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“Ry.” Her eyes meet mine, pure gray and bright with unshed tears. Happy tears, I hope, and not ones of devastating rejection. “I have never felt more loved than at this moment.”
Charlie’s hand comes over my heart, shaking slightly. “I never knew love could feel like this. But then I met you, and I realized love is so much more than I imagined. Before, it was an abstract concept, some version of affection.”
I cover her hand with mine as she continues, “But you, Ry; you are everything. I started falling in love with you from that moment by that awful natural spring, when you told me you’d take me to all of them. You captured my heart. And I want you to keep it.”
“Charlie.” This feeling. Pulling her close, I kiss her face, her cheeks, her jaw, her neck, my love for her spilling out of me. “I love you so much.”
“I love you, Ry. And I was scared to tell you, too. We were both scared to say anything.”
Speaking of… might as well go for broke now.
“I don’t want you to leave.” Also very eloquent.
Shaking my head at myself, I say, “I mean, I want you to stay here, in my apartment, in Sleepy Hollow. Not just for a week or until Cole says it’s safe. I love you, and I love living with you. Will you stay?”
Charlie stares at me, silent for a moment. But before I can start to panic, a smile spreads across her face, brightening everything.
“Yes. You don’t know how much I’ve been hoping you’d ask.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHARLIE
I’ve only been officially living in Rylan’s apartment for a week, and it already feels like home.
Although, I guess I should call it our apartment. I would never have imagined it.
Rylan and I, not just dating, but in love. Living together. Working together.
That’s another incredible thing. The day after I agreed to stay with Rylan in Sleepy Hollow, Cole came to me with an offer. “Since you’re staying at Blade and Arrow,” he said with a wry smile, “I’m wondering how you’d feel about working here, too.”
It turns out that Blade and Arrow has a lot of legal needs—contracts, non-disclosure agreements, and helping their pro-bono clients with various legal documents. And Cole wanted me to come on as Blade and Arrow’s private counsel.
“We’ve been paying local attorneys on an as-needed basis,” he explained, “but I think it’s time for us to have a full-time attorney on staff. And there will probably be enough time to do some additional pro-bono work in the community. If you wanted to, that is.”
It sounded amazing, but I had a big concern. “I would love to,” I told him. “But what about my reputation? Even though the videos are almost gone now, and Morgan’s trial is in the news, there will be some people who will always view me—”
“I don’t care,” Cole said, his gaze sure and steady. “And neither does anyone else on the team. We know you, and we all trust you to do the best job.”
I glanced over at Rylan, who was in the kitchen chopping vegetables with avid interest and carefully not looking at Cole and I. “You knew?”
He gave me a little sheepish grin. “Just since yesterday. But I thought Cole should be the one to ask you.”
Obviously, I said yes.
So I have a job again—I’ll be starting next week—a new home, a new town, and a group of people who are gradually becoming my new family. I can help people just like Blade and Arrow helped me. And I have Rylan.
From that first morning, so scared as I waited for Leo and Rylan to show up, to now. It’s incredible.
“Charlie, your phone is buzzing.”
Rylan walks into the bedroom, holding my phone. He catches me mid-change—I’m standing in front of the closet with no shirt on, trying to decide on something to wear. Once he sees me, his eyes darken, shifting from happy to hungry.
I turn away from the closet. “Did you see who it is?”
“Hmm?” Rylan slides my phone in his pocket and strides over to me, taking my waist in his hands. Dipping his head, he kisses me, sucking at my bottom lip, his beard soft against my skin.
Pulling away, I grin at him. “Who was texting me? Did you see?”
