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“Damien?” I breathed hopefully, lifting my attention to his face.
His lashes twitched as if he was trying to open them, then his lips parted before he pressed them back together and darted out his tongue to wet his dehydrated mouth.
“Oaklynn…” he rasped weakly just as his lashes parted to show me those amazing whiskey eyes of his.
“Hey,” I whispered, feeling tears on my cheeks as I smiled in return and brought his hand to my mouth to kiss his knuckles. “Welcome back.”
“You’re okay?” he asked weakly.
“Me?” I sniffed in surprise before waving out a dismissive hand. “I’m completely fine. They glued me back together, patted me on the back, and sent me on my way. I just had a little flesh wound.You’rethe one we’ve all been worried about. You’re in the ICU right now, if you didn’t know.”
Confusion filled his face before he glanced around the room in wonder. “Wow. I guess I am.” His free hand moved to his abdomen. “That fucker stabbed me.”
“I know,” I said with a small laugh. “Four times too. But they think you’re going to heal just fine. All you gotta do is take it extremely easy for the next little while.”
He nodded and then squinted before asking, “And Zweifel? Is he…? I didn’t kill him, did I?”
I shook my head. “No. He’s already been treated and transported to jail. The police searched his house, and they found enough evidence to charge him with Thalia’s murder.”
Thinking that was enough for him to hear for now—I’d mention the rest later—I watched his eyebrows lift in interest.
“We caught him, then? We really got him?”
Smoothing my fingers over the back of his hand, I nodded. “We got him.”
“God… oh God.” Tears filled his eyes. “You have no idea… All these years… She finally has justice. Because of you, Oaklynn. Jesus, I can’t thank you enough.”
“Well…” I shrugged ruefully. “I reckon we can call it even after the way you saved my life. Thank you for looking for me when I went missing.”
“Always,” he assured. “I love you.”
I shuddered and said, “I love you too.” Leaning down, I pressed my mouth to his softly.
He hummed out a sound of approval and touched my cheek.
“I can’t believe it’s over,” he murmured, looking into my eyes when I pulled back. “I almost don’t know what to do with my life now.”
I chuckled. “That’s easy. You start living it.”
Interlacing my fingers with his, he said, “As long as I can live it with you.”
Nodding, I decided that was a pretty damn good plan. “Deal.”
EPILOGUE
OAKLYNN
“Ithink you need to take me shopping,” Damien announced abruptly. “For a new outfit.”
I lifted my gaze from the text message I’d been reading from my mom and glanced across the interior of his truck to where he was sitting behind the wheel and paused at a red light.
“Maybe two,” he said, tapping his fingers nervously against the steering wheel, only to release the brake and steer us through the intersection when the light turned green.
“Why?” I asked, shaking my head cluelessly, only for my eyes to light up. “Oh my God. Do you have an interview? For, like, some kind of forensic psychologist job.”
He glanced at me in bewilderment before saying, “No. Oaklynn… Thanksgiving is inthreedays. Your parents will be here in two. I need to look presentable. To impress them.”
“Oh…pfft.” I waved out a hand, completely unconcerned. “Don’t even worry about that. They’re going to love you.”
