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“Same for me.” Her body visibly relaxes with the sound as she considers my offer to move in with me, as if accepting we are what we are. For now.
“So it’s a yes?” I ask again for clarification. My heart might stop beating if she changes her mind.
Biting her bottom lip, she stares at me for much longer than I want, which makes uncertainty prickle across my skin.
What is she so scared of? “Just think of it like a cab ride to work and sex on tap.”
It’s nothing like that and we both know it because we do everything together now from sunup to sundown and every hour in between.
“Okay,” she finally replies.
I freeze, letting her words settle between us. An apocalypse could hit the world, and I wouldn’t care as long as I’m with her.
A knowing grin shapes my lips, the feeling of happiness overwhelming me, and I lean in slightly, closing the gap between us, then place a soft kiss on her mouth. “It took you long enough to agree,” I say, teasing her. “Tell me again, let me hear you say it.” I need to hear it again for my own sanity.
“Yes, I’ll move in with you.” There’s so much confidence in her voice, I almost suggest we call a moving company now.
I hope she hears every word I say next and mean. “I’m not perfect, Arianna, and I’ve never done this before.” My voice is deep and raspy as I slide my hands up either side of her neck.
“I’m not perfect either, and I’ve never lived with my boss before.”
“I fucking hope not, Nick Williams is a married man and represents clients I wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot pole.” A brief laugh breaks from her throat and I bow my head to kiss her tempting lips.
To me, she is perfect.
“You’re amazing,” I gush, unable to prevent my confession, because I’ve never felt this way about anyone before. She’s thrown me for a loop but I’m here for the ride, all of it.
“Take me to bed and show me how amazing you think I am.” She nips at my lips, and I lift her into my arms, her legs instinctively wrapping around my waist as I walk us up the stairs to the bedroom.
I don’t have to be asked twice.
37
ARI
Annoyed that I can’t sleep, while Nathan breathes in and out in deep slumber, I watch the shadows from the trees moving in the wind dance across the exposed wooden beams of the cozy treehouse.
I give into the inevitable and prop myself up slowly so as not to wake Nathan.
Leaning against the headboard, I grab my phone off the nightstand and, using facial recognition, I open my hidden photos folder and pull up every piece of evidence from my family’s case I photographed and read through them all again for the millionth time.
It’s pointless, I know this because I won’t find anything new.
Because facts are facts.
Over dinner, I listened in awe as Nathan, his brothers, and their mother reminisced about the many clients Daniel had represented, the meaningful impact he made in the community, and the countless hours of pro bono work their family dedicates to each year. Their passion for justice and commitment to serving others is undeniable, and they spoke with a deep sense of purpose, wishing they had even more time to give back. It wasclear that for them that the law is not just a job but a calling, one they use to help those in need.
They’re good.
Daniel Hart is a great man.
This is the part I have been struggling with the most.
My duplicity in thinking otherwise.
The duality has felt like a deception. Every day. When Nathan asked me to move in with him, I knew I had to jump one way or the other off the fence I have been sitting on. I had my doubts for a moment. I think he felt it too, saw it in my face perhaps. But if anything, my family’s deaths have taught me that life is too precious and can be taken from you at any time. Nathan’s father had his health taken from him, which seems unfair given how many people he helped throughout his life.
It’s unfair.