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I had only seen Blake lose control once, and I will never forget the look on his face as he stormed out of the house that day. I realized, in that moment, that he had loved me as much as I had loved him. But I had loved Slade, too. And it was too late.
Blake had always been more intimidating than Slade. That's why he was the Dom, and Slade was the Daddy. The thought of having to face him filled me with shame. Seeing Slade again had been hard enough, but seeing Blake would be damn near excruciating.
"I can't," I whispered, choking back tears.
Only when Slade looked at me sharply, did I realize I had spoken out loud. I didn't want to talk, a fact that I indicated, with a vigorous shake of my head and my hand up in the air between us. A fact which Slade pointedly ignored.
"We will reach the ranch in forty-five minutes. If there are things you need to say, say them now."
I shook my head and watched as the tears fell onto my legs, darkening the denim where they hit my jeans.
"Then, I will talk."
Please don't,I whispered inwardly but didn't speak it out loud. I knew well enough to know arguing was pointless.
"The ranch is your home, and we are your family. That has never changed, and it never will. Your absence didn't change it, nor did your mistakes, or, for that matter, ours. You're nervous about seeing Blake; I can see it on your face. But I will tell you that, as nervous as you are, Blake is equally nervous, if not more so. You need to listen, now, and hear me good. That day, in your room, we all made mistakes. Not just you. Every single one of us. We never should have asked you to choose or ran off without hearing your side of the story; that was wrong of us. We need your forgiveness, just as much as you need ours. I hope that is something we can all give."
The tears fell hard and fast as I listened, not fully believing the words he was saying, even though I wanted to. Oh, God, how I wanted to.
"If you are willing, Merry, Blake and I both are. We are willing to talk, listen, forgive, and receive forgiveness and move forward."
I nodded, wanting it more than I could express with words. Each sentence he spoke lifted my heart and sent a chill down my spine. Especially the last one.
"But, I will warn you, Meredith, that things have changed. Things will not be the same. If we move forward, it will be together."
