Ayla
“I’ll leave you two to talk.”
Mom kissed my forehead. She reminded me again—not to fight with Rhett anymore. Typical Rhett. He must’ve sweet-talked Mom into believing I’d softened up.
And yeah… it kind of felt that way. I did consider talking to him. No matter what, I was still a little grateful he’d told me the truth.
Rhett finally stood up from the couch and walked toward me. He crouched down so our eyes were level. His hands didn’t touch me right away.
He waited. He always did, like he was born a hunter, patiently waiting for his prey to give in.
“Ayla,” he said quietly. “Listen to me.”
I nodded, even though my head felt heavy.
“I’m never going to leave you,” he said, firm but controlled. “I’ll never do to you what River did.”
I already knew he’d bring this up. I just hope
