Chapter 21
CHAPTER 21
SHEA
Six months ago, I never could have imagined being here.
Back then, the idea of being with Oliver was just a wishful fantasy.
Six months ago, I thought my life in White Plains was as good as it could get.
Not that it was bad—I know I was luckier than most. I had a decent job, a house of my own, and after years of struggling, even good health. My brother was safe and blissfully happy living in Texas, newly engaged to my best friend.
If anyone had asked back then, I would have told them I was content.
But now? It’s so much more than that.
In some stroke of incredible luck, I found everything I ever wanted.
The purest joy. Enduring trust. Unconditional acceptance and support. True love.
And forgiveness. Without that, the rest wouldn’t be possible.
Yes, it was a hard road to get here. When the obstacles were so great, I wasn’t sure I would make it through. First, those awful months after my hospitalization, when it felt like my entire life had collapsed around me. Then the years of rebuilding, of finding ways to stay healthy, and trying to move past the mistakes I made. And, of course, the terrible events put into play by that awful Romanova—I don’t think I’ll ever forget those.
But I made it. We made it.
Me and Oliver. Soon to be Mr. and Mrs. Kingston.
After everything, all the dark days, the tears, the moments when I missed Oliver so badly it felt like a hole had been carved into my chest, it all worked out.
“Shea? Are you okay?”
Oliver’s concerned voice jerks me out of my meandering thoughts, and I turn towards him to reply quickly, “Of course. Why?”
His attention returns to the road for a few seconds before coming back to me. “Because you looked sad. And I thought you were looking forward to tonight. So I’m just wondering if something’s wrong.”
“Nope.” I give him a bright smile and pat his leg. “I’m absolutely fine. Really.”
Tiny creases form across his forehead. “Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.” As he signals to make a left turn, I add, “I was just thinking about how much we’ve gone through to get here. And how happy I am.”
“Shea.” Emotion roughens his voice. Then he covers my hand, threading his fingers between mine. “I’m so happy, too.”
Glancing through the windshield, I spot Penny’s new apartment coming up on the right. “It’s that one. The little white house with the pink door.”
“Okay.” Oliver clicks on the directional again, slowing to a stop in front of the Cape Cod-style duplex. Once he puts the car in park, he lifts my hand and presses a soft kiss to the back of it. “I love you, Shea.”
Twisting around in my seat, I lean over to kiss his cheek. “I love you, too.”
His deep blue eyes meet mine, all his love right there, on full display. “Have I mentioned how much I’m looking forward to calling you my wife? Not that my fiancée doesn’t sound nice, but my wife … I can’t wait.”
Aww. I love how eager Oliver is to get married. And honestly, I feel the same way. “If it were just us,” I tell him with a smile, “I’d say we go to the town clerk tomorrow. But with so many people coming from out of town…”
Like Niall and Jade. And all of Niall’s teammates in Texas. Plus some of Oliver’s old colleagues from the CIA, like Ash, who, as promised, is definitely coming to our wedding.
Oliver nods. “I know. But it doesn’t mean I like waiting.”
“It’ll be here before we know it. And in the meantime, think about all the fun stuff we have planned. Our trip to Texas next month, and our weekend trip to Fort Ticonderoga in September, plus all the fall stuff in Sleepy Hollow. It’s my first Halloween here, and everyone tells me the town goes all out. So I’m pretty excited about that.”
“They do,” he agrees. “Headless Horseman everything, a big bonfire, trick or treating downtown, haunted hayrides, cemetery tours… it’s basically a month-long celebration.”
“See. That sounds great.” With a little bounce in my seat, I add, “So it’ll be January before we know it. And then we’ll be Mr. and Mrs. Kingston.” Cupping his cheek with my hand, I kiss him again, slanting my lips across his and lingering for a few moments.
Then my phone buzzes, and I pull away to grab it out of my purse. Glancing at the screen, I laugh and say, “Ari wants to know where we are. She said she’s dying to find out if this is the most dramatic episode yet, like the teasers promise.”
Oliver raises his eyebrows. “What makes the episode extra dramatic?”
“I’m not sure.” As I reach for the car door handle, I add, “I haven’t seen very many episodes yet. But I think it might have something to do with the men not being there for the right reasons .”
“Wait.” Oliver touches my arm. “Let me open the door for you.”
Once he’s out of the car, he scans the road and surrounding yards before opening the passenger door for me. Then he takes my hand and gently tugs me into his side, wrapping his arm around me as we walk towards Penny’s front door.
Although it’s been nearly two months since everything went down with Romanova’s men, Oliver’s protectiveness hasn’t lessened a bit. He still insists on triple checking our security system before we go to bed, surveilling every place we go in advance to check for potential threats, and driving me pretty much everywhere, whether it’s to work or just to the grocery store.
Maybe in the past, I would have considered his behavior over the top, but now I’m glad he does it. A few weeks ago, I got it in my head that I should be going places by myself again, so I insisted on driving into White Plains for a last-minute client meeting. But halfway there, I had a panic attack and had to pull over so I didn’t get into an accident.
I talked to my counselor about it, and she reassured me it was perfectly normal. “There’s no timeline for things like this,” she said. “Take things slow. Start out taking little trips by yourself right in town. For things that could be triggering, give yourself some grace. You went through a lot. There’s no shame in accepting help from the people who love you.”
She’s right. And it’s something I still have to remind myself of sometimes. That being strong doesn’t mean doing it all on my own. And it’s not a bad thing to admit I need help.
That’s not why Oliver’s here tonight, though.
The last few weeks, I’ve been joining Ari, Thea, and Penny for their weekly Bachelorette -watching sessions, and usually Oliver just drops me off and picks me up after. But this week, the guys are joining us, not just to watch the show, but also to celebrate Penny officially moving into her new apartment.
That’s another thing I love about my life now. All the friends I’ve gained. Ari and Thea and Penny. Rose and Scarlett. Maya and Nora and the rest of the women who live at Blade and Arrow. And of course, all the guys, too.
“Okay,” Oliver says after ringing Penny’s doorbell. “So we’re watching this show about men trying to win the bachelorette. What’s the goal at the end of it? To get married?”
“Sort of. They all say they want to get engaged. But according to Ari and Thea, most of the time they break up after the show is over.”
“Um.” His brow furrows. “Then what’s the point of the show?”
“Well, it’s more entertainment, really. And some of the dates are cool. Like last week?—”
“Hi, guys!” The door opens and Penny beams at us. “I’m so glad you’re here. Ari and Thea just got here, and so is Cash. Ben couldn’t come because his mom got a cold and she can’t babysit. So he’s home with the kids.” She gives both of us a quick hug. “Come in! See the new place!”
We follow Penny inside and into a cozy living room, all decorated in pale grays and lavenders, with lush green plants set in front of the windows and pastel watercolor landscapes on the walls. Cash is sitting at one end of the couch with Ari on his lap, and Thea is sprawled out on an armchair beside it.
As soon as we walk into the room, Ari says with a little laugh, “It’s about time! Were you guys making out in the car again?”
“Ari.” Thea tosses a tortilla chip at her. “Do I need to remind you how many times you kept me waiting while you”—she makes little quotes with her fingers—“ helped Cash with something?”
“And you and Ben didn’t do the same thing?” Ari retorts, and flicks the chip back at her. “Anyway.” She turns to me and Oliver. “I’m just kidding. Mostly. But I’m desperate to watch this episode. Do you know how many times I almost got spoiled today? With the number of articles online, I know something big happened.”
Oliver laughs. “Well, I don’t want to keep you from finding out.”
Penny gestures at the empty end of the couch. “You guys sit there. I’ll take the other chair. But first, I’ll grab some wine for everyone.”
As Oliver and I make our way to the couch, Penny darts into the kitchen and a few seconds later, the sound of cabinets opening and closing can be heard. Then seconds later, a quiet, “Oh, poop!”
Thea giggles. Raising her voice, she calls out, “Pen, is everything okay?”
“Yes.” A pause. “Well.” There’s a moment of silence before she comes back into the living room, her smile sheepish and her cheeks pink. “I thought I bought wine. I was sure I did. But I can’t find it anywhere.” Her smile fades. “I’m so sorry. I’ll run out and get some. You guys go ahead and start the show.”
“Oh, no, Pen. It’s fine,” Thea replies. “Don’t worry about it.”
“I can go,” Cash volunteers. He lifts Ari off his lap and gets up. “It’s just a quick trip to the wine store. I don’t mind missing the first ten minutes or so.”
From his expression, it looks like he wouldn’t mind missing more than that. Considering how much Ari loves reality romance shows, he’s probably glad for the brief reprieve.
“That’s a great idea.” Ari smiles up at him. “I promise I’ll fill you in on everything you miss.”
Cash bends down to brush a quick kiss across her lips. “Thanks, honey.” Standing, he glances at Oliver. “Want to come?”
Oliver’s hand tenses around mine. A muscle ticks in his jaw.
I can tell he wants to say no. That he’d prefer to stay with me.
But he hasn’t really spent much time alone with his friends since we’ve been back together, and I feel a little bad about that. Not that I’ve told him he can’t, I would never, but I know he has a hard time leaving me alone.
I’m not alone here, though. I have Ari, Thea, and Penny to keep me company. And the wine store is literally five minutes away. So I give his hand a little squeeze and say gently, “Oll. You should go.”
His lips press together. “Shea…”
“It’s fine. Really.” With a smile, I add, “Go. It’ll be ten minutes, like Cash said. You guys can talk about the Yankees on the way there.”
Oliver stares at me, indecision warring in his gaze. Then he nods. “Okay.”
As he gets up, I whisper in his ear, “Small steps, remember?”
His lips lift. “I know.”
Even though it’s the right thing to do, it still stings a little once he’s gone. It always does.
Tucking my legs against my chest, I wedge myself in the corner of the couch and try to focus on what Ari’s saying about the proposed cast for the next season of Bachelor in Paradise instead of the empty hole in my chest.
Maybe it’ll get better in time. Maybe I won’t spend my workdays constantly looking at my phone, waiting for Oliver’s next text. Maybe I won’t count the minutes every time we’re separated, anxiously anticipating when we can be together again.
Or maybe not. Maybe I don’t want it to.
“It’s hard in the beginning,” Thea says gently. Meeting my gaze, she continues, “After I was abducted, it was so hard to be apart from Ben. I didn’t want to go anywhere without him. It was like subconsciously, I was afraid if he left, I wouldn’t see him again.”
Ari’s expression sobers as she looks at me. “I felt that way, too. It was really hard to go back to my normal life after everything that happened. Even though I wanted to be back at work, it was hard to focus. And I texted Cash all the time. Constantly . It’s a miracle he didn’t get sick of me.”
“As if he would,” Thea remarks with a lilting laugh. “Cash would never get sick of you.”
“Well.” Pleasure pinks Ari’s cheeks. “Maybe not. But still, you know what I mean.”
“Yeah,” I reply. “I know it’s good for us to be apart sometimes. But after almost losing Oliver… It’s hard.”
“It does get easier,” Thea says. “But I’d be lying if I said I don’t miss Ben.”
Penny jumps in. “It doesn’t hurt that you all have the perfect partners. Cash, Ben, Oliver… they’re all amazing. So sweet and protective. If I had a guy like that…”
Trailing off, her expression goes wistful. I know she’s thinking about her crummy ex, the guy she was crying about that night at the Hop-less Horseman. She’s finally out of their shared apartment—no thanks to him, after he trashed it and made her lose the security deposit—and I really hope she finds someone much nicer next.
“You’ll find someone,” Thea says to her. “It’ll happen when you least expect it. Just like it did when I got together with Ben.” Pausing, she adds, “Maybe you even know him already. And he’s been interested in you for ages, but you weren’t available. Now that you are…”
“Right,” Ari adds with an enthusiastic smile. “Maybe he’s just been waiting for the perfect time.”
“Or you’ll meet him randomly,” I suggest. “At the library. Or the park. It could be anywhere.”
Penny casts her gaze around the room, giving each of us a thankful smile. “That’s true. Just because I met one stinker doesn’t mean the next one will be. Maybe I’ll?—”
A loud rapping on the door interrupts her.
Just like it does whenever I hear a sudden noise, my body tenses.
But it’s silly, it’s obviously Cash and Oliver returning. Although… I check my watch. It’s only been eight minutes since they left. Which I suppose could be enough time if they were really quick at the wine store. But Oliver’s pretty conscientious about speeding, especially in Sleepy Hollow.
“Oh!” Penny leaps up from her chair. “That was quick. And we didn’t even start The Bachelorette yet. So they won’t have missed any of it.”
As she heads to the door, my stomach prickles.
“Penny,” I call over to her. “Did you check your doorbell camera?”
“Oh, I don’t have it set up yet.” Glancing over her shoulder at me, she grins. “I was hoping I could convince Cash or Oliver to install it.”
“Cash wouldn’t mind,” Ari offers. “He can do it while we’re watching The Bachelorette .”
Thea glances in my direction, a question in her eyes. “Shea?”
The prickling turns to a violent jabbing. My chest squeezes. “Pen, maybe you should ask who it?—”
But she’s already opening the door.
And I don’t know why, but I have that feeling again.
I shouldn’t. Romanova is dead. Leo is keeping an eye on the list of names Oliver gave him—people from his old job who could possibly be considered a threat—and there’s been no hint of a problem. Before we came here, Oliver even ran a background check on all the neighbors, which probably isn’t entirely legal, but I’m not saying anything about it.
So it’s fine. It has to be. My paranoia is just working overtime, which is another thing my counselor assured me is perfectly normal.
“Pen, maybe you should wait,” Thea starts.
But.
The door slams open, bouncing off the wall and ricocheting back, nearly smashing Penny in the head.
“Where is it?”
The voice is loud. Deep. Angry.
Penny yelps, stumbling back from the door.
My heart turns to ice.
“WHERE IS IT?”
Ari jumps up, her eyes wide in alarm.
A man storms inside, slamming the door behind him.
He doesn’t just look angry; he looks furious.
Red-faced, nostrils flaring, his lips draw back in a snarl. “Where the fuck is it?”
Penny cringes, hunching into herself.
Who is this?
I don’t recognize him.
Then again, I didn’t recognize the men who attacked me before.
Thea’s sitting perfectly still, her eyes glued to the man towering over Penny. Her hand slowly snakes towards her phone on the table beside her.
“Don’t fucking move!” he barks.
And then.
He pulls out a gun.
Oh, crap.
Crap. Crap. Crap.
This can’t be happening.
Brandishing the gun, he waves it in a semicircle. “If any of you move, I’ll shoot you. Don’t think I won’t!”
Who is this? It’s hard to think past the fear. Is he here for me? Is this my fault?
Ari glances at me, terror clear in her gaze. Then her gaze skitters back to the man, watching him carefully. The second his attention shifts away from her, her hand twitches towards her ear.
Oh.
The earrings .
“Mark,” Penny whispers. Her arms are wrapped around her body, and she’s shaking so hard I can see it from here. “What are you doing?”
Mark?
A second later, I realize.
Penny’s ex.
I never met him, but I’ve heard plenty about him. How he would yell at Penny, berate her, calling her stupid and flighty and useless. How he gaslit her into thinking she didn’t deserve better until one day she finally got the courage to break up with him.
Not my fault.
But that doesn’t solve anything.
“Where is it?” Mark thunders. “The bag! Where the fuck is it, you dumb bitch?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Penny replies softly. “What bag? I only took my stuff?—”
He cocks the trigger, the small sound deafening in the room. “You took it! Did you sell it to those men? Try to make a profit for yourself?”
“Wha—”
Abruptly, he swivels, pointing the gun at Ari, whose hand is halfway to her ear. “I said don’t fucking move!”
Oh, crap .
Ari has a little girl. An adorable little girl who’s about to turn two next month.
Thea has a baby. Little Elias, who’s not even a year old. And a precocious stepdaughter, Laila, who wants to be an author one day.
Oliver will be back, but what if Mark shoots them first?
I have to do something before either of them gets hurt.
Mark swings the gun towards Thea. And that’s when I notice his hand is shaking. Not in a he might drop the gun kind of way, but the I think he’s on drugs kind.
Thea lets out a small cry of alarm. “Please. No.”
While his gaze is still on Thea, I reach up to my earring and press it hard. Then I take a deep breath, trying to will my voice to remain calm. “Mark?”
Get your eyes on me and away from Ari and Thea. Please.
Out of the corner of my eye, I spot Penny slowly inching towards the door.
If she can get out, she can run for help. Or at the very least, she’ll be safe.
His gaze narrows as it lands on me. “What?”
“Um. I’m just wondering, what are you looking for? Maybe we can find it.”
With his free hand, he runs his fingers through his gel-tipped hair so it’s sticking out in a hundred different directions, like a rumpled porcupine. “Did you take it? Sell it?”
“No,” I reply, holding his gaze. “I didn’t. And I don’t think—” No. Don’t mention Penny. Keep his attention on me. “What was it in? A bag? Maybe it’s?—”
“FUCK!”
It’s like a thunderclap in the room.
Penny flinches. Tears run down her cheeks unchecked. Ari is frozen on the couch, terror all over her face. And Thea looks absolutely petrified as she stares at him.
“Fuck,” he repeats more quietly, almost to himself. “You all weren’t supposed to be here. How the fuck is this going to work? How am I going to get out of here?”
Oh, quadruple crap.
He just realized he has four witnesses. Four women who can easily identify him.
“I need a hostage,” he muses. “Or… I have to kill all of you.”
Penny whimpers quietly behind him.
How long before Oliver gets here? He must have been on the way already. And my earring would have triggered the alert. Blade and Arrow would be notified, and they’d tell Oliver immediately. He wouldn’t wait for their help. He’d come right away.
I just need to stall Mark until then.
“ You ,” Mark says in a menacing tone. He aims his gun at Ari. “You’re my hostage. Get over here right now .”
Ari whispers, “No. Please. I have a little?—”
“NOW!”
“Wait!” I stand up, my heart beating in my throat. “You can take me.”
“Shea, no,” Ari cries.
But I’m determined. Staring straight at Mark, I say, “You can take me. And listen. I have money. Plenty of it. I can give it to you. So you’ll have whatever’s in this bag?—”
“Cocaine,” he replies absently. “A pound of it.”
“Right. So we’ll find the cocaine, and then we’ll go to my bank and I’ll take out all my money. And you can leave town, and…”
And what ?
Interest lights his eyes. “How much money?”
“Tens of thousands.”
Does he know I can’t just withdraw ten thousand dollars from the ATM? Hopefully not.
Almost like we’re coconspirators, Mark asks, “And what about them?” He gestures at Ari and Thea with the gun. “They’ll turn me in.”
Um. Yes? They will?
I don’t think that’s the response he wants.
“We can… tie them up,” I suggest. “And you can leave town. With all the money I’ll give you, you could go to Canada. It’s really nice there.”
What am I saying?
“Canada?” He shoots me a look of disbelief. “You want me to move to fucking Canada?”
The gun shifts in my direction.
Terror explodes inside me.
No. Stay calm. Oliver is almost here. He has to?—
The door cracks open.
Oh.
OH.
Oliver!
As he pushes the door open on silent hinges, I almost collapse in relief.
My Oliver, his features like stone, his gaze filled with icy rage. This isn’t sweet Oliver, who buys me flowers and rubs my feet and makes me heart-shaped pancakes every Saturday morning.
No. This is dark and dangerous Oliver. The Oliver who won’t hesitate to do whatever it takes to keep me safe.
“Vancouver is great,” I reply, hardly believing what I’m saying. “I’ve heard it’s the Manhattan of the Northwest. And they have universal health care in Canada. So that’s good, too.”
What?
Mark blinks at me. “Universal health care?”
“Yes?”
“You think I should move to Canada for universal health care?”
“Health care can be really expensive,” I retort. “So it’s something to consider.”
Oliver moves into position behind Mark.
Mark laughs. “Are you fucking crazy?”
And then.
Oliver moves.
He does this karate chop thing and knocks the gun from Mark’s hand. Grabs his arm. Flings him to the ground.
And in less than ten seconds, Mark is on his belly with his wrists pulled behind him.
Cash comes running in after, panic all over his face. He spots Ari unharmed on the couch, and gasps, “Ari, honey, are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” she replies in a shaky voice. “I’m okay.”
Oliver yanks a pair of handcuffs from his pants pocket and snaps them around Mark’s wrists. Then he grabs the discarded gun with the hem of his shirt and shoves it into the back of his waistband.
Mark starts yelling, “Let me up! You can’t do this! I know my rights!”
Bending down, Oliver gets right in his face and growls. “Yes, I can. I’m the fucking police. And you just pointed a gun at my fiancée. So I damn well can cuff you. And you’re under arrest.”
Then he looks at me, guilt and fear in his eyes. “Shea, love, are you okay? Did he hurt you?”
“No. He didn’t.” Leaping off the couch, I run to him and fling myself into his arms.
Oliver hugs me tightly, almost crushing me in his embrace. “Fuck,” he groans. “Ah, fuck. Are you sure you’re okay? Shit, Shea. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have left.”
“I’m sorry,” Penny whispers. “I didn’t know. He must have hidden drugs in my things somewhere. I didn’t know.” Her voice cracks. “I’m so sorry.”
Thea goes over to Penny and pulls her into her arms. “It’s not your fault, Pen.”
Outside the house, sirens approach.
“I’m really okay,” I mumble into Oliver’s neck. “He just scared us. But no one got hurt.”
Oliver shudders. “He pointed a gun at you, Shea. That’s not okay.”
Less than a minute later, more police swarm in and quickly surround Mark. One of them—Officer Troy, an older officer I know Oliver likes a lot—stops at Oliver’s side. Oliver rattles off what he knows, and I add the rest of the story, ending with, “And then Oliver came in and did a bunch of karate moves to take Mark down.”
Officer Troy smiles at me. “Karate moves, huh?”
“I don’t know what the moves were called,” I explain. “An arm chop. And a sweeping thing with his leg.” Turning to Oliver, I say, “Can you teach me? I want to learn how to do it.”
It’s kind of surreal; talking about karate after having a gun pointed at me again .
But the alternative—freaking out or bursting into tears—doesn’t seem as appealing.
I’m close. My legs feel like jelly and my eyes are burning. Everything feels like it’s slightly detached, like I’m seeing it through a thick pane of glass. If I let my control drop for even a second, I won’t be able to hold the tears back.
Oliver glances at Officer Troy. “I’ll come into the station to give my statement. So will Shea. But I need some time with her first. Okay?”
“Of course.” Officer Troy lifts his chin at Oliver, and he does the same in return. “Take your time. He’s not going anywhere.”
Once the police leave with Mark in tow, it’s just the six of us again. Cash holding Ari, Thea hugging Penny, and me, still wrapped in Oliver’s arms.
Oliver presses a kiss to my forehead, then looks at me with a desperate expression. “Shea. I can’t… I… If I’d just stayed…” His voice cracks. “I could have lost you.”
“But you didn’t,” I tell him. “I’m okay.”
“Still.” He cups my cheek, stroking his thumb across it. “You shouldn’t have had to… Shit.” Moisture shines in his eyes. “I’m never leaving you again. Ever .”
I hate seeing him so shaken. So upset.
“It’s alright, Oll.” Using his shoulders for balance, I stretch up to give him a long and tender kiss. I nip his lower lip and suck on it gently, then tease his mouth open and dip inside. Putting aside the lingering fear, I throw myself into our connection, taking the kiss even deeper.
Tunneling my fingers through his hair, I tug him closer. I need more, need to feel his body wrapped around me, need to be joined as close as two people can be.
“Ben’s on his way,” announces Thea. “Leo and Georgia are going to watch the kids while we’re at the police station. And he said Cole and Zane?—”
“Man, Kingston,” Zane says as he appears in the doorway. “Every time we get here, the action’s already over.”
Oliver drags his mouth from mine. He gives Zane a little chin lift before replying, “Trust me, I’d prefer there be no action at all.”
“Shea was incredible,” Penny says. “I was terrified. But she just stood right up and confronted Mark.”
“She did,” Ari agrees. To Oliver, she explains, “Shea took the attention away from us. And she talked to him. Distracted him to give you time to get here.”
Thea nods. “It was amazing.” She smiles at me. “Shea. That was so brave.”
I’m about to deny it. To insist that Oliver did the hard work. That all I did was ramble about Vancouver and universal health care.
But.
It was brave.
I was scared. Terrified, really. The last thing I wanted was to talk to that man, while he had a gun pointed at me, no less. But I did it anyway.
“Shea.” Oliver meets my gaze. Admiration and pride and love soften his features. “What you did? It was incredibly brave. I don’t know many law enforcement professionals that would do that. And unarmed…” He stops and takes a shaky breath. “I hate that you had to do that. But I’m so damn proud of you.”
“I never thought I was,” I tell him softly. “Brave I mean. Or strong. But I think I was wrong.”
Oliver’s hand strokes down my hair. “Oh?”
“Yeah. It took me a long time. But I realized I’m a lot stronger than I gave myself credit for. And I’m pretty proud of everything I’ve done.”
“Shea.”
As he looks at me, it’s just us again.
And nothing else matters. Not Romanova. Not Mark. Not even the eating disorder that almost ruined everything.
“You are so strong.” His voice is thick. Rough. “Stronger than me. Stronger than anyone else I’ve met. And I’m so glad you finally believe it.”
Oh.
I think Nora was right.
Sometimes you just have to wait for the right time.
And maybe sometimes we have to go through the hard stuff to find our happy ending.
“Oll.” I press my lips to his. “I love you so much.”
He swallows hard. “I love you with all my heart.”
There’s a long stretch of silence as we just stare at each other, our eyes saying so much more than those three words.
Then I smile at him. “Do you think we can get this police business over with and go home?” Dropping my voice, I add, “I think we both could use a massage after this. With that new chocolate-flavored oil?”
The lines of worry and fear in his face smooth out as he returns my smile. “Yes. Definitely. And tomorrow, I’m taking the day off.” In a low tone, he says, “Naked mini golf, special pancakes, and I plan on making love to you at least four times. How does that sound?”
And just like that, all is right in the world again.
“That sounds like a wonderful idea.”