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42
MARGARET
About a year later
“YOU’RE DRIVING ME crazy!” My words shoot out, the exasperation in them clear as I stare at my boyfriend, who’s casually sitting on the couch—the couch that’s in the wrong spot, the couch that is starting to make me feel like we really should have gone with armchairs instead.
“Mo, you’re being crazy.” Liam holds a beer in his hand, one foot kicked up on the small ottoman I thought would be perfect in our new living room.
My eye twitches at his comment. “Crazy, huh?” I ask, a hint of false humor in my voice, and I stalk into the kitchen, looking for something that would hurt him just a little but maybe not make a mark.
This apartment is even nicer than the one I just moved out of. Liam and I finally took the plunge and got our own place, and it’s heaven. The balcony is bigger than my last one, and this one I can even put some plants on. I was stoked about that part.
We’re still in the heart of downtown, which was expensive on my budget, but when we decided to live together, we were able to upgrade. He’s been trying to get me talked into moving in with him since a week after he was released from the hospital so many months ago. That was a long week for him, and I think he was just desperate to get out, so I didn’t take him seriously. I told him to give it a year and then if he was still serious, I’d move in with him.
We’re only five minutes from my precinct, which is amazing for me. I have a new partner, a woman this time, and we are getting along swimmingly. I can definitely count on her to have my back when I need it, and I can see us working together for a long time. I love my job. It is hard, challenging, and exactly where I am supposed to be.
Gray is still doing detective work and trying to talk me into moving in that direction. I think eventually I will, but for now, life is sweet. I am enjoying it fully for the first time in years, and I’m not ready to change it.
Liam’s sister is even a part of our lives now. She isn’t living in our state, but we FaceTime her every week, and we’ve been out to visit a couple of times since I was welcomed into the Stokes family. His family is completely different than mine, and I honestly can’t believe they allowed him to go off the grid for as long as he did.
His mother threatened his life if he did it again, and once he agreed, she moved on to her next important thing: babies. “I need more grandbabies.” I think my face went pale at that comment, and she laughed joyfully then walked away like it was nothing. Liam gave me a wink and followed as I downed the beer his dad placed in my hand, and it wasn’t brought up again, at least not to me.
But life is good—more than good, really. I’m not looking to change anything any time soon, including the location of the couch, which is currently in a different spot than I originally placed it.
“Liam.” I sigh, walking out of the kitchen. “I really like it where—” I cut myself off when I see him again. This time, instead of sitting on the couch drinking a beer, he’s on a knee in front of me. “Oh my God.” My breath is stolen from my lungs by an unknown force.
“Mo.” He grins his childish grin that I love. It’s a more permanent feature of his since we’ve been living life outside of the FBI this last year. “I think it’s time for another change.”
I laugh outright. “Liam.” I shake my head. “Everything’s perfect.”
“Not quite.” His grin doesn’t leave his face when he opens the box he’s got in his hands. “I wanted to buy you something new, but…” When I see what’s in the box, I let out another giggle and move toward him. “When I found the ring in your dresser, I knew it was fate. It’s what we used at our first wedding, and frankly, that was one of the best days of my life.”
He stands and looks at me with an expression I’ll never tire of seeing, one that, about a year ago, I never would have thought I’d get to see again. It’s unconditional love, unbreakable trust, and a willingness to do whatever it takes to prove he loves me. I know it’s true, because he has.
“Will you take my hand, Mo?”
Without hesitation, I reach up and interlace my fingers with his. Holding them up, he slips the ring I wore for a short time back onto my finger. His eyes study mine, searching for the answer that spills easily from my lips.
“I will.”
