Powerless (Chestnut Springs, #3)

by Elsie Silver

Mom: I’m sorry I can’t be there. Sloane: I really don’t blame you. It won’t be a long meal. I can tell you that much. Mom: You inspire me, Sloane. Sloane: Inspire you? Mom: To care less what anyone thinks. To put myself first. To be stronger. Sloane: I don’t feel strong. Mom: Oh, my darling. But you are. And I’ll never regret sending you that text, because that day you learned just how strong you can be.

Bless her heart

My rock. My comfort. The boy with the sad eyes and the heart of gold.

“We made a promise in that truck, remember? I can’t go without you again. Nothing is more important than being here with you.” He palms my knee under the table and inclines his head toward my outfit. “You are stunning, by the way.” Nothing is more important than being here with you.

Oh Jasper <3

“I’ll take that gamble. All day long. Every damn day.”

I’m about to say as much when Jasper jerks and Sterling’s gasped squeal reaches my ears. An expression of alarm flashes across his features right as his face tips back and disappears backward in a splash of red wine and the loud clatter of the chair hitting the floor. Sterling sputters as he struggles to right himself. “Did you just—” “Kick his fucking chair over?” Jasper provides, cutting off my dad’s question. “Yes. Because you might be okay with him talking to your daughter that way, but I am not. Must have learned better manners in the trailer park.”

Yessss!!!

But it’s Jasper who really gets the last laugh when he leans in against my ex’s ear and says, “I fucked that ring right off her finger.”

Hell yeah you did

“No, Sunny. I shouldn’t be scared. You’re the least scary thing in my life. You’re not just tattooed on my skin. You’re branded on my heart. Woven into the fiber of my being. The most constant and reassuring person in my life. When I close my eyes, I see you. When you’re away from me, I dream about you. When I need someone to lean on, you are always there for me. God. You’ve loved me when I haven’t even been able to love myself.” My hands squeeze her cheeks and tears seep out over them. But she’s smiling up at me like I hung the moon. “You’ve looked at me like this for so damn long. And I don’t know when I started looking back, only that I did. Forcing myself to look away for so many years has been a special kind of torture. I’ve tortured myself for long enough. I’m done hiding, done missing out on this. On us.”

Crying

“I’m sorry you’re the only thing that’s ever made me feel whole again. I’m sorry I’ve needed so much from you. Sunny, I’m sorry I’m so damn late. But thank you for waiting.”

Oh Jasper :')

Everything aches—my heart, my throat, my chest—so I do the only thing that I can think of to make it hurt less. “I love you, Sloane Winthrop. I always have. I love you so damn hard I don’t even know what to do with it. You’re my person. And I think I’m yours too.” “You have always been my person,” she chokes out. “I love you so much.” I don’t pause. I don’t think twice. I tilt her head up and I kiss her. In the middle of a busy street for the whole damn world to see while snow falls around us. In the exact spot she walked away from me once before. But this time, it’s us. Together.

I laugh like a crazy person and kiss his neck. There are cameras and media everywhere. Teammates and family. It’s mayhem. But all I see is him. This moment. A good man who life dealt such an unfair hand, finally getting a win. The win.

Because he responds with, “Your last name, Sunny. I really don’t like your last name.”

I glance around now, realizing this moment is so much more than just us. It’s the culmination of his life’s work. “Jasper! You should be celebrating right now!” I blurt. “Sunny, I will.” He laughs, shaking his head at me like I’m amusing to him. “But I want to celebrate with my fiancée. Please, Sloane, let me marry you. Let me make you happy. I don’t wanna be late with this too.” “Jas.” I laugh, reaching forward and sliding my finger into the ring, hearing a roar of cheers behind us. “You are not late! I didn’t see this coming at all.” The stone glitters under the bright lights as I flex and wiggle my finger. “Yeah?” he asks, voice all warm and deep.

And just like that, the boy with the lanky limbs, the caramel hair, and the saddest eyes I’ve ever seen is mine. Forever.

Jasper: Meet me on the driveway. Sloane: Yes, sir. Jasper: Pocket that sentence for later when I strip you down and make you crawl. Sloane: YES, SIR.

“Don’t much care if I had a role in making you. I know in my heart I had a role in making you who you are today. And I’m damn proud of you, Jasper. Not sure I’ve told you that enough over the years.”

Such a good man <3

And when I look up to see Sloane coming down the front steps of the big, sprawling ranch house, my heart stutters in my chest and the tears in my eyes clear instantly. Everything I see is so clear with her in view.

“You saw me?” I turn my head in, my lips dusting across her forehead. “Yeah. I saw you, Sloane. I noticed you too. Didn’t know what made me look up there that day. Had no clue what it all meant.” “What did it mean?” “That when it comes to you, I’m powerless.”