Tessa looked down.
He leaned in—slowly—until she met his eyes again.
“But I love you, Tess.” His voice dropped. “I was halfway gone on that lawn, and the only thing I could think was I hadn’t told you yet.”
Tessa’s composure broke.
“I came for you,” he said quietly. “Not because I’m a deputy. Because it’s you. It was always going to be you.”
She swallowed, tears slipping silently now.
He lifted his good hand—the one without the IV—and brushed one tear from her cheek with his thumb. The monitor behind her quickened for a beat, then steadied.
“He tried to break you,” Scout murmured. “He failed.”
Tessa leaned into his touch, shaking her head. “You could’ve died.”
“I knew the risk, I just wasn’t leaving you there.”
“I know,” she whispered back.
She lifted the sheet, patted the mattress beside her, and said softly, “Get in—before a nurse murders you.”
He grimaced but carefully eased himself onto the edge of her hospital bed. The mattress dipped; his IV line tugged; his shoulder protested with a hot throb—and her hand instantly settled over his.
His lips brushed hers—soft, careful of every injury in the room, but full of everything they hadn’t said until now.
A real kiss. Earned. Quiet.
Outside the door, Burke’s voice floated faintly down the hall:
“Wilson, don’t make me come in there.”
Tessa bit back a laugh, eyes flicking to Scout. “You’re in trouble,” she murmured. He grinned, just a little. “Worth it.”
Tessa smiled, leaned her head on Scout’s good shoulder—mindful of the taped line—and whispered, “We’re going to be okay, aren’t we?”
“Yeah,” he murmured. “We are.”
And this time, she believed him.
60
State v. Preston Sinclair and Margot Holt
Tessa — Front Row
The courtroom was packed.
Not with strangers—but with Sylva.
Firefighters who’d walked the mountain roads until their feet blistered. Mary Lou and Ned. Willow from City Limits. Deputies in dress uniforms. Off-duty officers in flannel. Book club ladies who’d stood under floodlights calling Sara’s name into the trees.
Now they filled Judge Harlan’s courtroom, eyes fixed on the defense table.
On him.
Tessa sat in the front row.
