Chapter 42
The storm broke slower than I thought it would.
Carl published Reese’s story, and it was met with outright denial from those involved and hesitation to believe its validity from other media sources.
Until Mattis anonymously emailed every piece of evidence to the addresses of reporters from national broadcasts, all the way down to little local access channels.
Within days, the flood gates opened.
By the end of the week, Reese’s story was being picked up and republished by every media outlet in the country.
And now, at the end of the month, it’s global. Reese’s name, face, and photographs are everywhere. They flash across C-SPAN and late-night broadcasts, anchors admiring this living reminder of what real courage can look like.
Exclusive. Heroic. Truth-teller.
The names she unearthed have been dragged into the light, pulled from the safety of their congressional chambers and billion-dollar boardrooms. And now the world is watching them sweat.
When the dust settles, our political climate has been completely tipped on its head.
Three members are expelled from Congress, and four more resign before they are met with the same fate.
Three other conspirators—men who once commanded entire battalions—are facing criminal trials for war crimes at The Hague.
I never thought I’d live to see accountability this real. And I sure as hell never thought it would come because of her.
Reese sits cross-legged on the couch, with her hair pulled into a messy knot, the glow of her laptop casting shadows across her face.
She is watching both a congressional hearing and a meeting of an oversight committee, the fallout of her story still slowly toppling like dominoes as these men rat on their friends in an attempt to save their own asses.
On the TV, a congressman wipes his brow as he’s grilled about falsified reports and secret payments. He stammers through half-lies that won’t save him from the truth about the backroom deals he’s been part of.
Reese doesn’t say a word. With her hand pressed to her mouth, she watches in silence with bright and disbelieving eyes.
She’s not proud. Not the way some people might expect.
Although she should be. She’s stunned. Exhausted.
Like she’s been carrying the weight of the world for too long and has only just realized she can put it down.
When the hearing ends, she clicks off the television and closes her laptop.
The sound of both feels like a punctuation.
This is finally coming to an end for her.
Standing behind her, I rest my hands on her shoulders, feeling the tension slowly draining from her body.
She leans back into me instinctively. “You did it, baby,” I murmur into her hair.
She turns her head slightly, and I catch the shimmer in her eyes. “I just told the truth.”
“Sometimes, that’s what changes the world. One person willing to say what others won’t.” I press a kiss to the top of her head. “I drew you a bath. Why don’t you go relax for a bit while I make dinner.”
Reese hesitates, her gaze studying me for a moment, before nodding. She doesn’t know it yet, but I’ve been waiting for this day.
An hour later, the kitchen smells like wine, garlic, and fresh bread.
The dining room table is no longer a mess of papers from being her makeshift desk.
It’s covered in a freshly pressed white linen, with neatly set tableware and a small floral centerpiece.
I had considered taking her to a fancy restaurant, but that isn’t either of our style. And I want this night to myself.
Reese walks downstairs, the long navy-blue dress I left on the bed flowing around her legs with every step. She looks beautiful. She always does, but tonight there’s something else about her. Her hair falls loose around her shoulders, and her face is bare. I can’t take my eyes off her.
She eyes me suspiciously as she takes the final few steps. The button-down shirt was probably too much. Crossing the distance between us, she places her hand on my chest and trails her fingers down the buttons. “You look good, Daddy.”
“You look incredible, baby.” I place a soft kiss against her forehead and lace my fingers with hers.
As I lead her to the dining room, she slows slightly at the sight of the romantic meal I’ve set up. “What’s the occasion?”
“You,” I answer the half-truth.
We both sample the food on our plates, but I can’t bring myself to actually eat. My stomach is a ball of knots. I try to keep still, but my hand won’t stop twitching. I’m fidgeting, and I never fidget.
Ten years ago, I had a ring in my pocket and a future planned out for us. Then I set my world on fire, and I lost her. Lost everything that made me feel alive. And somehow, by some damn miracle, I got her back. Now, I just have to find the words to keep her.
Absently, she traces the rim of her wine glass, watching the rain trail down the window. “You’re awfully quiet,” she says, breaking the awkward silence.
I force a smile. “Enjoying the view.”
She grins faintly. “You always were a terrible liar, Christopher.”
I breathe out a laugh, rubbing sweaty palms against my thighs. God, I’ve stared down the barrels of loaded guns with less nerves than this.
“You know,” I stammer, trying to find my words, “I’ve thought about this night for a long time.”
Her brows lift. “This night?” Something flickers in her expression, something tender and knowing. “Chris, what’s going on?”
I inhale deeply, reach into my pocket, and pull the small velvet box from it. Her breath catches instantly. I roll the box between my fingers. “I bought this ten years ago,” I inform her quietly. “During my last deployment.”
Her lips part, but no words come.
“I was gonna give it to you when I got home,” I continue. “Before I ruined everything. I don’t even know why I kept it after everything with us went to hell.”
Fuck… Words, Christopher.
“That’s not what I meant.” My throat tightens. “Fate is funny. It doesn’t ask permission. It doesn’t care how far you run, or how many walls you build to keep things—or people—out. It finds you anyway. It found us again. After all the years, it still pulled you back to me.”
I take a breath, my eyes locked on hers, because looking away feels impossible.
“Maybe it was always supposed to end this way. Maybe back then… That wasn’t our time.
But I can’t help but believe there’s a reason I kept this all these years.
Why I couldn’t bring myself to let it go.
” I open the box, and the emerald glimmers under the soft glow of the candlelight.
“Because, deep down, I never let you go. I don’t believe in forever.
Not after what I’ve seen, what I’ve lost.” The words come rough, unsteady, but true.
“But I believe in you. I believe in what we are when everything else falls apart. And if there’s even the smallest chance that forever exists… I want it, with you.”
Her hand flies to her mouth. Her eyes fill with tears. I slide from my chair and drop to one knee beside her. The room falls away, and all I see is her. My nerves dissolve in an instant, every part of me knowing this is where we are supposed to be.
“Reese Thompson,” I whisper, my voice cracking on her name. I lift the ring from the box, “Will you marry me, baby?”
For a heartbeat, she just stares at me with wide eyes, tears trembling at the edge of her lashes. Then she nods, breathless and smiling through it. “Yes,” she exclaims, her voice trembling. “Yes, Christopher. God, yes.”
The relief that floods me nearly knocks me over. I’m on my feet in a heartbeat, cupping her face and kissing her like it’s the first time all over again.
The kiss is wild, desperate, soaked in everything we’ve survived. Ten years of loss and longing, of near misses and second chances, crash together in that single breathless moment.
She tastes like wine and tears. And forever.
When we finally break apart, I smile at her through the pools in my eyes. I slide the ring onto her finger, where it has always belonged, and it fits perfectly. She looks down at it, turning her hand in the candlelight. “It’s beautiful,” she says softly.
“It’s you.”
Her smile trembles. “I love you,” she whispers.
I pull her in again, kissing her like she is the only thing anchoring me to the world. She melts against me, fingers threading through my hair, drawing me closer until there’s no space left between us. Every stolen breath and heartbeat syncs until I can no longer tell where I end and she begins.
“Come with me,” I breathlessly exhale against her lips, breaking our kiss. I take her hand, the ring glinting in the light as I lead her toward the stairs. Each step feels like a new beginning, the past falling away, and the weight of everything we’ve endured replaced by the hope of the future.
Our future.