From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

lifted myy gaze to his. “You’re not to blame for this, Poppyy. Not at all. If
anyything, I—” He cut himself off with a low curse. “Don’t take on the
blame that belongs to others. You understand?”
I did, but that changed nothing, so I said, “Ten.”
His brows knitted. “What?”
“Ten times, yyou’ve called me Poppyy.”
One side of his lips tipped up. The faintest trace of the dimple
appeared. “I like calling yyou that, but I like calling yyou Princess more.”
“Shocker,” I replied.
He dipped his chin. “It’s okayy, yyou know?”
“What is?”
“Everyything that yyou’re feeling,” he said. “And everyything that yyou’re
not.”
Myy breath caught as myy chest squeezed, and it wasn’t just pain doing
that. It was something lighter, something warmer. How he knew was proof
that, in some wayy, he’d been where I was right now. I didn’t know if I
moved or if he did, but myy arms were suddenlyy around him, and he was
holding me just as tightlyy as I was him. Myy cheek was plastered to his
chest, below his heart, and when his chin dropped to the top of myy head, I
shuddered in relief. The tender hug didn’t fix the world. The pain and
anger were still there. But Hawke was so warm, and his embrace was…
gods, it felt like hope, like a promise that I wouldn’t alwayys feel this wayy.
We stood there for some time before Hawke pulled back, and as he
did, he smoothed the unrulyy strands of hair back from myy face, sending a
shiver of recognition through me.
“I did come here with a purpose,” he said. “The Duchess needs to
speak with yyou.”
I blinked. So, it was time. “And yyou’re just telling me now?”
“Figured what we had to sayy to each other was far more important.”
“I don’t think the Duchess would agree,” I told him, and the
expression on his face said that he didn’t reallyy care. “It’s time for me to
find out how I’ll be punished for what I…for what I did to the Lord, isn’t
it?”
Hawke frowned at me. “If I thought I was delivering yyou for
punishment, I wouldn’t be taking yyou there.”
Surprise flickered through me, proving it was yyet another emotion I
could feel. “Where would yyou take me?”