“Shower?” he murmurs.
I nod.
We move together, stripping away last night’s clothes like old armor. The bathroom is spacious, the glass-walled shower already fogging with steam. He steps in first, holding his hand out for me, and I follow, the warm spray hitting my skin in a soothing cascade.
His arms wrap around me from behind, his lips pressing to my shoulder as water drips down our bodies. There’s nothing hurried about this. Just skin on skin.
The hot water cascades over our bodies as Sam pulls me close, his hands smoothing over my back. Steam swirls around us, cloaking us in our own little world as our mouths meet again. His fingers tangle in my wet hair, tilting my head so he can deepen the kiss. I melt into him, the water a soft percussion in the background.
Sam's lips trail from my mouth to my jaw, to the hollow beneath my ear. “I still can’t believe you’re here,” he murmurs, voice low. “That I get to touch you like this again.”
My breath hitches as I glide my hands over his chest, theslick warmth of his skin making every caress feel like silk. “You feel like home,” I whisper.
He cups my face, eyes searching mine with a look so intense it nearly undoes me. “I’ll never let you go again, Charlie. Never.”
“Good. Because I’m not going anywhere, cowboy.”
Our lips meet again, and the heat between us spikes, curling in the steam of the shower. Sam spins me gently so I’m facing the wall, his hands steady and reverent. He lifts one of my legs, anchoring me to him, and when he slides into me, we both moan like the breath we’ve been holding since we were torn apart has finally been released.
Slowly, deeply, he moves with me, in me. Every touch a promise, every kiss a vow. The water pours over our bodies like absolution, warm and endless. We cling to each other, rocking in rhythm to something deeper than desire. This isn’t just about lust. This is about claiming each other again, about healing in the only way we know how. With skin and heart and soul.
The shower becomes something sacred. A baptism of all the pain we’ve survived. Of everything we’ve reclaimed. By the time we step out, dripping and breathless, I know one thing with absolute certainty. We are whole again.
We dry off, dress, and step out of the suite. Sam laces his fingers through mine like he’s afraid to let go. And honestly, same. My heart is still pounding, not just from what we shared in the shower, but from the weight of everything that’s finally lifting.
Downstairs in the hotel café, Tish is already at a table, chatting animatedly with Liam, who looks surprisingly at ease in a button-up shirt and boots. I’m guessing my best friend had some intel on where I went after the show. Phernsits beside them, fidgeting with the edge of her coffee cup. Her eyes snap up the second she sees us.
Sam gives my hand a squeeze before we cross the room together.
“There they are!” Tish stands and immediately pulls me into a hug. “Took y’all long enough.”
Liam whistles, eyeing us both. “Well, I’ll be damned. You two look like you finally got your happy ending.”
Sam smirks. “We’re working on it.”
Phern rises slowly. She looks nervous, and for good reason. Her gaze finds mine, and for a moment we just stare. There’s a storm of emotion behind her eyes. Guilt. Hope. Maybe even something like admiration.
“I was wrong,” she says quietly. “About you. About everything. I’m so sorry, Charlotte.”
Emotion claws up my throat, but I manage a smile. “Thank you for saying that.”
“I don’t expect you to forgive me right away. But I’d like to try to fix it. If you’ll let me.”
I nod, and when I reach for her hand, she lets me take it.
“We’ve got time,” I say. “And besides. We’re family now.”
Sam’s arm slides around my waist, warm and solid. “And you’re going to be an Aunt.”
Tish raises her glass. “To family. The messy, loud, stubborn kind we’d still choose every single time.”
We all lift our drinks.
And for the first time in what feels like forever, I know this is exactly where I’m meant to be.
EPILOGUE 1
SAM
