"Get some sleep," he said.
"I'm not tired."
"Yes, you are."
He was right. I was exhausted.
I closed my eyes and let myself relax against him.
His arm wrapped around my waist. Holding me close.
"Ridge?" I said.
"Yeah?"
"Thank you."
"For what?"
"For this. For everything."
He kissed my shoulder. "You don't have to thank me."
"Yes, I do."
He didn't argue. Just held me tighter.
I thought about everything that had happened. Everything that had led me here.
Tyler. The abuse. Running away. My car breaking down. Ridge finding me.
It all felt like a lifetime ago.
Like it had happened to someone else.
Because this version of me, the one lying in Ridge's arms, felt different.
Stronger. Braver.
Loved.
I'd never felt loved before. Not really.
Tyler said he loved me. But that wasn't
