to meet my friends They’re the most important people in my life next to you They’re et in late Saturday and if they’re up for it, I’d like to take you to meet everyone Sunday I’d like you toa hard tie as you Mia and Bethany and Mia’s girls are a bit younger but I think you’ll like theood heads on their shoulders and they both have hearts as big as Alaska"
"I can’t wait," she said sincerely "If they mean that much to you, I have no doubt I’ll like them, Ash And I want to meet the people you care about I’m happy you want to share that part of yourself with me I just wish I had that to share with you as well"
He squeezed her again "Want you to have people to love and support you, baby Hate that you’re alone with no family and that you lost youryou’ve said"
She sain
"Bethany is different, Josie, and I want you to know that going in She’s had a hard life, so it would probably not be a good idea for you to ask her about herself Before now I ether in question as she stared up at Ash "What do you hed "She was hoement party We didn’t know that at the tiht as I’ve already told you But she bailed the nextfor her He found her in a shelter and took her home with hih times She had a foster brother who lived on the streets with her and he was mixed up in some shit Bethany used to be addicted to painkillers and she’d worked past that, but the heaviness of her relationship with Jace nearly ed her hot chocolate and nearly killed her We all thought she’d overdosed and that she’d tried to coht before Jace came home to find me with Bethany in his apartment and he flipped Took it out onwhen this shit happened, it didn’t look good"
"Wow," Josie breathed "That sounds unbelievable! Like so"
"Yeah," Ash muttered "Only it was all too real Jack didn’tto co cup and ended up in the hospital fighting for her life I just wanted you to know all of this so you don’t ask the wrong questions or bring up shit that makes the situation aard for you or for Bethany"
She bit her lip, a question burning, but she wasn’t sure she should ask because it made her soundjealous Even if she still did feel a bit of the sting when he talked about Bethany Because his expression changed when he talked about her It was obvious that even if she did belong to his friend, he definitely cared a lot about her
"What’s on yourto askJust ask, baby You have to know by now you can ask "