Epilogue
Four Years Later
Ireread the email for the eighth time, and satisfied, finally hit send. I stared at my screen for a moment as though I could actually see my message fly away into the ether.
“About done?” he asked.
“Just hit send,” I confirmed. I got to my feet and wandered over to him. I wrapped my arms around his waist and pressed my cheek against his shoulder, inhaling his musky scent. “How long were you standing here?” I asked.
He circled his arms around me and pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “Long enough,” he said. “I’m so fucking proud of you.”
My face split into a grin, and I nuzzled into his warmth. “Nothing is set in stone yet,” I reminded him. “This is still a negotiation.”
“True,” he conceded. “But you are doing something incredible. So many lives will be changed for the better.”
I couldn’t deny his statement. I had spent the last several years working my way up in the state’s largest teachers’ unions, championing for better pay and working conditions. If the state agreed to my proposal, it would be a landmark improvement. But nothing more was going to happen tonight.
“Take me to bed, Mr. Cooper,” I said.
“As you wish, Ms. Cooper,” he replied.